What are the differences between Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholic or Protestant

[Delija]

• The Roman Catholic idea of the development of dogma is not accepted by the Orthodox Church. This means that the deposit of God- revealed truth is complete, and we are to look for no new revelations regarding the fundamental reality of our Faith. However, in order to faithfully preserve this unchanging Faith, there are times when the articulation of that Faith must be refined or made clearer. • “Transubstantiation ” – an explanation adopted by the Roman Church for how the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ is seen by the Orthodox as an inadequate attempt to understand a Mystery which cannot be limited to such intellectual categories. This philosophical (i.e. Aristotelian) term, adopted by “scholastic” theologians in the 12th century, includes underlying assumptions the Orthodox consider incompatible with Christian theology. • The calculation of the date of Easter , agreed upon at the First Ecumenical Council in 325AD by the universal Church, is still used in the Orthodox Church. Among other differences with the Roman calculation, it must fall after the Jewish Passover. • Low mass is not practiced by the Orthodox, nor can an Orthodox priest celebrate the Liturgy privately. With the emphasis on the communal nature of the Church, Orthodox priests are allowed to celebrate only one Liturgy on only one altar daily to ensure that the Eucharist is a gathering of the whole local church as one body.

 

[eternally-gratefull]

If a church does not have the Gospel, it is not the church Jesus left.

I should have known the poster was not honest in what he asked. and had alterior motives..

 

[jimmydiggs]

I should have known the poster was not honest in what he asked. and had alterior motives..

Almost two years on CC? Should be gettin' the pattern figured out.

 

[jimmydiggs]

Eastern Orthodoxy preaches a false gospel.

 

[jimmydiggs]

Doctrinaire differences between eastern orthodoxy, catholicism and protestantism:

1. The Apostolic succession

a) It is definitory for the eastern orthodox belief because ensures the continuity with the Church based by Jesus Christ.
b) for catholicism is also definitory.
c) with the exception of the anglicans and some lutherans, protestantism in general refutes the apostolic succession. For the protestants, it is more important the continuity of the apostolic teachings rather than the succession of the Holy Spirit.

2. The Bible

a) The eastern orthodox church accepts 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 of the New Testament, but, in plus, it accepts a collection of books that aren`t in the hebrew Bible. These books are known as the "deuterocanonical books".
b) In catholicism is the same as in the eastern orthodox church.
c) The protestants reject these deuterocanonical books as being uninspired and they call them "apocrypha".

3. The priesthood (ministry)

a) In eastern church, the bishops, the priests and the deacons must be men. They can get married before becoming priests, but not after. The bishops must be celibataires.
b) In catholicism all the clergy must be men and they must be celibataires.
c) In protestantism also, the ministry is formed by men, but there are also exceptions. The protestants can get married before or after becoming pastors.

4. The Eucharist (signification)

a) In eastern orthodox belief it is also called The Saint Body and The Saint Blood of Christ. It is the real communion with the body and blood of Christ (that died and ressurected), for the forgiveness of the sins and for the eternal life.
b) In catholicism it has the same meaning as in orthodoxy. It is also called The Eucharistic Sacrifice or Missa.
c) For the protestants, The Eucharist, just like the Baptism, is a symbol of the Grace. The nature of sacrifice of the eucharist is rejected.

5.The presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

a) During the Holy Lithurgy the priest invokes the Holy Spirit to transfigurate the bread and the wine in the Holy Body and the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ. The precise manner by which this happens is a divine mystery.
b) Same as in orthodoxy, the catholic priest invokes the Holy Spirit during Missa. However sanctification of the bread and wine becomes effective through the priest acting in the person of Christ. The bread and wine actually change into the Body and Blood of the Savior, and this change is called transubstantiation (the gifts remain the same but their substance is changed).
c) In protestantism, the bread and wine are symbolic and do not change the substance.

6. Receiving the Holy Eucharist

a) In orthodoxy, Holy Eucharist is offered only to those baptized, after confession of their sins through the Sacrament of Confession and after receiving the spiritual blessing. Christians partake of the Body and Blood of the Lord at once while the orthodox clergy partake with each, the Body and the Blood, separately, from the Holy Disc and from the Holy Grail.
b) In catholicism, Holy Eucharist is offered to the baptized without making the confession through the Sacrament of Confession.Christians receive only the body (bread) and priests receive the blood (wine). Some Catholic churches partake of both.
c) In protestantism, Eucharist is offered to all Christians who feel ready to receive it. The vast majority of Protestants partake with both bread and wine.

7. The Holy Spirit

a) In orthodoxy, it is the third Person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father according to the Nicene Creed (I and II Ecumenical Council). Father sends the Holy Spirit through the Son.
b) In catholicism, The Holy Spirit proceeds both from the Father and the Son (filioque dogma, which means "from the Son, also").
c) Protestants believe the same as the catholic church.

8. Holy Mysteries (or sacraments)

a) The Orthodox Church has seven Sacraments and several religious services. These sacraments are: Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Confession, Marriage, Extreme Unction and Ordination.
b) The Catholic Church has the same sacraments as the Orthodox Church just that the Chrismation is called Confirmation and is not officiated immediately after the Baptism, but after the age of 7 years.
c) Protestant churches have two Sacraments: Baptism and the Eucharist called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper.

9. The Effect of the Holy Mysteries

a) Through the Holy Mysteries, the orthodox christians share God's grace and become stronger in making the good, with the ultimate aim of deification.
b) The Holy Mysteries are effective signs of grace. They are instituted by Christ and handed over to the Church; they grant eternal life in the catholic belief.
c) There are many opinions about Holy Mysteries in Protestant churches. However, most Protestant theologians see the sacraments as symbols and reminders of Grace that was already given to us.

10. Salvation

a) Salvation is love expressed through good works and is seen as a long process. The highest purpose of orthodox christian is deification. This communion with God is reached through ascesis (leaving sins, fasting, praying, reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers etc.)
b) Catholics are saved by grace and through the merits they obtain by pleasing to God and practicing the charity (love for the other one). As in Orthodoxy, salvation is seen more as a long-term process than an event.
c) In protestantism, Salvation is a free and an undeserved gift given by God to man. Is obtained only through faith in Christ and by leaving the sin.

11. The Saints

a) In orthodoxy, saints are people that pleased God with their lives and people that reached a high spiritual state. Saints are intercessors before God for those on earth.
b) Catholics have the same belief as the orthodox christians.
c) In protestantism, all Christians are saints, called to follow (imitate) Christ. Only Christ is the mediator between man and God.

12. Mary - Mother of God - The Ascendence to the sky

a) The orthodox church affirms that Mary was born by her parents in a human way. She suffered physical death, like all people, but her body and soul have been raised by Christ up to heaven, to the Holy Trinity.
b) The catholic church believes in the "Immaculate Conception" of Mary. They say she was born not from the phisical communion between man and woman but from the Holy Spirit, just like Jesus Christ.
c) Protestants reject both both orthodox and catholic beliefs. The only one whitout is Jesus Christ.


Folks, my work here consists only in translating what I have read on a romanian orthodox site. Please, forgive the inherent mistakes; there are a few more differences that I have left outside out of laziness so, again, please forgive.

To be continued.

 

[Delija]

I should have known the poster was not honest in what he asked. and had alterior motives..

Did u saw what i have posted as question ?
Give me your opinion .

 

[eternally-gratefull]

Did u saw what i have posted as question ?
Give me your opinion .

I already did. Guess this shows your not reading anyone's responses. But just want to get your stuff out.

 

[jimmydiggs]

Since we're doing copy-pasta...

EIPS - What’s So Wrong With The Eastern Orthodox Church?
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica]There is real Orthodoxy and folk Orthodoxy. In Albania, people often speak of the "Greek
Orthodox Church", though really it is the Albanian Orthodox Church; but many
clergy are Greek and the beliefs are the same.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica]
Until about 400 AD the Christian church in the east and the west of the Roman
Empire developed together on official doctrine, and the main interests were the
Person of Christ and the Trinity. Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and
Protestant still agree on these doctrines.



THE FOUR 'A's



But after about 400 AD, you need to remember the four A's to understand
something of how the west (Catholic and Protestant) grew apart from Eastern
Orthodoxy: Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, the Awakening. These have probably
fundamentally affected if not determined the faith of everyone reading this
article, but they never affected Orthodoxy.



Augustine of Hippo (354 430) taught that man has totally fallen away from God
and is unable to stir himself to come back; that every person inherits Adam's
guilt (not just his nature); that salvation is entirely of God's initiative and
grace; that those who will believe and be saved have been chosen and predestined
before they are born.



Anselm (1033 1109) was an Italian who became archbishop of Canterbury. He
taught that in Christ God became human so that Jesus Christ could die in our
place as a satisfaction for all our sins: substitutionary atonement.



Aquinas (ca 1225 1275) was a Dominican monk who blended Greek logic (from
Aristotle's philosophy) into theological method.



The Awakening in the 18th century (Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, George
Whitefield etc) emphasised personal assurance of forgiveness and of the new
birth.



THE REFORMATION



The church in the west was greatly influenced by Roman law and tended to see
salvation in legal terms: God pardoning the guilty. The Reformation in the 16th
century (Luther, Calvin etc), as well as re emphasising Augustine's doctrines of
man, sin, election and grace, made another change, namely that whereas Augustine
taught that justification is being made righteous, the Reformers and their
followers (e.g. the Puritans) taught that it is being accounted righteous by
Christ's righteousness imputed to us. They also adjusted Roman Catholic teaching
on church and sacraments.



The Orthodox don't emphasise the Cross and forgiveness as much as we do;
rather, they see salvation more in terms of Christ's Incarnation, our union with
Him, our glorification, and the renewal of creation. They see Christ's death on
the Cross less as His paying our penalty in our place, more as His victory over
death and Satan.



They have a more optimistic view of man and his ability to turn to God than
Augustine's. They have more place for mystery and are less concerned to make
theology logical.



They are often "apophatic" (that is, they talk more bout what we don't know
about God, while we concentrate on what we do know.)



BELIEFS AND PRACTICES



The Orthodox also have beliefs and practices which make us shudder! They pray
for the dead; they also pray to the dead; they believe icons are a meeting point
between the living and the dead; they believe God's grace is active in relics of
the saints; they pray to angels; they have a view of sacraments which is very
different from ours: salvation is deposited in the Orthodox Church, and the
priest gives saving grace through the sacraments, so that people have a
relationship with the Church rather than with Jesus Christ.



Most of our readers, and most evangelical missionaries to Albania, probably
derive their personal religion either from the Reformation or Puritans, or from
the Evangelical Awakening. That means up to 1300 years of separate development
from the Eastern Orthodox churches. No wonder we are so different! What's more,
many Orthodox theologians have seen the Reformation either as resulting from a
wrong interpretation of Paul's Letter to the Romans by Augustine (who used a
Latin translation, not the Greek: in quo omnes peccaverunt (Rom 5.12)
&c) or as God's judgement on the Roman Church for its breach with Orthodoxy.
The Reformation holds no relevance.



INTOLERANCE



So is there enough truth in Orthodoxy to save the soul? Let me say: "That
isn't the issue..." The real issue, in practical terms, is their tendency to
curse us as heretics and to accuse us of breaking up the Albanian nation.



They have pasted posters on top of our posters, calling us heretics and sons
of Judas Iscariot. Their leadership are quite simply intolerant.



An Orthodox priest wrote to David Young, Director of the Albanian Evangelical
Mission:



"Well, it is a fearful thing to be cursed by a bishop who stands in the shoes
of the apostles ... an unwelcome incursion into the sheepfold of Christ. What to
do about it? Close the door on it ... So why exert yourself to hijack the native
Christianity of Albania by introducing a foreign mission and belief system?"



Dan Baynes Quotes an Orthodox publication as follows:



"The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania is being hit today from many
directions. An organised attack is being carried out against it by missionaries
... particularly by the Evangelicals ... heretics who come in as a wedge to
destroy our beautiful faith... traitors to the Church and successors of Judas
Iscariot..."



The practical issue is not whether or not there are some true, humble lovers
and servants of our Lord Jesus Christ within the Orthodox Church in Albania, but
the aggression and indeed poison with which the leadership sometimes speak and
write about us and oppose our work.



Apart from disagreeing with our teachings, they see us as breaking up the
nation. An Albanian can be Moslem (70% are), or Catholic (10%) or Orthodox
(20%), but if you persuade people to become something else, you are destroying
national identity with a foreign belief system.



POPULAR RELIGION



And finally, as no doubt with any religion, there are many who are Orthodox
in name but who have little or no idea of what their Church really teaches. They
don't know what they ought to believe, they just know others are wrong! Shaun
Thompson explains:



"When we do gospel work among people with an Orthodox background, really what
concerns us most is Orthodox practice. One of the basic faults of the Orthodox
church in Albania (as it has been with many other denominations closer to home)
is the appointment of men to the ministry who are seemingly unconverted, and
often ill mannered too. These are shepherds that care more for their pockets (or
their egos) than the souls of their parishioners. There are, of course,
exceptions.



"Another general fault is the focus placed on maintaining a religious ritual,
as opposed to seeking the moral and spiritual regeneration of men, women and
children. The Orthodox church offers people what they want, which is easy
religion, and thus false peace. The emphasis seems to be along the lines of 'go
light your candle, make the sign of the cross, kiss the icon and all is well
with your soul'. This is tantamount to a spiritual crime. There doesn't seem to
be any attempt (in practice) to make a distinction between true and false
Christians, only between true and false churches so called! There is also a
tendency to so focus on the saints, as to lose sight of the Saviour."



WHAT IS RIGHT?



It might be gracious now to ask, "What is right about the Orthodox Church?"



The Bishop in Korce recently said on the radio that they have gone too far
from the Word of God, and from now on there will be preaching in the churches
under his leadership. This is a new bishop, not the one who cursed us from his
pulpit in the 1990s.



Larry Stucky, Conservative Baptist missionary in Korce working together with
Ian Loring at the Evangelical Church and sent by the same mission which sent
Edwin Jacques in 1932, says that some of the clergy and some in the
congregations in the Orthodox Church are people of spiritual perception.



Evangelicalism has often been portrayed as a foreign religion, brought in by
Americans or other Westerners, alien to national Albanian culture. I can
understand something of that.



The Orthodox aim to model their services on the worship of heaven, hence the
altar, incense, robes and visual splendour: they see these things in Revelation
and elsewhere. They aim for reverence, mystery and holiness. They respond
negatively to what they see as jarringly American. In August in Albania I
attended an Evangelical service, and I noticed a shapely young woman wearing a
tee shirt with this statement on her bosom: "Jesus is my homeboy." I winced, and
understood afresh how certain aspects of contemporary Evangelicalism jar on
peoples sensitivities.



There is also the slick, easy triumphalism one hears so often. In the early
1990s, Barth Companjen, leader of Ancient World Outreach, stated that "According
to the statistics, everyone in Albania has received Christ four times." This
facile, unrealistic optimism characteristic of some sections of Evangelicalism
is risible and unattractive, a far cry from the thoughtful words of John Wesley:
"I wish all our Preachers would be accurate in their accounts, and rather speak
under than above the truth."



But there is another side to all this: many Albanians want to become
westernised! In fact, the American Orthodox Church is working in Albania,
including workers who have converted from Evangelicalism.



GREECE


There is one further aspect to this that I wish to mention. I know a good
deal less about religion in Greece than in Albania, but I have not heard such
optimistic impressions of the Orthodox Church in Greece. It is estimated that
some 2,000 to 3,000 Albanians who are evangelical believers are working in
Greece and its islands. It seems to me that, whilst we do well to rejoice that
some Albanian Christians are looking and indeed going eastwards to bring the
Gospel to the Moslem world, we might also hope and pray that the migration
southwards into Greece will bring a breath of new life to that beloved and
beautiful land.
[/FONT]

 

[crossnote]

Something as introduction.

When asked about Orthodox Christianity, I often like to remind my Protestant friends that Jesus left a Church – not a Book – and that it was the Church that gave us the Book. Trying to interpret the Book outside the context that produced it has resulted in tens of thousands of denominations, with five new ones being added every week! When Martin Luther’s protests against the Papacy and practices of the Roman Church resulted in duplicity of scriptural interpretation, he lamented that he had created a multitude of “popes” who had taken upon themselves the task of ‘truly’ interpreting scripture. Be that as it may, Orthodoxy claims to be universal—not something exotic and oriental, but simply Christianity.
The compound word “Ortho-doxy” means both “right belief” and “right glory” (which means both right worship and way of life). The adjective “orthodox” was used as early as the second century after Christ to describe and identify those who had maintained apostolic faith. A true knowledge of God results in a true glorification of God. True glorification of God includes an authentic knowledge of God. These two components belong together and are intertwined. As the popular early Christian saying goes: “We pray as we believe, and we believe as we pray.” Through many challenges and difficulties the Church has managed to maintain the integrity of both Christian doctrine and worship. As it has come down in history, this Church has come to be called by the name: the “Orthodox Church.”

Oh? Which Church did you say gave the Jews their book. Nonsense.

 

[fredjames]

Peace be with you, the differences and claims Biblically can be as a community/church being the body of CHRIST how they worship GOD in their lives live to honor the LORD JESUS CHRIST to the best.
Being there present and witnessing this differences may seem like in reality 'happening' that the Kingdom of GOD is at hand and the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT manifests.
But the Word(JESUS) of GOD of the New Testament/Covenant which GOD the FATHER made with our spiritual Christian ancestors who were chosen and structured and even the church, mentioned/documented by GOD Himself through His SON the HOLY SPIRIT in the inspired Holy Bible about the one true body of CHRIST that truly lived to honor Him justifies the truth to these differences and practices. Are they the New Testament/Covenant 'based' or in other word 'founded'? (the grace and truth which CHRIST brought, the written/documented 'foundation' of truly Biblical new spiritual faith to excel, praying together in one purpose and accord, practicing and growing to be a witness and witnessing, forgetting anything that is related to our old walks of lives and nature that we were bond to).
From generations after generations we are to 'abide' in that one established 'Kingdom Order' for all believers/church, called the Law of the HOLY SPIRIT, the New Covenant of the Living GOD for His future in coming new redeemed people turning from their old carnal perishing standards of this world of religiousness or non religiousness living according to what was right in their sight, away from the true GOD and being bond to false which is in disguise.
The Apostle's testimonies indicates the falsehood and false teachings present in the church itself and the New Covenant founded faithful Christian by the help Teacher the HOLY SPIRIT, even today can "distinguish between the spirit of error (manifestation) and the spirit of truth (manifestation)".
As it is written; "You will know a tree by it's fruits."
Are they Biblical, CHRIST's New Covenant teachings of spirit and life and acts/practices? Or are they Biblical twisted operated by man's decision based/founded?
As it is also written for alertness and awareness from the testimony of the Apostles to the Word of CHRIST, taught to us and reminded by the Helper and Teacher the HOLY SPIRIT again and again;
"Your worst enemy will be in your own household."
i am merely an unworthy servant just doing my given duty to serve. It is LORD the HOLY SPIRIT's revelation to all of us in reminder and in stirring up our Biblical New Covenant living memory again and again not to turn/look to the right or to the left.
May the Blessed Good GOD of Israel the FATHER of our LORD JESUS be praised and thanked for everything HE achieved and finished for us, even to the sacrificing of HIS only begotten innocent SON, sparing HIS wrath justfully should come upon us sinners that we deserved, forever and ever, Amen.
'Faith manifestation in believers does not only come in truth based/founded Words but also come in truth based/founded Actions, even to the laying down of one's life in order to save another from perishing.'
In the book of Revelation, it is written that the ones who were 'raptured/taken up', who were standing facing the LORD with their righteous gown 'stained in blood' for preaching the Gospel.
Judge for ourselves; 'Is our gown stained with our blood of righteousness, like the ones taken up to meet with the LORD, to be considered worthy?'
'Or is it stained with the blood of others, perished in our and their ignorance or in our and their unrighteousness acts, even to be considered at all?'
Consider this to all in the forum rather than carrying on and on about Kingdom childish things, for the LORD return is near. Have you broken anything written in the New Covenant?
As it is written; "Be ye perfect as your FATHER in Heaven who is perfect." (in HIS likeness and image we are all called to, in order to honor the LORD's Word of the New Covenant)
Please make peace with the LORD before HE returns and stop being proud braggers accumulating trouble for judgement day.
As it is written;
1. "Be ye all not be teachers, for teachers will be greatly judged."
2. "The blind leading the blind and soon they are going to fall into a ditch."

 

[Simona25]

JimmyDiggs,

Would you give up your place in heaven for someone else, out of love?
The biggest difference between theosis (eastern orthodoxy church) and soteriology (catholicism, protestantism) reside in the answer to that quesiton.

 

[Angela53510]

More copy and paste than I can stand!! But I did appreciate the Romanian translation. That was the only one that was readable, in my opinion.

My grandparents were Ukrainian Orthodox. I found it sad that one of the other reasons for the big break between Rome and the Eastern Orthodox was using the native language, which was a good thing. Yet my grandparents attended a huge cathedral that is almost empty today, because most of the second and third generation do not use Ukrainian. They should have switched to a Ukrainian/English format, because they lost the next generations.

I have met American Orthodox and they do not believe anyone is saved outside the Orthodox church. My grandmother was never allowed to go to school. But she somehow learned both the Ukrainian and English alphabets, listened in church and was able to read the Bible in both languages, although nothing else. She realize that salvation was by grace alone, through reading the Bible. She loved her church, but she was more concerned that her children and grandchildren knew Jesus Christ than that they went to her church. I was told that she was apostate for believing that. Is that true?

I don't know if you Orthodox people posting here believe that only the Orthodox Church can save, but if you do, then you do not understand the gospel. If you really read the Bible, in your own language, you will find the same message that Martin Luther found.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1

And despite your claims the Bible was misinterpreted into the Latin, here is what the Greek says:

"Δικαιωθέντες οὖν ἐκ πίστεως εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ," Romans 5:1
Have been justified, therefore, by faith, peace we have to/towards/with the God through the Lord our, Jesus Christ.
Or, reordering the words to reflect English word order, the same thing that is written above.

(Jimmy, I hope this works for you! LOL)

So do you believe only the Orthodox Church saves, or is it God who saves and justifies us by his grace?

 

[Simona25]

More copy and paste than I can stand!! But I did appreciate the Romanian translation. That was the only one that was readable, in my opinion.

My grandparents were Ukrainian Orthodox. I found it sad that one of the other reasons for the big break between Rome and the Eastern Orthodox was using the native language, which was a good thing. Yet my grandparents attended a huge cathedral that is almost empty today, because most of the second and third generation do not use Ukrainian. They should have switched to a Ukrainian/English format, because they lost the next generations.

I have met American Orthodox and they do not believe anyone is saved outside the Orthodox church. My grandmother was never allowed to go to school. But she somehow learned both the Ukrainian and English alphabets, listened in church and was able to read the Bible in both languages, although nothing else. She realize that salvation was by grace alone, through reading the Bible. She loved her church, but she was more concerned that her children and grandchildren knew Jesus Christ than that they went to her church. I was told that she was apostate for believing that. Is that true?

I don't know if you Orthodox people posting here believe that only the Orthodox Church can save, but if you do, then you do not understand the gospel. If you really read the Bible, in your own language, you will find the same message that Martin Luther found.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1

And despite your claims the Bible was misinterpreted into the Latin, here is what the Greek says:

"Δικαιωθέντες οὖν ἐκ πίστεως εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ," Romans 5:1
Have been justified, therefore, by faith, peace we have to/towards/with the God through the Lord our, Jesus Christ.
Or, reordering the words to reflect English word order, the same thing that is written above.

(Jimmy, I hope this works for you! LOL)

So do you believe only the Orthodox Church saves, or is it God who saves and justifies us by his grace?

Angela, thank you for appreciating my ungrateful, although difficult work of translation (it took me almost one hour).
As for your question about whether is there salvation outside of the orthodox church, all I can tell you is that the fathers of our church don`t think that anyone can held the Truth; truth can only be expressed and we believe that the eastern orthodox church expresses the truth in the best way. We also believe that the eastern orthodox church is the saving church but, no one dares to put limits on the love of God and to give "certificates of salvation" based on denominations. No one forbids me to pray for my pentecostal parents or for my non-believer husband.

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

Would you give up your place in heaven for someone else, out of love?
The biggest difference between theosis (eastern orthodoxy church) and soteriology (catholicism, protestantism) reside in the answer to that quesiton.

Just from reading about theosis, I find eastern orthodox thought to be far more complex and deep (in a spiritual sense) than protestantism, which tends to be more abstract and intellectual, and possibly even more spiritually shallow. What this means, I don't know, but I do find it interesting.

 

[Delija]

Here no one speaking that all Orthodox are saved.All we speaking is that the path is narrow and only few will be saved.
What we speaking here are our differences and how we practice our faith.Many attacked us and many will,but truth and only truth will win.As our Lord Jesus Christ teaching us,God won't let that gather of hell prevail Church gates.Heresy will be condemned as it was in 1st eight centuries of Christianity on Ecumenical Councils!
IC XC NI KA Jesus Christ conquers!

 

[Bryancampbell]

If only I knew what to expect in an orthodox, I would visit the one in town...lol. it makes me curious sometimes.

 

[Delija]

Just from reading about theosis, I find eastern orthodox thought to be far more complex and deep (in a spiritual sense) than protestantism, which tends to be more abstract and intellectual, and possibly even more spiritually shallow. What this means, I don't know, but I do find it interesting.

U are on the good path in journey to one new world.I firmly believe that you will find the truth.
God help u!

 

[Delija]

If only I knew what to expect in an orthodox, I would visit the one in town...lol. it makes me curious sometimes.

It will be strange for u,because u coming from another world.In 1st time u won't understand what all those people doing and what is happening in Church until Liturgy is served,but if u search for truth,God will show u it.
U will be transferred in time of Early Christianity and Divine Liturgy is Heavens on Earth,where time and place losing it sence.It is serving out of time.Heavens on earth.

 

[Praus]

For the first thousand years of her history, the Church was essentially one. Five historic Patriarchal centers covering the territory of the known world—Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Alexandria, and Constantinople— formed a cohesive whole and were in full communion with one another due to common faith, worship, and discipline.

Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes ("Beware of Greeks bearing gifts") --Virgil, Aeneid (II, 49), c. 24 BC


[video=youtube;MAEIrp4MFBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAEIrp4MFBE[/video]

 

[Angela53510]

I can recite the Lord's prayer in Greek, but don't know the Aramaic. Jesus probably spoke Greek and Hebrew too!

Very beautiful song.