Question by Bette Davis Eyes: How is Russian Orthodox religion different from others?
I don’t know much about religion at all; I was not raised with it. How is Russian Orthodox ( did I even spell that right? ) different from others? And are those who are Russian Orthodox considered ” Christians” ?
( I know this is a stupid question; please be kind! Thanks. )
Answers and Views:
Answer by Cynic
I was born in an Orthodox family (even though I’m not Russian, it’s the same religion – I’m Romanian).
It’s the sister branch of Catholicism – so yeah, it’s also Christian. It was after the Great Schism in 1054 that the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church got separated. Since then, they’ve been disputing on which is the “most righteous” one… If you read Dostoevsky, for example, you’ll see how some (prolly a bit fanatic) Orthodox Christians claimed that Catholicism was the worst sin a soul could carry.
To be honest, I don’t know many details about the differences, since I never actually practiced… And from what I know it’s just “blabber” – the same main ideas but with “nuances”. But I know the rules are a bit “kinder”. Here’s a few differences for you:
– The Orthodox Church afirms that Jesus gave his life away to “save” others – as opposed to the Romano-Catholic belief that he died to wipe off Adam and Eve’s sin.
– The Catholics believe that The Holy Spirit is through the Father and the Son… while the Orthodox think the Son is just a sort of Messenger on Earth.
– Orthodox people don’t believe in the Pope.
– There is no Purgatory and no Limbo in the Russian Orthodox belief
– Catholics have azym. Orthodox have a … sort of bread… “paine dospita”
– The Orthodox claim that Virgin Mary was not of immaculate conception herself, but was the offspring of normal human beings (Joachim and Anne)
– Russian Orthodox priests DO marry
– Orthodox cannot wash away their sins by “indulgences”
– Orthodox Christians have their kids baptized right after they’re born… not 6-7 years later.
– The Orthodox follow the Constantinopole masses; and not the Roman ones. Meaning the rituals they do in Church are completely different – if you’ve seen “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”…
– Also, there’s a very different architectural style. Very kitschy in my opinion; but it’s true that the buildings look “friendlier”. You can look it up on Google Images, if you want. (What I find annoying is the amount of colours, and the absence of chairs or benches in Church)
– Divorce is easier to get.
– in icons, Jesus is always on Mary’s right hand side, and when he’s holding the Bible in a hand, or having an arm raised, it’s the right one… Also, I don’t know if this is a difference, but Orthodox people make the sign of the cross with their right hand. And I think they also keep their fingers in a different possition when doing so (I don’t know how you guys make the sign of the cross :P)
– the official language of Catholicism is Latin. The official language of Orthodoxy is Greek.
– Orthodox do not have “rosaries”. But they do have “matanii” which is A KIND of rosary…
– Orthodox NEVER pray to Mary. They pray directly to God. And they don’t have the whole “take Jesus as your saviour” thing.
– Many of the celebrations have a different date. The date for Easter, for example, is calculated differently. (Yes, Christmas is still on the 25th). The traditions on these ocassions are also different. And the food served.
– I don’t know if you guys have the tradition with “celebrating” a deceased person on regular intervals. Like organizing a meal and giving away food and actual dishes (cups, plates, that sorta stuff)… What I especially like about this is a sort of food called “coliva”. It’s very tasty – but unfortunately it’s only made on the said occasion, or for funerals.
I’m sorry if I mixed up any Catholic beliefs or if I worded them wrong. The point was to give you a general idea of what the differences are; not to write a thesis paper… Especially since all this stuff means nothing to me personally.
Hope it was helpful.
.
Add your own answer in the comments!
Michael says
The Russian Orthodox Church does celebrate Christmas on the 25th December but on the 7th January
Eric says
And I would never accuse the orthodox church of being in communion with the Roman Catholic church
Eric says
If you ask me the Roman Catholic church is
the apostate Church and the Pope is a heretic
Gyrine77 says
The others aren't Russian.
Raymo says
The Orthodox worship is highly distinctive and ritualistic with chanting priests and billowing incence The core beliefs are similar to Catholic with some variation of dogma. A major stumbling block is authority – they don't recognise the authority of the Papacy. The Roman Catholic Church regards the Orthodox to be in full communion and therefore recognises its Sacraments and its Priesthood. Like Roman Catholics and Anglicans, Orthodox members believe in the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, though the actual theology varies with each of the Churches. The Orthodox Church is a major denomination of the Ancient Christian Church along side the Roman Catholic Church (the largest). Other denominations include our Anglican brothers and sisters and our Protestant brethren.
halahen says
they are the wrost like surbian
they kill 3000 muslim male in one night 1991 by radovan in sebntsa town BOSNIA with help of UN
WE CAN NOR FORGET THE ORYHDOX MASSCER
Truthteller says
The orthodox church is similar with the catholics, in that they both have an abundance of idolatry, and abundantly worship things made with hands. The only major difference is the orthodox are directly involved with politics of their country, whereas catholics are universally political.
Shroedinger's C says
Yes, the Orthodox Church is one of the ancient branches of Christianity. The split between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, although not formalised until the 11th century, really goes back to the division of the Roman Empire in the 4th century into East and West. The West – modern-day Western Europe – became Latin-speaking and developed a very powerful Church institution based on the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). The Catholic Church in the West (or, the Latin Church) was heavily influenced by the writings of the 5th century theologian St Augustine of Hippo. The East, which was mainly Greek-speaking, had a number of patriarchs (bishops in positions of high authority) rather than just one. It was closely connected to the Byzantine state, and the Orthodox Church was the faith of the Byzantine Empire. It was not influenced by St Augustine, but rather by the Greek Fathers: figures like St Athanasius and St John Chrysostom. There are a few major differences in doctrine between the Catholics and the Orthodox Church – notably that the Greek Church believes that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father, whereas the Nicene Creed of the Latin Church insists that the Holy Ghost proceeds from both the Father and the Son – but in many respects they are quite similar. The Orthodox Church does not recognise the supremacy of the Pope in matters of doctrine, and rejects some doctrinal developments in Catholicism since the early Middle Ages, including the Assumption of the Virgin and the doctrine of transubstantiation.