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After being in schism from the Catholic Church, is the schismatic Orthodox Church ever going to convert back to the Catholic Church? They have been separated from the Body of Christ for almost 1,000 years. Are they ever going to convert back to the faith of Christ again?
The Orthodox don’t need to "convert back to the faith of Christ." They’re Christians.
As to whether the schism will ever be healed — I hope so, but it’s not happening anytime soon. I don’t think there’s much motivation among the Orthodox to make it happen. A decent number are still quite anti-Western, or believe that Catholics are heretics, and hence have no desire to reunite.
Current ecumenical talks between the Catholics and Orthodox are focusing on the big issue of what the primacy of the papacy meant back in the first millennium. I do hope they prove useful.
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February 16 2010 | Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
I’ve heard that one of the bigger is the St. Sava temple in Belgrade, Serbia, but some reports also point to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russian Federation.
So, which is the biggest orthodox christian church in the world?
Oh, I thought you meant the denomination….
OK, the Cathedral Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia. Here’s the Wikipedia link, which combines, I think, Catholic and Orthodox Churches. (If not, there’s a link to Orthodox Churches there.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_church_buildings_in_the_world
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February 03 2010 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis
If I understand correctly the orthodox view goes further than the main line Evangelical which proclaims that Christ died for our sin. Again, if i understand correctly Orthodox theology proclaims that Christ died so that we may be one with the father and experience heaven, even on earth.
Am I way off? On target? is there more?
Yes, you’re onto something and there is much, much more. We Orthodox connect Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension. Christ became incarnate so that humanity was joined to divinity and so that he might conquer death. When He ascended, humanity entered heaven with Him. We’re also uncomfortable with abstract discussions of theosis. Theology is life in Christ, not an academic discipline.
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January 29 2010 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
My boss is Jewish Orthodox, and in a conversation we had he said that the feet of the pig is shaped like the devils and is not like the goat? that is has to do with the devil? this is a religious question.
Pigs have cloven (split) hooves, supposedly like the devil, and according to the Bible (remember the Bible?) this makes them unfit to eat.
In Judaism, Kashrut (kosher) is the set of dietary laws governing what may or may not be consumed. These laws are based upon the Torah and the Talmud. According to Jewish law, animals that both chew their cud (ruminate) and have cloven hooves are kosher[8]. Animals with one characteristic but not the other (the camel, the hyrax and the hare because they have no cloven hooves, and the pig because it does not ruminate) are specifically excluded[9] (Leviticus 11:3-8).[10] Jews are forbidden from eating pork, as swine are considered to be unclean. In the context of Judaism, the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy from the Hebrew Bible specify what must not be consumed.
The Book of Leviticus states:
“ Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that only chew the cud, or of them that only part the hoof: the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you. – Leviticus 11:4 ”
These are the animals considered to be unclean according to Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Verse 7 to verse 8: (7)Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean to you. (8)And swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.
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January 18 2010 | Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Several different Greek Orthodox sects have blocked such rituals, and mock their Gods as "demons". Greece does not recognize Hellenic Polytheism as a religion. Serbia is having "Witch Hunts". Why so much opposition?
The Greek Orthodox are Christians…Hellenic Polytheism is not. Just because Hellenic rituals may have been a part of Greek culture does not mean that Greek Orthodox Christians should condone it. Orthodoxy is separate (or should be separate) from the culture. It is based on Orthodoxy in and of itself. The Orthodox theology crosses all geographic and cultural boundaries…and the Greek Orthodox sects are bound by that theology; otherwise, they would be separating themselves from true Orthodox Christianity.
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January 04 2010 | Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
I know you can watch Catholic Masses online, but is there anywhere you can watch an Eastern Orthodox Mass online? The closest Orthodox church is an hour away, so I can go in person until I have more time on my hands.
http://www.goarch.org/chapel/live/
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December 24 2009 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
I was speaking to some people who visited Israel, and they mentioned the orthodox jews are even more tied up in laws and rituals than the ‘regular’ jews. How do the non-orthodox jews justify not doing the same things as the orthodox jews if they are both meant to be obeying the Law?
To follow on from that, do the orthodox jews believe that the non-orthodox jews are going to hell because they don’t follow the same rules?
Some people are equating less religious to more religious Jews with different sects of Chrisianity. That’s not accurate. It’s different levels on the spectrum of observance but theology is pretty consistent. Christianity, the differences in theology-dogma ARE the point. Not so in Judaism & we remain one religion (this is important to understanding a lot of how Judaism works.)
The difference is Orthodox follow commandments as interpreted in Talmud, very literally. Conservative follow them but with belief that Talmud standards can be reinterpreted to some extent within a modern context. Reform follows that Torah is to be followed, & the Talmud has great wisdom, but isn’t literal in the following of it. Reconstructionist came from Conservative but tries to update more to add more spirituality. (I’m not giving the most crisp explanation here, & others may clarify better. Also each group’s main website states their theology (though I’ve found not always so very accurately either.))
Part of this is that Reform believes the Torah to be inspired by God, but not letter to letter given, while Orthodox believes it to be letter to letter given. HOWEVER, & a big however, these are not required beliefs of either group. You can follow & practice with either one without agreeing with what the over all view is. So in Judiasm, as with everything, the difference is in whether you follow the commandments literally or not… not the theology itself.
There is no hell in Judaism. The idea of "obeying the Law" is a Christian wording & concept. In Judiasm the commandments are given as a guide to how to live life. They are a joy & opportunity, something to connect you better to God & to your better self. Christianity introduces the idea of them as something restrictive & to be "obeyed" like a horror. More religious Jews do believe that very possibly in afterlife you will have a better time connecting to God if you as a Jew have been following the commandments. However, there is no strict afterlife belief (lots of varied ideas) & it’s this world, not what happens next, that’s the focus in Judaism. Less religious Jews believe less, so there is not concern about this aspect either. (There’s the answer to the question.) However, again for Orthodox Jews it is not a question of afterlife & reward… it is a reward to them in this life to follow these…a chance to be connected to holiness through more conscious actions.
=================
Melkah
is merely citing an Orthodox put down of Reform & not enlightening to the question at all. It’s an internal issue that shouldn’t be aired publically anyway & most Orthodox citing it don’t know Reform very well at all.
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December 22 2009 | Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
What is the view when a Jew commits suicide? (from a Orthodox perspective)
For instance, my family is Jewish and my grandparents who are in their 80s now told me about some of their relatives who were in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII, and these relatives obtained poison capsules and killed themselves with it along with their children when the ghetto was being liquidated because they would have rather done it themselves than be killed by the hands of the Nazis. How would this be viewed?
Where would a prohibition against suicide come from? The most obvious place is the sixth commandment: Lo Tirsach (Do not murder)
(The common statement translating it as "Do not kill" is incorrect- that would be would be "Lo Tirhag")
So the question would be, is suicide murder? The answer is yes- since it is pre-meditated killing of a human. However, it is not as simple as that.
In the Tanach Saul kills himself when he sees that he will be captured by the Phillistines. The perushim (Rabbinical commentaries) state there are two aspects to Saul’s suicide that made it legitimate.
1) on a personal note- he was in despair, he saw no future and thus lost reason due to his despair
2) on a national level he feared being taken alive, and then being used as an object of ridicule to attack Bnei Yisrael or even to try and force concessions from them which could have led to idoltary.
So when it comes to suicide, it appears that there are two criteria to go by to make it legitimate- 1) if you are so depressed as to lose reason and 2) if your staying alive could lead to Jews being ridiculed and forced into idol worship.
The Mechaber (literally the author- Rav Yosef Karo) comments on this in the Shulchan Aruch (a codification of the Jewish law used to help arrive at decisions since it takes into account the Talmud and past Talmudic Rabbinical precedents) that we should always try to declare a suicide to be ill or to be in despair like Saul. In the modern era, the vast majority of Jewish communities follow the ruling first stated by HaRav Moshe Feinstein that suicide is generally a result of a depression, either medically or temporary, that push people into the level of despair felt by Saul; thus we declare most suicides to be as a result of depression or temporary insanity and do not act treat the person any differently to any other deceased.
In the case of the martyrs of the holocaust, there is no question they could have been said to have been at the same level of despair as King Saul. No one can besmirch the memory of those that could not face the degradation, abuse and daily living with the fear that on this day they might well be tortured or killed. The people who died in the holocaust, whether by their own hands or at the hands of the Nazis are all righteous martyrs whose memories will be blessed in the world to come.
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November 25 2009 | Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
I have a final to complete and I need some good comparisons between hindu and the eastern orthodox religion.
For a start; Eastern Orthodox is a Christian religion.
Why don’t you Google & check Wikipedia or Yahoo!?
2/3 the world population make up the 4 major religions:
1 billion Catholics, 1 billion Protestants, 1 billion muslims, &
1 billion Hindus; which is the oldest living religion.
Eastern Orthodox are a tiny fragment, like Judaism.
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November 23 2009 | Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
I want to baptise my daughter in March 2010 but this is during lent for easter. Will the greek orthodox church still baptise her?
Dates When Baptisms May Not Be Held:
Baptisms may not be performed on the following days unless it is absolutely necessary and permission is obtained from the Archbishop:
1. December 25 – January 6
2. Holy Week
3. Major Feast Days
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November 17 2009 | Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
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