Question by Leonard K: Can the Eastern Orthodox Church be considered genuine Christianity?
These ancient churches in the East may have a lot of history, but they seem to be full of mysticism and rituals. Iconography, rituals, incense, dominate. Salvation is attained by the “Sacred Mysteries rituals”. Strange doctrines like theosis – where man becomes like God, which sounds Mormonish. They may trace their history to Bible times but they don’t seem biblical. what do you think?
Best answer:
Answer by Breandan An Bodhbhdercc
I’ve always found the Orthodox Church to follow the Bible a lot better than Protestant Churches.
Give your answer to this question below!
Religion as a whole is un biblical. Jesus died so we could go sstraight to the source. Thus the vail was torn. So we could enter the Holy of Holies, like the preists. Are some of them Christians,probably.
Their traditions go back centuries further than the traditions of modern fundamentalist Protestants. It’s highly likely that their traditions originated in the first few centuries of the church.
ANY church seems odd in its doctrine and practices when viewed from outside. That’s because we’ve had so many years to develop in different directions.
But the Eastern Orthodox churches–there are many of them–are the remaining portion of the ones that defined mainline Christian beliefs. In comparison, we Catholics and Protestants–who were one Roman church when we separated from them–are the outlier: we were founded on our insistence on adding something to the Creed shared by all the churches, without bothering to ask their permission or agreement, despite a longstanding doctrine that no church could do that.
Now, I happen to agree with that one addition: it declared that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son” instead of just from the Father. But adding that was a renegade act, and the Orthodox churches, not Catholics or Protestants, are the ones who didn’t perpetrate it.
Salaams Leonard:
yes. i do believe many of them can be considered to be true Christians if they abide by John 13:35. That is the definition of what it means to be Christian in the Holy Book i read.
i have been to an Eastern Orthodox Mass…
and it was a very special event.
i felt much love when i was there…
once again…. John 13:35 is truly Biblical and i do not believe that this verse can be ‘abrogated’.
“By this all will know that you are my disciples… if you have love for one another.” – Jesus Christ
That is true Christianity as i understand it.
The Orthodox church is part of the original catholic church. They were a part of the church that created the Bible. They are trusting in Jesus for their salvation. As such I would say they qualify as Christians.
“Ancient churches in the East?”
We have Serbian and Greek Orthodox churches right here in Las Vegas.
Yes, they are deeply and profoundly Christian. Far more so than the many new kinds of Christianity. Jesus himself would be a lot more comfortable in an Orthodox church than in, oh say, a Four Square or Vineyard church.
I’m getting a kick out of the Johnny-come-latelies passing judgment on part of the cornerstone of Christianity. That’s hilarious. The oldest Protestant denomination, Lutheranism, has existed for 500 years while many others have been around a century or less. We have been around from the beginning. Your criticizing the Orthodox Church is the equivalent of saying the founders of this country didn’t know a thing about democracy.
Our church service, which some ignorant people criticize for being “ritual”, was finalized in the fourth century AD. There are three main Liturgies, with the most regularly used being the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (c. 344 – 407), Bishop of Alexandria. The other two are the Liturgy of St. Basil and the Presanctified Liturgy.
Has it occurred to you that the structure of the Liturgy and the liturgical practices — including incense, and icons — are hundreds and hundreds of years *closer* to the way Christians worshiped from the time of Christ? And they have remained unchanged. What incredible ignorance and arrogance you show by comparing your church services to ours.
And do you even pay attention to what you say? You admit that the doctrine of theosis comes from “Biblical times” but then say it doesn’t “seem biblical . . . . ” ?? This Orthodox doctrine, in fact, has a solid biblical basis, not only in 2 Peter, but in Paul and the Fourth Gospel. The doctrine is not to become *God*, but to remain human and become *Godlike*. We are creatures of God who become Godlike by grace.
“Salvation is attained by the “Sacred Mysteries rituals”.” What??? What ARE you talking about? The “mysteries” are biblically instituted sacraments and tangible signs of Divine Grace. You have some of them too: baptism and marriage.
As for salvation, by baptism we are born again in Christ [yeah, you didn’t come up with that concept; anyone who is baptized is born again by definition] and we then gain salvation by faith and works because “faith without works is dead.”
If you’re going to lie, at least do a better job of it.
Sacred Mysteries and rituals?
You mean like Sister Smith will bring the potato salad for the Baptist picnic next week? Or we’re taking up an extra collection to defray the cost of VBS supplies?
Church picnics and Vacation Bible School are definitely rituals, and the way that some committees carry on about them, you’d think they were sacred. And I gotta admit, most of what Protestants do is a mystery to me.
After all — how could centuries of worship and keeping the light of Christian faith alive in Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches *possibly* compare to eating greasy fried chicken or sending the kiddies home with a cross made out of Popsicle sticks?
The rituals have been around longer than Protestantism; many since the First Century AD. The Liturgy of St John Chrysostom has been unchanged, except to translate it into a new language, for 1700 years.
Further, you either misunderstand or misrepresent the Orthodox meaning of theosis. In Orthodoxy, theosis does not mean becoming like God despite man being made in God’s image, but rather, theosis is the act of man SHARING in God’s glory. Man can not be God, but we CAN share what He graciously gives us.
What many don’t like, or perhaps don’t understand, about Orthodox Christianity is that it shows the West that Christianity is, by nature, an Eastern religion. Rome isnt the birthplace Christianity; Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and the Middle East is.
Wow….just wow.
This is like and Auto mechanic saying Henry ford was all wrong.
First you are misunderstanding theosis- the best way to describe it is spiritual growth.
In the Bible it clearly says we were made in the image and likeness of God.
We teach that sin- and the fall distorted this image so theosis which is the process of spiritual growth and healing that is obtained from the grace of God which restores that which was lost.
The mormons teach people become gods and rule their own universes which they create.
Such a notion is heresy to us Orthodox.
Next – when you speak about the Bible- have you ever considered who preserved the books?
The sacraments- which we do call the mysteries we believe were given by God to aide us in salvation.
Baptism and Christmation cleanse us and is the laying of hands that in parts the Holy spirit.
You read about both in the Bible.
The goal of all of our prayers- and practices is to get closer to God.
edit the biggest mystery is the Love of God and we are invited to explore it.
We are the ones who preserved the Greek versions of the scripture.