Differences

[Dream]

What are the major differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, it's probablly common knowledge around here. But I really don't know too much about the Orthodox Church.

 

[Maggie893]

I don't think it's a dumb question. I asked it over in TAW awhile back and the short version is the authority of the Pope. They will, I am sure, do a better job of explaining than I can.

 

[St_Joseph_Cupertino]

What are the major differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, it's probablly common knowledge around here. But I really don't know too much about the Orthodox Church.

Hey there!

I had a website handy as I had to look this up for a Protestant friend not too long ago...here is what I copied from the site, and also the site URL - Hope this helps! Peace in Christ!

http://www.gonj.org/ourfaith.html



The Orthodox Faith Orthodoxy holds that the eternal truths of God's saving revelation in Jesus Christ are preserved in the living Tradition of the church under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Scriptures are at the heart of the Tradition and the touchstone of the faith. While the Bible is the written testimony of God's revelation, Holy Tradition is the all-encompassing experience of the Church under the abiding guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. Essentially, Orthodox Christians consider that their beliefs are very similar to those of other Christian traditions, but that the balance and integrity of the entire Apostolic faith once delivered to the Saints has been preserved inviolate. We believe that God is One in substance and Triune in persons. We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor divding the substance. Creation is the work in time of the Blessed Trinity. The world is not self-created, neither has it existed from eternity, but it is the product of the wisdom, the power, and the will of the One God in Trinity. God the Father is the prime cause of creation and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit took part in creation, God the Son perfecting the creation and God the Holy Spirit vivifying creation.





We believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly God. He is Jesus, that is, the Savior and Christ, the Lord's Anointed, a Son not created of another substance, as is the case with us, but a Son begotten of the very substance of the Father before all time, and thus consubstantial with the Father. He is also truly man, like us in every respect, except sin. The denial either of His divinity or of His humanity constitutes a denial of His incarnation and of our salvation.

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. The faith of the Church about the procession of the Holy Spirit was confirmed by the Second Ecumenical Council, which added to the Creed the following clause: "And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father.

The Church is the holy institution founded by our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of people, bearing his holy sanction and authority, and composed of people having one and the same faith, and partaking of the same sacraments. It is divided into the clergy and the laity. The clergy trace their descent by uninterrupted succession from the Apostles and through them from our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church is ONE because our Lord Jesus Christ founded not many, but only one Church; HOLY because her aim, the sanctification and salvation of her members through the sacraments, is holy; CATHOLIC because she is above local limitations; and APOSTOLIC because she was "built upon the foundation of the Apostles, Jesus Christ Himself being the cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20). The Head of the Church is our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We recognize seven sacraments: Baptism, Chrism or Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Confession, Ordination, Marriage and Holy Unction. Baptism is the door through which one enters into the Church. Confirmation is the completion of Baptism. In the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, with the bread and wine, we partake of the very Body and the very Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for remission of sins and eternal life. Both the New Testament and Sacred Tradition bear witness the real Presence of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. In the sacrament of Confession Jesus Christ, the founder of the sacrament, through the confessor, forgives the sins committed after Baptism by the person who confesses his sins and sincerely repents of them. In the sacrament of Ordination through prayer and the laying-on of hands by a bishop, divine grace comes down on the ordained enabling him to be a worthy minister of the Church. Apostolic succession is fundamental to the Church. Without it there can be no contuinity of the Chucrch. In the sacrament of Marriage, divind grace sanctifies the union of husband and wife. In the sacrament of Holy Unction the sick person is anointed with sanctified oil and divine grace heals his bodily and spritual ills. At death man's body goes to the earth from which it was taken, and the soul, being immortal, goes to God, who gave it. The souls of men, being conscious and exercising all their faculties immediately after death, are judged by God. This judgment following man's death we call the Particular Judgment. The final reward of men, however, we believe will take place at the time of the General Judgment. During the time between the Particular and the General Judgment, which is called the Intermediate State, the souls of men have foretaste of their blessing or punishment. Further, we venerate and honor the saints and we ask their intercession with God, but we adore and worship God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Of all saints, we honor exceedingly the MOther of our Lord because of the supreme grace and the call which she received from God. Though she was not exempt from original sin, from which she was cleansed at the time of the Annunciation, we believe that by the grace of God she did not commit any actual sin. We venerate the sacred icons and relics. Yet this veneration, according to the decision and canons of the Seventh Ecumenical Counci, relates not to the sacred images as such, but to their prototypes, or to the persons whom they represent.

 

[Wiffey]

Basically, the Orthodox follow the first 7 ecumenical councils (prior to the Great Schism). We have some permanent threads on this (as it is a FAQ) on TAW. Because we practice today the same faith that Catholics practiced for the first millenia of the Church, (I think) we are not viewed as heretical by the Catholic Church, although we are not in communion with her.

I am a visitor at your forum, so I think it would be inappropriate to bring up Schism issues and points of contention as they exist today. You have been exceedingly gracious to me, and I will not contradict Catholic teaching here or discuss any divisive topics because it would be TACKY . (I was raised below the Mason-Dixon line, where being ungracious is a sin.)

I'd be happy to answer any specific question about our practices (I'm Greek-Orthodox) and structure, if you'd like.





Wiffey

 

[Dream]

Thanks guys, my question was answered.

 

[NewToLife]

I don't think it's a dumb question. I asked it over in TAW awhile back and the short version is the authority of the Pope.

Dreamtheater, I would encourage you to ask this question over in TAW as well. This might avoid you being mislead into believing that Papal authority is the only real difference. Orthodox are not simply Catholics who deny Papal authority.

 

[Dream]

Dreamtheater, I would encourage you to ask this question over in TAW as well. This might avoid you being mislead into believing that Papal authority is the only real difference. Orthodox are not simply Catholics who deny Papal authority.

Alright, maybe I will.

 

[Maximus]

Dreamtheater, I would encourage you to ask this question over in TAW as well. This might avoid you being mislead into believing that Papal authority is the only real difference. Orthodox are not simply Catholics who deny Papal authority.

Certainly that is true to an extent, but some would argue that the other differences have arisen due to the rejection of papal authority and in part as a justification for it after the fact.

 

[NewToLife]

Certainly that is true to an extent, but some would argue that the other differences have arisen due to the rejection of papal authority and in part as a justification for it after the fact.

I wont debate this solely out of respect for forum rules.