Do little t's matter much?

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

Though I am still new to Orthodoxy, I feel that "t" traditions are very important. I think that one should be careful, though, because some things that are viewed as "t" (small "t") traditions are actually "T" (big "T") traditions. For instance, I think someone mentioned head covering. I thought this was a little "t" thing as well, but you know what? People like St. Paul and St. John Chrysostom said that women should definitely cover their heads. Here's a very interesting article about this, if anyone is interested. It's in pdf, so you'll need Adobe to open it:

alaskanchurch.org/pdf/angels.pdf (sorry I couldn't paste an active link because I haven't met my 15 posts requirement.) Just add www

 

[Oblio]

I've never been to a Greek church in Greece, do they have pews and organs there? I was under the impression that these were an American phenomenon.

No pews but chairs. And there are plenty of them in monasteries too, including Athos. Did not see any organs, but I did see sound systems, Warfdale in fact, you would be quite surprised where I saw them. My point was that the Russian tradition, even the Typika, is different from the Greek. If the Russians have a right to change tradition from what was handed them by the Greeks it is a bit hypocritical to get all high and mighty and say [Vasily] How dare you change Holy Orthodoxy ! [/Vasily]

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

If the Russians have a right to change tradition from what was handed them by the Greeks it is a bit hypocritical to get all high and mighty and say [Vasily] How dare you change Holy Orthodoxy ! [/Vasily]

Who made such a statement?

 

[Oblio]

You questioned the right of the American Church to change things thusly:

And who are they to go about changing the way things were done for centuries? What motives do they have?

I am saying the same applies about the traditions that the Russian Church inherited from the Greeks and the changes made therein over the centuries of her history.

 

[Oblio]

I am still waiting for an explanation of the 'Roman' collar, what it symbolizes, and why it is so bad.

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

I dont know what it means but I do Know that the majority of Heterodox use it for some reason. And I also know that it has not been in holy orthodoxy until the last 20 years.

 

[Oblio]

Being under the calander of rome, wearing roman collars, and Collors, and to sit during parts of the services,

There are no Orthodox under the 'Calendar of Rome', this is a red hering to justify a sinful schism between some Russian churches and the MP/OCA. Do you really think that I and the rest of OCA and the Greek Church are under the Roman calendar. The calendar does not belong to Rome. I watched hundred of pious Greek Orthodox sit during portions of the Liturgy and Holy Unction service in Thessaloniki, are they also heretics ? I sat with many a monk and pilgrim on Mt. Athos during all night Vigils and other services ... more heresy ??

 

[Oblio]

I dont know what it means but I do Know that the majority of Heterodox use it for some reason. And I also know that it has not been in holy orthodoxy until the last 20 years.

Fair enough. I don't think it is a majority though. I think it would be prudent to determine the symbolism behind the actual symbol before we condemn it as heretical. The majority of the times I have ever seen the 'Roman collar' have been on pious, canonical Orthodox Christians. I have yet to see any reason to shun it's use.