Hermit76

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Hello everyone, Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it in Decemeber! (And for those of you who celebrate in January, I wish you a good Sunday this week).

I have another question since I'm getting conflicting answers, does the Orthodox church practice confession, or do something similar? I know it's believed that confessions should be between the person and God, and not between person and priest (or have I been told wrong?).

We do practice confession. I will let others comment on the details on how it is different from Catholic confession. I can say as a convert from Evangelicalism it is not what I expected. It is not an embarrassment. It gives me an opportunity to be open with the Priest and God. My confession is made in front of the icon of Christ and I am confessing to Him but my Priest witnesses it and prays for absolution.
 
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~Anastasia~

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Hello everyone, Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it in Decemeber! (And for those of you who celebrate in January, I wish you a good Sunday this week).

I have another question since I'm getting conflicting answers, does the Orthodox church practice confession, or do something similar? I know it's believed that confessions should be between the person and God, and not between person and priest (or have I been told wrong?).

Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you as well!

It is as the others have already said. I will only add that we do also regularly ask forgiveness for our shortcomings on a regular basis in our personal prayers as well. For most of us, it is probably a daily accounting, or even a quick immediate prayer sometimes. We do believe that God can and does forgive sins through other means.

When we receive the Eucharist, the priest says, "Servant of God, name, receives the Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and for life everlasting."


Sacramental Confession in our parish is generally before an icon of Christ to remind us that it is to Him that we confess. The priest is there as a witness, and to pray the prayers of absolution for us.

It is more for the healing of the entire person than some kind of legalistic box-checking thing, which is why it might sound a little "fuzzy" taken all together.
 
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I beg to differ! Have you seen the way the Catholic Church looks these days!? Looks like First Methodist or Yahoo Baptist!^_^

no, externally we look the same, but we are nothing like them
 
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Drop "atheist" and "democrat" from your profile and I'll answer your questions like NEVER BEFORE! Keep it on there and I charge by the word. :sorry::sorry::sorry:^_^^_^^_^

Hello everyone, Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it in Decemeber! (And for those of you who celebrate in January, I wish you a good Sunday this week).

I have another question since I'm getting conflicting answers, does the Orthodox church practice confession, or do something similar? I know it's believed that confessions should be between the person and God, and not between person and priest (or have I been told wrong?).
 
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chaoticfirefly

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yes, we have confession. confession is to God in the presence of the priest.

We do practice confession. I will let others comment on the details on how it is different from Catholic confession. I can say as a convert from Evangelicalism it is not what I expected. It is not an embarrassment. It gives me an opportunity to be open with the Priest and God. My confession is made in front of the icon of Christ and I am confessing to Him but my Priest witnesses it and prays for absolution.

Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you as well!

It is as the others have already said. I will only add that we do also regularly ask forgiveness for our shortcomings on a regular basis in our personal prayers as well. For most of us, it is probably a daily accounting, or even a quick immediate prayer sometimes. We do believe that God can and does forgive sins through other means.

When we receive the Eucharist, the priest says, "Servant of God, name, receives the Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and for life everlasting."


Sacramental Confession in our parish is generally before an icon of Christ to remind us that it is to Him that we confess. The priest is there as a witness, and to pray the prayers of absolution for us.

It is more for the healing of the entire person than some kind of legalistic box-checking thing, which is why it might sound a little "fuzzy" taken all together.

Thank you all for your answers!

And thanks, Anastasia!

It seems that question touched a nerve, so I apologize if I offended someone!
 
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ArmyMatt

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Thank you all for your answers!

And thanks, Anastasia!

It seems that question touched a nerve, so I apologize if I offended someone!

nah, I don't think you touched a nerve. it's an important question.
 
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chaoticfirefly

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nah, I don't think you touched a nerve. it's an important question.

It's one I've always wondered.

Open dialogue is important, regardless of who they are because you never know. I know I'm asking some odd questions, but they're still important as a whole. Even if we don't realize it, every little thing is important to the bigger picture.
 
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Thank you all for your answers!

And thanks, Anastasia!

It seems that question touched a nerve, so I apologize if I offended someone!

You are most welcome, and no, I don't think you touched a nerve or offended any of us? Nothing offensive in the question.

And if it was anything I said, I just try to be complete in my answers, especially when I'm not sure what might actually be tied up in the question. Since you mentioned being forgiven directly by God, I wanted to be ckear that we do pray directly as well. :)

Anyway, as always, feel free to ask whatever you want to know. :)
 
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chaoticfirefly

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(Ah, I read Gurney's posts after I replied. Maybe he seemed offended. I doubt it ... he jokes around a lot. :) )

That makes a lot of sense! I figured as much, but ya never know nowadays.
 
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There was a reason I put up six jumping smiling and laughing emojis on the post. Sheesh. I just can't win lately! LOL!!!

(Ah, I read Gurney's posts after I replied. Maybe he seemed offended. I doubt it ... he jokes around a lot. :) )
 
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chaoticfirefly

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Chaotic, are you considering Orthodoxy?

Call me Firefly :)

And no. I'm just doing some research for something! I like getting personal experiences from people. And I'm just curious soul with a thirst for knowledge.
 
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Here's a more general one, what are some practices that are different from other denominations? Or even ones you find interesting?
Honestly, the practices are almost completely different, depending on what you mean by "practices". Christianity in general shares the same values, same core beliefs. I think you could say we all pray, for example. But HOW we do things, and in some cases what we actually do - is different from all the denominations out there. Since our practices are ancuent, we would say the others that were formed and changed through history have lost (or never had) what we maintain. Though to be absolutely fair, you could also say they have added things that we lack. But generally speaking the modernization of Christianity has NOT been a good thing, though some aspects may be aimed at people's enjoyment or comfort.

The Liturgy itself, for example, is unknown to many kinds of Christians. Those that do have it it seems to be abbreviated and changeable. I haven't been anywhere else with so long a service involving so much singing, and chanting, and prescribed movement and prayer, yet at the same time very free.

I think we are unique in veneration of icons, except those others who might have adopted the practice and for them it is "allowed" but not an important part of their participation in the communion of the Saints.

Our views on sin, mankind, and salvation are unique. Rather than the western tendency to salvation being something of a legal contract primarily, where guilt is expunged, from persons who are usually seen as fully evil from birth - we tend to view mankind not as evil but rather born with a tendency to do what we want to do, and that invariably leads to sin. Continuing to engage in sin, to feed those natural desires we have leads them to grow into unnatural driving forces that to some degree control us. Salvation seeks to put all this in order, heal us from the effects of sin, restore our freedom and control, and this makes us right with God - in the process we become what He intended us to be, which is created persons that are like Him (though He is uncreated and we never "become God").

Because of this we have a lot of tools aimed at helping us to cooperate with the grace of God and be healed, and a far richer tradition of this than anyone else, without going into perhaps the excesses of things like self-flaggelation. Many kinds of Christians have no real concept of spiritual disciplines or spiritual oversight, both of which are available to us and advisable to be used.

Other differences range from small to large, depending on who you compare us to. Different schisms and reformations that have happened in the west have created very different kinds of understanding of who we are, what we should be doing, and how among some. Very different at times.

Not sure if that's what you're looking for or not. :)
 
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ArmyMatt

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It's one I've always wondered.

Open dialogue is important, regardless of who they are because you never know. I know I'm asking some odd questions, but they're still important as a whole. Even if we don't realize it, every little thing is important to the bigger picture.

yep, no harm, no foul. your questions are not odd in the least.
 
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Here's a more general one, what are some practices that are different from other denominations? Or even ones you find interesting?
Prostrations (the involvement of the body in prayer), veneration of icons and of the relics of canonized saints, and Hesychasm.
 
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