Orthodox Christian doctrine about human nature—which we call anthropology—teaches that man was created by God to worship Him in communion with Him, made according to His image to attain to His likeness (Gen. 1:26). Each human being is of infinite value, because we bear the indelible stamp of our Creator.

What is Orthodox Christianity?

The Orthodox Christian Church, also called the “Eastern Orthodox,” “Greek Orthodox” Church, or simply “the Orthodox Church,” is the oldest Christian Church in the world, founded by Jesus Christ and with its beginnings chronicled in the New Testament.

What is the difference between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church?

The Roman Catholic Church argues that the Holy Spirit derives from both God the Father and from Jesus, while the Orthodox Church believes it derives exclusively from the God the Father. The Holy Spirit is God’s force here on Earth, and Orthodox Christians celebrate it during the Pentecost.

Is Orthodoxy a “niche” religion?

Orthodox Christianity is also not a “niche” religion, suitable only for a certain ethnicity, temperament, age, or social status. Orthodoxy is a timeless, universal and saving way of life.

Does the Orthodox Church exist in America?

However, in spite of its size, relatively few Americans are aware that it exists. The Orthodox Church has deep and lasting roots in Christian antiquity and is steeped in rich Biblical tradition. It has been the context of Christian living for millions of Christians for almost twenty centuries.

Communism as a state ‘religion’

In reality, no Communist government from Pyongyang to Tirana respected religious freedom, or failed to persecute the faithful and expropriate church property. The destruction of the Russian Orthodox Church began at the end of 1917.

Comparing bicycles with elephants

Methodologically the authors approach is off-base in this respect: One must be cautious combining opinion polls results (the World Value Surveys, WVS) with the expert assessment of Transition Progress by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), an analogue of the World Bank for the post-Communist countries.

History bites

The actual experience of the Orthodox Church, especially during the Ottoman period, is very different from the impression Djankov and Nikolova give their readers.

What do Orthodox Christians worship?

Orthodox Christians worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit —the Holy Trinity, the one God (Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14; I Peter 1:1-2; Rom. 14:17-18, 15:16, etc.). Following the Holy Scriptures as interpreted by the Holy Fathers of our faith, the Church believes that the Trinity is three divine persons of one essence.

What is the Orthodox faith?

The Orthodox Christian faith is that faith “handed once to the saints” (Jude 3), passed on to the apostles by Jesus Christ, and then handed down from one generation to the next within the Church, without adding anything or taking anything away.

How many members does the Orthodox Church have?

With roughly 250 million members worldwide, Orthodoxy is second in size only to the Roman Catholic Church. However, in spite of its size, relatively few Americans are aware that it exists. The Orthodox Church has deep and lasting roots in Christian antiquity and is steeped in rich Biblical tradition.

What is the oldest Christian church in the world?

The Orthodox Christian Church, also called the “Eastern Orthodox,” “Greek Orthodox” Church, or simply “the Orthodox Church,” is the oldest Christian Church in the world, founded by Jesus Christ and with its beginnings chronicled in the New Testament. All other Christian churches and groups can be traced historically back to it.

Why do we have the opportunity to become by grace?

Because of who He is and of what He did for us, we have the opportunity to become by grace what He is by nature, to the fullness of the stature of Christ (Eph. 4:13). We can put on the divine, becoming partakers of the divine nature (II Pet. 1:4). That’s Who Jesus is and what He came here to do.

How is the Holy Tradition transmitted?

Holy Tradition is transmitted to the Christian from the Apostles of Jesus Christ both by word of mouth and in writing (II Thess. 2:15, 3:6). The Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky famously described Tradition as “the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church.” It is dynamic in its application, but unchanging in its doctrine. It is growing in expression, yet always the same in its essential meaning.

What is the primary statement of what the Church believes about God?

The primary statement of what the Church believes about God is found in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, usually just called the Nicene Creed, which was formulated in AD 325 and 381 at the First and Second Ecumenical Councils.

What is the Homoousian doctrine?

The Homoousian doctrine, which characterized Jesus as both God and man with the canons of the 431 Council of Ephesus, won out in the Church and was referred to as orthodoxy in most Christian purposes since this was the understanding of early Christian Church Fathers and was confirmed at the ecumenical councils.

What is the most important season of the Orthodox Church?

Easter is the most meaningful and holy season of the Orthodox Church calendar. Orthodox Easter primarily commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ with a series of celebrations or movable feasts. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the spiritual preparations begin with Great Lent, 40 days of introspection and fasting (including Sundays), which starts on Clean Monday and finishes on Lazarus Saturday.

What was the Western Church called after the 1054 Great Schism?

Following the 1054 Great Schism, both the Western Church and Eastern Church continued to consider themselves uniquely orthodox and catholic. Augustine wrote in On True Religion: “Religion is to be sought … only among those who are called Catholic or orthodox Christians, that is, guardians of truth and followers of right.” Over time, the Western Church gradually identified with the "Catholic" label, and people of Western Europe gradually associated the "Orthodox" label with the Eastern Church (in some languages the "Catholic" label is not necessarily identified with the Western Church). This was in note of the fact that both Catholic and Orthodox were in use as ecclesiastical adjectives as early as the 2nd and 4th centuries respectively.

What is Orthodox belief?

Orthodoxy is belief or adherence to traditional or affirmed creeds, notably in religion. In the Christian sense, the term means, …

What is the wisdom of the Fathers of the Church?

The wisdom of the Fathers of the Church is fundamental to the Orthodox way of life as today’s successors of the "true faith and Church" passed on in its most authentic form. By maintaining the virtue of the received teachings of the apostles, followers are more conscious of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit being present both in history and in …

What is the meaning of the word "orthodox"?

In historic Christian use, the word orthodox relates to the collection of doctrines which were accepted by the early Christians. Several ecumenical councils were gathered over a period of several centuries in an attempt to establish these doctrines.

When did the first ecumenical councils start?

The first seven ecumenical councils were between the years of 325 and 787 A.D. with the purpose of establishing accepted doctrines. In historic Christian use, the word orthodox relates to the collection …

What are the two parts of the Bible that Orthodox Christians follow?

The Bible that Orthodox Christians follow is similar to the Bible of other Christian denominations, which comprises two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Jewish Torah makes up the first five books of the Old Testament. Orthodox Churches do not use the Hebrew Old Testament, but follow the Septuagint, an ancient Jewish Text in Greek. Prayer occurs multiple times daily. Their worship rites include baptism, chrismation, in which they place a holy oil called chrism on a person in the sign of the cross, taking in the Eucharist, or the divine liturgy, which is the symbolic bread and wine that Jesus gave to his followers to symbolize his body and confession of sins for absolution. Orthodox Christians use icons, art depicting religious figures and saints, to assist in prayer.

Why did the Orthodox believe Jesus was crucifixion?

While Jesus’ crucifixion atoned for sin, Orthodox Christianity holds different beliefs about the concept of original sin than other denominations, which believe humans are automatically born sinful because of the actions of Adam and Eve.

What are the differences between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church?

However, one of the main differences of belief between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church centers on ideas about the Holy Spirit. The Roman Catholic Church argues that the Holy Spirit derives from both God the Father and from Jesus, while the Orthodox Church believes it derives exclusively from the God the Father. The Holy Spirit is God’s force here on Earth, and Orthodox Christians celebrate it during the Pentecost.

Where does the Holy Spirit come from?

The Roman Catholic Church argues that the Holy Spirit derives from both God the Father and from Jesus, while the Orthodox Church believes it derives exclusively from the God the Father. The Holy Spirit is God’s force here on Earth, and Orthodox Christians celebrate it during the Pentecost.

Where is Timothy Peckinpaugh?

A resident of Riverside, California, Timothy Peckinpaugh began writing in 2006 for U.S. History Publishers, based in Temecula, California. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Riverside, with a bachelor’s degree in English.

What are the practices of the Church?

Practices. Prayer, sacraments (some branches), worship in church, reading of the Bible, acts of charity, communion. Baptism: New Birth in the New Covenant with God. Holy Communion: Partaking in the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, under the Form of Bread and Wine.

How many sacraments are there?

Seven sacraments: Baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, matrimony (Catholic and Orthodox). Anglicans: Baptism and Eucharist. Other denominations: Baptism and communion.

What does the icon mean in Orthodoxy?

Use of statues and pictures. In Catholic & Orthodox Churches. Icons are widely used in Orthodoxy. Means of Salvation. Through Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the Sacraments (or Mysteries). Goal of religion.

What is the Holy Bible?

Holy Bible, a collection of canonical books in two parts (the Old Testament and the New Testament). Orthodox Bibles have more Books in their Old Testament than Protestant or Catholic Bibles. God’s role in salvation. Humans cannot save themselves or ascend on their own to a higher level.

What is Christianity?

About. Christianity broadly consists of individuals who believe in the deity Jesus Christ. Its followers, called Christians, often believe Christ is "the Son" of the Holy Trinity and walked the earth as the incarnate form of God ("the Father"). Following the Teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church.

What is the difference between witchcraft and paganism?

Paganism is Heathenism. Witchcraft is communication and interaction with demons, fallen evil angelic beings. These have no real interest ultimately, in helping their worshipers. Demonic possession is common.

What are the feast days of Jesus?

Christmas (celebration of the birth of Jesus), Good Friday (death of Jesus), Sunday (day of rest), Easter (resurrection of Jesus), Lent (Catholicism), saints’ feast days.

What is the root of honest compassion and forgiveness?

The ontological understanding is the root of honest compassion and forgiveness as well. Here is a little snippet from Richard Wurmbrand that makes that point I think talking about an Orthodox priest he met in the camps:

What is Orthodox understanding of symbols?

Orthodoxy is not interested in “invented” symbols, as in “let’s let this stand for that.” It discerns symbols – relationships that are true and real in which one thing indwells or coinheres in another.

What is the least appreciated aspect of classical Christian thought?

Among the least appreciated aspects of classical Christian thought is its treatment of time. It is an understanding that is necessitated by the treatment of time within the Scriptures themselves and not by some alien metaphysic. It is Christ Himself who most reveals time in its proper perspective. He is both Beginning and the End (Rev. 1:8). This is not at all the same thing as saying that He will be both at the beginning and at the end. He is the Beginning and the End. This makes Him both Cause and Goal.

What does the Christian model of meaning mean?

The classical Christian model sees meaning as real and generally permanent. It is discerned rather than assigned. Meaning is referential (it has a reference outside itself) and is grounded in eternal relationships and meanings. Christ is the Logos (John 1:1). One translation of Logos is meaning. He is the ultimate meaning of all things (“For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things” Rom 11:36).

What is the relationship between a person and a contract?

Similar to the psychological relationship is the contractual relationship. This describes modern “marriages” – people who have agreed to certain responsibilities and mutual arrangements. But the contract is essentially psychological – it lasts as long as we feel it does – then we can tear up the contract.

What is self existent?

1. Things are self-existent. They require nothing outside of themselves to exist.

Why can we say that the universe has a Christ-shaped shape?

Because the logoi of all things have their ground and origin in the Logos, we can say that the universe has a Christ-shape. We can even say that it has the shape of the Crucified Christ. And so New Testament writers can say that the “Lamb was slain before the Foundation of the World.”

What are naturalists based on?

Let’s start, then, with a basic and profound principle. All of the tactics that Naturalists try to use are based on a set of presuppositions which assert that there is no such thing as a supernatural reality. The most important thing to understand, though, is that every argument that they make is based on a set of faith assumptions. Many of their arguments may seem very powerful and persuasive when argued in the context of their own faith assumptions. However, when the context is bared, Naturalism is exposed for the religious faith that it is.

What is the problem with evolution theory?

Evolutionary theory is just that, a theory. Its biggest problem is that it really does not give scientific answers to how life emerged on earth. There is no known mechanism for how life emerged out of non-life, how consciousness emerged out of unconsciousness, or even how one species of life could have emerged out of another species. All Naturalism can do is speculate based on a set of faith assumptions.

Why are radiometric dating numbers not consistent?

The reason those numbers may not be consistent is because radiometric data itself is very biased and unreliable. The science behind radiometric dating is not as reliable as many want to make it out to be. Beyond that, there are many other methods of dating, and over 90% of those methods indicate a world less than billions of years old. The argument from trying to date rocks is not as strong as some make it out to be.

How many different techniques are there for dating things based on radiometrics?

2. There are 40 different techniques for dating things based on radiometrics. On top of that there are tree rings, varves, ice cores, etc. The ages from the fossil record can be compared with the ages derived from DNA data (molecular clocks). If common ancestry is false, then it must be the case that the Creator literally constructed hundreds of pieces of evidence for common ancestry.

What is the end result of the entire process with cancer?

It is also interesting to note that the end result of the entire process with cancer is to destroy the organism. There are not going to be too many genes passed on to the next generation when cancer kills the organism.

Why is it unreasonable to believe in Christianity?

7. It is unreasonable to believe in Christianity because there are so many hypocrites who claim to be Christians but whose lives reflect very unchristian values.

How many random mutations are there in evolution?

The DNA of a child does not match exactly with that of the parents. There will be approximately 100 random mutations.

How does materialism relate to morality?

Materialism may be able to tell a story about how moral properties supervene on physical properties, but this account cannot capture the irreducible features of morality that we are referring to when we speak of morality. Describing moral entities in terms of causal properties of the physical facts does not mean that the nature of moral facts are physical. Moral facts are unnatural entities in materialism. Supervenience does not explain how real moral facts, which have no physical features, come from unconscious matter. Morality cannot be deduced from the composition of physical structures. Correlation between moral and physical states does not answer the question of why morality arises from physical states at all.

What defenses do materialists offer?

Many materialists offer a defense for morality and mind in terms of functionalist and supervenience theses, which are part of a monist account of ontology. (Though these are not the only strategies to defend morality and mind in materialism, they are very common and I will restrict my critique to these.)

What is the primary way that materialism describes morality?

The primary way that materialism describes morality is in terms of functionalism. A functionalist theory of moral value describes moral facts as facts about human well-being and flourishing. Supervenience is a way of accounting for the existence of moral properties in a monistic universe.

What is the role of functionalism in moral realism?

Functionalism is a causal role in which a mental state plays a role in the activities which are characteristic of the person as a whole. According to functionalism, moral facts are just like other scientific facts that have natural explanations based on physical laws. Basically, morality is a matter of inputs and outputs that perform a certain function, that in the case of morality brings about human flourishing and well-being.

What is morality in science?

Basically, morality is a matter of inputs and outputs that perform a certain function, that in the case of morality brings about human flourishing and well-being.

Why should we accept the causal identification of moral and physical categories?

Materialism has no persuasive reasons why we should accept the causal identification of moral and physical categories except that it is stipulated in a materialist worldview. It attempts to stretch the categories of the physical world to encompass any facts we find in the world, but materialism will not accommodate ontologically unique facts. Moral facts resist this reduction.

What is James Sire’s characterization of naturalism?

1 Though naturalism can be characterized in broader term, which I will address briefly later in this paper, Sire’s characterization is really of materialism. Ontological or metaphysical naturalism is …

How many Orthodox Christians are there in Ethiopia?

Orthodox Christianity In Ethiopia. Ethiopia also has a high number of Orthodox Christians – 36 million. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church dates back to the 4th century when the nation was converted to Christianity and today its followers make up nearly half the population.

What was the Great Schism of 1054?

The Great Schism of 1054 brought on a separation of the Orthodox religion due to the difference of opinion on such things as the Holy Spirit, bread for the Eucharist, use of images, and the date of Easter. This separation created what today is the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox church. The Orthodox Church is one …

How many followers of the Greek Orthodox Church are there?

Followers of the Greek Orthodox Church number 10 million. While that is significantly less than the Orthodox populations in Russia and Ethiopia, it represents 98% of the population of Greece. The church descends from the original churches of the 1st century, those that the Apostles founded.

What is Orthodox Christianity?

Orthodox Christianity is one of three distinct branches of the Christian religion (the other two being the Catholic and Protestant branches). Being an Orthodox Christian means following the earliest known set of Christian doctrines. Believers follow the Homoousian doctrine which declares that Jesus is both God and man.

What is the Eastern Orthodox Church?

The Orthodox Church is one of the oldest religious institutions and attempts to follow the original Christian faith as established by Jesus . By the 4th century, the faith had spread throughout the Roman and Byzantine Empires, …

How long has the Russian Orthodox Church been in power?

The Russian Orthodox Church has had strong political influence over the country for nearly 1,000 years. In 988, Prince Vladimir made it the official language of Russia. By 1453, the Byzantine Empire had fallen and in 1589, Moscow became the patriarch.

Is the Orthodox Church important?

Modern Significance. Although unfamiliar to many people around the world the Orthodox Church continues to hold importance in many countries around the world. Observers praise its adherence to original Christian principles, but this observance of ancient tradition does not make the Church irrelevant in modern times.

What is the difference between baptism and chrismation?

Baptism by triple immersion is participation in the Death and Resurrection of Christ, purification in the washing away of sin, and birth into the life of the Holy Trinity. Chrismation, following Baptism, anoints one with the “Seal and Gift of the Holy Spirit.” Through the Holy Spirit we are able to live the fullness of the Christian life. We are regenerated and given the Grace by which we are able to keep the commandments of Christ and attain unto the Kingdom of Heaven. In Holy Communion is received the very Body and Blood of Christ for remission of sins, the sanctification of soul and body, and for life eternal. In Holy Confession the Christian, when truly repentant, receives from Christ,through the confessor, the forgiveness of sins committed after baptism. Ordination, Marriage, and Holy Unction complete the seven New Testament Sacraments. By the laying on of hands a bishop transmits Divine Grace to the person being ordained, linking him to the uninterrupted succession of Orthodox clergy from the time of Christ to the present. Divine Grace sanctifies the union of man and woman in matrimony. Orthodox parish priests are usually married but the marriage must precede ordination. The Sacrament of Holy Unction brings healing to the infirmities of both body and soul, as God sees fit, through the anointing of oil.

What are the seven sacraments of the New Testament?

Ordination, Marriage, and Holy Unction complete the seven New Testament Sacraments. By the laying on of hands a bishop transmits Divine Grace to the person being ordained, linking him to the uninterrupted succession of Orthodox clergy from the time of Christ to the present.

What is the purpose of Holy Communion?

In Holy Communion is received the very Body and Blood of Christ for remission of sins, the sanctification of soul and body, and for life eternal. In Holy Confession the Christian, when truly repentant, receives from Christ,through the confessor, the forgiveness of sins committed after baptism.

What is the doctrine of the Trinity?

Doctrine. We worship God in Trinity, glorifying equally the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; that He is truly God, of one essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Christ Incarnate is also truly man, like us in all respects except sin.

Do Orthodox priests have to be married?

Orthodox parish priests are usually married but the marriage must precede ordination. The Sacrament of Holy Unction brings healing to the infirmities of both body and soul, as God sees fit, through the anointing of oil.