The Ancient Way - Eastern Orthodox

[Forest]

I would like to know about Eastern Orthodoxy. I know next to nothing about what makes the Orthodox church different from the Roman Catholics or any other denomination.

Any good links or comments?

[Maximus]

I would like to know about Eastern Orthodoxy. I know next to nothing about what makes the Orthodox church different from the Roman Catholics or any other denomination.

Any good links or comments?

A copy of this book (http://www.light-n-life.com/shopping/order_product.asp?ProductNum=INTR100) would be an excellent place to start.

This (http://www.oca.org/) web site has excellent introductory and Q & A sections, and this one (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/index.aspx) is good, too.

[xenia]

Welcome to The Ancient Way, Forest! We love answering questions about our beloved Church.

Try this site: http://www.goarch.org

[Orthosdoxa]

Welcome Forest :wave:

I always welcome the chance to give a plug for my little website, stienekel.tripod.com. :) It's full of Orthodoxy 101 type stuff and was originally intended for my family and friends, who had many questions when I converted (I was raised hard-core Baptist).

Please feel free to ask anything you like!

LK

[Svt4Him]

Can I just say I love your responses. I disagree with a lot of what you hold dear, as you disagree with a lot of what I hold dear, but I have found Orthodox people to be warm and open to questions about what you believe.

I mean this, and would like to thank those of you who welcomed me even when you disagreed with my position. I think love is shown by how you treat those you disagree with, not by those you agree with, and I really believe a lot of you display this.

So kudos to you all.

[Kolya]

Dear Svt4Him,

Most of us here were at one time or another where you are now. We did not agree with Orthodoxy, but were curious. But the love of the Orthodox as a people drew us to them, as in them is the Love of Christ as He commanded us too.
My mind was finally made up one Sunday when after a service, the Father crossed the floor to a corner of the church to offer us some of the anti-doron bread.
Another good site for enquirer's is : www.fatheralexander.org

Kolya

[Svt4Him]

Dear Svt4Him,

Most of us here were at one time or another where you are now. We did not agree with Orthodoxy, but were curious. But the love of the Orthodox as a people drew us to them, as in them is the Love of Christ as He commanded us too.
My mind was finally made up one Sunday when after a service, the Father crossed the floor to a corner of the church to offer us some of the anti-doron bread.
Another good site for enquirer's is : www.fatheralexander.org (http://www.fatheralexander.org)

Kolya
Thanks for the insight, but I was once where you are. My mind was made up when I met God in such a real way that I left a different person I came to the service as. ;)

I am where I am because that's where God wants me. Nevertheless, I find you all very nice, and honestly wish I saw more of it. Granted I have never visited some of the other areas... ;)

[Orthosdoxa]

I was once where you are.

You were once an Eastern Orthodox Christian?

[Happy Orthodox]

Hello, Forest, it is difficult to go into the depth of Orthodox theology and practice, and most of us here still continue the learing of it after years of conversion. Not that it has a lot of things to memorize or difficult concepts. That too, but Orthodoxy is very, very spiritual. I mean its teaching is not for the mind, but for the heart. In order to understand it, you need to live it, practice it, and then feel in the heart why this or that is, what that means, and why is this written. The Bible is also understood from a different perspective and it makes much, much more sense because it was written by the spirit for the spirit. In Orthodoxy, you grow spiritually in the likeness of the Lord. It is a very different approach to faith than that of Protestant, which is academic and only engages the mind.

But if you want something like a short outline of what it is and what it teaches, I'll try to explain :)

It's original. Means, it never changed any iota in its teaching from the times of the Apostles, unlike the Roman Church. It IS the Early Church preserved till these days (like Christ said: Behold, I am with you till the end of times; He hasn't broken His promice).

It's Eastern. Means, that its teaching is more ancient than the Western teaching about God, Christ, redemption, the Original Sin (called sometimes the Anscestral Sin in Orthodoxy), and everything else. The teaching is much deeper and makes a lot more sense than the teaching of a strange God who could not forgive people untill they commited the most wicked of all crimes, killed His beloved Son; who allowed the free choice and yet created Hell to punish those who used the freedom of the choice.

It's not legalistic. Means, you are not doomed if you are not Orthodox, although Orthodoxy teaches that it is the only Church which did not depart from the full and true teaching of the Apostles and therefore is the only Body of Christ. Other churches were led astray (beginning with various heretics in the fourth century, continuing to the Roman Church and then to Anglicans and the various Protestant denominations). Also, if you are Orthodox, salvation is not guaranteed.

It's not definite. There are no clear-cut answers to questions. Everything is individual and depends on the situation. One thing might be a sin for one person and a virtuous act for another. A TV set might be used for bad as well as for good. Sex can be also a sin, but might be not. Also, anything like eating a cookie might be a sin, and disobeing the law might not be a sin. In addition, we have various rules of fasting, prayer, worship, etc. which are not supposed to be followed exactly but looked at individually in regard to a particular person.

It's spiritual. Virtues are cultivated and sins are exterminated. Obedience is a great tool for that, because it makes us deny our selves and do the will of others and thus combat the pride. It also opens your eyes on your own self, makes you see your mistakes and wrongdoings before the eyes of God. Christ said that for every word will we give answer in the eternal life, and so we watch every step we make lest we offend our brothers and sisters, lest we violate the commandments of Christ, lest we fall into sin. And it is not us who actually does the watching and preventing the sin. It is God who leads us every step, ours is just the wish to be like Him and readiness to accept His help. Moreover, to think that it is you who does the good deeds is prideful, becasue in the reality it is God who does the works through us.

And much, much more :) It's also awesome. There are hundreds and hundreds of miracles and other spiritual experiences which touch the very depth of the soul. Your soul touches a bit of Heaven, and that is why Orthodoxy is so dear to all its children. The main thing is that for Orthodox, the words of Christ saying that whoever believs in Him will work miracles like healings, walking upon the water, reading the minds of people, knowing future, casting out deamons, etc. are true and are the real life. The working of the Spirit hasn't caesed, and Orthodoxy teaches how to reach the spiritual heights and become a wonderwoking true Christian. Not all Orthodox are wonderworking, but only some. They are called the Saints after they die, and they are remembered for centuries. I'll give you an example. There were some people who shone with the Divine light like Jesus did on mount Tabor. One of these events is described in detail by Motovilov about Seraphim of Sarov, a recent Russian Saint who lived in nineteenth century (that's called recent in Orthodoxy :D ;)). St. Seraphim held Motovilov by his shoulders and shone with blinding light. So, the man was a couple of feet away from the Saint and he described what he saw and what he felt. Incredible. There are also many accounts of reading of the mind. You come to visit an Orthodox elder, and he already knows your name, what you came for, what you believe, what your problems are (especiallly spiritual problems) and how to fix them. The Saints knew future. One recent prophesy sais that there will be a war pretty soon between Turkey and Greece, and Russia will intervene and win. But then the whole whorld will go against Russia and there will be a third world war. Many millions of people will be killed. And then there is not much left till the rule of the Antichrist.

[MariaRegina]

Can I just say I love your responses. I disagree with a lot of what you hold dear, as you disagree with a lot of what I hold dear, but I have found Orthodox people to be warm and open to questions about what you believe.

I mean this, and would like to thank those of you who welcomed me even when you disagreed with my position. I think love is shown by how you treat those you disagree with, not by those you agree with, and I really believe a lot of you display this.

So kudos to you all.

...

Thanks for the insight, but I was once where you are


If you were once Orthodox, then take another look. There are thousands of Bible-believing Orthodox who were once solid Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Evangelicals, etc. and who are now devout Orthodox Christians and who help teach Sunday School in the Orthodox Church.

So please give us another look ... and maybe you can join us and help teach our youth after you have been received into Orthodoxy. This is an invitation to join us again and help in the mission fields here at home and abroad. The harvest is ready and we need missionaries who love the Holy Bible.

[Marjorie]

Thanks for the insight, but I was once where you are. My mind was made up when I met God in such a real way that I left a different person I came to the service as. ;)

I am where I am because that's where God wants me. Nevertheless, I find you all very nice, and honestly wish I saw more of it. Granted I have never visited some of the other areas... ;)

Thank you Svt... I hope you stay with us here!

In IC XC,
Marjorie

[prodromos]

It's not definite. There are no clear-cut answers to questions. Everything is individual and depends on the situation. One thing might be a sin for one person and a virtuous act for another.
Well it isn't quite that relative :P. I think it is safer to say that not all the answers are clear cut. Many are crystal clear.

Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen!
John.