Eastern Orthodoxy

[detroitrequiem]

Last year, I became Orthodox at St. Raphael's in Livonia. It is a gorgeous Romanian monastery in Livonia. I also fancied myself a student of Theology until I was humbled by the Orthodox. Now, a year later, I am pursueing a vocation as a cantor, Deacon, and maybe a priest in 5-7 years. The music and spiritual depth of the church is awesome. There are many Orthodox churches in the metro area, some Russian, Greek, Romanian, Serbian, etc. Has anyone had any experiences with the Orthodox faith?

[taysteewonderbunny]

yes, I went once. It was a beautiful experience. I don't know much about the church, but the service was fascinating.

[Slogo]

i'd actually like to know more about it.

I'm the offspring of an Italian mother and an Irish father. Guess what I was baptized as?

[detroitrequiem]

Catholic perhaps?

If anyone has questions about the Eastern Orthodox faith, please feel free to ask me.

[taysteewonderbunny]

Catholic perhaps?

If anyone has questions about the Eastern Orthodox faith, please feel free to ask me.

Yes, I've heard that the Orthodox Christian faiths have distinctly different ideas about the trinity, the role of Jesus and the nature of the Holy Spirit than the Catholic church. Would you please break it down for me and then let me know where I can read more on this?

[detroitrequiem]

Here are some good links that explain Orthodoxy:

http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/

http://www.oca.org/OCIndex.asp?SID=2

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Orthodox_Christianity

Here is a link with differences between Orthodox and Catholics:

http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/reading/ortho_cath.html

The Creed explains the major points to the Orthodox faith:

The Nicene (325 AD) and Constantinople (381 AD) Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-Begotten, begotten of the Father before all worlds [1],

Light of Light, Very God of Very God [2] , begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by Whom all things were made.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man;

And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;

The third day He arose again, according to the Scriptures;

And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father;

And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead;

Whose Kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father;

Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sin.

I look for the Resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Bishop Kallisto's book "The Orthodox Church" is also a good but dry introduction to the church's teachings.

I hope this has been helpful

[Rev.Reverence]

Here are some good links that explain Orthodoxy:

http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/

http://www.oca.org/OCIndex.asp?SID=2

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Orthodox_Christianity

Here is a link with differences between Orthodox and Catholics:

http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/reading/ortho_cath.html

The Creed explains the major points to the Orthodox faith:

The Nicene (325 AD) and Constantinople (381 AD) Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-Begotten, begotten of the Father before all worlds [1],

Light of Light, Very God of Very God [2] , begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by Whom all things were made.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man;

And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;

The third day He arose again, according to the Scriptures;

And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father;

And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead;

Whose Kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father;

Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sin.

I look for the Resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Bishop Kallisto's book "The Orthodox Church" is also a good but dry introduction to the church's teachings.

I hope this has been helpful

I am reading this book currently...for the second time...really like it...

In addition to studying just about any Religion & Spiritual Path...I am a Catholic...I am quite seriously in the last stages of consideration to switch to the Orthodoxy...there are SO many points where I disagree with the Roman Church & It's Pope....like the wording of the Creed...& tolerance/intolerance.

SO...if there are any points that you would like to kick back & forth..PLEASE..start us off Brother...

..I have no problem following links & reading some things if I need to I live for these talks...anything to increase me Knowledge

[detroitrequiem]

Thanks for your response. One thing I really like about the Orthodox faith is no matter what cultural background, Romanian, Greek, Russian, etc, the church hasn't changed it's liturgy for over 2000 years. From a historical standpoint, you could easily say that the Orthodox are the first Christians after the Pentacost. They also haven't changed their liturgical rituals or traditions. I also like the fact that priests can get married. In the early church, men and women were allowed to get married originally until the Roman Catholic church broke away after the Council of Nicea. I was also Roman Catholic for a few years but disagree with papal rule as well as the corruption within the Vatican. I also have a problem with a so called Christian group that shuttles pedophiles around between churches. I understand forgiveness and compassion but these priests shouldnt be allowed to continue working in the name of the church. Orthodox services are very intense I think. There is never a sense of monotony only a deep spiritual awakening and understanding about what Christianity really was all about in the beginning. There is a wonderful foreign film that shows the humility and deep sense of spirituality in Orthodoxy called "Ostrav". Check it out! Being Orthodox isn't easy at all. there's fasting, intensive prayer, a deeper understanding of scriptures, etc. I would really like to find the will to detach myself from the world to devote to prayer, meditation, etc. For those involved with the punk scene, here is a radical link about Orthodoxy from a punk like perspective:

http://www.deathtotheworld.com/index2.html

In this age, it is easy to to find so many people who don't like Christianity or have turned away. I've spoken to many people about religion and I can honestly say I've ran the gamut with spiritual paths from Kabbalah, Druidism, being a member of the Golden Dawn, Buddhism, Zen, Tendai, as well as darker paths to living in Israel for a while, going on a pilgrimage around the Holy Lands. The history and archaeology behind Israel is incredible! I'm still searching but I will tell you that for me, Orthodoxy was the gateway for everything I hoped Christianity could be. There is a little prayer that I chant throughout the day called "the Jesus Prayer" which is: "Lord, Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner". To the monks around the world, this prayer is a very powerful as well as humble prayer. I hope I've helped in some way. Feel free to ask me anything about Theology, Orthodoxy, etc. Part of becoming a better Christian for me is learning to listen and help others in any way I can. Christ is risen!

God bless you all...

[Homicidalheathen]

Nice links, thanks!

[Enishi]

I have a book called "The Way of a Pilgrim" about a traveler in Russia who learns to practice the Jesus Prayer. Quite good actually.

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

Belonging to the Orthodox religion here in the States is not as enjoyable as it is living in the actual country.

Being an Orthodox myself and living in Macedonia for 12 years, I have had a wonderful time during holidays.

There is a church event at least twice a month sometimes more, however it's not your boring speech and the money jar ritual. You actually go to a specific monastery/church of the Saint, light a candle, take a blessing from the priest and pray.

It was great, the church does not want to influence people and make a living out of their believers like the Catholics do.

Also some of these Monasteries/Churches have their own significance why and were they ended up being build. Different cities have different holidays as do countries so the Orthodox religion is pretty interesting.

[detroitrequiem]

check this out very intersting spin with Orthodoxy:

http://www.deathtotheworld.com/index2.html

http://www.desertwisdom.org/dttw/index.html