Differences between Catholic and Orthodox

[Filippo the Great]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I would like to know the diffrences between Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy. I myself am Roman Catholic and I would like to know a bit more abour orthodox christianity because i dont know much about it. I only know a few general differences.

[Zenith Darksea]

If you'd like to see a side-by-side comparison, then I can recommend this website: http://christianityinview.com/comparison.html

Well, in many ways there are a lot of similarities, since Roman Catholicism emerged from an Orthodox background itself; the names 'Roman Catholic' and 'Orthodox' are of course modern names, and the two Churches have a shared background. The Latin Church of Rome only split off from the Eastern Churches in the early Middle Ages. The Church of Rome considers that it embodies the fulness of the Church and that, since the Eastern Churches refused to acknowledge the Pope as holding supreme authority over the Christian Church, they are no longer a part of the universal Church. However, the Eastern Churches say that the Pope had never claimed supreme authority until the Middle Ages, and that the Church of Rome had, by claiming supremacy, departed from Christian tradition, and would then indulge in various theological innovations such as Purgatory, the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God and of course Papal Infallibility. As a result, the Eastern Churches, who assert that they maintained the Christian Tradition intact the whole time, are now known as 'Orthodox' (the Greek word orthodoxos means 'right-believing'). It is a better name, since the Orthodox Church is no longer unique to the East, but can be found throughout North and South America, Europe and Africa as well.

The basic difference then is that the Roman Catholic Church believes that the Pope of Rome, as successor to St Peter, is the rock of the Church and therefore has supremacy. The Orthodox however believe that every bishop in the Church is a successor of St Peter (and of all the other Apostles) in that it was his confession of faith, not his person, that was the 'rock' of the Church. It is interesting, because a large number of early Western saints (including a Pope of Rome) have asserted the Orthodox position, not the Roman Catholic one.

That is the fundamental difference. There are various other differences that have arisen as a result (e.g. Roman Catholics have a lot of new theology that the Orthodox do not share such as the belief in Purgatory), though the Orthodox and the Catholics still have more in common with each other than they do with Protestants.

There are also more general differences in practice etc. Some of these are cultural, and it should be said that there are many cultural differences between the members of the Orthodox Church as well (a Russian Orthodox hymn sounds different to a Greek Orthodox hymn, for example). You will find that an Orthodox church building and divine liturgy (i.e. mass) look much more archaic than a Roman Catholic one. The priest looks towards the altar, not the congregation. There is an icon screen separating the altar from the main body of the church. When it comes to communion, the Orthodox use leavened bread (not wafers) and make an appeal to the Holy Spirit to visit the bread and wine and transform them into the Body and Blood, and so on.

For more information on the Orthodox Church, I can recommend the following:

Introduction to the Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church - Resources and Links
The Orthodox Church - General Information
The Orthodox Faith by Fr Thomas Hopko

And of course, if you want to pick up a book on it, you really must read the wonderful The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware (also known as Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia).

[Thanatos]

Sigh... not this again... *groans*

Do you want to have another discussion, Zenith, or...?

[Zenith Darksea]

I'm just answering the question, that's all. If you are interested to have another discussion, then I'd love to, but if not then I don't mind. We've never really managed to reach any kind of mutual conclusion before though.

[Filippo the Great]

Thanks alot Zenith for answering my question. As a Roman Catholic im interested in the Orthodox Church and would like to find out more and the differences between both of us.

[Thanatos]

We're not that different, but it all became solidified into cement, come Great Schism and Fourth Crusade, sadly.

[Dunecat]

We're not that different, but it all became solidified into cement, come Great Schism and Fourth Crusade, sadly.

*hug*

[Sephynos]

We're not that different, but it all became solidified into cement, come Great Schism and Fourth Crusade, sadly.

Maaan, that fourth crusade was really a mess

[Thanatos]

What the...? Just because I was commenting on the sad state of affairs between our brother churches doesn't mean I asked for a hug, Ronnec.

[Dunecat]

What the...? Just because I was commenting on the sad state of affairs between our brother churches doesn't mean I asked for a hug, Ronnec.

...Fine, *shin kick*

[Thanatos]

Oww.... anything to say about Orthodoxy?

[hellas1]

Hi all,

I can say a bit about Catholicism.

One big point of contention is the issue of the Papacy and another is the unmarried priesthood problem which has finally come to a point in the U.S.

I, for one, don't believe that the Pope is "infallible ex cathedra" nor do I believe that the bishop of Rome was ever the head of the church. The Lord Jesus is that. Until this Papal superiority complex dogma is rid of, no reconciliation will ever happen between Greek Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

The unmarried priesthood shows you what happens when you deviate from scripture as well, namely reaping and sowing. No where in scripture do you ever see an unmarried priesthood.
Ex. Paul said "Do we not have a right to take a believing sister as wife, even as the rest of the apostles?" THAT is the literal Greek to English translation.

To go a step further, ALL believers (Christians who have the Holy Spirit) women and men are priests, sacrifices and altars as well, Why?:
Peter says "we are a kingdom of priests, " Paul says we are to "offer up our bodies as living sacrifices" and in that is the implication that we are our own "altars" upon which the sacrifice is made!

These 2 big Catholic doctrinal headaches can be "aleved" by stopping them completely and immediately due to their utter falseness in lieu of lack of scriptural backing.

It's not a matter of "Good idea!"
hellas1

[Thanatos]

No, absolutely incorrect. If everyman is his own priest and altar, you see the bastardization of the faith as we have now, thanks primarily to Luther and Calvin.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

No, absolutely incorrect. If everyman is his own priest and altar, you see the bastardization of the faith as we have now, thanks primarily to Luther and Calvin.

So is Peter (who, ironically, was the first Pope according to Catholics) wrong?

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
-1 Peter 2:5

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;"
-1 Peter 2:9


And explain how Luther and Calvin "bastardized" the faith?

[Thanatos]

Please answer to me how having every sect thinking they are inspired of the Holy Spirit, yet they have so many differing beliefs, proof that this is good.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

Please answer to me how having every sect thinking they are inspired of the Holy Spirit, yet they have so many differing beliefs, proof that this is good.

Are you avoiding my question?

But to answer you: diversity does not necessarily= division. People, even in the RC and EO (Eastern Orthodox) Churches have held many different views on minor issues in the past, such as prophecy, interpretation of different passages, etc. But they all agree on the basics: That Jesus Christ, the Son of God (who is one with the father), became a man (without loosing his divinity), became the propitiation for our sins, rose from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of the Father from whence he shall judge the quick and the dead; and whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. Obviously that is a slight simplification, but what I am trying to point out is the basis of the Christian faith.

It is not good that they differ, as it means that one party is wrong and one is right, but people are firm in their beliefs and won’t change easily. We should all the more diligently search the Scriptures to see what is the truth, as the Bareans did.

[Thanatos]

Doesn't mean it gave Luther and Calvin the right to do what they did.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

Doesn't mean it gave Luther and Calvin the right to do what they did.

I fail to see what they did that was so dreadfully wrong. They were Catholic Priests revolting against a corrupt and perverted Church, can you blame them?

Oh, we agree on many basics, that is why we are all called 'Christian' (with a certain generosity of spirit in some cases). However, there are some basics that we don't agree on. For example, the Mysteries (or 'Sacraments', as they are known by Roman Catholics). We Orthodox think that the Holy Eucharist (to give one example; there are others too) is an extremely important and fundamental Mystery that should be, in the true Hesychastic tradition, at the centre of every Christian's spiritual struggle. It is literally a question of receiving Christ into one's body.

It is true that there are more extreme differences and these should be settled. People hold strongly to their beliefs on each side of the issue and I doubt they will budge. But what are you going to do, say "convert or burn?" The only way to win people to your side is through reasoning through the Scriptures. It is unfortunate that people differ so much, but don't forget that even in the RC/EO Church(es) people have held many different views on stuff like this.

To give another example, we Orthodox think that Christians engage in a spiritual struggle, while many Protestants would disagree

Maybe "once saved, always saved" southern Baptists, but thats about it.

Some would say that we do not even have any freedom of will in our salvation, but that God has already decided everything for us.

Only hyper-calvinists believe that man has no freedom and they are practically non-existent in today's Christian world, so its not a big issue like it used to be. If you are referring to calvinism proper, then thats not quite a correct assertion of what they believe.



I would like Thanatos to answer my question about Peter and the priesthood of all believers, though.

[Zenith Darksea]

But to answer you: diversity does not necessarily= division. People, even in the RC and EO (Eastern Orthodox) Churches have held many different views on minor issues in the past, such as prophecy, interpretation of different passages, etc. But they all agree on the basics: That Jesus Christ, the Son of God (who is one with the father), became a man (without loosing his divinity), became the propitiation for our sins, rose from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of the Father from whence he shall judge the quick and the dead; and whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. Obviously that is a slight simplification, but what I am trying to point out is the basis of the Christian faith.

Oh, we agree on many basics, that is why we are all called 'Christian' (with a certain generosity of spirit in some cases). However, there are some basics that we don't agree on. For example, the Mysteries (or 'Sacraments', as they are known by Roman Catholics). We Orthodox think that the Holy Eucharist (to give one example; there are others too) is an extremely important and fundamental Mystery that should be, in the true Hesychastic tradition, at the centre of every Christian's spiritual struggle. It is literally a question of receiving Christ into one's body. To give another example, we Orthodox think that Christians engage in a spiritual struggle, while many Protestants would disagree. Some would say that we do not even have any freedom of will in our salvation, but that God has already decided everything for us.

These are very, very important differences and it is only harmful to our attempts at unity if we pretend that they do not exist.

[Thanatos]

Jesus set up the original church. Martin Luther started his own, not Jesus. That is blatant heresy.