Orthodoxy and Christianity are completely different worldview models. How do Christians differ from Orthodox Christians?

Wednesday, 18 Sep. 2013

The Greek-Catholic Orthodox (Right Faithful) Church (now the Russian Orthodox Church) began to be called Orthodox Slavic only on September 8, 1943 (approved by Stalin’s decree in 1945). What then was called Orthodoxy for several millennia?

“In our time, in modern Russian vernacular in official, scientific and religious designation, the term “Orthodoxy” is applied to anything related to the ethnocultural tradition and it is necessarily associated with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Christian Judeo-Christian religion.

To a simple question: “What is Orthodoxy,” anyone modern man, without hesitation, will answer that Orthodoxy is the Christian faith that has been accepted Kievan Rus during the reign of Prince Vladimir the Red Sun from the Byzantine Empire in 988 AD. And that Orthodoxy, i.e. The Christian faith has existed on Russian soil for more than a thousand years. Historical scientists and Christian theologians, in support of their words, declare that the earliest use of the word Orthodoxy on the territory of Rus' is recorded in the “Sermon on Law and Grace” of the 1037 - 1050s of Metropolitan Hilarion.

But was it really so?

We advise you to carefully read the preamble to federal law on freedom of conscience and religious associations, adopted on September 26, 1997. Note the following points in the preamble: “Recognizing the special role Orthodoxy in Russia...and further respecting Christianity , Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and other religions..."

Thus, the concepts of Orthodoxy and Christianity are not identical and carry within them completely different concepts and meanings.

Orthodoxy. How they appeared historical myths

It is worth wondering who participated in the seven councils Judeo-Christian churches? Orthodox holy fathers or still Orthodox holy fathers, as indicated in the original Word on Law and Grace? Who and when made the decision to replace one concept with another? And was there ever any mention of Orthodoxy in the past?

The answer to this question was given by the Byzantine monk Belisarius in 532 AD. Long before the baptism of Rus', this is what he wrote in his Chronicles about the Slavs and their ritual of visiting the bathhouse: “Orthodox Slovenians and Rusyns - wild people, and their life is wild and godless, men and girls locking themselves together in a hot, heated hut and exhausting their bodies...”

We will not pay attention to the fact that for the monk Belisarius the usual visit to the bathhouse by the Slavs seemed something wild and incomprehensible; this is quite natural. Something else is important for us. Pay attention to how he called the Slavs: Orthodox Slovenians and Rusyns.

For this one phrase alone we must express our gratitude to him. Since with this phrase the Byzantine monk Belisarius confirms that the Slavs were Orthodox for many thousands years before their conversion to Judeo-Christian faith.

The Slavs were called Orthodox because they RIGHT was praised.

What is "RIGHT"?

Our ancestors believed that reality, the cosmos, is divided into three levels. And it's also very similar to Indian system divisions: Upper world, Middle world and Lower world.

In Rus' these three levels were called:

• The highest level is the level of Government or Edit.
• The second, middle level is Reality.
• And the lowest level is Nav. Nav or Non-reality, unmanifested.

• World Rule- this is a world where everything is right or ideal higher world. This is a world where ideal beings with higher consciousness live.
• Reality- this is ours, the manifest, obvious world, the world of people.
• And the world Navi or do not appear, the unmanifest is the negative, unmanifested or lower or posthumous world.

The Indian Vedas also speak of the existence of three worlds:

• The upper world is a world where the energy of goodness dominates.
• The middle world is engulfed in passion.
• The lower world is immersed in ignorance.

Christians have no such division. The Bible is silent about this.

Such a similar understanding of the world gives similar motivation in life, i.e. it is necessary to strive for the world of Rule or Goodness. And in order to get into the world of Rule, you need to do everything correctly, i.e. according to God's law.

Words such as “truth” come from the root “rule.” Is it true- what gives the right. " Yes" is "to give", and " edit" - this is "highest". So, " Truth" - this is what the government gives.

If we talk not about faith, but about the word “Orthodoxy”, then of course it was borrowed by the church(according to various estimates in the 13th-16th centuries) from “those who glorify the rule”, i.e. from ancient Russian Vedic cults.

If only for the following reasons:

• a) rarely what Old Russian name did not contain a piece of “glory”,
• b) which is still Sanskrit, Vedic word“prav” (spiritual world) is contained in such modern Russian words as: right, right, righteous, right, rule, management, correction, government, right, wrong. The roots of all these words are " rights».

“Right” or “rule”, i.e. highest beginning. The point is that the basis of real management should be the concept of Rule or the highest reality. And real governance should spiritually elevate those who follow the ruler, leading his wards along the paths of rule.

• Details in the article: Philosophical and cultural similarities of Ancient Rus' and Ancient India .

Substitution of the name "Orthodoxy" is not "Orthodoxy"

The question arises: who and when on Russian soil decided to replace the terms orthodoxy with Orthodoxy?

This happened in the 17th century, when Moscow Patriarch Nikon instituted church reform. The main goal of this reform by Nikon was not to change the rituals of the Christian Church, as it is interpreted now, where everything supposedly comes down to replacing the two-fingered sign of the cross with a three-fingered one and walking the procession in the other direction. The main goal of the reform was the destruction of dual faith on Russian soil.

Nowadays, few people know that before the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Muscovy, dual faith existed in the Russian lands. In other words, the common people professed not only orthodoxy, i.e. Greek Rite Christianity, which came from Byzantium, but also the old pre-Christian faith of their ancestors ORTHODOXY. This is what most worried Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov and his spiritual mentor Christian Patriarch Nikon, for the Orthodox Old Believers lived by their own principles and did not recognize any authority over themselves.

Patriarch Nikon decided to put an end to dual faith very in an original way. To do this, under the guise of reform in the church, allegedly due to the discrepancy between the Greek and Slavic texts, he ordered to rewrite all liturgical books, replacing the phrases “orthodox Christian faith” with “Orthodox Christian faith.” In the Chetiy Menaia that have survived to this day, we can see the old version of the entry “Orthodox Christian Faith.” This was Nikon’s very interesting approach to the matter of reform.

Firstly, there was no need to rewrite many ancient Slavic, as they said then, charati books, or chronicles, which described the victories and achievements of pre-Christian Orthodoxy.

Secondly, life during the times of dual faith and the very original meaning of Orthodoxy were erased from the memory of the people, because after such a church reform, any text from liturgical books or ancient chronicles could be interpreted as the beneficial influence of Christianity on Russian lands. In addition, the Patriarch sent out a reminder to Moscow churches about the use of the three-finger sign of the cross instead of the two-finger sign.

Thus began the reform, as well as the protest against it, which led to a church schism. The protest against Nikon's church reforms was organized by the patriarch's former comrades, archpriests Avvakum Petrov and Ivan Neronov. They pointed out to the patriarch the arbitrariness of his actions, and then in 1654 he organized a Council at which, as a result of pressure on the participants, he sought to carry out a book review of ancient Greek and Slavic manuscripts. However, for Nikon, the comparison was not with the old rituals, but with the modern Greek practice of that time. All the actions of Patriarch Nikon led to the fact that the church split into two warring parts.

Supporters of the old traditions accused Nikon of a trilingual heresy and indulgence in paganism, as Christians called Orthodoxy, that is, the old pre-Christian faith. The split spread throughout the country. This led to the fact that in 1667 a large Moscow council condemned and deposed Nikon, and anathematized all opponents of the reforms. Since then, adherents of new liturgical traditions began to be called Nikonians, and adherents of old rituals and traditions began to be called schismatics and persecuted. The confrontation between the Nikonians and the schismatics at times led to armed clashes until the tsarist troops came out on the side of the Nikonians. To avoid large-scale religious war Some of the higher clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate condemned some provisions of Nikon’s reforms.

The term Orthodoxy began to be used again in liturgical practices and government documents. For example, let us turn to the spiritual regulations of Peter the Great: “...And as a Christian Sovereign, he is a guardian of orthodoxy and all piety in the Holy Church...”

As we see, even in the 18th century, Peter the Great was called the Christian sovereign, the guardian of Orthodoxy and piety. But there is not a word about Orthodoxy in this document. It is not in the editions of the Spiritual Regulations of 1776-1856.

Thus, the “church” reform of Patriarch Nikon was clearly carried out against the traditions and foundations of the Russian people, against Slavic rituals, not church ones.

In general, the “reform” marks the milestone from which a sharp decline in faith, spirituality and morality begins in Russian society. Everything new in rituals, architecture, iconography, and singing is of Western origin, which is also noted by civilian researchers.

The “church” reforms of the mid-17th century were directly related to religious construction. The order to strictly follow the Byzantine canons put forward the requirement to build churches “with five peaks, and not with a tent.”

Tent-roofed buildings (with a pyramidal top) were known in Rus' even before the adoption of Christianity. This type of building is considered originally Russian. That is why Nikon, with his reforms, took care of such “trifles”, because this was a real “pagan” trace among the people. Under threat death penalty Master craftsmen and architects managed to preserve the shape of the tent in both temple and secular buildings. Despite the fact that it was necessary to build domes with onion-shaped domes, general shape the buildings were made pyramidal. But not everywhere it was possible to deceive the reformers. These were mainly the northern and remote areas of the country.

Nikon did everything possible and impossible to ensure that the true Slavic heritage disappeared from the vastness of Rus', and with it the Great Russian People.

Now it becomes obvious that there were no grounds at all for carrying out church reform. The reasons were completely different and had nothing to do with the church. This is, first of all, the destruction of the spirit of the Russian people! Culture, heritage, the great past of our people. And this was done by Nikon with great cunning and meanness.

Nikon simply “planted a pig” on the people, so much so that to this day we, the Russians, have to remember in parts, literally bit by bit, who we are and our Great Past.

But was Nikon the instigator of these transformations? Or maybe there were completely different people behind him, and Nikon was only a performer? And if this is so, then who are these “men in black” who were so disturbed by the Russian man with his many thousands of years of great past?

The answer to this question was outlined very well and in detail by B.P. Kutuzov in the book “The Secret Mission of Patriarch Nikon”. Despite the fact that the author does not fully understand the true goals of the reform, we must give him credit for how clearly he exposed the true customers and implementers of this reform.

• Details in the article: The great scam of Patriarch Nikon. How Nikita Minin killed Orthodoxy

Education of the Russian Orthodox Church

Based on this, the question arises: when did the term Orthodoxy begin to be officially used by the Christian Church?

The point is that in the Russian Empire there wasn't Russian Orthodox Church. The Christian Church existed under a different name - “Russian Greek Catholic Church”. Or as it was also called “Russian Orthodox Church of the Greek Rite”.

Christian church called The Russian Orthodox Church appeared during the reign of the Bolsheviks.

At the beginning of 1945, by order of Joseph Stalin, a local council of the Russian church was held in Moscow under the leadership of responsible persons from the State Security of the USSR and a new Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' was elected.

• Details in the article: How Stalin created the Russian Orthodox Church MP [video]

It should be mentioned that many Christian priests, those who did not recognize the power of the Bolsheviks left Russia and beyond its borders they continue to profess Christianity of the Eastern Rite and call their church nothing more than Russian Orthodox Church or Russian Orthodox Church.

In order to finally move away from well crafted historical myth and to find out what the word Orthodoxy really meant in ancient times, let us turn to those people who still keep the old faith of their ancestors.

Having received his education in Soviet era, these pundits either do not know or are carefully trying to hide from ordinary people, that even in ancient times, long before the birth of Christianity, Orthodoxy existed in the Slavic lands. It covered not only the basic concept when our wise ancestors glorified the Rule. And the deep essence of Orthodoxy was much larger and more voluminous than it seems today.

The figurative meaning of this word also included the concept of when our ancestors The right was praised. But it was not Roman law or Greek law, but ours, our native Slavic law.

It included:

• Family Law, based on the ancient cultural traditions, laws and foundations of the Family;
• Communal law, creating mutual understanding between various Slavic clans living together in one small settlement;
• Cop law which regulated the interaction between communities living in large settlements, which were cities;
• Weighing law, which determined the relationships between communities living in different cities and settlements within one Vesi, i.e. within one area of ​​settlement and residence;
• Veche law, which was adopted at a general meeting of all the people and was observed by all clans of the Slavic community.

Any Right from the Tribal to the Veche was established on the basis of the ancient Konov, the culture and foundations of the Rod, as well as on the basis of the commandments of the ancient Slavic gods and the instructions of the ancestors. This was our native Slavic Right.

Our wise ancestors commanded to preserve it, and we preserve it. Since ancient times, our ancestors glorified the Rule and we continue to glorify the Rule, and we preserve our Slavic Right and pass it on from generation to generation.

Therefore, we and our ancestors were, are and will be Orthodox.

Substitution on Wikipedia

Modern interpretation of the term ORTHODOX = Orthodox, appeared on Wikipedia only after this resource switched to funding from the UK government. In fact, Orthodoxy is translated as rightVerie, Orthodox is translated as orthodox.

Either, Wikipedia, continuing the idea of ​​​​the “identity” Orthodoxy = Orthodoxy, should call Muslims and Jews Orthodox (for the terms Orthodox Muslim or Orthodox Jew are found throughout world literature) or still admit that Orthodoxy = Orthodoxy and in no way relates to Orthodoxy, as well as the Christian Church of the Eastern Rite, called the Russian Orthodox Church since 1945.

Orthodoxy is not a religion, not Christianity, but a faith

By the way, on many of his icons it is written in implicit letters: MARY LIK. Hence original title localities in honor of the face of Mary: Marlykian. So in fact this bishop was Nicholas of Marlikiy. And his city, which was originally called “ Mary"(that is, the city of Mary), is now called Bari. There was a phonetic replacement of sounds.

Bishop Nicholas of Myra - Nicholas the Wonderworker

However, now Christians do not remember these details, hushing up the Vedic roots of Christianity. For now Jesus in Christianity is interpreted as the God of Israel, although Judaism does not consider him a god. But Christianity says nothing about the fact that Jesus Christ, as well as his apostles, are different faces of Yar, although this is read on many icons. The name of the god Yara is also read on Shroud of Turin .

At one time, Vedism reacted very calmly and brotherly to Christianity, seeing in it simply a local outgrowth of Vedism, for which there is a name: paganism (that is, an ethnic variety), like Greek paganism with another name Yara - Ares, or Roman, with the name Yara is Mars, or with the Egyptian, where the name Yar or Ar was read in reverse side, Ra. In Christianity, Yar became Christ, and Vedic temples made icons and crosses of Christ.

And only over time, under the influence of political, or rather geopolitical reasons, Christianity was opposed to Vedism, and then Christianity saw manifestations of “paganism” everywhere and waged a struggle with it not to the stomach, but to the death. In other words, he betrayed his parents, his heavenly patrons, and began to preach humility and submission.

The Judeo-Christian religion not only does not teach a worldview, but also prevents the acquisition of ancient knowledge, declaring it heresy. Thus, at first, instead of the Vedic way of life, foolish worship was imposed, and in XVII century after the Nikonian reform, the meaning of Orthodoxy was replaced.

The so-called "Orthodox Christians", although they have always been true believers, because Orthodoxy and Christianity are completely different essences and principles.

• Details in the article: V.A. Chudinov - Proper education .

Currently, the concept of "paganism" exists only as an antithesis to Christianity, and not as an independent figurative form. For example, when the Nazis attacked the USSR, they called the Russians “Rusishe Schweine”, so why should we now, imitating the fascists, call ourselves “Rusishe Schweine”?

A similar misunderstanding occurs with paganism; neither the Russian people (our ancestors) nor our spiritual leaders (magi or brahmans) ever called themselves “pagans.”

The Jewish form of thinking needed to vulgarize and mutilate the beauty of the Russian Vedic system of values, so a powerful pagan (“pagan”, filthy) project arose.

Neither the Russians nor the Magi of Rus' ever called themselves pagans.

The concept of "paganism" is a purely Jewish concept, which the Jews used to designate all non-biblical religions. (And as we know, there are three biblical religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. And they all have one common source - the Bible).

• Details in the article: There has NEVER been paganism in Rus'!

Secret writing on Russian and modern Christian icons

Thus Christianity within ALL Rus' was adopted not in 988, but between 1630 and 1635.

The study of Christian icons made it possible to identify sacred texts on them. Explicit inscriptions cannot be included among them. But they absolutely include implicit inscriptions associated with Russian Vedic gods, temples and priests (memes).

On old Christian icons of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus there are Russian inscriptions in runes, saying that they depict Slavic Goddess Makosh with baby God Yar. Jesus Christ was also called HOR OR HORUS. Moreover, the name CHORUS on the mosaic depicting Christ in the Church of Christ Chorus in Istanbul is written like this: “NHOR”, that is, ICHOR. The letter I used to be written as N. The name IGOR is almost identical to the name IHOR OR CHORUS, since the sounds X and G could transform into each other. By the way, it is possible that the respectful name HERO came from here, which later entered many languages ​​practically unchanged.

And then the need to disguise Vedic inscriptions becomes clear: their discovery on icons could entail accusing the icon painter of belonging to the Old Believers, and this could result in punishment in the form of exile or the death penalty.

On the other hand, as is now becoming obvious, the absence of Vedic inscriptions made the icon a non-sacred artifact. In other words, it’s not so much the presence of narrow noses, thin lips and large eyes made the image sacred, and it was precisely the connection with the god Yar in the first place and with the goddess Mara in the second through reference implicit inscriptions that added magical and miraculous properties to the icon. Therefore, icon painters, if they wanted to make an icon miraculous, and not a simple piece of art, were obliged to supply any image with the words: FACE OF YAR, MIM OF YAR AND MARA, TEMPLE OF MARA, YAR TEMPLE, YAR Rus', etc.

Nowadays, when persecution on religious charges has ceased, the icon painter no longer risks his life and property by applying implicit inscriptions to modern icon paintings. Therefore, in a number of cases, namely in the cases of mosaic icons, he no longer tries to hide this kind of inscription as much as possible, but transfers them to the category of semi-explicit.

Thus, using Russian material, the reason was revealed why explicit inscriptions on icons moved into the category of semi-explicit and implicit: the ban on Russian Vedism, which followed from. However, this example gives rise to the assumption of the same motives for masking obvious inscriptions on coins.

This idea can be expressed in more detail as follows: once upon a time the body of a deceased priest (mima) was accompanied by a funeral golden mask, on which there were all the corresponding inscriptions, but not very large and not very contrasting, so as not to destroy the aesthetic perception of the mask. Later, instead of a mask, smaller objects began to be used - pendants and plaques, which also depicted the face of the deceased mime with corresponding discreet inscriptions. Even later, portraits of mimes migrated to coins. And this kind of image was preserved as long as spiritual power was considered the most significant in society.

However, when power became secular, passing to military leaders - princes, leaders, kings, emperors, images of government officials, not mimes, began to be minted on coins, while images of mimes migrated to icons. At the same time, secular power, being more coarse, began to mint its own inscriptions weightily, roughly, visibly, and obvious legends appeared on coins. With the emergence of Christianity, such explicit inscriptions began to appear on icons, but they were no longer written in the runes of the Family, but in the Old Slavonic Cyrillic script. In the West, the Latin script was used for this.

Thus, in the West there was a similar, but still slightly different motive, why the implicit inscriptions of mimes did not become explicit: on the one hand, aesthetic tradition, on the other hand, the secularization of power, that is, the transition of the function of managing society from priests to military leaders and officials.

This allows us to consider icons, as well as sacred sculptures of gods and saints, as substitutes for those artifacts that acted as carriers of sacred properties before: golden masks and plaques. On the other hand, icons existed before, but did not affect the sphere of finance, remaining entirely within religion. Therefore, their production has experienced a new heyday.

• Details in the article: Secret writing on Russian and modern Christian icons [video] .

In 395, the Roman Empire fell to the onslaught of barbarians. As a result of this, the once powerful state fell apart into several independent entities, one of which was Byzantium. Despite the fact that the Christian Church continued to remain united for more than six centuries, the development of its eastern and western parts followed different paths, which predetermined their further rupture.

Separation of two related churches

In 1054, the Christian Church, which had existed for a thousand years by that time, split into two branches, one of which was the Western Roman Catholic Church, and the other was the Eastern Orthodox Church, with its center in Constantinople. Accordingly, the teaching itself, based on Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, received two independent directions - Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

The formal schism was the result of a long process that included both theological disputes and attempts by the popes to subjugate the Eastern churches. Nevertheless, Orthodoxy is the full result of the development of the general Christian doctrine, which began in apostolic times. She considers the entire sacred history from the giving of the New Testament by Jesus Christ to the moment of the Great Schism as her own.

Literary sources containing the basics of religious doctrine

The essence of Orthodoxy comes down to the confession of the apostolic faith, the foundations of which are set out in the Holy Scriptures - the books of the Old and New Testaments, as well as in the Holy Tradition, which includes the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, the works of the church fathers and the lives of saints. This should also include liturgical traditions that determine the order of church services, the performance of all kinds of rituals and sacraments that Orthodoxy includes.

Prayers and chants for the most part are texts taken from the patristic heritage. These include those included in church services and those intended for cell (home) reading.

The truth of Orthodox teaching

According to the apologists (followers and preachers) of this doctrine, Orthodoxy is the only true form of confession of the Divine teaching given to people by Jesus Christ and further developed thanks to his closest disciples - the holy apostles.

In contrast, according to Orthodox theologians, other Christian denominations - Catholicism and Protestantism with all their branches - are nothing more than heresies. It is appropriate to note that the word “Orthodoxy” itself is a translation from Greek, where it literally sounds like “correct glorification.” We are talking, of course, about glorifying the Lord God.

Like all Christianity, Orthodoxy formulates its teachings in accordance with the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils, of which there have been seven in the entire history of the church. The only problem is that some of them are recognized by all confessions (varieties Christian churches), and others only one or two. For this reason, the Creeds - statements of the main provisions of the doctrine - sound different for everyone. This, in particular, was one of the reasons why Orthodoxy and Catholicism took different historical paths.

Document expressing the fundamentals of faith

Orthodoxy is a doctrine, the main provisions of which were formulated by two Ecumenical Councils - the Nicene Council, held in 325, and the Constantinople Council, in 381. The document they adopted was called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and contains a formula that has been preserved in its original form to this day. It should be noted that it is this formula that mainly separates Orthodoxy and Catholicism, since the followers of the Western Church accepted this formula in a slightly modified form.

The Orthodox Creed consists of twelve members - sections, each of which succinctly, but at the same time succinctly and exhaustively sets out the dogma accepted by the church on a particular issue of doctrine.

The essence of the doctrine of God and the Holy Trinity

The first member of the Creed is dedicated to salvation through faith in the One God the Father, who created heaven and earth, as well as the entire visible and invisible world. The second and together with the eighth confess the equality of all members of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, point to their consubstantiality and, as a consequence, to the same worship of each of them. The equality of all three hypostases is one of the main dogmas professed by Orthodoxy. Prayers to the Most Holy Trinity are always addressed equally to all of Her hypostases.

Doctrine of the Son of God

The subsequent members of the Creed, from the second to the seventh, are dedicated to Jesus Christ - the Son of God. In accordance with Orthodox dogma, He has a dual nature - Divine and human, and both parts of it are not combined in Him, but at the same time not separately.

According to Orthodox teaching, Jesus Christ was not created, but born of God the Father before the beginning of time. It should be noted that in this statement, Orthodoxy and Catholicism disagree and take irreconcilable positions. He acquired his earthly essence by becoming incarnate as a result of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary through the mediation of the Holy Spirit.

Orthodox understanding of Christ's sacrifice

The fundamental element of Orthodox teaching is faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, made on the cross for the salvation of all people. Despite the fact that all of Christianity speaks about it, Orthodoxy understands this act in a slightly different way.

As the recognized fathers of the Eastern Church teach, Jesus Christ, having accepted human nature, damaged by the original sin of Adam and Eve, and embodying in it everything inherent in people, except their sinfulness, with his torment he cleansed it and delivered it from the curse. By his subsequent resurrection from the dead, He set an example of how, cleansed from sin and reborn, human nature able to withstand death.

Having thus become the first person to gain immortality, Jesus Christ opened a path for people by following which they could avoid eternal death. Its stages are faith, repentance and participation in the performance of the Divine sacraments, the main of which is the communion of the flesh and blood of the Lord, which has since taken place during the liturgy. Having tasted the bread and wine converted into the body and blood of the Lord, a believer perceives part of His nature (hence the name of the rite - communion), and inherits after his earthly death eternal life in Heaven.

Also in this part, the ascension of Jesus Christ and His second coming are declared, after which the Kingdom of God, prepared for all professing Orthodoxy, will triumph on earth. This must happen unexpectedly, since only the One God knows about specific dates.

One of the contradictions between the Eastern and Western Churches

The eighth article of the Creed is entirely dedicated to the life-giving Holy Spirit, who comes only from God the Father. This dogma also caused theological disputes with representatives of Catholicism. In their opinion, the Holy Spirit is exuded equally by God the Father and God the Son.

Discussions have been going on for many centuries, but the Eastern Church and Russian Orthodoxy in particular take an unchanged position on this issue, dictated by the dogma adopted at the two Ecumenical Councils discussed above.

About the Heavenly Church

The ninth clause talks about the fact that the Church, established by God, is in its essence one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Some clarification is required here. In this case, we are not talking about an earthly administrative-religious organization created by people and in charge of conducting divine services and performing the sacraments, but about a Heavenly one, expressed in the spiritual unity of all true followers of Christ’s teaching. It was created by God, and since for Him the world is not divided into the living and the dead, its members are equally those who are alive today and those who have long completed their earthly journey.

The Heavenly Church is one, since God Himself is one. It is holy because it was sanctified by its Creator, and it is called apostolic because its first servants were the disciples of Jesus Christ - the holy apostles, whose succession in the priesthood is passed on from generation to generation until the present day.

Baptism is the path to the Church of Christ

According to the eighth member, one can join the Church of Christ, and therefore inherit eternal life, only by undergoing the rite of Holy Baptism, the prototype of which was revealed by Jesus Christ himself, once immersed in the waters of the Jordan. It is generally accepted that the grace of the other five established sacraments is also implied here. The eleventh and twelfth members, completing the Creed, declare the resurrection of all deceased Orthodox Christians, and their eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

All of the above commandments of Orthodoxy, adopted as religious dogmas, were finally approved at the Second Ecumenical Council in 381 and, in order to avoid distortion of the doctrine, remain unchanged to this day.

Today, more than 226 million people around the globe profess Orthodoxy. With such a wide coverage of believers, the teaching of the Eastern Church is inferior to Catholicism in the number of its followers, but superior to Protestantism.

The Ecumenical (universal, embracing the whole world) Orthodox Church, traditionally headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, is divided into local, or, as they are otherwise called, autocephalous churches. Their influence is limited to the boundaries of any one state or province.

Orthodoxy came to Rus' in 988 thanks to the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, who with his rays banished the darkness of paganism. Nowadays, despite the formal separation of religion from the state, proclaimed almost a century ago, its followers are the overwhelming number of believers in our country, and it is on it that the basis of the spiritual life of the people is built.

The Day of Orthodoxy, which supplanted the Night of Unbelief

The religious life of the country, revived after decades of national atheism, is gaining strength every year. Today the church has at its disposal all the achievements of modern technical progress. Not only are they used to promote Orthodoxy printed publications, but also various media resources, among which the Internet occupies an important place. One example of its use to improve the religious education of citizens is the creation of such portals as “Orthodoxy and Peace”, “Predaniye.ru”, etc.

Work with children is also taking on a wide scale these days, especially relevant in view of the fact that few of them have the opportunity to become familiar with the fundamentals of faith in the family. This situation is explained by the fact that parents who grew up in the Soviet and post-Soviet period were themselves raised, as a rule, as atheists, and do not even have basic concepts about faith.

To educate the younger generation in the spirit of Orthodoxy, in addition to traditional Sunday school classes, we also organize all kinds of events. These include children's holidays that are gaining popularity, such as “Orthodoxy Day”, “Light of the Christmas Star”, etc. All this allows us to hope that soon the faith of our fathers will regain its former power in Russia and become the basis of spirituality. the unity of its people.

The question of how Christians differ from Orthodox Christians is asked by people who understand the history of religion or simply general history, not worth it. After all, it already contains the initially incorrect statement that Orthodox Christians are not Christians. Where did this formulation of the problem come from? Let's take a closer look.

A brief excursion into history

Christianity during the time of the Edict of Milan by the Roman Emperor Constantine on religious tolerance (313) was relatively unified. No, of course, truth-seekers-heresiarchs have always existed, but at that time the number of their followers was insignificant. The first schism occurred at the third Ecumenical Council, held in the city of Ephesus in 431. Then some Christians did not accept the dogmas established at the council and decided to “go a different way.” This is how the Assyrian Church appeared, and 20 years later at the Council of Chalcedon there was a division again: those who disagreed later received the name “Ancient Eastern Churches”.

And finally, another 700 years later - the Great Schism, which took place in 1054. The Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople anathematize each other, and this date is considered the point of division between Eastern and Western Christianity. The Western one was called Catholicism, the Eastern one - Orthodoxy. The causes of the Great Schism were political rather than religious: Byzantine Empire considered herself the heir of Rome and claimed the role of the unifier of all Christian lands, but in Rome they did not agree with this. Political disagreements gradually, from the time of the division of the united Roman Empire into Western and Eastern (395), accumulated, transforming into religious and dogmatic differences, until an official break occurred.

Later, the Catholic Church experienced the Reformation, which gave rise to a new direction in Christianity - Protestantism. The Orthodox Church has maintained relative unity. Today the following position exists: the Roman Catholic Church is a single organism governed from a common center - the Vatican. There are several Orthodox churches, the largest of which is Russian, and among most of them there is Eucharistic communion - mutual recognition and the possibility of celebrating joint liturgies. As for Protestants, this is the most variegated direction of Christianity, consisting of a large number of independent denominations of varying numbers and varying degrees of recognition by other Christian movements and each other.

The difference between Orthodoxy and other areas of Christianity

The question - what is the difference between Orthodox and Christians - is initially incorrect, since Orthodoxy is one of the main branches of the general Christian tree. How do Orthodox Christians differ from Christians of other denominations? It seems that many will agree that the laity (that is, persons who do not have church education and rank) are unlikely to be able to clearly explain what the essence of the differences is. Religion in everyday life plays rather the role of a marker that allows us to separate “us” from “strangers”.

As for theological differences, they will not tell an inexperienced person anything. For example, according to Catholic doctrine, the Holy Spirit is the love between God the Father and God the Son, and in Orthodoxy the Holy Spirit is interpreted as the common energy of the Holy Trinity. Agree, such nuances are understandable and interesting to few people. Much more important are political differences, such as the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope in matters of faith. Naturally, the acceptance of this dogma automatically subordinates to the Pope all who accept it.

Protestantism, which appeared and strengthened in the 16th century, denies many of the postulates of the Catholic Church. And although theologically Catholics have more in common with the Orthodox, mentally they are closer to Protestants, since both of these religions often exist among the same people. There are Catholic Germans and Protestant Germans (of various denominations), Catholic French and Protestant French (Huguenots). Yes, and in the historical fate of Christians European peoples Regardless of religion, there is a lot in common, which over time smoothed out confessional conflicts. Although, during the height of passions, Protestants declared: “Better a turban than a tiara,” thus recognizing that they were more tolerant of Muslims than Catholics, and the climax of the confrontation was the famous St. Bartholomew’s Night.

Protestantism has lost its protest meaning over time. The notorious Protestant " business ethics» is perceived by many not as a religious ideology, but as a guide to doing business. Therefore, to most representatives of this religion, Orthodoxy seems something wild: of course, there is no practical benefit from it! Modern Protestants seem to have no idea about the sacred meaning of religion.

Pseudo-Christian teachings

Since the 16th century, a large number of diverse sects have been formed among Protestants, which, of course, call themselves not sects, but Churches. Gradually, some of them move very far from traditional Christianity, considering, however, only themselves as bearers of divine truth. Interestingly, in Catholicism and Orthodoxy there are very few such sects in comparison with Protestantism. Some of the pseudo-Christian teachings have a fairly large number of adherents, such as Mormons - about 15 million people.

The largest and most famous pseudo-Christian religious organizations are:

• Mormons (15 million);
• Jehovah's Witnesses (8 million);
• Moon Unification Church (7 million).

The remaining pseudo-Christian cults are much smaller in number and their distribution is either highly localized or limited to certain social groups. An example of the first is some local Protestant or Orthodox Old Believers sects, while a classic example of the second case is groups of followers of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (Theosophists), consisting mainly of representatives of the intelligentsia. Of course, they all consider only themselves to be true Christians, denying this right to others, including Orthodox Christians.

To summarize, we can say that the difference between Orthodox and Christians is a phenomenon of approximately the same order as the difference between trees and plants, cows and herbivores, or the Volga region from Russia. Orthodoxy is part of modern Christianity. It lives, develops and prospers. And, in general, it has always been the spiritual core that saved our country in the most difficult years. And we must not forget about this.

Orthodoxy(from the Greek “correct service”, “correct teaching”) - one of the main world religions, represents the direction in Christianity. Orthodoxy took shape in first millennium AD. under the leadership of the bishop's chair Constantinople- capital of the eastern Roman Empire. Currently, Orthodoxy is practiced by 225-300 million people all over the world. In addition to Russia, the Orthodox religion has become widespread in Balkans and Eastern Europe . It is interesting that, along with traditionally Orthodox countries, adherents this direction Christianity is found in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and other Asian countries (and not only people with Slavic roots, but also the local population).

Orthodox believe in God the Trinity, into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is believed that all three divine hypostases reside in indissoluble unity. God is the creator of the world that was created by him from the beginning sinless. Evil and sin are understood as distortion world created by God. The original sin of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God was redeemed through incarnation, earthly life and suffering on the cross God the Son Jesus Christ.

In the understanding of the Orthodox Church- this is one divine-human organism led by the Lord Jesus Christ uniting a community of people Holy Spirit Orthodox Faith, the Law of God, the hierarchy and the Sacraments.

Highest level of hierarchy priests in Orthodoxy is the rank bishop. He heads church community on its territory (diocese), carries out the sacrament ordination of clergy(ordination), including other bishops. Series of ordinations continuously goes back to the apostles. More elder bishops are called archbishops and metropolitans, and the supreme one is patriarch. Lower rank church hierarchy, after the bishops, - elders(priests) who can perform all Orthodox sacraments except for ordination. Next come deacons who themselves don't commit sacraments, but help in this respect to the presbyter or bishop.

Clergy divided into white and black. Priests and deacons belonging to white clergy, have families. Black clergy is monks making a vow celibacy. The rank of deacon in monasticism is called hierodeacon, and that of a priest is called hieromonk. Bishop may become only representative black clergy.

Hierarchical structure the Orthodox Church accepts certain democratic procedures management, in particular, is encouraged criticism any clergyman, if it retreats from the Orthodox faith.

Freedom of the individual refers to the most important principles Orthodoxy. It is believed that the meaning of spiritual life man in acquiring the original true freedom from the sins and passions by which he is enslaved. Salvation possible only under the influence God's grace, given that free consent believer their efforts on the spiritual path.

To gain there are two ways of salvation. First - monastic, which consists of solitude and detachment from the world. This is the way special service to God, the Church and neighbors, associated with a person’s intense struggle with his sins. Second way of salvation- This service to the world, first of all family. The family plays a huge role in Orthodoxy and is called small church or home church.

Source of internal law Orthodox Church - the main document - is Sacred Tradition, which contains Scripture, interpretation of the Holy Scriptures compiled by the Holy Fathers, theological writings of the Holy Fathers (their dogmatic works), dogmatic definitions and acts of the Holy Ecumenical and Local Councils of the Orthodox Church, liturgical texts, iconography, spiritual continuity expressed in the works of ascetic writers, their instructions on the spiritual life.

Attitude Orthodoxy to statehood is based on the statement that all power is from God. Even during the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, the Apostle Paul commands Christians to pray for power and to honor the king not only for the sake of fear, but also for the sake of conscience, knowing that power is an institution of God.

To the Orthodox sacraments include: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Priesthood, honest Marriage and Blessing of Anointing. Sacrament Eucharist or Communion, is the most important, it contributes bringing a person closer to God. Sacrament baptism- This a person's entry into the Church, deliverance from sin and the opportunity to start new life. Confirmation (usually immediately following baptism) consists of imparting to the believer blessings and gifts of the Holy Spirit, which strengthen a person in spiritual life. During Unction human body anoint those blessed with oil, which allows you to get rid of bodily ailments, gives remission of sins. Unction- associated with forgiveness of all sins, committed by a person, asking for freedom from illness. Repentance- forgiveness of sin on condition sincere repentance. Confession- gives grace-filled opportunity, strength and support to cleansing from sin.

Prayers in Orthodoxy they can be like domestic and general- church. In the first case, a person is before God opens his heart, and in the second, the power of prayer increases many times over, since people participate in it saints and angels who are also members of the Church.

The Orthodox Church believes that the history of Christianity before the great schism(the separation of Orthodoxy and Catholicism) is the history of Orthodoxy. In general, relations between the two main branches of Christianity have always developed quite difficult, sometimes reaching frank confrontation. Moreover, even in the 21st century early speak about complete reconciliation. Orthodoxy believes that salvation can only be found in Christianity: at the same time non-Orthodox Christian communities are considered partially(but not completely) deprived of God's grace. IN difference from Catholics Orthodox Christians do not recognize the dogma of Pope's infallibility and his supremacy over all Christians, the dogma of Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, the doctrine of purgatory, dogma about bodily ascension Mother of God . An important difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, which had a serious impact on political history , is the thesis about symphonies of spiritual and secular authorities. Roman Church stands for full church immunity and in the person of his High Priest has sovereign temporal power.

The Orthodox Church is organizationally community of local churches, each of which uses complete autonomy and independence on its territory. Currently there are 14 autocephalous Churches, for example, Constantinople, Russian, Greek, Bulgarian, etc.

Churches of the Russian tradition adhering to old rituals, generally accepted before Nikonian reform, are called Old Believers. Old Believers were subjected to persecution and oppression, which was one of the reasons that forced them to conduct isolated lifestyle. Old Believer settlements existed in Siberia, on North of the European part Russia, by now the Old Believers have settled all over the world. Along with the performance features Orthodox rituals, different from the requirements Russian Orthodox Church (for example, the number of fingers with which they make the sign of the cross), Old Believers have special way of life, For example, do not drink alcohol, do not smoke.

IN recent years, due to globalization of spiritual life(spread of religions across around the world, regardless of the territories of their original origin and development), there is an opinion that Orthodoxy like a religion loses the competition Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism, as insufficiently adapted for the modern world. But maybe maintaining true deep religiosity, inextricably linked with Russian culture, and there is the main thing purpose of Orthodoxy, which will allow you to find in the future salvation for the Russian people.

Christianity has many faces. IN modern world it is represented by three generally recognized movements - Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism, as well as numerous movements that do not belong to any of the above. There are serious differences between these branches of the same religion. Orthodox Christians consider Catholics and Protestants to be heterodox groups of people, that is, those who glorify God in a different way. However, they do not view them as completely devoid of grace. But Orthodox Christians do not recognize sectarian organizations that position themselves as Christian but are only indirectly related to Christianity.

Who are Christians and Orthodox?

Christians – followers of the Christian faith, belonging to any Christian movement - Orthodoxy, Catholicism or Protestantism with its various denominations, often of a sectarian nature.
Orthodox– Christians whose worldview corresponds to the ethnocultural tradition associated with the Orthodox Church.

Comparison of Christians and Orthodox

What is the difference between Christians and Orthodox?
Orthodoxy is an established faith that has its own dogmas, values, and centuries-old history. Things are often passed off as Christianity that, in fact, are not. For example, the White Brotherhood movement, active in Kyiv in the early 90s of the last century.
The Orthodox consider their main goal to be the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments, their own salvation and the salvation of their neighbors from the spiritual slavery of passions. World Christianity at its congresses declares salvation in a purely material plane - from poverty, disease, war, drugs, etc., which is external piety.
For an Orthodox Christian, the spiritual holiness of a person is important. Evidence of this is the saints canonized by the Orthodox Church, who demonstrated the Christian ideal with their lives. In Christianity as a whole, the spiritual and sensual prevail over the spiritual.
Orthodox Christians consider themselves co-workers with God in the matter of their own salvation. In world Christianity, in particular in Protestantism, a person is likened to a pillar that should not do anything, because Christ accomplished the work of salvation for him on Calvary.
The basis of the doctrine of world Christianity is the Holy Scripture - the record of Divine Revelation. It teaches you how to live. Orthodox Christians, like Catholics, believe that Scripture was isolated from Holy Tradition, which clarifies the forms of this life and is also an unconditional authority. Protestant movements rejected this claim.
A summary of the fundamentals of the Christian faith is given in the Creed. For the Orthodox, this is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. Catholics introduced into the formulation of the Symbol the concept of filioque, according to which the Holy Spirit proceeds from both God the Father and God the Son. Protestants do not deny the Nicene Creed, but the Ancient, Apostolic Creed is considered generally accepted among them.
Orthodox Christians especially venerate the Mother of God. They believe that she had no personal sin, but was not without original sin, like all people. After the ascension, the Mother of God bodily ascended to heaven. However, there is no dogma about this. Catholics believe that the Mother of God was also deprived of original sin. One of the dogmas of the Catholic faith is the dogma of the bodily ascension to heaven of the Virgin Mary. Protestants and numerous sectarians do not have a cult of the Mother of God.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between Christians and Orthodox Christians is as follows:

Orthodox Christianity is contained in the dogmas of the Church. Not all movements that position themselves as Christians are, in fact, Christians.
For Orthodox Christians, inner piety is the basis of a right life. For modern Christianity, the bulk of it is much more important than external piety.
Orthodox Christians try to achieve spiritual holiness. Christianity in general emphasizes spirituality and sensuality. This is clearly seen in the speeches of Orthodox and other Christian preachers.
An Orthodox person is a co-worker with God in the matter of his own salvation. Catholics take the same position. All other representatives of the Christian world are convinced that a person’s moral achievement is not important for salvation. Salvation has already been accomplished at Calvary.
The basis of the faith of an Orthodox person is the Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, as for Catholics. Protestants rejected the Traditions. Many sectarian Christian movements also distort Scripture.
A statement of the fundamentals of faith for the Orthodox is given in the Nicene Creed. Catholics added the concept of filioque to the Symbol. Most Protestants accept the ancient Apostles' Creed. Many others have no particular creed.
Only Orthodox and Catholics venerate the Mother of God. Other Christians do not have her cult.