AND WE WERE FIRST CALLED CHRISTIANS AT ANTIOCH
http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/church_history/audi_first_called_christians.htm
WE ARE THE FIRST CHRISTIANS OF THE WORLD OF THE GREEK SEPTUAGINT BIBLE.
I DONT LIKE OR DISLIKE MY FAITH
WE ALL WORSHIP GOD/ GOD IS OUR PETRA AND OUR STREGTH
FOR ALL
JESUS SAID . COME AND FOLLOW ME AND WE DO AS IT IS WRITTEN THAT IS THE WORD OF GOD AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE US ALL FREE .
LAURA I LOVE MY FAITH.. I QUESS I DIDNT EXPRESS MYSELF PROPERLY.. I MEANT THAT YOU REALLY DONT HAVE A CHOICE .. YOU HAVE TO LOVE ALL AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.. THUS ( LIKE OR DISLIKE/ IS OUT OF THE
QUESTION.
THANKS FOR POINTING THIS OUT
CAPS HABIT.. I STAND CORRECTED.. WILL TYPE NOW IN LOWER CASE
Zena E, did you really say (in all caps no less) that you don't like or dislike your church?
You should LOVE your church and LOVE your faith and LOVE the traditions that so many have died to preserve for 2,000 years despite crazy ongoing oppression, persecution, and discrimination. That does not take away from the truth of it.
Sorry that these are brief. Some claims are more questionable and could use some explanation, but I don't think this is the place.
PROs:
-Has the strongest claim of any denomination to the original church, maintaining 4 of the 5 Patriarchs of the Pentarchy and holding tradition so dear that the Church today relies on the earliest recorded theology and rituals
-Other than the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodoxy is the most humbling, while still allowing freedoms like alcohol that are forbidden in humbled Protestant churches
-Orthodox philosophy implies that humans are inherently good, whereas Western philosophy implies the opposite with the dogma of original sin
-Theosis and Jesus' purpose. According to this doctrine, "God became man so man could become God." When we die, we don't become God in essence, but we are in union with God's energies. Jesus didn't come to die for our sins, he lowered himself by becoming man so that he could raise us up to achieve thesis. Jesus would have come whether we had sinned or not -- but his death was caused by our sin. (That is, Jesus would have come to unite God and man, but he wouldn't have had to die if it weren't for the sinful environment that created death).
-Heaven and hell are the same place, and God is present in both. The difference is that hell is a state in which a soul cannot stand the presence of God.
-Involving the body in prayer is important
-Art is more prominent in Orthodoxy and can be found in nearly every aspect
-Orthodox theology avoids a hierarchy within the Trinity that you often see in Western churches. The easiest example to give is that you'll never hear an Orthodox prayer end in "In Jesus' name" but rather "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
-More freedom than in Western churches because it's difficult for the Church to address contemporary issues
-One of the highest conversion rates in America, and probably would be the fastest growing if more of those born in Orthodoxy continued going to church. You can find churches where the congregation is composed entirely of converts.
-The Orthodox community is one of the most close knit communities I've ever seen
-Big holidays are MUCH more festive than in other churches. Good Friday Lamentations and the midnight Pascha service are popular even for non-Orthodox.
CONs
-Dogma cannot be established without the Pope because all 5 Patriarchs must be in agreement. No new dogma has therefore been established since before the 11Th century.
-The Orthodox tend to be ethnocentrism and tend also to believe that everyone should be Orthodox
-There's a lot of internal bickering at times, particularly due to lack of centralized power
-Orthodox churches probably have more expenditures than any other denomination's churches
-Visitors sometimes feel lost and/or alienated, particularly if the service isn't entirely in English
-Some practices are very time-consuming, such as on the Sunday before Lent when you ask every person present for forgiveness.
-It's hard to be proactive like Protestants and some Catholic churches by doing services multiple times, like at night in addition to the morning. As a result, the main Sunday services are pretty much universally in the morning.
There is nothing that you hate in all orthodox churches because they are the true church of Christ which can be easily pr oven historically and scripturalLycts chapter 8 and 11,isaiah 19:19 and psalms 68:31 and go through these chapters deeply but most people don't know about them
I'm glad the Orthodox aren't able to create new dogmas readily. (There are thousands of Protestant churches, because they can change whatever they want whenever they want, and if you don't agree, you can start a new church.)
I love the music. I love the "bells and smells."
I love the ethnic diversity (and great food) within the Church as a whole, though I don't like the ethnocentrism of some individuals and communities.
I like the structure of (strongly) recommended pious practices & spiritual disciplines, though I don't like when, to some folks, it becomes an end in itself, the supposed "definition" of Orthodoxy.
Every aspect of true Christian Orthodoxy is good and right, but some things, when taken to an extreme, can become wrong.
Veneration of saints and icons is good and right, but can degenerate into a type of idolatry (for some individuals) if not guarded with education/instruction.
The Church is full of people, and they come as they are, for whatever reason.
I like the awe-inspiring beauty and splendor of Eastern Orthodox churches. The devotion of the faithful is inspiring. In some ways, one can't help but feeling the full effect of Christian worship of God's glory in the service (and this is coming from a Catholic).
What I don't like about is the ethnicity of most churches that sometimes reflects in the dogma. For instance, some saints are canonized in the Serbian Church because of they are Serbian patriots, rather than anything that reflects Christian living.
Honestly, what do you like or dislike about the Eastern Orthodox church?
