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An Orthodox scholar recently observed that there are basically three views that Christians have taken with regard to non-Christian religions:
View 1 - Exclusivism: He who is not a Christian will be damned because there is no salvation outside the visible Body of Christ, the Church.
In the interests of facilitating missionary endeavors or fostering world peace, this claim of exclusives is rejected by many Orthodox scholars as untenable.
View 2 - Inclusivism: He who is not a Christian may be saved in spite of the religion he practices, but only through the mercy of God.
This claim of inclusiveSmeems to be accepted by the majority of Orthodox scholars today.
View 3 - Cultural Pluralism: He who is not a Christian may be saved by means of the very religion he practices, for non-Christian religions may also contain saving truths.
Some Orthodox scholars espouse this view but with qualifications.
The Eastern Orthodox Church rejects both relativism (the view that the truth or falsity of statements of a certain class depends on the person making the statement or upon his circumstances or society) and syncretism (the combining of two distinct religions or systems into a new religion or system).
While the Orthodox truly believe their Church to be the one true Church founded by Christ, Orthodox proselytism does not actively seek to cause the disaffection of non-Orthodox Christians from their faiths. This does not mean, however, that anyone seeking to learn about the Orthodox Faith will be turned away.
If an Orthodox Christian formally becomes a member of a non-Orthodox Christian church & receives Holy Communion in that church, he is considered to be an apostate & is no longer an Orthodox Christian. Should such an apostate seek to return to the Orthodox Church, he is received back into the Church through a profession of faith, and the sacrament of Holy Anointing (also called Chrismation).
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