orthodox and catholic?

Question

From my understanding the Orthodox religion varies slightly to the Catholic religion in a few Canon Laws and holidays...(I believe those are the only discrapancies). For example a orthodox priest can have a family if he is ordained after he has a wife and christmas and easter are a week or two apart. The religions at one point were the same until they vered because of distance among the locals...any insight to why or how they vered off? please do not copy and paste any long documents...just a straigh forward answer...thanx

Answer 1

The above post by Seven is good, though it needs some development.

There is a book worth of differences between Roman Rite Catholics and Orthodox. However, there are almost no differences between Eastern Rite Catholics and the corresponding Orthodox Church. The way you have to look at things is that there is a small separation between Orth being Catholic, and a large separation from them being Roman Catholic.

The differences break down into

Liturgical
--The structure of the Rites are different as are the prayers, but there is the same basic concepts occurring -- Penance, Thanksgiving, Scripture Readings, Homily, and most importantly the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Eucharist. They are also much more strict in the structure of their rituals and pious practices (such as fasting). Vatican II which eased up on Roman Catholic strictness is not looked on with that great of a light by the Orthodox because of that.

Clergy
Married priests in Orth.

Spiritual
--Vastly different. Some examples. Western mystics tend to get stigmata, Eastern tend to under go transfiguration (glowing). Spirituality of Icons, which is more in-depth and involved than how we use statues. Icons are windows into heaven and are very much revered. Spirituality can be very Oriental almost yogaish and Buddhist.

Theological
Orthodox understand things from a medicinal standpoint. Everything is about how God is healing the human race. Theology also relies upon "mystery", which doesn't mean hidden, but rather unable to approach exactly, when they talk theology (so things can be vague, prosy, and contradictory) whereas the West wants to go for the details. The West (after St. Aquinas) tends to see God as pure act (essence and act are the same). The Orthodox see a difference between God's essence and His energies (activities). The Holy Spirit does not proceed from the Son.

Political
The East was influenced more so by Emperor Constantine (he is an Eastern Saint) and the resulting Byzantine Empire. In the West, the Church took over for the State (with the fall of the Roman Empire in the West) and in the East the Church and the Empire were "joined at the hip" until the destruction of the Byzantine Empire by Islam in the 15th century. There is less of a separation between Church and (Christian) State in Eastern theology than in Western Theology. The Orthodox also think politically like ancient Greeks, which is to say they believe in a strong independence of Patriarchal Churches and a loose confederation of the universal Church. The West thinks like the ancient Latins, which is a strong and unified universal Church, with the local Patriarchs operating independently but within the bounds of what is set out by the universal Church. It should also be noted that the ancient Greeks didn't like the ancient Latins and this attitude carried over into the Orthodox Church.
Miss. stuff.
The Sign of the cross is done backwards (or forwards depending on how you look at it) (and the positioning of the hand is different). Believe it or not this was a big deal way back when.

That is just general. There is more.

But you know at the end of the day, these differences are not that much. The difference between a Catholic/Orthodox and a Protestant is vast compared to the difference between Cath. and Orth. Catholics, and Orthodox have the same faith, it is just different in how it is expressed, theologically and its forms. There is also minor differences in how the Church is structured (such as the papacy....).

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Why they separated: A host of issues, from the mundane (leavened or unleavened bread for the hosts) to large (the nature of the papacy. I have to suggest that you get some books for this to be fleshed out. A lot is actually political in nature (The East was really mad at the Roman Catholics when they declared the tribe of the Franks to be the Patron of Rome in the mind 8th century...but then again the East refused to help protect the Western Church from the Barbarians so the West went looking for help). You can see separation between the East and the West in the early Ecumenical councils. The Schism of 1054 is really two people talking past each other.

Answer 2

The primary cause of the split between Eastern and Western Christianity was due to theological differences, however, there were many cultural and political factors that strongly contributed as well.

The groundwork for separation began in 326 when the Emperor Constantine moved his capitol from Rome to Constantinople. In 754 the Western Pope of Rome formed an alliance with the Frankish King, Pepin. This further alienated the Eastern Church from its western neighbor,

The final split occured in 1054 AD.

The main doctrinal difference between the Churches go back to the events of 754 AD. With the Eastern Church refusing to recognize the Papal supremacy of Rome:

- Both claim to be the origanal church of Christ and stand on Church tradition accompanied with the Scriptures.

- The Roman Catholic Church has added/developed new doctrines through the centuries (e.g.- papal infallibility) and the Orthodox Church has rejected those new doctrines.

- The Orthodox Church's doctrinal beliefs concerning "original sin" is different from the Catholics.

Answer 3

They split in 1054 AD both claim to be the origanal church of Christ. The split took place because Catholics added new doctrines mainly papal infallibility and the Orthodox Church doesn't like adding new doctrines. They still have a lot of respect towards each other and you can do things such as take communion from either church.

Answer 4

Around 1000 AD there was a schism. Jerusalem, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch went one way, and
Rome went the other. The Orthodox do not recognize the
Primacy of the Pope. And they never had a reformation. But they both love Jesus.
I Corinthians 13;8a, Love never fails!!!!!

Answer 5

Are you particular you probably did not ask this with the objective to get a rant from Zena E.I purely the day previous to this study 2 superb Greek Orthodox information superhighway web content explaining there beliefs. After reading them there is little doubt and someone who reads there web site and teachings ought to agree Zena E is an huge. the alterations got here about extra over use of there respective languages and custom than actual theological alterations. yet there are ameliorations tho extremely typically minor and ought to also be over come and if both superb churches were to be one once extra there is no serious vast difference that ought to regulate the reality of both. the following is one celebration they the Orthodox do not teach in a Purgatory as Catholics are conscious of it yet they do prepare that one opt to wish for the useless even those in Hell to make there time extra tolerable till the most suitable Judgment. Catholics teach Purgatory is the position those inspite of the actuality that unworthy of Gods presence and inspite of the actuality which have the stains of sin to pay for benefit this in Purgatory which Paul describes because the fireplace of purification and we Catholics are to wish to make there time there extra effortless or waiting to leave it quick. that's called between both as equivalent alterations.an extra minor vast difference is a Orthodox Priest can finally end up a married Priest if Married earlier transforming into a member of the priest hood yet once a clergyman opt to stay Celibate and there Bishops have were given to be Celibate,the Catholic Church self-discipline is what all of us know in the western international as strictly a Celibate Priesthood besides in special situations reminiscent of a Married Lutheran Pastor Joins the Catholic Church and is permitted into the Priesthood. also in the Orthodox Church even as a baby is Baptized they are immersed 3 situations and are usual on the Baptism,the Catholic Church Baptism can be both with the help of immersion or pouring and mostly by ability of pouring and affirmation comes at a later age after concepts in the religion. each have respectable thousands and Priesthood. We keep in mind the Pope to be head of Christ Church they teach he's in primacy yet maximum acceptable first among equals. So opposite to Zena E and her anti Catholic rants the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox and the Pope were operating jointly for unification yet taking it slowly in an attempt to iron available in the marketplace ameliorations with honest determining. i wish this permits you know how particularly little alterations there are between both.