Catholic Church Vs Orthodox Church? What are the theological differences?

Answer 1

I agree with pastor Billy. I am a Catholic in the Eastern Church. Most of the above are misconceptions, some are not misconceptions but are not dogmatically important, there are what are called theologoumon. There is a difference between Eastern and Western Christianity and within Eastern Christianity you have differences too.

I think the easiest way to think about the differences are really in orientation. In the East there is a tendency to see the symbolism in things and to look forward for inspiration to the parousia, further we are living a foretaste of the complete parousia now. In the West, there is a tendency to use logic and rationality to structure beliefs. There is also not the forward looking bias and so the idea of looking at the First Supper and the Crucifixion are more central, even though the ultimate Resurrection is the goal.

Further, Eastern theology tends to be more dynamic and the West more static. Part of this is cultural but part deals with the type of theological problems the two elements of Christianity had to deal with.

Some of the listed items are very much not dogmatic, but can lead to dogmatic issues. The Dormition in the East and the Assumption in the West are the same doctrine at the core, but they do vary in an important way. The Dormition is the "falling asleep" of Mary. The Assumption is the taking up of Mary into Heaven. There is also a third view which is also Eastern, which comes from the Thomas Christians who describe it as the Resurrection of Mary. Officially, the doctrine of the assumption does not take sides. It neither supports nor denies the Dormition. It only says that Mary, following the description in Revelations and in Holy Tradition, was taken up to Heaven. But if you decide you need to argue over stuff, it is a great and meaningless thing to argue over.

Some of the things listed are elements of Western Christianity, but really of Protestantism. Protestantism imported them from Catholicism, but they are a strain of Western Catholic thought, they are not official Catholic thought. Western Catholicism is more lenient than Orthodoxy in theological differences since, while human reason helps to understand God, if taken too seriously only leads to discord. Reason can be a help, but not a solution. Protestantism believes reason is the solution, else there would not be 46,000 Protestant denominations, each one reasoned out in a slightly different way.

There are also differences that are not of substance. Many, but not all Eastern jurisdictions allow married men to be priests, most Western jurisdictions do not, but that isn't even universal in all Roman jurisdictions, just almost all of them. The leaven versus unleavan bread is not really theologically significant even though it is the surface reason for division. Eastern jurisdictions in the Catholic Church use leavened bread. Even the filioque is not really an issue since Eastern Catholics don't say it.

It is hard, even as an Eastern Catholic to describe the differences because they are so many in particulars and so few in any level of depth. It is more something one has to experience. Even then, unless you live in a major city you won't necessarily see more than one Eastern Church.

The Maronites are very different from the Greek/Byzantine group. The Copts are very different from the Chaldeans and the Thomas Christians. Orthodoxy is really just the Greek/Slav/Melkite group but it is ancient and core to any real historical understanding of Christianity. As is Latin, Mozarabic, Copt, Assyrian, Gallican, Chaldean and Thomas Christianity.

Right now, the differences are more emotional than substantive. It isn't that there are some substantive issues but the difference between the "immaculate conception," and the idea of Mary as "panagia," just are more of orientation than substance. If you are not partisan, it isn't a big deal. It is important to understand the differences as they expand the depth of both sides perspective, but the differences are not big enough to constitute dogmatic differences and as such do not justify the division.

Answer 2

I'm definately going to agree with Pastor Billy on this one... and reading "The Orthodox Church" By Timothy Ware (Bishop Kallistos Ware) is a really good start to understanding the true Eastern Orthodox Church.

Oh, and to clear up one thing about Orthodox Priests being married or not...a priest may be married so long as he is married before he takes his priestly vows...afterwards, he is not allowed (unless the Bishop takes into special consideration I guess)

Also, the Eastern and Western Schism can be best described as a divorce. The Orthodox say the Catholics broke off from them, and the Catholics say the opposite....In reality, the East and West dropped communication (that's also a tough one when East spoke greek and the West spoke latin), decisions were made on both sides without consulting either, and in the end, the both excommunicated eachother. Finding a non-biased report on the Schism is hard....so in order to not play the blame game, it was like a divorce...two sides to each story like most of the time.

Also, try reading "Coming Home" by Peter Gilquist. That's a great help for Protestants looking into the Eastern Orthodox Church for the first time.

Answer 3

Bless Utuk but Pastor Billy has to say he has confused much of what he is labelling Roman Catholic with what Protestants hold to instead

Here are the points Utuk is confused about


2. Orthodox take communion with both bread and wine, Catholics take only bread.

(Incorrect, Catholics take both bread and wine also however Catholics can take only one or the other simply because Catholicism teach in both Jesus is entirely present.)

3. Orthodox use leavened bread in communion; Catholics use unleavened bread. (believe it or not this was the primary reason for division and no other listed)

4. Orthodox fast on saturdays during Lent, Catholics do not. (Incorrect Catholics can fast during the entire period of Lent)

5. Orthodox do not believe in universals, Catholics do.

6. Orthodox do not believe in purgatory, Catholics do. (Incorrect Orthodox do believe in a similar doctrine of purification yet they do not label it with the terminology of purgatory)

7. Orthodox believe that hell is uncreated fire, Catholics believe it is created fire. (not sure why this made the list?)

8. Orthodox believe that sin is caused by death; Catholics believe that death is caused by sin. (play on words once again why did this make the list?)

9. Orthodox believe that Jesus died so that he could overcome death by his resurrection; Catholics believe that Jesus died as a penalty for sin. (NO absolutely incorrect this is a difference between Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism but not between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy ) Catholicism does not teach Jesus is guilty of sin hence his death is not a penalty for or of sin.

10. Orthodox believe that Mary was assumed into heaven after her death, Catholics believe that she was assumed before her death.

11. Orthodox believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only, Catholics believe that he proceeds from the Father and the Son.

(this is a partial presentation of truth, its one of things that Hitler instructed if enough people come to believe the lie than it is preceived as truth. The Orthodox once also understood and accepted the Holy Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son especially when fighting off the Eastern heretics of Nestorianism and Arianism who denied the nature of God and Christology. It was a council after Nicea 1 which the Orthodox were also party to that laid down the offical understanding of this doctrine hence they should not now seek to deny it as theirs today.)

12. Orthodox priests can get married, Catholic priests do not.

(Not true, Catholic priest of those Eastern Churches which are still united to the West do get married and are fully united with the bishop of Rome, as are clergy that convert from Protestant communities who request entry into the priesthood and finally as are men who were once married and are now widowed)
What is common to both Orthodox and Catholic Churches is that bishops are unmarried men.

13. Orthodox Christians reject all Catholic Councils after the seventh.

(Once again incorrect, there was several councils attended to by Eastern Orthodox representatives after the first seven and in particular the council of Florence at which those representatives of the East did agree to reunification of East to West. The problem of rejection had more to do with civil authority in the East over clergical a sad case of caesaro-papism had taken over in the East under Turkish rule.)

14. Orthodox Christians do not use statues as icons.

(True but without Western influence the East would have lost all their iconography at the hands of heretics. It was the West that truly preserved all forms of visual storytelling while the East suffered rebelion and destruction. The Western Catholic Church imbraces many forms of sacred art including icons and because of this much Eastern art has been returned to the East, Russia, Greeks, Constantinople.

15. Orthodox Churches are independent, with no central hierarchy; Catholic Churches are united under the Pope.

(Yes but this is a major problem not a bonus. The Orthodox for survival reasons have divided along national boarders.
read The Orthodox Church by Timmothy Ware bishop of Kallistos Diokleia)

Answer 4

Several. Below are just a few of the differences. Some Orthodox Churches are closer to the Roman Catholics than others. The Greek Orthodox Church, for example, is far removed from the Roman Catholic Church in theology, while the Russian Orthodox Church incorporates many theological views that are close to Roman Catholicism. But here are some differences, some minor and some major. Not all of these are points of contention - many are just cultural differences:

1. Orthodox Christians believe that the Eucharist is actual bread and wine that is energized by God; Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the actual flesh and blood of Christ, and only appears to be bread and wine.

2. Orthodox take communion with both bread and wine, Catholics take only bread.

3. Orthodox use leavened bread in communion; Catholics use unleavened bread.

4. Orthodox fast on saturdays during Lent, Catholics do not.

5. Orthodox do not believe in universals, Catholics do.

6. Orthodox do not believe in purgatory, Catholics do.

7. Orthodox believe that hell is uncreated fire, Catholics believe it is created fire.

8. Orthodox believe that sin is caused by death; Catholics believe that death is caused by sin.

9. Orthodox believe that Jesus died so that he could overcome death by his resurrection; Catholics believe that Jesus died as a penalty for sin.

10. Orthodox believe that Mary was assumed into heaven after her death, Catholics believe that she was assumed before her death.

11. Orthodox believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only, Catholics believe that he proceeds from the Father and the Son.

12. Orthodox priests can get married, Catholic priests do not.

13. Orthodox Christians reject all Catholic Councils after the seventh.

14. Orthodox Christians do not use statues as icons.

15. Orthodox Churches are independent, with no central hierarchy; Catholic Churches are united under the Pope.

As for theology, the biggest differences are probably these: In Orthodoxy, they do not believe in original sin. They believe that Adam was neither mortal nor immortal, but had the ability to become immortal through obedience, or mortal through disobedience. When Adam sinned, he became mortal. When Cain killed Abel, death passed into the human race. Mortality is subsequently passed on to each new generation, and the fear of death causes sin through the instinct for self-preservation. Jesus died on the cross so that he could raise from the dead. By uniting ourselves to the resurrection of Christ through the sacraments, we can achieve immortality, which frees us from the inclination to sin.

Orthodox theology is apophatic - God cannot be known in his essence. We cannot say what God is, only what he is not.

Orthodox causality maintains that all change is accomplished through energy. A change exists potentially, and then energy drives the change from potential to actual. Each thing that exists has both energy and essence. Essence is our potential state, and energy drives us toward that potential state. The same is true for the universe as a whole - there is a potential state (called the Logos), and the Holy Spirit is the energy that drives change toward that potential state. If our energy contributes to that potential state, then we derive being from God, and our energy is united to the energy of God. The sacraments and the commandments allow us to unite with God through doing his will, and the life of Christ that is imparted through his resurrection frees us morally so that we can keep his commandments and do his will. Salvation is thus energetic union with God. At the end of time, God will reveal his energy to all of creation, and those who are united with him energetically will find paradise. Those who are not united to God energetically will be tormented by his presence for eternity. God hides himself from man as an act of mercy. The universe is actually created from the interaction of the Son or Logos (potentiality) and the Holy Spirit (actuality). God is present energetically in all of creation, but he also supercedes creation.

Roman Catholicism is closer to the theology that you see in the west. Adam violated the law of God, and the penalty was death. Because God is just, the penalty must be executed. But because God is merciful, he sent his Son to be incarnate and die, taking our pentalty upon himself. The resurrection was proof that God had accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The guilt of Adam was passed on from generation to generation, so that all human beings are born guilty before God. The Virgin Mary was granted a special dispensation of grace freeing her from the guilt of the sin of Adam, so Jesus was born sinless. The Church, as the body of Christ, has the power to absolve sin. Baptism frees us from the guilt of Adam. After baptism, we can confess our sins and recieve absolution. Any sins that we do not confess are purged away in a process called 'purgatory,' which takes place after death. Punishments are prescribed by the Church for sins as a sign of repentence, not as a means of working off a debt. Those who are not baptized, or who commit mortal sins without absolution end up in hell, which is a place created by God to punish the devil and his angels.