Teres
Member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2017
- Messages
- 75
I grew up in an Orthodox Christian household, in predominantly Orthodox Christian country. I can share some superficial, yet interesting observations about the religion in it's socio-political role in relation to the other denominations. I wont go deep into theology here.
Orthodoxy is the most dogmatic denomination of all, it is preserved to this day in it's form it was in since it's foundation. In it's structure, liturgical rites, architecture, modus operandi in a society. Yet, it has never been authoritarian, like Catholicism. Orthodoxy does not have a vicar of Christ who could, if he had decided as in the past, exercise inquisition or excommunicate an individual or a ruler of a state with any serious consequences in order to weaken his social and political image, given that communities back then have been deeply religious. De facto there's not a single religious head who matters to all members of the church, since the religious body is decentralized and divided into autocephalous institutions. There's the Greek church, the Bulgarian one, the Russian church and so forth, to not name them all. The ecumenical patriarch is literally nobody. He's not even a religious head of Greece to my knowledge.
Contrary to the dogmatic odor and image of the church, I have noticed the following tendency - the people who consider themselves Orthodox Christians, at least those I know and they are not just few - pretty much most of the people I know - usually approach the matters of the faith..I'm gonna be frank here - hypocritically. One may not really believe but just wish there is a God, but his or her socio-political views about the church's stance to be very firm. Pragmatism, somehow, ends up co-existing with dogmatism. Holding hands at dinner and saying thanks for it, for example, is something I've never seen people doing. Here comes the accumulation of cultural layers in the Orthodox countries and the role the church has played in some cases for their preservation. Sort of a sacred chest with treasures of tradition you may not find much use for, but you know you have to preserve it, sometimes zealously if the climate requires it. No need for examples here.
To an Orthodox Christian, those scenes of people singing prayers with futuristic beats as a background, and a guy at the front with a microphone, all clapping and dancing, these are rather comical from Orthodox point of view. Interestingly, people in such gatherings may really believe what they're singing, yet the whole thing does not come across as..right. Keep in mind, that's nothing. Even the emergence of the Catholic church is rather a historical incident, according to the Orthodox one.
I think many people in the western world do not realize how different things really are. If a person wants to get in touch with Orthodoxy, and s/he has never entered an Orthodox temple, first s/he should pay a visit to see and feel how things are. Reading a book how someone had discovered the religion, I believe, wont be as impactful as some may assume.
I certainly can share a lot more stuff, but I decide not to flood the thread with my fist comment in it.
All best to all of you
Orthodoxy is the most dogmatic denomination of all, it is preserved to this day in it's form it was in since it's foundation. In it's structure, liturgical rites, architecture, modus operandi in a society. Yet, it has never been authoritarian, like Catholicism. Orthodoxy does not have a vicar of Christ who could, if he had decided as in the past, exercise inquisition or excommunicate an individual or a ruler of a state with any serious consequences in order to weaken his social and political image, given that communities back then have been deeply religious. De facto there's not a single religious head who matters to all members of the church, since the religious body is decentralized and divided into autocephalous institutions. There's the Greek church, the Bulgarian one, the Russian church and so forth, to not name them all. The ecumenical patriarch is literally nobody. He's not even a religious head of Greece to my knowledge.
Contrary to the dogmatic odor and image of the church, I have noticed the following tendency - the people who consider themselves Orthodox Christians, at least those I know and they are not just few - pretty much most of the people I know - usually approach the matters of the faith..I'm gonna be frank here - hypocritically. One may not really believe but just wish there is a God, but his or her socio-political views about the church's stance to be very firm. Pragmatism, somehow, ends up co-existing with dogmatism. Holding hands at dinner and saying thanks for it, for example, is something I've never seen people doing. Here comes the accumulation of cultural layers in the Orthodox countries and the role the church has played in some cases for their preservation. Sort of a sacred chest with treasures of tradition you may not find much use for, but you know you have to preserve it, sometimes zealously if the climate requires it. No need for examples here.
To an Orthodox Christian, those scenes of people singing prayers with futuristic beats as a background, and a guy at the front with a microphone, all clapping and dancing, these are rather comical from Orthodox point of view. Interestingly, people in such gatherings may really believe what they're singing, yet the whole thing does not come across as..right. Keep in mind, that's nothing. Even the emergence of the Catholic church is rather a historical incident, according to the Orthodox one.
I think many people in the western world do not realize how different things really are. If a person wants to get in touch with Orthodoxy, and s/he has never entered an Orthodox temple, first s/he should pay a visit to see and feel how things are. Reading a book how someone had discovered the religion, I believe, wont be as impactful as some may assume.
I certainly can share a lot more stuff, but I decide not to flood the thread with my fist comment in it.
All best to all of you
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