FORMATION and Key features of the orthodox church
The orthodox faith is the second largest denomination of Christianity on the earth. It is currently one of the oldest faiths as it believes on carrying on the tradition set by Jesus himself. Its beliefs are based on continuing the “One, Holy, catholic and apostolic” church which was based on the establishments made by Jesus himself in his commission to the apostles. These established beliefs have been compiled into numerous sacred doctrines that the church follows, these are held at a very high level of sacredness second only to the bible. These beliefs originated from a series of ecumenical councils, the first seven of which being the most important and biggest within the faith.
A key and defining factor of the Orthodox Church is their perspective and beliefs of sin. In the Orthodox Church sin is not classified as venial or mortal sin, but all sin is held into one category. Along with this altered perspective on sin comes the different way they deal with this sin. Confession is encouraged from a very young age even though their understanding is not in-depth they are aware of its sacredness and its value. Aswell as this comes varied method of penance, the penance within the Orthodox Church is less formulaic compared to the Catholic Church, it is more relative to the sin. Finally they see penance as more of a spiritual growth experience more so than a cleanse of the soul, although they do still believe it wipes sin away. Another key feature is how they go about communion, mainly what is necessary to receive it. Communion is given to all those who are members of the church. In the Orthodox Church when you are baptised you are confirmed and have full access to the sacraments meaning regardless of age as long as you are baptised you have the right to receive the sacrament of communion. Another large feature is the devotion given by those members of the Orthodox Church. If totalled the average amount of time spent is close to that of half a year. The reason for so much fasting is a combination of fasting twice a week regularly, once on Wednesday to commemorate Judas betraying Jesus and Friday in the name of the crucifixion, and multiple fasting periods. There are four main fasting periods, the fast of Nativity (40 days) leading up to Christmas, Lent (40 days) the lead up to Easter, the Apostle’s fast or Pentecostal fast which varies in length based on the lunar calendar (8 days – 6 weeks) and lastly the Dormition fast (2 weeks) the fast leading to the repose of mary. Luke Joseph |
|
References
Goarch.org,The Orthodox Church (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7053 [Accessed 6 Sep. 2015].
Greekorthodox.org.au, (2015). Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia — History. [online] Available at: http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/general/aboutus/history [Accessed 6 Sep. 2015].
Newadvent.org, (2015). CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Eastern Schism. [online] Available at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13535a.htm [Accessed 6 Sep. 2015].
Religioustolerance.org, (2015). A brief overview of the early history of the Orthodox Church. [online] Available at: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_orthh.htm [Accessed 6 Sep. 2015].
Goarch.org,The Orthodox Church (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7053 [Accessed 6 Sep. 2015].
Greekorthodox.org.au, (2015). Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia — History. [online] Available at: http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/general/aboutus/history [Accessed 6 Sep. 2015].
Newadvent.org, (2015). CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Eastern Schism. [online] Available at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13535a.htm [Accessed 6 Sep. 2015].
Religioustolerance.org, (2015). A brief overview of the early history of the Orthodox Church. [online] Available at: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_orthh.htm [Accessed 6 Sep. 2015].