Let's try to have actual religious discussion without it turning into debate, /his/.
I would like to know more about the Orthodox Church. How does it see itself, and justify its authority?
What does worship entail, and on what does it focus?
Historically, how was its identity as a unique religious body formed? What does it value in its identity and in what forms does it express this?
What does it look like as a minority religion as compared to areas in which it is a majority?
Thanks. I would like to know more about the Orthodox Church and how it functions as a religious body. I'm open to book reccomendations on the subject.
>>1226401
Like all Churches of the Orthodox faith, it follows the idea that the state must rule over it.
>>1226410
Care to elaborate?
>>1226401
You're just talking about Copts, Ethiopian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, etc. right? Not Eastern Orthodox?
I can tell you that they have a few different forms of liturgy. Copts and Ethiopian Orthodox follow the Alexandrian rite, Armenians have their own rite (the Armenian rite), which Syriac Orthodox and follow the West Syriac rite (there is a confusing situation with St. Thomas Christians in India, not all of them are Oriental Orthodox but they also follow the West Syriac rite).
You can probably look up what these liturgies look like on youtube.
>>1226460
It means what I said, it's subservient to the State, the Caesar has final say.
>>1226706
We're not talking about eastern orthodox cucks here. We're talking about Oriental Orthodox. The head of the oriental orthodox church is in Egypt. According to your logic, they should be obedient to the Muslim rulers. Yet, they're not muslim, are they?
>>1226401
>I would like to know more about the Orthodox Church. How does it see itself, and justify its authority?
She sees herself as the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ.
She has authority from Apostolic Succession, both in the laying of hands of initiating men in her Holy Orders, and in her Orthodox faith
>What does worship entail, and on what does it focus?
The central form of worship is the Divine Liturgy and the Eucharist. Other than that, following the commandments and laws of God
>Historically, how was its identity as a unique religious body formed? What does it value in its identity and in what forms does it express this?
She was formed on the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles. She values truth and love.
>What does it look like as a minority religion as compared to areas in which it is a majority?
I think that the only countries where the Oriental Orthodox are a majority is Armenia and Ethiopia. The churches in Egypt and Syria are both under persecution
>>1226739
>We're talking about Oriental Orthodox
Oh, Orthodox shit is Orthodox shit, meaning it's not "right"
>>1226799
"Orthodox" literally means "right faith/glory"
>>1226806
What has it made, what is it fruit?
>>1226823
Martyrs for the Glory of God! Hallelujah!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_kidnapping_and_beheading_of_Copts_in_Libya
>>1226856
That's not what I meant by it's fruit.
>>1226856
Also why is there one black guy in the middle of all the Jesus?
Why do Iconography look so unappealing now?
>>1226861
Their martyrdom is a testimony of Kingdom of Christ. For they, even with blades on their necks, refuse to renounce Christ, and unto their last breath, have Christ still on their lips, for they know that their deaths will be compensated with life eternal in His Kingdom.
>>1226892
Why not? There's also his two women in the picture.
>>1226892
>why is there one black guy
"It was later learned that the 21st martyr was named Mathew Ayairga and that he was from Chad. He was originally a non-Christian, but he saw the immense faith of the others, and when the terrorists asked him if he rejected Jesus, he reportedly said, "Their God is my God", knowing that he would be killed."
>Why do Iconography look so unappealing now?
Your European cultural bias is showing
>>1226895
When I mean by fruit, I ask how far did it spread, how many believers follow it.
>>1226907
>Your European cultural bias is showing
And this is bad because...?
>>1226785
>She sees herself as the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ.
>>1226401
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has the largest cannon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Tewahedo_biblical_canon
>>1226910
Because your statement was false
>>1226401
https://youtu.be/tFfNFJOppsM
>>1227018
Pretty sure the only difference between any of those is language.
The difference between Oriental and Eastern Orthodox is purely a semantic distinction, and does not concern the substance of dogma. This is made clear by the Fifth Ecumenical Council, which issued an anathema against the criticisms directed against Saint Cyril of Alexandria's Twelve Anathemas (in chapter 3 of the work, Saint Cyril of Alexandria uses the term "natural union"--"union" here being "henosin", literally " one"--to describe Christ's Nature: "If anyone shall after the [hypostatic] union divide the hypostases in the one Christ, joining them by that connection alone, which happens according to worthiness, or even authority and power, and not rather by a coming together (συνόδῳ), which is made by natural union (ἕνωσιν φυσιkὴν): let him be anathema."). This means that the mia physis formula was approved. The Fifth Ecumenical Council was not uncontroversial, however (since it made the Oriental Orthodox Christology valid), Pope Vigilius refused to attend on the grounds that it conflicted with the Council of Chalcedon, and after it proceeded without him, the Pope refused to accept its conclusions, and excommunicated Patriarch Menas, the Pope protesting that he spoke from Peter's Chair, which was the final authority in all matters; Pope Vigilius was then excommunicated by Patriarch Menas, and imprisoned by Emperor Justinian I, but the Pope eventually recanted and was reinstated.
cont
>>1227596
If you want to understand the distinction between miaphysitism (which the Oriental Orthodox subscribe to) and monophysitism (which both Eastern and Oriental agree is heretical), look as the differences in the prefixes: "mono" means "alone", "solitary", it's used in Luke 4:4 and 4:8. "Mia" is the feminine form of "heis", which just the adjective for "one" ("hen" when used as a noun); see John 17:21 for an example of its use. Not only is this formula acceptable, it is heresy to say it is not, and not just because of the Fifth Ecumenical Council (which merely witnessed dogma, it did not create it), but because henosis describes the communion between us and Christ: if we say Christ's humanity does not have henosis with his divinity, then that says his Body and Blood do not have communion with his divinity, and to say such a thing seriously impacts theology of communion, and is ultimately Nestorian. Likewise it is absolutely heretical to suggest that it is invalid to describe Christ as having two natures, insofar as the phrase "two natures" is used strictly and solely to mean that Christ is both fully human and fully divine and that his humanity and divinity are not confused or "mixed", like with a demigod.
>>1227593
Nah, it's not language, it's administrative.
The RCC has something similar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches#Membership
>>1226401
>I would like to know more about the Orthodox Church. How does it see itself, and justify its authority?
Apostolic succession and unchanging teachings and unchanging understanding of these teachings, without adding or subtracting anything passed down from Christ, which constitutes the whole of dogma.
>What does worship entail, and on what does it focus?
Worship entails using your spirit as well as all five senses to pray to God and praise him and asking him for mercy.
>Historically, how was its identity as a unique religious body formed?
Basically by Jewish persecution. It formed an irreversible independent identity after the Bar Kokhba persecutions especially.
> What does it value in its identity
Sharing one body with Christ.
>and in what forms does it express this?
Many, but the primary one is Holy Communion.
>What does it look like as a minority religion as compared to areas in which it is a majority?
Similar, but non-Orthodox are much less familiar with it.
>Thanks. I would like to know more about the Orthodox Church and how it functions as a religious body. I'm open to book reccomendations on the subject.
Try Saint Ignatius of Antioch.
https://youtu.be/36GYBTzJyAU
https://youtu.be/b9orjxKYtfo
https://youtu.be/NpQSLGQ4pnw
https://youtu.be/2uUhMIVHSNQ
Great site for comparing Syriac biblical scripture with other versions of the Bible.
http://www.dukhrana.com/peshitta/
>>1227597
do you keep these things ready to copy/paste or something
>>1227665
Yes, I typed up quite a bit here :http://pastebin.com/bN1ujq2x
I see the same topics and questions come up over and over, so I eventually just composed detailed answers to everything that could be readily used.
>>1226401
https://youtu.be/Nm5pIrmw358
Main church websites
http://thealpha.info/
http://www.copticchurch.net/
http://sor.cua.edu/Intro/
http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/indexenglish.html
http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net/
http://www.eotc.faithweb.com/
>>1226401
There are many Orthadox Christian cults, I'll just label them all eastern christianity.
As a general rule of thumb, western christianity is about church over state, eastern is about state over church.
The fact that the state rules over church in all christian countries should help you decide which idea proved more practical.
Eastern christianity doesn't hoard treasure though, and eastern countries are poorer, so the eastern christianity looks less flashy and attractive, people assuming its less successful.
I don't know if its growing in number of worshipers, but even if it isn't it is surely declining much slower than western christianity.
Also it is more tolerant of old pagan beliefs of the places where its practiced, so you see christians doing things like jumping over fire, killing an animal as sacrifice on this or that date, wearing trinkets and medallions and colorful threads on their wrists, and most will tell you they consider this a christian tradition.
Basically its practical out-of-court christianity for what was a non-organized, wild wild eastern Europe and North Africa/Near East. Christianity for "non civilized" people.
>>1227736
They also preserve many ancient customs taken straight out of old Judaic tradition.
In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church they still separate the sexes during service, women wear head coverings, couples who have recently engaged in sexual intercourse and menstruating women are directed to not come into the Church, practice circumcision, pointing at the Church building is not permitted, have a prohibition on pork and laws similar to Kashrut on how an animal is slaughtered, make amulets similar to the Jewish tefillin.
Some churches have an absence of chairs or benches and people stand or sit on the floor.
They also have a manner different to the typical western form of prayer in which people stick their hands together and kneel down to pray and instead pray with the both palms facing up while standing.
https://youtu.be/DaEOsRX9IzQ
>>1227693
top kek
>>1227601
>This article is about Eastern churches in full communion with the Catholic Church.
>The Eastern Catholic Churches, historically called the Uniate Churches, are 23 particular churches sui iuris in full communion with the pope of Rome, which make up the Catholic Church together with the Latin Church.
Nothing similar pal.
>>1227115
How is it false?
