Greek Orthodox

[Thnknprblm]

I have a family member who is seriously considering the Greek Orthodox religion. This person has told me they believe in the “gods” and also the Almighty God.

Can anyone give me any information on this? How bad (good) is Greek Orthodox?

 

[JMJ_coder]

Hello,

This would probably be better asked in the ‘Eastern Christianity’ forum. But, this does not sound like the Greek Orthodox Church. It sounds like a mixture of Orthodoxy and Ancient Greek Paganism which has seen a recent revival.

 

[Subrosa]

I have a family member who is seriously considering the Greek Orthodox religion. This person has told me they believe in the “gods” and also the Almighty God.

Can anyone give me any information on this? How bad (good) is Greek Orthodox?

This is absolutely untrue!!! In NO WAY do the Orthodox believe in anything other than the Christian Trinitarian God.

I suggest you head on over to the Eastern Christianity forum and ask questions. You will find many members of Orthodoxy and priests among them. In particular look for Fr. Ambrose and Padre Ambrogio.

If anything, these guys are more sticklersabout Tradition than anyone else.

Subrosa

 

[barbfromtucson]

I have a family member who is seriously considering the Greek Orthodox religion. This person has told me they believe in the “gods” and also the Almighty God.

Can anyone give me any information on this? How bad (good) is Greek Orthodox?

I’m not Greek Orthodox, but I have a very good friend who is. Plus I’ve attended the Greek Festival that’s held every Spring and Fall in Tucson, hosted by St. Demetrius Greek Orthodox Church and have attended the church tours.

Like the previous poster said, they do believe in the Trinitarian God.

Just to let you know that I’ve also had a tour of the Byzantine Catholic Church here in Tucson, as well, and there seem to be a lot more ‘similarities’ between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Byzantine Catholic Church than there is between either of these to the Roman Catholic Church.

The Greek church here had a miracle that happened at one of their services…it’s been awhile since I’ve heard this story, but they have a Bible/book that they use during their ‘mass’–I forgot the name–but it’s like our Book of Gospels–and it has a picture of Jesus on the Cross on the front of it. There’s was a point in this service where they lift it and then read from it–the book was suddenly ‘heavy’ where the priest had trouble lifting it. Then they noticed blood coming from Jesus and have had it verified that it is true human blood. I believe this was at a Good Friday service, and they have this book behind glass that you can see if you go into this church. The blood still looks ‘fresh’, even though it happened many years ago. I was naive at the time–I thought these ‘miracles’ only happened within the Catholic church!

If you ever have a chance to tour one/both of these churches, they’re very interesting!

–Barbara

 

[Montalban]

I have a family member who is seriously considering the Greek Orthodox religion. This person has told me they believe in the “gods” and also the Almighty God.

Then they’re seriously confused about Greek Orthodoxy (Christian) and neo-Greek paganism (many gods)

Can anyone give me any information on this? How bad (good) is Greek Orthodox?

What scale do you propose for measuring ‘goodness’ of a religion?

 

[Thnknprblm]

Then they’re seriously confused about Greek Orthodoxy (Christian) and neo-Greek paganism (many gods)

What scale do you propose for measuring ‘goodness’ of a religion?

I’m not quiet sure why you ask, but I would say paganism is bad.

 

[Thnknprblm]

Thanks all.

 

[Sixtus]

Can anyone give me any information on this? How bad (good) is Greek Orthodox?

Of Orthodoxy his late Holiness John Paul 2 is alleged to have said that ‘lack of knowledge of the Eastern Rite [by catholics] is ignorance of the church’!

He also described the two rites of east and west as ‘two lungs in the same body’ and emphasised our duty to ‘learn to breathe using both lungs’!

As a committed and practising catholic see East and West [Catholicism and Orthodox] as co-equal parts comprising ‘The Church’.

It appears to me that the early catholic church was an orthodox- catholic one

 

[Hesychios]

I have a family member who is seriously considering the Greek Orthodox religion. This person has told me they believe in the “gods” and also the Almighty God.

Can anyone give me any information on this? How bad (good) is Greek Orthodox?

This is probably a reference to Theosis. It could be the learner was explained some of this and hammered it up a bit.

We are called to become gods. The term used in this way does not mean we share in the divine essence, but that in cooperating with Grace we might be transformed.

*“God became man, so that we might become gods” *St Athanasius

*“God made His willingness and His purpose clear by means of His loving condescension toward mankind, making divine through Grace those who consciously travel upwards with it.” *St Maximos

*“That you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” *Matt 5:44
*
“I said ‘you are gods, sons of the Most High all of you’” Psalm 82:6

Is it not written in your law “I said, you are gods” ? John 10:34

His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power.

Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love.

If these are yours and increase in abundance, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Anyone who lacks them is blind and shortsighted, forgetful of the cleansing of his past sins.

Therefore, brothers, be all the more eager to make your call and election firm, for, in doing so, you will never stumble. For, in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. *2 Peter 1:4-11

 

[Montalban]

I’m not quiet sure why you ask, but I would say paganism is bad.

Based on what?

I agree that paganism is bad, but I’d like to know your scale for measuring* goodness* and badness

 

[Thnknprblm]

Based on what?

I agree that paganism is bad, but I’d like to know your scale for measuring* goodness* and badness

“By their fruits you will know them”

That is how I measure the goodness of a church. I live in an area where there is a protestant church on every corner (literally) and only two RCC in the entire county. Some of them teach distructive doctrine and others don’t.