The Orthodox reject Transubstantiation.
I was giving you the basic example, so you would hopefully understand… didn’t work though because you’re missing the main idea and warnings regarding authenticity and unity. The objective of understanding how far you are away, is simply to come to the fullness of truth no matter how far.
Simply to create your own ecclesial community apart from the Catholic Church is wrong, and is not of God. This would include the Orthodox, Lutheran, Baptists, Methodists, all non-denoms, etc.
The Orthodox do not reject Christ’s Sacramental Presence in the Eucharist, and they have a valid Eucharist. Both are important.
With the Orthodox churches, this communion is so profound that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord’s Eucharist. (CCC)
So, to your statement, no you really don’t make a valid point as you appear to think you do. The Orthodox have Transubstantiation occurring whereas Luther rejected the priesthood and so did away with it, while also molesting the understanding of this Sacrament. Calvin and Zwingli were worse. The Orthodox have a slightly different understanding of it, but do have valid Eucharist (via transubstantiation with a valid priesthood). Poor teaching or understanding alone won’t make it invalid. Obviously, when you don’t have a valid Eucharist, then what have you got left of God’s Church? The teaching itself is also a propblem, the further you get away from the teaching of Transubstantiation. If you want a treatise on this, that would be another thread. However, we can receive Communion at Greek Orthodox for instance if Catholic is not available. The Catholic teaching is correct and gets it right, due to protection from the Holy Spirit. The Orthodox have used a slightly different Greek twist to this. The difference between Orthodox and Reformation “ecclesial communities” is that the Orthodox have a valid Eucharist. The Orthodox have a valid Eucharist, and Lutherans do not. They have not always understand it properly with the protection Holy Spirit as the Catholic Church does. It’s a big deal to teach properly, and that’s why God established His One Church, which has never once taught error in faith and morals.
The understanding is that the Catholic Church is God’s standard for teaching here on earth. Even those with a valid priesthood may not teach completely correctly, but the Eucharist nevertheless is valid. Those without a valid priesthood and no proper understanding of Transubstantiation are futher adrift.
helsinki.fi/~risaarin/lutortjointtext.html#euch
And Lutherans affirm the real presence.
The Apology to the Augsburg Confession
Not really true here either… because you’re mixing words and missing authority. Saying that you believe in the Real Presence is not mean that you have a valid Priesthood, nor is it trasnsubstantiation if Christ is not present Sacramentally with His Sacramental Priesthood. You can’t just say you have something without the authentic authority. Besides, these teach heresy… remember?
Luther got rid of the priesthood altogether, and five of seven sacraments. This is a sad legacy of the Protestant “reformation.” How much false teacing and resjection of Sacraments is okay with God? Answer is obviously NONE!
It still stands as I posted originally, the amount of your improper teaching is the difference between yours and the Catholic Church. You can measure that for yourself if you understand these things properly. Although, you tend not to be clear on these things yet.
What about the PNCC, and some Northern European Lutherans who have maintained Apostolic Succession?
Jon
Those ecclesial communites born of the “Reformation” (actually deformation for them) that do not have a valid priesthood, are not “Churches” in the proper sense, because they lack Apostolic Succession. Once those lose it, you can’t just all of a sudden say you have it back.
The PNCC broke off about 100 years ago, and is not created of the “Reformation”. It does have seven valid Sacraments. However, the teachings are not always correct. Same applies to them… the doctrinal difference in official teachings that conflict with Catholicism are the amount of error present in that Church.
You are really missing the point of all this as well… all of these you mentioned are not the One True Faith, and all of them teach error. How much error is okay with God? Answer is obviously NONE!
Instead of wasting all this effort, why not seek the truth without limits and go to the only Church established and protected by Christ.
How many Churches did God build? One.
If you’re not in it, why not?