Major theological differences between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches

[Peter_J]

Originally Posted by bben15
Satan is tempting you. Do not fall to his temptations. The Catholic Church is the One, True, Church.

Hi LiberalPrincess. I see your name and profile describe you are liberal and progressive. I’m neither, but I agree with what you’re saying here nevertheless.

bben, have you ever considered what impression non-Catholics get of us when they hear you saying stuff like ^^ this? (Well, not just you, some other Catholic posters on this thread as well, but I don’t want to quote all the relevant posts.) You might try reading an anti-Catholic tract from Jack Chick or someone like that, and consider what impression that gives you of the author.

 

[manualman]

I am thankful to my Orthodox brethren for the information they have provided. Thank you and be certain that I at no time believed that orthodox churches are anything but devoutly Christian. I also thank Catholics who have asked me to take the time to consider this carefully. I will certainly pray, study and meditate on this.

What I can’t face is another brawl like that I experienced during the sixties and seventies. I was a lot younger then, but trying to sort out the right path between two intransigent, warring factions was mentally exhausting. I can see the signs of the same madness returning to our church. If the words of our leader are stirring up such controversy and unleashing animosity, how can we say we have the true faith? Liberals are crowing in triumph, conservatives are desperately trying to interpret the Pope’s words to match their beliefs. the man’s words are readily available to us all, how can no one clearly understand them? I guess after John Paul II and Benedict, I expected more unity in the church. But looking at the upheaval which has been unleashed in only six months, I wonder if there is any solid foundation to our church.

Perhaps the stability I’m looking for does not exist in the Orthodox Church, but it will be interesting discovering that. At the least it will take my mind off this insane battle between two intransigent sides.

Intellectually, then, your solution is simple: Be rooted in the Traditions of the Church and pay attention to what the pope teaches and how he illuminates that Tradition and applies it to today’s world. You can pretty safely ignore anybody who outright repudiates “obsolete Tradition” as an infiltrator. You can similarly safely ignore those who claim that the bishops and pope of today have all apostasized and only the 3 or 4 guys down the road truly have valid apostolic succession anymore. You don’t need to care about how others try to spin the pope’s teachings and interviews. Read them yourself and ignore the spin doctors.

Yes, that leaves a terribly broad and messy corridor to navigate and discern the truth about, doesn’t it? Perhaps that’s why we don’t just die moments after our conversion to the faith. It’s SUPPOSED to be a struggle and a lifetime of discernment and difficulty. That’s how we grow beyond ourselves and come to learn to trust God and be submitted to His will.

The doctrinal differences between Rome and the EO are actually fairly petty when studied in detail. Apart from the universal jurisdiction of the pope, they have more to do with misunderstandings and refusals to consider alternate ways of “describing the elephant” than truly irreconcilable thinking. But don’t kid yourself that the waters will be calmer over there. Humans are a bickering bunch wherever you find them. They all are terribly in need of a Savior.

 

[Cider]

I’ve been reading about the Eastern Orthodox Church and can find little difference in doctrine either than the teaching of the immaculate conception and the question of whether the Holy Spirit emanates from god the father or the son. There is also the question of papal infallibility. Is this it, or is there more I’ve missed?

Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy by Father Damick discusses the Orthodox view of the Catholic Church and the myriad differences in doctrine. The book is based on the podcast, which is free from Ancient Faith Radio or iTunes.

 

[Cider]

It’s interesting how all 4 patriarchates that broke with Rome eventually became dominated by Muslims just like the 10 tribes that split with Judah eventually became assimilated by the Assyrians. The Hagia Sophia is now a museum. Even Russia was dominated by communism and the local bishops basically rolled over for the communists. Rome has always been a Christian-dominated land. Rome also went through a 70-year “Babylonian exile” like Judah did during the Avignon papacy. History repeats itself, and the leader of the 12 apostles is Peter just like the leader of the 12 tribes was Judah.

So, then how does the Reformation in Europe reflect on the Catholic Church? By the way you conveniently leave out Rome’s well known Pagan history.

 

[Randy_Carson]

By the way you conveniently leave out Rome’s well known Pagan history.

Could you elaborate on this?

 

[Cider]

Could you elaborate on this?

Religio Romana, you know Roman polytheism. Their beliefs prior to conversion to Christianity. The post you quoted was in response to someone stating that Rome had always been a Christian land, which is factually not true.

 

[Peter_J]

Well said.

If I might digress slightly …

“When I asked for an altar, I was told that we needed none, for men our brothers gave us clear oracles and one creed in their universal customs and ideals. But if I mildly pointed out that one of men’s universal customs was to have an altar, then my agnostic teachers turned clean round and told me that men had always been in darkness and the superstitions of savages.”

• GK Chesterton

I’ve noticed that some of our fellows Catholics will “turn clean round” in a similar fashion when speaking of the Orthodox.

 

[Peter_J]

Well said.

If I might digress slightly …

“When I asked for an altar, I was told that we needed none, for men our brothers gave us clear oracles and one creed in their universal customs and ideals. But if I mildly pointed out that one of men’s universal customs was to have an altar, then my agnostic teachers turned clean round and told me that men had always been in darkness and the superstitions of savages.”

• GK Chesterton

I’ve noticed that some of our fellows Catholics will “turn clean round” in a similar fashion when speaking of the Orthodox.

 

[bgfischer]

I think using temporal politics to try to prove anything one way or another about a particular church (yours or mine) is unwise, bordering on unbalanced. What is important is this. In wisdom, let us attend.

Well said!

 

[Tridentine_MT]

The doctrinal differences between Rome and the EO are actually fairly petty when studied in detail. Apart from the universal jurisdiction of the pope, they have more to do with misunderstandings and refusals to consider alternate ways of “describing the elephant” than truly irreconcilable thinking. But don’t kid yourself that the waters will be calmer over there. Humans are a bickering bunch wherever you find them. They all are terribly in need of a Savior.

A good starting point (I’m not sure if it was posted earlier in this thread) is the so-called document “The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium” by the Joint Coordinating Committee for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church in 2008. The whole text can be found here:

godwinxuereb.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_6.html