Orthodox have it better... (I think)

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And your eagerness to damn each and every Orthodox christian belies, i think, a lack of understanding of Church teaching regarding salvation.
No, I think I understand it quite well. There’s no salvation outside the Church. No pertinacious heretic or schismatic can be saved.

And I’m certainly not eager to damn them. I’m eager to see them return to the Catholic and Apostolic faith and submit to the Roman Pontiff.
 
031064, depending on where you are in Ontario I know of two places which may pleasently suprise you. They are both Ukrainian Catholic, being Orthodox in communion with Rome.

First off the top of my list is St. Cyril and Methodius’ Greek Catholic Church in St. Catharine’s, the liturgy and the church is so amazing, that I experienced my reversion here. It’s easily accessible too, being right off the QEW. If you ever see a 6’7 lug with a 4’10 babushka, that would be me and my Baba 😉
http://members.becon.org/~choly/pano.jpg
members.becon.org/~choly/index.html

There is also St. Elias Ukrainain Catholic Church in Brampton, which is of the wooden architecture common to Southern Poland and Western Ukraine.

http://www.saintelias.com/foto/big/eliakk_willow.jpg
saintelias.com/ca/index.php
If I didn’t know better, i’d say I was looking at scene from the “old country.”

Otherwise if you want to taste a bit of heaven within the Latin rite, I’d suggest the FSSP in Ottawa or St. Cathrines, or the Oratorians in Toronto. They may not have the best Churches, but their liturgy is truly heaven on Earth - and that’s saying something given my 20 years of experience with the Church in Ontario, which isn’t exactly a bastion of liturgical beauty or orthodoxy.
This is the “non-Catholic” forum, so what’s with the “orthodox in communion with Rome” nonsense?
 
The Orthodox are without a doubt quilty of the sin of Schism. There is some debate as to how heretical they are. I think, on an individual level, there is not so much heterodoxy among the Orthodox.

And your eagerness to damn each and every Orthodox christian belies, i think, a lack of understanding of Church teaching regarding salvation.
Schism from what? Those who saw fit to rewrite the Creed?

Where DID you get that “icon?” It violates quite a bit of the canons of iconography, not the least being the portrayal of the Theotokos without Christ.
 
No, I think I understand it quite well. There’s no salvation outside the Church. No pertinacious heretic or schismatic can be saved.

And I’m certainly not eager to damn them. I’m eager to see them return to the Catholic and Apostolic faith and submit to the Roman Pontiff.
Which of course, at present, would be a rejection of the Catholic and Apostolic faith.
 
Which of course, at present, would be a rejection of the Catholic and Apostolic faith.
So you’ll submit to him once he returns to the Orthodox faith? But he’s not your patriarch! Why on earth would you do that? 😛
 
This is the “non-Catholic” forum, so what’s with the “orthodox in communion with Rome” nonsense?
I’m not so sure that which forum we’re on should make a difference in the way you’re suggesting; but for what it’s worth, I think this thread started out on the Eastern Catholicism forum.
 
Why do they have to be opposed? That’s the problem with Western Christianity, you put up a false distinction between the spiritual and the physical. I think you tend to downplay the true significance of the Incarnation, Resurrection and Ascension. Now not only man but all of creation can once again be what it was created to be, vehicles for communion with God. We are to bless our first fruits and offer them in thanksgiving (eucharistos) back to God. All of creation was given to us for communion with God, to offer back anything less than the best we have, including in our temples, is an affront to God and diminishes from our communion with Him.

Yours in Christ
Joe
The essence of Christ, to me, is not elaborate ritualism. In fact, I believe it misleads people, and causes them to misplace their focus on external legalisms. Jesus did not evangelize among the rich and powerful, those who could afford to adorn their synagogues with gold and silver icons and other instruments of ritualism. He didn’t wear expensive, tailor-made clothing, and He didn’t spend long hours in ritualistic worship, isolated in a elaborately adorned buildings. No…He went amongst the poor, and ministered to them where they lived. He went to the down-trodden, to relieve their suffering, and to teach the world that God is love in action.🙂
 
So you’ll submit to him once he returns to the Orthodox faith? But he’s not your patriarch! Why on earth would you do that? 😛
Because he would be back in the diptychs. That wouldn’t affect my relationship with the original Pope, that of Alexandria, except that Rome would be rejoining the family, and we would welcome back the prodical father.
 
The essence of Christ, to me, is not elaborate ritualism. In fact, I believe it misleads people, and causes them to misplace their focus on external legalisms. Jesus did not evangelize among the rich and powerful, those who could afford to adorn their synagogues with gold and silver icons and other instruments of ritualism. He didn’t wear expensive, tailor-made clothing, and He didn’t spend long hours in ritualistic worship, isolated in a elaborately adorned buildings. No…He went amongst the poor, and ministered to them where they lived. He went to the down-trodden, to relieve their suffering, and to teach the world that God is love in action.🙂
Which is easier, to say “Your sins are forgiven you,” or “take up your pallet and walk,” but so you may know that the Son of Man…
 
The essence of Christ, to me, is not elaborate ritualism. In fact, I believe it misleads people, and causes them to misplace their focus on external legalisms. Jesus did not evangelize among the rich and powerful, those who could afford to adorn their synagogues with gold and silver icons and other instruments of ritualism. He didn’t wear expensive, tailor-made clothing, and He didn’t spend long hours in ritualistic worship, isolated in a elaborately adorned buildings. No…He went amongst the poor, and ministered to them where they lived. He went to the down-trodden, to relieve their suffering, and to teach the world that God is love in action.🙂
I know that but my original question still remains. Why must the two, the physical and the spiritual be set in opposition to each other?

Yours in Christ
Joe
 
No, I think I understand it quite well. There’s no salvation outside the Church. No pertinacious heretic or schismatic can be saved.

And I’m certainly not eager to damn them. I’m eager to see them return to the Catholic and Apostolic faith and submit to the Roman Pontiff.
Read up some more on what constitutes the Church and how some might be either visibly or invisibly incorporated into it. There are complexities and shades of grey. Remeber, God is just, but also merciful. We always have reason to hope for others’ salvation.
Schism from what? Those who saw fit to rewrite the Creed?

Where DID you get that “icon?” It violates quite a bit of the canons of iconography, not the least being the portrayal of the Theotokos without Christ.
I was trying to defend the integrity of the orthodox faith, and you attack ME? I am surprised by your lack of charity. That is the last time i ever try to help you, i guess

You drag issues into this thread which clearly do not belong here. The creed issue has been debated endlessly, and as with most other debates, its all about semantics, and the specific beliefs are not opposed. This is why i was willing in my post to allow the possibility that many Orthodox christians are not heretical, only schismatic. And to take offence at the term schismatic? Our churches are in schism plain and simple. If you were to call us schismatic, i would shrug it off and say “well, same to you” and think nothing of it. But not you, i guess.

Besides, your signature indicates, if i am correct, that you are Coptic. I have a great deal of respect for the Coptic church, even having met with a Coptic bishop and discussed ecumenical issues with him. But, do you, a Coptic chirstian, really want to get into issues concerning concilar decrees…?

As to the icon? You enjoy starting arguments for fun, huh? The Catholic tradition has different rules for icons and other images. Get over it.
 
Read up some more on what constitutes the Church and how some might be either visibly or invisibly incorporated into it. There are complexities and shades of grey. Remeber, God is just, but also merciful. We always have reason to hope for others’ salvation.

I was trying to defend the integrity of the orthodox faith, and you attack ME? I am surprised by your lack of charity. That is the last time i ever try to help you, i guess

You drag issues into this thread which clearly do not belong here. The creed issue has been debated endlessly, and as with most other debates, its all about semantics, and the specific beliefs are not opposed. This is why i was willing in my post to allow the possibility that many Orthodox christians are not heretical, only schismatic. And to take offence at the term schismatic? Our churches are in schism plain and simple. If you were to call us schismatic, i would shrug it off and say “well, same to you” and think nothing of it. But not you, i guess.

Besides, your signature indicates, if i am correct, that you are Coptic.
Actually, no. Arab.
I have a great deal of respect for the Coptic church,
So do I.
even having met with a Coptic bishop and discussed ecumenical issues with him. But, do you, a Coptic chirstian, really want to get into issues concerning concilar decrees…?
Not being a Copt, I can’t answer, but will ask “what would be the problem?”
As to the icon? You enjoy starting arguments for fun, huh?
Hardly. I used to burn them, so I take them real serious now.
The Catholic tradition has different rules for icons and other images. Get over it.
My former bishop used to always say he would never teach iconography to someone not in the Church.

But honestly, I can’t see clearly what’s going on in it, except that Christ is missing. That is an issue. And yes, I am aware you have different rules on that, leading to that Fifth Marian Dogma stuff, something I can see us being told we’ve always believed until the pope of Rome declared it.
 
I know that but my original question still remains. Why must the two, the physical and the spiritual be set in opposition to each other?

Yours in Christ
Joe
The spirit presides over the flesh. The spirit is perfect, while the flesh is flawed. The flesh struggles to become spirit.
 
SORRY FOR THIS SEMI-HIJACKING!:rolleyes:
Actually, no. Arab.

Not being a Copt, I can’t answer, but will ask “what would be the problem?”
Your signature says “orthodox in union with the pope of alexandria” which i took to mean you were a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church, or one of the other autocephalous churches of the rite. I did not mean ethnically coptic.
My former bishop used to always say he would never teach iconography to someone not in the Church.

But honestly, I can’t see clearly what’s going on in it, except that Christ is missing. That is an issue. And yes, I am aware you have different rules on that, leading to that Fifth Marian Dogma stuff, something I can see us being told we’ve always believed until the pope of Rome declared it.
Iconography has always existed in the Latin church, and has simply developed different rules. I dont think that makes them any less “worthy” of being good icons. And i really don’t think that different rules concerning iconography led to additional dogmas. You might want to rephrase that.

Here’s some more about that icon in particular. I don’t know how much you know about the Latin rite and the devotion it is related to, so forgive me if you know all this. It is an icon of Mary Mother of Sorrows, which refers to the Seven Sorrows of Mary.

These sorrows are:
  • The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus.(Luke 2:34)
  • The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family. (Matthew 2:13)
  • The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days. (Luke 2:43)
  • The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross. (Luke 23:26)
  • The Crucifixion where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. (John 19:25)
  • The Descent from the Cross where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57)
  • The Burial of Jesus. (John 19:40)
Some info on the devotions:
catholictradition.org/Mary/7sorrows.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Sorrows

The icon which i have displayed in my signature is actually a detail from a Triptich. It can be viewed in full here: puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/images/triptich.jpg . As you can see, Christ is indeed in the depiction, as well as the apostle John. I am not familiar with the rules regarding icons in your church, but maybe this changes things for you.

The icon was written by one Fr. McNichols, whose website is at puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/index.html .

He has painted many styles of icons. I also like this one, of the Dormition of the Theotokos:
puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/dorm.html
and this one, the Mother of God of Magadan:
puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/magadan.html
 
I too am frustrated when I hear Christians labeling other Christians as hell-bound because of doctrinal disagreements – especially when Catholics do this, because I think we really ought to know better, what with the statements from Vatican II.

In all fairness though, I do see a certain “tension” between what I see as the true Catholic teaching on this issue and the wording of certain Church pronouncements – e.g. Cantate Domino from the Council of Florence – so I can rather understand how some Catholics and non-Catholics interpret those pronouncements in shall-we-say a “fundamentalist” fashion. (In a recent conversation with TriuneUnity, a Lutheran poster, I tried to convince him that the Catholic Church hasn’t changed her teaching on the salvation of non-Catholics, but simply clarified it.)
 
Post-script to my last post:

Also bear in mind that there are many Church teachings that have misinterpreted at various time, so I wouldn’t single out the salvation-related misinterpretations too particularly.

Take for example the interpretations of “Papal Infallibility”.

Now, I’m not talking about people who say “The pope is infallible whenever he says anything about faith and morals” – that’s just outright ignorance of what Vatican I said.

Rather I’m talking about a more subtle issue: people who know what Vatican I said (that the pope is infallible whenever he makes an ex cathedra statement) but who interpret it in a very ultra-montane fashion (what you might call, loosely speaking, the pope-is-infallible-whenever-he-wants-to-be interpretation). Is that an accepted/acceptable interpretation? At this time it definitely is; but what if a future clarification renders it unacceptable (the way the “non-Catholics all go to hell” interpretation has been rendered unacceptable)?

P.S. Sorry if illustration got a little tangental. 😊
 
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