B
benhur
Guest
Hi pf’Okay - this has been on other threads, and is getting off-topic on this thread. It’s hard to tell whether the Orthodox split from the Catholic Church or the Catholic Church split off from the Orthodox. The Orthodox will always say that we split from them and we will always say that they split from us. What happened, really, was more like a very messy divorce in which both sides blamed each other, and both sides were at fault for allowing it to happen. And for centuries afterward, both sides continued to fester, each one demanding that the other side admit that they were wrong. Today, though, the Catholic Church considers the Orthodox to be “sister churches”, whom, though we are not in full communion, share the fullness of the faith passed down through the apostles. And though we still work toward reunification (which, theologically, should be much easier with the Orthodox than the Protestants), we understand that there has been that deep rift and centuries of pain, suffering, and trust that must be healed first. I do believe, however, that full reunification will come before Jesus’ second coming - as I believe that the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation are the Church of the West and the Church of the East.
The Protestant Reformation, though, was more like rebellious children deciding that they would no longer listen to their parents and thus do whatever they wanted to do.
Thanks for being fair to the O/C split.
Yes, I have read some folk think the two witnesses are as you say, though it is not official teaching.I think Jerome thought them to be Elijah and Enoch, and many think them to be of Jewish extraction.
Found your estimation of P split to be a little harsh /slanted. Fact is most of the original mainline P churches (Anglican, Presbytery, Episcopal, Lutheran) are very still very Catholic, in my estimation, and hence have not done “whatever they wanted to do”.
Blessings