Russian Schools to teach Orthodox Christianity

Orthodox or orthodox?

The Russian church, like the other eastern churches, is orthodox in that it accepts the creeds of the early ecumenical councils (despite the quibble with the wording of the Nicene Creed.)

You would find them to be more like the Latin Rite Church than Protestants, but they have a much different liturgy than Rome and do not recognize anyone except Christ as the "visible head of the church."

(We will ignore the Orthodox churches that are Orthodox in liturgy but united with Rome. That doesn't apply to the Russian church, anyway.)

A few notes: Priests may marry, but bishops cannot be married. Music is strictly acapella. In traditional churches, there are no pews and everyone is expected to stand for the entire service.

http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Q-and-A_OLD/Meeting-the-Orthodox.html#1

http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Q-and-A/index.html#teachings

 

For practical purposes, the Russian Orthodox Church views itself as the ONLY valid Christian organization in Holy Mother Russia. Others (including the RC) may be tolerated at best, but are considered foreign (can you spell xenophobic?) and are to be rejected by every good and loyal Russian. This has very little to do with theology and every thing to do with ethnocentrism and power. The ROC has been under the control of the Kremlin since Ivan the Terrible. And the Kremlin (czar or commissar) has sought to control the religious life of its subjects. Ergo, we Baptists drive them nuts.

[ November 19, 2002, 11:05 AM: Message edited by: The Squire ]

 

Good (I thought it looked wrong), now define it.

 

No, joke, I fear. The ROC is serious as a heart attack in their view of themselves as The Guardian of Russianness. But when you consider the organization has survived the Mongols, Tartars, Turks, Teutonic Knights,...., this position is not surprising.

[ November 19, 2002, 01:07 PM: Message edited by: The Squire ]

 

Not to mention surviving their own tsars and patriarchs.