What is the difference between Orthodoxy and Christianity?

1. In Orthodoxy, the Commandments are violated, and they are based on icons and relics, in fact, Orthodoxy was created on this.
2. in that Orthodoxy is a religion and faith based on knowledge. Christianity is a religion based on Jewish traditions and laws. At the head of Christianity there is always a chief godfather, he is also a shepherd who grazes a flock of sheep. In Orthodoxy, a man is himself and a shepherd and a sheep. ROC-Orthodox Christians hide behind the guise of Orthodoxy
3. Christians are Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, etc. There are many currents within Christianity, Orthodoxy is one of the oldest.
4. Orthodoxy is currently a branch of Christianity, but initially it was the only Christian religion. The Catholic and Protestant branches appeared already in the Middle Ages and since then everything has changed there many times.
   Orthodoxy in Greek sounds like "orthodoxy". And indeed, for 2 thousand years, no canons of Orthodoxy have changed. The texts of prayers that sound today were approved at the First Ecumenical Council. Divine services, temples, vestments of priests, sacraments and rituals, rules have not changed since those days. The most enduring of the branches of Christianity.
5. Christianity lives as Jesus commanded. But Orthodoxy does not do this, they only call Christ their Lord, but they do not live by his law.
6. Christianity can only be Christianity. Not everyone who calls himself a Christian is one. Read New Testament and understand for yourself.
7. The Lord Jesus Christ created the One Ecumenical Apostolic Church, in which Christ was and remains the High Priest (Heb. 4:14-15). The word Orthodoxy began to be used in the 3rd century to distinguish the true Church from heresies. Thus Christ Church from the 3rd century it began to be called Orthodox in Greek orthodox. It is from her that the ROC originates. In 1054 there was a split, the Catholics separated, Protestantism arose after the 16th century. That is, Christ did not create all these "Christian" confessions and denominations, they are impostors, that's why there are so many of them, each with its own doctrinal system and cult practice.
8. Orthodoxy is an offshoot of Christianity
9. Orthodoxy is true Christianity and Christianity is Orthodoxy, namely when people correctly praise God.
10. Christianity in its three main forms Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism recognizes one God in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. According to Christian doctrine, this is not the recognition of three gods, but the recognition that these three Persons are one (New British Encyclopedia). Jesus, the Son of God, never claimed to be equal or consubstantial with his Father. On the contrary, he said: I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I (John 14:28). Jesus also told one of his disciples: I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God (John 20:17). The Holy Spirit is not a person. The Bible says that the early Christians were filled with holy spirit. In addition, God promised: I will pour out my spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:14, 17). The Holy Spirit is not part of the Trinity. It is the active power of God.
11. Knowledge is needed, not religion. Full, harmonious knowledge, like our ancient ancestors. "Religion is the opium of the people." Faith - I know Ra, it means bright KNOWLEDGE.
    Orthodoxy - glorifying Rule, by definition, has nothing to do with any religion. This is the Slavic-Aryan, Vedic worldview. The concept of Orthodoxy was transferred from the Slavic-Aryan, Vedic world view, only to apply such a concept to religions is not only incompatible, but unacceptable. It is contrary to any religious world view. And it was taken because at the time of the appearance of religions, people believed in Orthodoxy, and they could not impose a different worldview on them, except by deception and forcing them by force. In the future, deception and the imposition of religions by force (Christianity incl.) under the guise of Orthodoxy are no longer mentioned, disorienting people.
12. in the name and origin ... and the same .... d
13. Christianity has many faces. AT modern world it is represented by three generally recognized areas of Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism, as well as numerous movements that do not belong to any of the above. There are serious disagreements between these branches of one religion. Orthodox consider Catholics and Protestants to be heterodox associations of people, that is, those who glorify God in a different way. However, they do not see them as completely devoid of grace. But the Orthodox do not recognize sectarian organizations that position themselves as Christian, but have only an indirect relation to Christianity.

    Who are Christians and Orthodox
    Christians are followers of the Christian denomination, belonging to any Christian stream of Orthodoxy, Catholicism or Protestantism with its various denominations, often of a sectarian nature.

    Orthodox Christians whose worldview corresponds to the ethno-cultural tradition associated with the Orthodox Church.

    Comparison of Christians and Orthodox
    What is the difference between Christians and Orthodox?

    Orthodoxy is an established dogma, having its own dogmas, values, centuries-old history. Christianity is often passed off as something that, in fact, is not. For example, the White Brotherhood movement, active in Kyiv in the early 90s of the last century.

    Orthodox believe that their main goal is the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments, their own salvation and the salvation of their neighbor from the spiritual slavery of passions. World Christianity at its congresses declares salvation on a purely material plane from poverty, disease, war, drugs, etc., which is external piety.

    For the Orthodox, the spiritual holiness of a person is important. Evidence of this is the saints, canonized by the Orthodox Church, who have shown the Christian ideal in their lives. In Christianity as a whole, the spiritual and sensual prevail over the spiritual.

    Orthodox consider themselves co-workers with God in the matter of their own salvation. In world Christianity, in particular, in Protestantism, a person is likened to a pillar who does not have to do anything, because Christ did the work of salvation for him on Golgotha.

    At the heart of the doctrine of world Christianity lies the Holy Scripture record of Divine Revelation. It teaches how to live. Orthodox, as well as Catholics, believe that Scripture is separated from Holy Tradition, which specifies the forms of this life and is also an unconditional authority. Protestant currents have rejected this claim.

    A summary of the foundations of the Christian faith is given in the Creed. For the Orthodox, this is the Niceno-Tsaregrad Creed. The Catholics introduced into the wording of the Symbol the concept of filioque, according to which the Holy Spirit proceeds both from God the Father and from God the Son. Protestants do not deny the Nicene Creed, but the Ancient, Apostolic Creed is generally accepted among them.

    Orthodox especially revere the Mother of God. They believe that she did not have personal sin, but was not deprived of original sin, like all people. After the ascension, the Mother of God bodily ascended into heaven. However, there is no dogma about it. Catholics believe that the Mother of God was also deprived of original sin. One of the dogmas of the Catholic faith is the dogma of the bodily ascension of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Protestants and numerous sectarians do not have a cult of the Theotokos.

    TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between Christians and Orthodox is as follows:
    Orthodox Christianity is contained in the dogmas of the Church. Not all movements that pose as Christians are, in fact, so.
    For the Orthodox, inner piety is the basis right life. Outward piety is much more important for contemporary Christianity in the bulk of it.
    The Orthodox are trying to achieve spiritual holiness.

The issue of religion is discussed and studied in every state and society. Somewhere it is particularly acute and is quite conflicting and dangerous, somewhere it is more of a small talk in free time, and somewhere a reason to philosophize. In our multinational society, religion is one of the exciting issues. Not every believer is well aware of the history of the emergence of Orthodoxy and its origins, but all of us, when asked about Orthodoxy, will unequivocally answer that Orthodoxy is the Christian faith.

The emergence and development of Orthodoxy

Many scriptures and teachings, both ancient and modern, state that the Orthodox faith is true Christianity, citing their arguments and historical facts. And the question - "religion Orthodoxy or Christianity" - will always excite believers. But let's talk about accepted concepts.

Christianity is the largest form public consciousness in the world, preaching the way of life and the teachings of Jesus Christ. According to historical data, Christianity originated in Palestine (which was part of the Roman Empire), in the 1st century.

Christianity was widespread among the Jewish population, and in the future it gained more and more recognition among other peoples, the so-called "pagans" at that time. Thanks to educational and propaganda activities, Christianity went beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire and Europe.

One of the ways of the development of Christianity is Orthodoxy, which arose as a result of the division of churches in the 11th century. Then, in 1054, Christianity split into Catholicism and the Eastern Church, and east church was also divided into several churches. The largest of them is Orthodoxy.

The spread of Orthodoxy in Russia was influenced by its proximity to the Byzantine Empire. From these lands, the history of the Orthodox religion begins. Church power in Byzantium was divided due to the fact that it belonged to the four patriarchs. The Byzantine Empire disintegrated over time, and the patriarchs uniformly headed the newly created autocephalous Orthodox churches. In the future, autonomous and autocephalous churches spread to the territories of other states.

The fundamental event in the formation of Orthodoxy in the lands of Kievan Rus was the baptism of Princess Olga - 954. This later led to the baptism of Russia - 988. Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich called all the inhabitants of the city, and a rite of baptism was performed in the Dnieper River, which was performed by Byzantine priests. This was the beginning of the history of the emergence and development of Orthodoxy in Kievan Rus.

The active development of Orthodoxy in the Russian lands has been observed since the 10th century: churches, temples are being built, monasteries are being created.

The principles and morals of Orthodoxy

Literally, "Orthodoxy" is the correct glorification, or the correct opinion. The philosophy of religion consists in faith in the one God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (God the Trinity).

The foundation in the doctrines of Orthodoxy is the Bible or “ Holy Bible” and “Holy Tradition”.

The connection between the state and Orthodoxy is quite distributed and understandable: the state does not make adjustments to the teachings of the church's religion, and the church is not aimed at controlling the state.

All principles, history, and laws are hardly present in the thoughts and knowledge of everyone Orthodox person but that does not interfere with faith. What does Orthodoxy teach at the philistine level? The Lord is the bearer of the highest mind and wisdom. The teachings of the Lord are irrefutably true:

• Mercy is the effort to alleviate sorrows unfortunately on one's own. Both sides need mercy - the giver and the receiver. Mercy is helping the needy, a deed pleasing to God. Mercy is kept secret and not distributed. Also, mercy is interpreted as being loaned to Christ. The presence of mercy in a person means that he has kind heart and he is morally rich.
• Fortitude and vigilance - consists in the spiritual and physical strength, constant work and development, vigilance for good deeds and service to God. A persistent person is one who brings any matter to the end, walking hand in hand with faith and hope, without losing heart. Keeping the Lord's commandments requires labor and perseverance. Human kindness alone is not enough to spread goodness; vigilance and fortitude are always needed here.
• Confession is one of the Lord's sacraments. Confession helps to receive the support and grace of the Holy Spirit, strengthens faith. In confession, it is important to remember each of your sins, to tell and repent. He who listens to confession assumes the duty of forgiveness of sins. Without confession and forgiveness, a person will not be saved. Confession can be considered a second baptism. When committing sins, the connection with the Lord, given at baptism, is lost; at confession, this invisible connection is restored.
• The Church brings the grace of Christ into the world by teaching and preaching. In the communion of his blood and flesh, he unites man with the creator. The Church will not leave anyone in grief and trouble, will not reject anyone, forgive the repentant, accept and teach the guilty. When a believer passes away, the church will also not leave him, but will pray for the salvation of his soul. From birth to death, throughout life, in any situation, the church is nearby, opening its arms. In the temple, the human soul finds peace and tranquility.
• Sunday is the day of service to God. Sunday must be sacredly honored and the works of God done. Sunday is a day when it is worth leaving everyday problems and everyday fuss and spending it with prayer and reverence for the Lord. Prayer and visiting the temple are the main activities on this day. You need to beware of communicating with people who like to gossip, swear, snitch. He who sins on Sunday aggravates his sin 10 times.

What is the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism?

Orthodoxy and Catholicism have always been close to each other, but at the same time fundamentally different. Initially, Catholicism is a branch of Christianity.

Among the differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, the following can be distinguished:

1. Catholicism professes that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Orthodoxy confesses that the Holy Spirit comes only from the father.
2. The Catholic Church takes the main position in religious enlightenment leading to the fact that the mother of Jesus - Mary, was not touched by original sin. The Orthodox Church believes that the Virgin Mary, like everyone else, was born with original sin.
3. In all matters of faith and morality, Catholics recognize the primacy of the Pope, which Orthodox believers do not accept.
4. The adherents of the Catholic religion make gestures describing the cross from left to right, adherents Orthodox religion- vice versa.
5. In Catholicism, it is customary to commemorate the dead on the 3rd, 7th and 30th day from the day of death, in Orthodoxy - on the 3rd, 9th, 40th.
6. Catholics are ardent opponents of contraception, the Orthodox accept some of the types of contraception used in marriage.
7. Catholic priests are celibate Orthodox priests allowed to marry.
8. Mystery of marriage. Catholicism rejects divorces, while Orthodoxy allows them in some individual cases.

Coexistence of Orthodoxy with other religions

Speaking about the attitude of Orthodoxy to other religions, it is worth emphasizing such traditional religions like Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.

1. Judaism. Religion exclusively of the Jewish people. It is impossible to belong to Judaism without Jewish origin. For a long time, the attitude of Christians towards Jews has been quite hostile. Differences in understanding of the person of Christ and his history strongly divide these religions. Repeatedly, such hostility led to cruelty (the Holocaust, Jewish pogroms, etc.). On this basis, began new page in the relations of religions. tragic fate forced the Jewish people to reconsider their relationship with Judaism, both at the religious and political levels. However, the general basis, that God is one, God the Creator, a participant in the life of every person, today helps such religions as Judaism and Orthodoxy to live in harmony.
2. Islam. Orthodoxy and Islam also have a complicated history of relations. The Prophet Muhammad was the founder of the state, military leader, political leader. Therefore, religion is very closely intertwined with politics and power. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, is a free choice of religion, regardless of nationality, territoriality and the language a person speaks. It should be noted that in the Koran there are references to Christians, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, these references are respectful and respectful. There are no calls for negative attitudes or censure. At the political level, there are no conflicts of religions, but this does not exclude confrontations and enmity in small social groups.
3. Buddhism. Many clergy reject Buddhism as a religion because it lacks an understanding of God. Buddhism and Orthodoxy have similar features: the presence of temples, monasteries, prayers. It is worth noting that the prayer of an Orthodox person is a kind of dialogue with God, who appears to us as a living Being, from whom we expect help. Buddhist prayer is more of a meditation, reflection, immersion in one's own thoughts. This is a rather kind religion, cultivating kindness, calmness, and will in people. In the entire history of the coexistence of Buddhism and Orthodoxy, there have been no conflicts, and it is impossible to say that there is potential for this.

Orthodoxy today

Today, Orthodoxy ranks third in terms of numbers among Christian denominations. Orthodoxy has a rich history. The path was not easy, we had to overcome and endure a lot, but it is thanks to everything that has happened that Orthodoxy is in its place in this world.

Christianity has many faces and is one of the three main religions of the world along with Buddhism and Islam. Orthodox are all Christians, but not all Christians adhere to Orthodoxy. Christianity and Orthodoxy - what's the difference? I asked myself this question when a Muslim friend asked me about the difference between the Orthodox faith and the Baptist one. I turned to my spiritual father and he explained to me the difference of religions.

The Christian religion was formed over 2000 years ago in Palestine. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the Jewish feast of tabernacles (Pentecost), the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of flames. This day is considered the birthday of the church, as more than 3,000 people believed in Christ.

However, the church was not always united and universal, since in 1054 there was a split into Orthodoxy and Catholicism. For many centuries enmity and mutual accusations of hereticism reigned, the heads of the two churches anathematized each other.

Unity within Orthodoxy and Catholicism also could not be maintained, since the Protestants broke away from the Catholic branch, and the Orthodox Church had its own schismatics - the Old Believers. These were tragic events in the history of the once united universal church, which did not retain unanimity according to the precepts of the Apostle Paul.

Orthodoxy

How is Christianity different from Orthodoxy? The Orthodox branch of Christianity was officially formed in 1054, when the Patriarch of Constantinople defiantly trampled on unleavened bread for communion. The conflict had been brewing for a long time and concerned the ritual part of the services, as well as the dogmas of the church. The confrontation ended with a complete split of a single church into two parts - Orthodox and Catholic. And only in 1964, both churches reconciled and removed mutual anathemas from each other.

Nevertheless, the ritual part in Orthodoxy and Catholicism remained unchanged, and the dogmas of the faith too. This concerns the fundamental issues of the creed and the conduct of worship. Even at first glance you can see significant differences between Catholics and Orthodox in many things:

• clothes of priests;
• the order of worship;
• decoration of the church;
• the method of applying the cross;
• sound accompaniment of liturgies.

Orthodox priests do not shave their beards.

The difference between Orthodoxy and Christianity of other confessions is the Eastern style of worship. The Orthodox Church has preserved the traditions of oriental splendor, during worship no musical instruments are played, it is customary to light candles and incense with a censer, and the sign of the cross is placed from right to left with a pinch of fingers and a bow is made from the waist.

Orthodox Christians are sure that their church originates from the crucifixion and resurrection of the Savior. The Baptism of Russia took place in 988 according to the Byzantine tradition, which is preserved to this day.

The main provisions of Orthodoxy:

• God is joined in the faces of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit;
• The Holy Spirit is equal to God the Father;
• is the only begotten Son of God the Father;
• The Son of God incarnated, took the form of a man;
• the resurrection is true, as is the second coming of Christ;
• the head of the church is Jesus Christ, not the Patriarch;
• baptism frees a person from sins;
• the believer will be saved and have eternal life.

The Orthodox Christian believes that after death his soul will find eternal salvation. Believers devote their whole lives to serving God and fulfilling the commandments. Any trials are perceived resignedly and even with joy, because despondency and grumbling are revered as a mortal sin.

Catholicism

This branch of the Christian church is distinguished by its approach to dogma and worship. The head of the Roman Catholic Church is the Pope, as opposed to the Orthodox Patriarch.

Fundamentals of the Catholic Faith:

• The Holy Spirit descends not only from God the Father, but also from God the Son;
• after death, the soul of a believer enters purgatory, where it undergoes trials;
• The Pope is revered as the direct successor of the Apostle Peter, all his actions are considered infallible;
• Catholics believe that the Virgin was taken to heaven without seeing death;
• the veneration of saints is widely developed;
• indulgence (expiation of sins) is distinctive feature specifically the Catholic Church;
• Communion is served with unleavened bread.

Worship in Catholic churches called the mass. An integral part of churches and churches is the organ on which God-inspired music is performed. If in Orthodox churches a mixed choir sings on the kliros, then in Catholic churches only men (boys' choir) sing hymns.

But the most important difference between the Catholic doctrine and the Orthodox is the dogma of the virgin Mary's immaculateness.

Catholics believe that she was conceived immaculately (had no original sin). The Orthodox claim that the Mother of God was an ordinary mortal woman whom God chose to give birth to the God-man.

Also a feature of the Catholic doctrine are mystical meditations on the torment of Christ. This sometimes leads to the fact that believers have stigmata (wounds from nails and a crown of thorns) on their bodies.

The commemoration of the dead is held on the 3rd, 7th and 30th day. Confirmation is not carried out immediately after baptism, as with the Orthodox, but after reaching the age of majority. Communion of children begins after the age of seven, and in Orthodoxy - from infancy. There is no iconostasis in Catholic churches. All priests take a vow of celibacy.

Protestantism

What is the difference between Protestant and Orthodox Christians? This trend arose within the Catholic Church as a protest against the authority of the Pope (he is considered the vicar of Jesus Christ on earth). Many people know the tragic St. Bartholomew's night, when Catholics massacred the Huguenots (local Protestants) in France. These scary pages stories will forever remain in the memory of people as an example of inhumanity and madness.

Protests against the authority of the Pope swept across Europe and even resulted in revolutions. The Hussite wars in the Czech Republic, the Lutheran movement - this is just a small mention of the wide scope of the protest against the dogmas of the Catholic Church. The harsh persecution of the Protestants forced them to flee Europe and find refuge in America.

What is the difference between Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox? They recognize only two church sacraments - baptism and communion.. Baptism is necessary for a person to join the church, and the sacrament helps strengthen faith. Protestant priests do not enjoy unquestioning authority, but are brothers in Christ. At the same time, Protestants recognize apostolic succession, but attribute it to spiritual action.

Protestants do not bury the dead, do not worship saints, do not pray to icons, do not light candles and do not incense with a censer. They lack the sacrament of marriage, confession and priesthood. The Protestant community lives like one family, helps those in need and actively preaches the gospel to people (missionary work).

Divine services in Protestant churches are held in a special way. First, the community praises the god with songs and (sometimes) dances. Then the pastor delivers a sermon based on biblical texts. The service also ends with a glorification. In recent decades, many modern evangelical churches, made up of young people, have been formed. Some of them are recognized as sects in Russia, but in Europe and America these movements are allowed by official authorities.

In 1999, the historic reconciliation of the Catholic Church with the Lutheran movement took place. And in 1973, the Eucharistic unity of the Reformed churches with the Lutheran ones took place. The 20th and 11th centuries became a time of reconciliation between all Christian currents, which cannot but rejoice. Enmity and anathemas are a thing of the past, the Christian world has found peace and tranquility.

Outcome

A Christian is a person who recognizes the death and resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ, believes in an afterlife and eternal life. However, Christianity is not homogeneous in its structure and is divided into many different denominations. Orthodoxy and Catholicism are leading Christian creeds, on the basis of which other confessions and movements were formed.

In Russia, the Old Believers broke away from the Orthodox branch; in Europe, much more different trends and configurations formed under the general name of Protestants. The bloody reprisals against heretics, which terrified the peoples for many centuries, are a thing of the past. In the modern world, peace and harmony reign between all Christian denominations, however, differences in worship and dogma have been preserved.

Christianity belongs to one of the world religions along with Buddhism and Judaism. Over a thousand-year history, it has undergone changes that have led to branches from a single religion. The main ones are Orthodoxy, Protestantism and Catholicism. Christianity also has other currents, but usually they are sectarian and are condemned by representatives of generally recognized trends.

Differences between Orthodoxy and Christianity

What is the difference between these two concepts? Everything is very simple. All Orthodox are Christians, but not all Christians are Orthodox. The followers, united by the confession of this world religion, are separated by belonging to its separate direction, one of which is Orthodoxy. To understand how Orthodoxy differs from Christianity, one must turn to the history of the emergence of world religion.

Origins of religions

Christianity is believed to have originated in the 1st century BC. from the birth of Christ in Palestine, although some sources claim that it became known two centuries earlier. The people who preached the belief were waiting for God to come to earth. The doctrine absorbed the foundations of Judaism and the philosophical trends of that time, it was strongly influenced by the political situation.

The preaching of the apostles greatly contributed to the spread of this religion. especially Paul. Many pagans were converted to new faith and this process continued for a long time. At present, Christianity has the most a large number of followers compared to other world religions.

Orthodox Christianity began to stand out only in Rome in the 10th century. AD, and was officially approved in 1054. Although its origin can be attributed already to the 1st century. from the birth of Christ. Orthodox believe that the history of their religion began immediately after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, when the apostles preached a new creed and attracted everyone to religion. large quantity of people.

By II-III centuries. Orthodoxy opposed Gnosticism, which rejected the authenticity of the history of the Old Testament and interprets the New Testament in a different way, not in accordance with the generally accepted. Also, opposition was observed in relations with the followers of the presbyter Arius, who formed a new trend - Arianism. According to them, Christ did not possess a divine nature and was only an intermediary between God and people.

On the creed of nascent Orthodoxy Ecumenical Councils had a great influence supported side by side Byzantine emperors. Seven Councils, convened over the course of five centuries, established the basic axioms subsequently adopted in modern orthodoxy, in particular, confirmed the divine origin of Jesus, disputed in a number of teachings. This strengthened the Orthodox faith and allowed more and more people to join it.

In addition to Orthodoxy and small heretical teachings, quickly fading in the process of developing stronger trends, Catholicism stood out from Christianity. This was facilitated by the split of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern. Huge differences in social, political and religious views led to the disintegration of a single religion into Roman Catholic and Orthodox, which at first was called Eastern Catholic. The head of the first church was the Pope, the second - the patriarch. Their mutual excommunication of each other from the common faith led to a split in Christianity. The process began in 1054 and ended in 1204 with the fall of Constantinople.

Although Christianity was adopted in Russia in 988, it was not affected by the process of schism. The official division of the church did not take place until several decades later, but at the baptism of Russia immediately introduced Orthodox customs , formed in Byzantium and borrowed from there.

Strictly speaking, the term orthodoxy was practically not found in ancient sources; the word orthodoxy was used instead. According to a number of researchers, earlier these concepts were given different meaning(orthodoxy meant one of the Christian directions, and Orthodoxy was almost a pagan faith). Subsequently, they began to attach a similar meaning to them, made them synonyms and replaced one with another.

Fundamentals of Orthodoxy

Faith in Orthodoxy is the essence of all divine teaching. The Nicene Constantinople Creed, drawn up during the convening of the Second Ecumenical Council, is the basis of the doctrine. The ban on changing any provisions in this system of dogmas has been in force since the time of the Fourth Council.

Based on the Creed, Orthodoxy is based on the following dogmas:

The desire to earn eternal life in paradise after death is the main goal of those who profess the religion in question. True Orthodox Christian must all his life follow the commandments handed down to Moses and confirmed by Christ. According to them, one must be kind and merciful, love God and neighbors. The commandments indicate that all hardships and hardships must be endured meekly and even joyfully, despondency is one of the deadly sins.

Differences from other Christian denominations

Compare Orthodoxy with Christianity can be done by comparing its main directions. They are closely related to each other, as they are united in one world religion. However, there are huge differences between them on a number of issues:

Thus, the differences between directions are not always contradictory. There are more similarities between Catholicism and Protestantism, since the latter appeared as a result of the split of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. If desired, the currents could be reconciled. But this has not happened for many years and is not foreseen in the future.

Relation to other religions

Orthodoxy is tolerant of confessors of other religions. However, without condemning and peacefully coexisting with them, this movement recognizes them as heretical. It is believed that of all religions, only one is true; its professing leads to the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. This dogma is contained in the very name of the direction, indicating that this religion is correct, opposite to other currents. Nevertheless, Orthodoxy recognizes that Catholics and Protestants are also not deprived of the grace of God, because, although they glorify Him differently, the essence of their faith is one.

By comparison, Catholics consider the only way to salvation to be the confession of their religion, while others, including Orthodoxy, are false. The task of this church is to convince all dissenters. The Pope is the head of the Christian Church, although this thesis is refuted in Orthodoxy.

The support of the Orthodox Church by the secular authorities and their close cooperation led to an increase in the number of followers of the religion and its development. In a number of countries, Orthodoxy is professed by the majority of the population. These include:

In these countries, a large number of temples are being built, Sunday schools, in secular educational institutions subjects devoted to the study of Orthodoxy are introduced. Popularization has reverse side: often people who consider themselves Orthodox are superficial in their attitude to the performance of rituals and do not observe the prescribed moral principles.

You can perform rites in different ways and treat shrines, have different views on the purpose of your own stay on earth, but in the end, everyone who professes Christianity united by faith in one God. The concept of Christianity is not identical with Orthodoxy, but includes it. Maintain moral principles and be sincere in your dealings with Higher Powers is the foundation of any religion.

Orthodoxy is not Christianity. How historical myths appeared

The Greek Catholic Orthodox (Right Faithful) Church (now the Russian Orthodox Church) began to be called Orthodox only on September 8, 1943 (approved by Stalin's decree in 1945). What, then, was called Orthodoxy for several millennia?

“In our time, in modern Russian vernacular, in the official, scientific and religious designation, the term “Orthodoxy” is applied to anything related to the ethno-cultural tradition and it is necessarily associated with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Christian religion ( Judeo-Christian Religion - ed.).

To a simple question: "What is Orthodoxy" any modern man, without hesitation, will answer that Orthodoxy is the Christian faith that was adopted by Kievan Rus during the reign of Prince Vladimir the Red Sun from the Byzantine Empire in 988 AD. And that Orthodoxy, i.e. The Christian faith has existed on Russian soil for more than a thousand years. Scientists from historical science and Christian theologians, in confirmation of their words, declare that the earliest use of the word Orthodoxy in the territory of Russia is recorded in the “Sermon on Law and Grace” of 1037-1050 by Metropolitan Hilarion.

But was it really so?

We advise you to carefully read the preamble to federal law on freedom of conscience and on religious associations, adopted on September 26, 1997. Note the following points in the preamble: “Recognizing the special role orthodoxy in Russia...and further respecting Christianity , Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and other religions…”

Thus, the concepts of Orthodoxy and Christianity are not identical and carry completely different concepts and meanings.

Orthodoxy. How historical myths appeared

It is worth considering who participated in the seven councils of the Christian ( Judeo-Christian - ed.) churches? Orthodox holy fathers or all the same Orthodox holy fathers, as indicated in the original Word on Law and Grace? By whom and when was it decided to replace one concept with another? And was there ever any mention of Orthodoxy in the past?

The answer to this question was given by the Byzantine monk Belisarius in 532 AD. Long before the baptism of Russia, this is what he wrote in his Chronicles about the Slavs and their rite of visiting the bath: “Orthodox Slovenes and Rusyns are wild people, and their life is wild and godless, men and girls lock themselves together in a hot, overheated hut and exhaust their bodies .... »

We will not pay attention to the fact that for the monk Belisarius, the usual visit by the Slavs to the bath seemed something wild and incomprehensible, this is quite natural. For us, something else is important. Pay attention to how he called the Slavs: Orthodox Slovenes and Rusyns.

For this one phrase alone, we must express our gratitude to him. Since with this phrase the Byzantine monk Belisarius confirms that the Slavs were Orthodox for many hundreds ( thousands - ed.) years before their conversion to Christianity ( Judeo-Christian - ed..) faith.

The Slavs were called Orthodox, because they RIGHT praised.

What is "RIGHT"?

Our ancestors believed that reality, the cosmos, is divided into three levels. And it is also very similar to the Indian division system: upper world, Middle world and the lower world.

In Russia, these three levels were called like this:

>The highest level is the level of Rule orrule.

>Second, middle levelReality.

>And the lowest level isNav. Nav or Non-reveal, unmanifested.

>World governis a world where everything is right orideal upper world.This is a world where ideal beings with higher consciousness live.

> Reality- this is our manifest, obvious world, the world of people.

>And the world Navi or Not-reveal, unmanifested, it is the negative, unmanifested or lower or posthumous world.

The Indian Vedas also speak of the existence of three worlds:

>Upper world is a world dominated by energy goodness.

>Middle world covered passion.

>Lower world is immersed in ignorance.

There is no such division among Christians. The Bible is silent on this.

Such a similar understanding of the world also gives a similar motivation in life, i.e. it is necessary to aspire to the world of Rule or Goodness. And in order to get into the world of Rule, you need to do everything right, i.e. by the law of God.

Words such as "truth" come from the root "right". Truth- that which gives right. “Yes” is “to give”, and “rule” is “higher”. So, the "truth" is what gives the right. Control. Correction. Government. Right. Not right. Those. the roots of all these words is this "right". “Right” or “right”, i.e. the highest beginning. Those. meaning that the concept of the Rule or of higher reality. And real management should spiritually elevate those who follow the ruler, leading his wards on the paths of rule.

>Details in the article:Philosophical and cultural similarities of Ancient Russia and Ancient India" .

The substitution of the name "orthodoxy" is not "orthodoxy"

The question is, who and when on Russian soil decided to replace the terms Orthodoxy with Orthodoxy?

It happened in the 17th century, when the Moscow Patriarch Nikon initiated a church reform. The main goal of this Nikon reform was not to change the rites of the Christian church, as it is now interpreted, where everything supposedly comes down to replacing the two-fingered sign of the cross for tripartite and walking procession On the other side. The main goal of the reform was the destruction of dual faith on Russian soil.

In our time, few people know that before the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Muscovy, there was dual faith in the Russian lands. In other words, the common people professed not only orthodoxy, i.e. Greek Rite Christianity that came from Byzantium, but also the old pre-Christian faith of their ancestors ORTHODOXY. This is what worried Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov and his spiritual mentor, the Christian Patriarch Nikon, most of all, for the Orthodox Old Believers lived by their own principles and did not recognize any power over themselves.

Patriarch Nikon decided to put an end to dual faith in a very original way. To do this, under the guise of a reform in the church, allegedly due to the discrepancy between Greek and Slavic texts, he ordered to rewrite all liturgical books, replacing the phrases "orthodox Christian faith" with "Orthodox Christian faith." In the Readings of the Menaia, which have survived to our times, we can see the old version of the entry "Orthodox Christian Faith." This was Nikon's very interesting approach to reform.

Firstly, it was not necessary to rewrite many ancient Slavic, as they said then charaty books, or chronicles, which described the victories and achievements of pre-Christian Orthodoxy.

Secondly, life during the time of dual faith and the very original meaning of Orthodoxy were erased from the memory of the people, because after such a church reform, any text from liturgical books or ancient chronicles could be interpreted as the beneficial influence of Christianity on Russian lands. In addition, the patriarch sent a memo to the Moscow churches about the use of the sign of the cross with three fingers instead of the two-fingered one.

Thus began the reform, as well as the protest against it, which led to a schism in the church. protest against church reforms Nikon was organized by the former comrades of the patriarch, archpriests Avvakum Petrov and Ivan Neronov. They pointed out to the patriarch the arbitrariness of actions, and then in 1654 he arranged a Council at which, as a result of pressure on the participants, he sought to hold a book right on ancient Greek and Slavic manuscripts. However, Nikon's alignment was not with the old rites, but with the modern Greek practice of that time. All the actions of Patriarch Nikon led to the fact that the church split into two warring parts.

Supporters of the old traditions accused Nikon of trilingual heresy and pandering to paganism, as Christians called Orthodoxy, that is, the old pre-Christian faith. The split engulfed the whole country. This led to the fact that in 1667 the great Moscow cathedral condemned and deposed Nikon, and anathematized all opponents of the reforms. From that time on, adherents of the new liturgical traditions began to be called Nikonians, and adherents of the old rites and traditions began to be called schismatics and persecuted. The confrontation between the Nikonians and the schismatics at times reached the point of armed clashes until the royal troops came out on the side of the Nikonians. To avoid large scale religious war part of the higher clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate condemned some of the provisions of Nikon's reforms.

In liturgical practices and state documents, the term Orthodoxy began to be used again. For example, let's turn to the spiritual regulations of Peter the Great: “... And like a Christian Sovereign, orthodoxy and everyone in the church, the Holy Guardian of piety ...”

As we can see, even in the 18th century, Peter the Great is called the Christian sovereign, guardian of orthodoxy and piety. But there is not a word about Orthodoxy in this document. Nor is it in the editions of the Spiritual Regulations of 1776-1856.

Education of the ROC

Based on this, the question arises, when did the term Orthodoxy begin to be officially used by the Christian Church?

The fact is that in Russian Empire did not have Russian Orthodox Church. Christian church existed under a different name - "Russian Greek-Catholic Church". Or as it was also called "Russian Orthodox Church of the Greek Rite".

Christian church called The Russian Orthodox Church appeared during the reign of the Bolsheviks.

At the beginning of 1945, by decree of Joseph Stalin, a local council of the Russian church was held in Moscow under the leadership of responsible persons from the State Security of the USSR and a new Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia was elected.

It should be mentioned that many Christian priests,who did not recognize the power of the Bolsheviks, left Russia and abroad continue to profess Christianity of the Eastern Rite and call their church none other than Russian Orthodox Church or Russian Orthodox Church.

In order to finally move away from well crafted historical myth and to find out what the word Orthodoxy really meant in ancient times, let's turn to those people who still keep the old faith of their ancestors.

Having received his education in Soviet time, these pundits either do not know, or carefully try to hide from ordinary people that even in ancient times long before the birth of Christianity on Slavic lands Orthodoxy existed. It covered not only the basic concept when our wise ancestors praised the Rule. And the deep essence of Orthodoxy was much larger and more voluminous than it seems today.

The figurative meaning of this word included the concepts when our ancestors Right praised. That's just it was not Roman law and not Greek, but our own, native Slavic.

It included:

>Clan Law, based on the ancient traditions of culture, horses and foundations of the Family;

>Community law, creating mutual understanding between various Slavic families living together in one small settlement;

>Mine law that regulated the interaction between communities living in large settlements, which were cities;

>Weight law, which determined the relationship between communities living in different cities and settlements within one Vesi, i.e. within the same area of ​​​​settlement and residence;

>Veche law, which was adopted at a general meeting of all the people and observed by all clans of the Slavic community.

Any Law from Generic to Veche was arranged on the basis of the ancient Konov, the culture and foundations of the Family, as well as on the basis of the commandments of the ancient Slavic gods and the instructions of the ancestors. It was our native Slavic Law.

Our wise ancestors commanded to preserve it, and we are preserving it. From ancient times, our ancestors praised the Rule and we continue to praise the Law, and we keep our Slavic Law and pass it on from generation to generation.

Therefore, we and our ancestors were, are and will be Orthodox.

change on wikipedia

Modern interpretation of the term ORTHODOX = Orthodox, appeared on Wikipedia only after this resource was funded by the UK government. In fact, Orthodoxy translates as rightBelieve, Orthodox translates as orthodox.

Either Wikipedia, continuing the idea of ​​the “identity” Orthodoxy=Orthodoxy, should call Muslims and Jews Orthodox (because the terms orthodox Muslim or Orthodox Jew are found in all world literature), or still recognize that Orthodoxy=Orthodoxy and in no way refers to Orthodoxy, as well as the Christian Church of the Eastern Rite, called since 1945 - the Russian Orthodox Church.

Orthodoxy is not a religion, not Christianity, but a faith

Any Indian follower Vedanta knows that his religion, together with the Aryans, came from Russia. And the modern Russian language is their ancient Sanskrit. It's just that in India it changed to Hindi, but in Russia it remained the same. Therefore, Indian Vedism is not fully Russian Vedism.

Russian nicknames for gods Vyshen (Rod) and Roof (Yar, Christ) became the names of Indian gods Vishnu and krishna. The encyclopedia is slyly silent about this.

Witchcraft is the everyday understanding of Russian Vedism, which includes the elementary skills of magic and mysticism. "Witch Fight" Western Europe in the XV-XVI centuries. was a struggle with the Slavs, who prayed to the Vedic gods.

The Russian god corresponds to the Christian god-father Genus, not at all Jehovah-Yahweh-Sabaoth, which among the Masons is the god of darkness and death of Russia Mary. Myself Jesus Christ on many Christian icons is designated as Yar and his mother Maria- as Mara.

The word "devil" is of the same root as Virgo. This is the prince of darkness, Masonic Sabaoth, which is otherwise called Satan. There are no "servants of God" in the Vedic religion either. And only the desire of the West to belittle Russian Vedism and force the Russians to abandon their gods, in which the Russians believed for hundreds of thousands of years, led to the fact that Russian Christianity became more and more pro-Western, and the followers of Russian Vedism began to be considered "servants of the devil." In other words, in the West, all Russian concepts have been turned inside out.

After all, the concept "Orthodoxy" originally belonged to Russian Vedism and meant: "Right glorified".

Therefore, primitive Christianity began to call itself "orthodox", but the term then passed to Islam. As you know, Christianity has the epithet "Orthodox" only in Russian; on the rest, it calls itself "orthodox", that is, precisely "orthodox".

In other words, today's Christianity has secretly appropriated a Vedic name that is deeply rooted in the Russian mind.

The functions of Veles, to a much greater extent than St. Blaise, were inherited by St. Nicholas of Myra, nicknamed Nicholas the Wonderworker. (See the result of the research published in the book: Uspensky B.A.. Philological research in the field of Slavic antiquities .. - M .: MGU, 1982 .)

By the way, on many of his icons it is inscribed in implicit letters: MARY LIK. Hence the original name of the area in honor of the face of Mary: Marlikian. So actually this bishop was Nicholas of Marlic. And his city, which was originally called " Mary"(that is, the city of Mary), now called Bari. There was a phonetic change of sounds.

Bishop Nicholas of Myra - Nicholas the Wonderworker

However, now Christians do not remember these details, hushing up the Vedic roots of Christianity. For now Jesus in Christianity is interpreted as the God of Israel, although Judaism does not consider him a god. And Christianity does not say anything about the fact that Jesus Christ, as well as his apostles, are different faces of Yar, although this is read on many icons. The name of the god Yar is also read on Shroud of Turin .

At one time, Vedism reacted very calmly and fraternally to Christianity, seeing in it just a local growth of Vedism, for which there is a name: paganism (that is, an ethnic variety), like Greek paganism with another name Yara - Ares, or Roman, with the name of Yar is Mars, or with Egyptian, where the name Yar or Ar was read in the opposite direction, Ra. In Christianity, Yar became Christ, and Vedic temples made icons and crosses of Christ.

And only over time, under the influence of political, or rather, geopolitical reasons, Christianity was opposed to Vedism, and then Christianity everywhere saw manifestations of "paganism" and led a fight with him not to the stomach, but to the death. In other words, she betrayed her parents, her heavenly patrons, and began to preach humility and humility.

>Details in the article:V.A. Chudinov - Proper education .

Secret writing on Russian and modern Christian icons

Thus Christianity within the framework of ALL RUSSIA was adopted not in 988, but between 1630 and 1635.

The study of Christian icons revealed sacred texts on them. Explicit inscriptions cannot be attributed to their number. But they absolutely include implicit inscriptions associated with Russian Vedic gods, temples and priests (mims).

On old Christian icons of the Mother of God with baby Jesus there are Russian inscriptions in runes, saying that these are depicted Slavic Goddess Makosh with baby God Yar. Jesus Christ was also called CHORUS or HORUS. Moreover, the name CHORUS on the mosaic depicting Christ in the Church of Christ Hora in Istanbul is written like this: “NHOR”, that is, ICHORS. The letter I used to be written as N. The name IGOR is almost identical to the name IKHOR OR KHOR, since the sounds X and G could pass into each other. By the way, it is possible that the respectful name HERO also came from here, which later entered many languages ​​practically unchanged.

And then the necessity of masking the Vedic inscriptions becomes clear: their discovery on the icons could lead to the accusation of the icon painter of belonging to the Old Believers, and for this, according to Nikon's reform, could be punished by exile or the death penalty.

On the other hand, as it now becomes clear, the absence of Vedic inscriptions made the icon a non-sacred artifact. In other words, it was not so much the presence of narrow noses, thin lips and large eyes that made the image sacred, but just the connection with the god Yar in the first place and with the goddess Mara in the second place, through implicit reference inscriptions, added magic and miraculous properties to the icon. Therefore, icon painters, if they wanted to make an icon miraculous, and not a simple artistic product, were OBLIGED to supply any image with the words: FACE OF YAR, MIM OF YAR AND MARY, TEMPLE OF MARY, YARA TEMPLE, YARA RUSSIA, etc.

Nowadays, when the persecution on religious charges has ceased, the icon painter no longer risks his life and property by making implicit inscriptions on modern icon paintings. Therefore, in a number of cases, namely in the cases of mosaic icons, he no longer tries to hide such inscriptions as much as possible, but transfers them to the category of semi-explicit ones.

Thus, the Russian material revealed the reason why explicit inscriptions on icons moved into the category of semi-explicit and implicit ones: a ban on Russian Vedism, which followed from reforms of Patriarch Nikon . However, this example gives grounds for speculating about the same motives for masking obvious inscriptions on coins.

In more detail, this idea can be expressed as follows: once the body of a deceased priest (mime) was accompanied by a funeral golden mask, on which there were all the relevant inscriptions, but made not very large and not very contrasting, so as not to destroy the aesthetic perception of the mask. Later, instead of a mask, they began to use smaller objects - pendants and plaques, which also depicted the face of a deceased mime with corresponding discreet inscriptions. Even later, portraits of mimes migrated to coins. And such images were preserved as long as the spiritual power was considered the most significant in society.

However, when power became secular, passing to military leaders - princes, leaders, kings, emperors, images of authorities, and not mimes, began to be minted on coins, while images of mimes migrated to icons. At the same time, the secular authorities, as more rude, began to mint their own inscriptions weightily, rudely, visibly, and obvious legends appeared on the coins. With the advent of Christianity, such explicit inscriptions began to appear on icons, but they were no longer made with the runes of the Family, but with the Old Slavonic Cyrillic font. In the West, a Latin script was used for this.

Thus, in the West there was a similar, but still somewhat different motive, according to which the implicit inscriptions of mimes did not become explicit: on the one hand, the aesthetic tradition, on the other hand, the secularization of power, that is, the transfer of the function of governing society from priests to military leaders and officials.

This allows us to consider icons, as well as sacred sculptures of gods and saints, as substitutes for those artifacts that previously acted as carriers of sacred properties: golden masks and plaques. On the other hand, icons existed before, but did not affect the sphere of finance, remaining entirely within religion. Therefore, their production has experienced a new heyday.