religion
...zena). Roman Catholic theologians began defining and teaching the idea that “Christ only gave us an ‘original deposit’ of faith, a seed which grew and matured through the centuries” (Origin of the Catholic Church). The Holy Spirit was said to have multiplied the Christian Faith as the Church moved into new circumstances and acquired other needs. Roman Catholicism pictures its theology as growing in stages to higher and more clearly defined levels of knowledge. The teachings of the fathers are in a level below the “theology of the Latin Middle Ages”, as the theology is a step lower than the new ideas that have come after it. “All the stages are useful, all are resources; and the theologian may appeal to the Fathers, for example, but they may also be contradicted by something else, something higher or newer (Azkoul).” “Roman Catholicism teaches that human reason can prove—or at least infer—that God is eternal, infinite, good, bodiless, almighty, all-knowing, etc. He is the most real, true being” (Nash). The god of Roman Catholicism is not the god of Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob, but rather the God of the “savants and the philosophers” (Origins of the Catholic Church). However, Orthodoxy teaches us that God is “planted in human nature and that is how we know him to exist” (Origin of the Eastern Orthodox Church). Why God became man is a question that is often asked and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and The Holy Orthodox Church have two different answers to this question. The Orthodox believes that Christ died on the cross and gave his life for man. He had voluntarily given himself to the cross, but had risen from the dead, because “death had no power to hold him” (Brozena). The Catholics believe that God became a man to satisfy the “divine Justice which was offended by the sin of Adam” (Azkoul). Christ paid this debt by dying on the Cross. His death makes amends for what Adam had once done, thereby giving the Catholic sacrament of Baptism the ability to remove original sin from man. “The Latin’s taught that the visible head of the [Roman Catholic] Church is the Pope, the successor to St. Peter, who was appointed to that sacred position by the Lord Himself” (Origin of the Catholic Church). This would come to make the Pope the Bishop of the entire Catholic Church. He becomes its teacher, and its deputy of Christ on Earth. The Orthodox Church believes that all bishops are equal and that there are different ranks of the bishops; patriarch, archbishop, metropolitan are all examples of these ranks. However, the Orthodox Church believes that a bishop is a bishop no matter what his rank may be. “Orthodoxy teaches that every bishop, ‘the living icon of Christ,’ and his flock constitute the Church in a certain place” (Azkoul). “Human nature was created even in communion with the blessed Trinity which made it. Roman Catholicism coincides with the Church, but is in opposition of Orthodoxy when it comes to the nature of man’s fall and the human condition” (Nash). Under Augustine of Hippo, the Latin’s taught that Adam and Eve had sinned against god, and the guilt of their sins was to be inherited by all other man because all man is linked to Adam. Such sins generated passions, disease, and aging. The Orthodox Church believes, as taught by the elders, that when Adam sinned against God, he introduced death to the world. According to Orthodoxy, death meant that life of all men eventually comes to an end (Azkoul). However, Roman Catholics as well as the Orthodoxy view mankind as slaves to their own desires and easily manipulated by Lucifer; thereby making them prone to sin. Virgin Mary is to be noted as the mother of Christ. “However, the Orthodox rejects the Roman Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, which was defined as ‘of the faith’ (Origin of the Eastern Orthodox Church). This dogma says that from the moment that she conceived Christ, she was to be the Blessed Virgin Mary. However, the Orthodox believe in the ever-virginity of Mary. They believe that God chose her to give birth to Christ from the moment that she was conceived, and she is highly praised for this reason. The Orthodox always pray to the Virgin Mary, beseeching her to intercede between them and God. Although, they do not worship the Virgin Mary being that worship is set for God alone. Those of the Orthodox Church believe that, just as we ask for others to pray for us, they will ask it of the Virgin Mary (Origin of Eastern Orthodox Church). Icons, an important part of Orthodoxy, are an artistic depiction of Christ, the Mother of God, and the Saints. Icons are not merely pictures, but everything about them is theological. Roman Catholicism has historically used statutes in its worship, in the same sense that the Orthodox Church uses icons. These statutes are meant to imitate the art of ancient Greece. Statutes in the Roman Catholic temple are mere visual aids and decorations. Orthodoxy teaches grace is uncreated and has an impact on all creations. Orthodox iconography reflects this truth, even as Roman Catholic statues reflect its idea of grace (Azkoul). These icons are deemed a necessary part of the Orthodox religion. Orthodoxies kiss the icons as a devotion which will pass from the icon to the person. Icons are not idols and the Orthodox do not worship them but rather make praise to them. Purgatory, another constantly compared subject in the comparison of Catholicism and Orthodoxy, is a condition of the departed before the final judgment. Roman Catholic theology says that the souls that are destined for heaven must go through a state of purgatory, or purification. These souls must be cleansed of all sins they may have committed in their time on Earth. The teachings of Orthodoxy say that once the souls has departed from the body it goes on a journey to the home of those whom also are deceased. As in all religions there are also exceptions to the rule, the “theotokos, who [were] born by the angels directly into heaven” (Origins of the Eastern Orthodox Church). All others must remain in a “condition of waiting” (Azkoul). The Orthodox Church believes that whenever Christ returns, all souls shall rejoin their bodies so to be raised and judged by Him. Sacraments are another important part of both religions. Both Roman Catholics and Orthodox religions hold sacred seven sacraments. The sacraments are as follows: The Eucharist, Baptism, Chrismation, Ordination, Penance, Marriage and Holy Oil for the sick. One of the differences is in the sacrament of Chrismation as it is called by Orthodox. The Roman Catholics call this sacrament Confirmation and it is a sacrament that is celebrated completely separate from Baptism and it is performed by a bishop who visits the church specifically for the ceremony. The Orthodox link Chrismation, Baptism, and the Eucharist together and Chrismation is performed by a priest rather than a bishop. In order for the priest to perform this sacrament he must have “chrism” from the bishop, making the two all the more similar. In both religions this sacrament is meant to bring the Holy Spirit into a person, but the times and ways they are performed differ. Another sacrament that differs between the two religions is the sacrament of Holy Matrimony Holy Matrimony for Roman Catholics is a strong combination of two people as one. They promise to love each other until death parts them, causing this celebration to be somewhat of an unbreakable contract. In order to be legally married in this religion’s eyes you must have your ceremony performed in a church with a priest, or in some cases a bishop, to hold the title of a witness to the bonding. Due to the binding of this sacrament a divorce is not seen by the church unless it is annulled or voided by the church. Holy Matrimony for the Orthodox is much different. In the Orthodoxy, Holy Matrimony is not considered a binding contract so much as the m...