How do the other branches of Christianity regard Eastern Orthodoxy?

[The Mikado]

I've never gotten a straight answer to this question.

[dead0man]

From my experiences growing up in a So.Baptist church....they don't regard them at all.

[12th Doctor]

Schismatic Heretics!!!

[Smid]

Was chatting with someone about this a couple of days ago. I decided I don't know enough about them to really hold an opinion.

[Stranger in a strange land]

From my experiences growing up in a So.Baptist church....they don't regard them at all.

When they think about them at all. Fundie Protestants project onto them everything they don't like about Catholics. In fact, many erroneously believe they  ARE Catholics!

[wildfood]

American Protestants have zero understanding of Eastern Orthodoxy.

[JSojourner]

I believe the Episcopal Church and the larger Anglican Communion have formal relations with the various branches of Orthodoxy.  Though many differences still separate us, we consider each other brothers and sisters in Christ.

However, in the Episcopal Church, any baptised Christian can receive the sacrament of Holy Communion...regardless of age or denomination.  An Episcopalian or Anglican may not receive the sacrament in  any Orthodox Church.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

they cross my mind about as much as any sect of Christianity - which is to say, "I rarely, if ever, think of them."

I'm not one to categorize other Christians and I rarely inquire of their demonational preference.

[12th Doctor]

My serious answer is that the Roman Catholic Church wants to strongly pursuit full reconciliation.  There simply is not much that separates us, when in comes to core theology and certainly there are Ruminate Rites that have similar views towards church authority as the Orthodox Churches.  But the RCC is serious about reunion.  As JPII put it, "the Church needs to breath with two lungs again."

[Torie]

I believe the Episcopal Church and the larger Anglican Communion have formal relations with the various branches of Orthodoxy.  Though many differences still separate us, we consider each other brothers and sisters in Christ.

However, in the Episcopal Church, any baptised Christian can receive the sacrament of Holy Communion...regardless of age or denomination.  An Episcopalian or Anglican may not receive the sacrament in  any Orthodox Church.

Heck I was invited to receive the sacrament in your let-us love-everyone-no-matter-how-vile sect JS, as a godless one (I think maybe that outfit that hosted that fund raiser for Hagan got their name from reading my posts actually), and accepted.   I like ritual for its own sake. Belief is beside the point - for me.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

This is kind of a silly question as it assumes that there is only one answer that applies to all "other branches" of Christianity as if they are simply one giant monolithic entity with no difference among them.

[GMantis]

 While I'm atheistic, I come from an Eastern Orthodox background and feel cultural affinity with the church, so I've been quite interested in this question.
The attitude varies greatly. There are some fundamentalist protestants who regard Eastern Orthodoxy as idolaters, but I know much less about the opinion of mainline Protestants. In any case, I don't think they have much respect for the Orthodox church, considering their aggressive missionary campaigns in countries with a predominant Eastern Orthodox population.
I've heard that in their beliefs the Lutheran church is somewhat closer to Eastern Orthodoxy compared with other Protestant branches, but I can't confirm this.
The Catholic Church is pursuing reconciliation, but as it's reconciliation on their own terms (ie swallowing Eastern Orthodox Churches) they are unsurprisingly getting a rather cool reception.

[JSojourner]

I believe the Episcopal Church and the larger Anglican Communion have formal relations with the various branches of Orthodoxy.  Though many differences still separate us, we consider each other brothers and sisters in Christ.

However, in the Episcopal Church, any baptised Christian can receive the sacrament of Holy Communion...regardless of age or denomination.  An Episcopalian or Anglican may not receive the sacrament in  any Orthodox Church.

Heck I was invited to receive the sacrament in your let-us love-everyone-no-matter-how-vile sect JS, as a godless one (I think maybe that outfit that hosted that fund raiser for Hagan got their name from reading my posts actually), and accepted.   I like ritual for its own sake. Belief is beside the point - for me.

That's a sticking point in the Anglican Communion...Holy Communion for the unbaptized or for those who do not profess faith in Jesus Christ.  The way it is supposed to be done is this -- EVERYONE is welcome to come to the altar, the baptized and professing believers to receive the sacrament and the unbaptized to receive a blessing from the priest.

But many Episcopal and Anglican clergy rebel against this.  I actually come down fairly conservative on this point...I want everyone to feel welcome, but I would reserve the sacrament for those who profess faith in Christ.  Ironically, this is not splitting the church.  It should be splitting us, but we're too busy wringing our hands over homosexuals to think about much of anything else.

Please know -- I do not consider myself or any Christian to be superior to, preferable to or in anyway better than you or any Atheist or member of another religion.  Few things among Christians trouble me more than the "we're the saints and you're the ain'ts so neener neener" attitude.

But I do think the sacrament should be reserved for those who actually believe in it. 

[Torie]

Perfectly reasonable JS. I fully appreciate that your big tent might be a bit more constricted than mine, on this matter. My mind has a somewhat different hard wiring, due to our profoundly different experiences in life, even though in the end, we have a rather similar  temperament  I strongly suspect. It is amazing isn't it? If I ever get to the Hoosier state for some unfathomable reason I cannot imagine, I will be sure to look you up.  Do you drink?  Best. 

[JSojourner]

Perfectly reasonable JS. I fully appreciate that your big tent might be a bit more constricted than mine, on this matter. My mind has a somewhat different hard wiring, due to our profoundly different experiences in life, even though in the end, we have a rather similar  temperament  I strongly suspect. It is amazing isn't it? If I ever get to the Hoosier state for some unfathomable reason I cannot imagine, I will be sure to look you up.  Do you drink?  Best. 

Single Malt, 18 years or better...  you're buying.  :-)

(I am a redistributionist!)  LOL

[Virgil]

I believe other posters are right in saying that evangelical and mainline Christian churches don't much think of them at all, and some fundamentalists may project whatever they dislike about the Catholic Church onto the Eastern Orthodox, if they think of them at all. As a Catholic, I can say that Supersoulty is correct in that there are few theological differences between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox and they are hoping for reconciliation. Also, the Eastern Orthodox is the only other major church (I think the Oriental Orthodox have this, too) that the Roman Catholic Church sees as validly conferring the Sacrament of Holy Orders and all the sacraments associated with it, meaning basically that they believe Confirmation delivered by Eastern Orthodox clergy is just as valid as that delivered by Catholic clergy and that the Eastern Orthodox have transubstantiation. This is why the Eastern Orthodox are one of the few non-Catholic groups allowed to take Communion in the Catholic Church.

[??????????]

American Protestants have zero understanding of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Generalize much?

[GMantis]

American Protestants have zero understanding of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Generalize much?

What understanding do you have?

[??????????]

American Protestants have zero understanding of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Generalize much?

What understanding do you have?

Well, as a Catholic myself I can't say I personally have extensive understanding of all the workings of the church. However, I have some basic knowledge due to my pretty tough Catholic upbringing, coupled with the fact that my cousin is an ordained Protestant minister and he is very knowledgeable about such things, and we've talked about different faiths in the past.

I live pretty close to a Orthodox community and I have some basic knowledge of the church.

[JSojourner]

I'll throw in one thing that is probably untrue. 

At one point, I considered joining one of the Orthodox sects...largely because their theologians are intellectually strong and their liturgy is so beautiful.  I opted against it because I am committed to the ordination of women and other doctrinal differences.  But I maintain a deep affection for both Roman Catholocism and Orthodoxy.

So when I mentioned this to a Greek friend, she said..."Jim, you would always be a welcome guest in an Orthodox Church.   They would treat you really well.  But you would always be a guest.  Your name needs to end in "opoulos" to really be a member."

She was overstating, but suggesting that no church is quite so culturally closed.  I wonder if that is really true. 

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I think I would feel at home among the Eastern Orthodox as long as they were talking about Jesus Christ.


But I would be totally lost the moment they pulled out all their traditions, simply because I have no knowledge of their traditions.  I would be respectful of their traditions, but I wouldn't be interested in anything mandated outside of what can be found in scripture.  So I would basically be going through the motions so that I wouldn't offend them.

[GMantis]

I'll throw in one thing that is probably untrue. 

At one point, I considered joining one of the Orthodox sects...largely because their theologians are intellectually strong and their liturgy is so beautiful.  I opted against it because I am committed to the ordination of women and other doctrinal differences.  But I maintain a deep affection for both Roman Catholocism and Orthodoxy.

So when I mentioned this to a Greek friend, she said..."Jim, you would always be a welcome guest in an Orthodox Church.   They would treat you really well.  But you would always be a guest.  Your name needs to end in "opoulos" to really be a member."

She was overstating, but suggesting that no church is quite so culturally closed.  I wonder if that is really true. 

If there is such a thing, I think that applies only to the Greek Orthodox Church. There are multiple Orthodox churches, which are completely independent. Still, I don't remember the Bulgarian Orthodox church attempting to proselytise (not that it would be competent enough to actually proselytise...).