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Proof & the 7th Church Council

Problems in the Orthodox communities

When Catechism is not Education

Most of the Eastern Orthodox around the World have almost no instruction of any kind. We know that those in the USA who are Orthodox have access to better resources and training, which is usually the result of more democratic traditions in the USA.

But around the world, it is still true that most Eastern Orthodox priests recite the liturgies in ancient Church Slavonic or in Greek, and this makes those liturgies un-intelligible to the parishioners. Most Eastern Orthodox adherents in other countries, go for their entire lives, without understanding the theology, the purposes, the doctrines, or the liturgies that they are presented with on Sundays (or during the week).

Though American orthodox don’t like to recognize it, the fact remains that – most of the time – to have an opportunity to understand the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox church, requires that the Orthodox become Priests, because that is the only way that they learn about their own teachings. Yes, there are lay-helpers, but those do not exist much Outside of the USA.

This brings us back to the point that most Eastern Orthodox do not know their church theology, their church doctrines or their church history. Mimicking or repeating prayers does not mean that we understand the history or the origin of what we are repeating....

The sad part about this is that the Eastern Orthodox priests continue to propagate liturgies without any explanation of them for the masses. You may be able to recommend a few books to us (and if you do so, that is both good and fine with us - since this happens only very rarely, unfortunately), but how many of the Eastern Orthodox laymen – around the world – would have access to the same information – in their own language ?

XOFC receives news & email from around the world. We correspond with many Orthodox and Catholics from around the world. We know the state of the Orthodox Church, we believe – far more than the propaganda that those within Orthodox Parishes – (in the USA) – are presented with.

The Orthodox Church – as a rule – does not foster nor teach the exposition of the Bible to its own congregants. We understand the reasons for this: The EOC elevates tradition and church councils to the same level of authority as the Bible.

Or at least it says it does. Because it really doesn’t. Just as one example: When is the last time that you physically saw and read the transcript of the 7^th Church Council – the one that the EOC reveres so much ?

It must be nice – to always quote a document that you never have to produce for others to read or inspect...That is kind of strange, for a church that claims to revere its history and church councils, is it not ?

What the EOC truly reveres is the "concept" of revering tradition and history. But traditions and history are not presented to the average parishioner. If this were the case, it would open the EOC to too many questions that it knows it cannot answer.

The EOC refers to the Menaion and gives the impression that it is ancient. Can you find a copy that was produced earlier than the 12^th Century ? Where is the proof of its "earliest" authenticity ? 1100 or 1200 years after Christ...it does not sound very authentic....

That’s rather interesting. The EOC wants us to believe that it has authentic history, and authentic traditions, but it can produce no documents supporting this.

This conclusion is something that all truth-seekers must eventually deal with:

The EOC makes a number of claims about history, the historical record, its own traditions, the beliefs of the Church Fathers, the history of the Patriarchates, that it cannot come anywhere near proving.

For the most part, most people who attend the EOC are simply affirmed that they are coming closer to God – merely by attending the Eastern Orthodox Church, and accepting Official Church Membership. But just believing something - even believing it sincerely - does not make it true.

This issue of Church Membership is not small – for the EOC. This is because Baptism – within the EOC is a sign of Church Membership.

One would think that the EOC – would be a bit more concerned about being able to authenticate itself as the true continuation of the Early Church, the one started by Jesus Christ and his followers.

The EOC makes no effort in that regard (concerning history, archeological records, ancient records, etc) to establish that it is the "Continuation" of the Early Christian Churches. It merely Alleges and Asserts that it is, but there is no historical proof of this.

That is not because historical evidence does not exist. It is rather because the historical evidence which Does exist – proves the claims of the Eastern Orthodox Church to be false.

We are not referring to Chrysostom (who was a true Christian). He lived 400 Years after Christ, though. What about the first 400 years of Early Christianity - before Chrysostom ?

and how long did Chrysostom truly guide the Eastern Orthodox Church before the Eastern Orthodox Churck Kicked him out - which they did ? Why would the Eastern Orthodox Church banish and censur Chrysostom ?

Weren't we all told - as orthodox...that the Early Church was "always united and working together"...and yet Chrysostom died alone in exile, and separated from his friends...

The burden of proof is not on us. It is on the EOC to demonstrate that it is the historically authentic institution that it claims to be. But those claims are false.

There is no line of succession between Peter and the Roman Catholic Church. (and the Roman Catholic Church, which is what the Eastern Orthodox Church called itself for 600 years until 1054 A.D.- was founded by Constantine). For a Church such as the EOC which derives its claims to authenticity based on its claims to be the same Church as the Church of the Apostles – one would think it would have made just a bit more progress in being able to prove this point...if it actually could be done (by the EOC).

All the proof however, merely rests in the other direction, away from the RCC. Since these are the conclusions that we have come to, based on our own studies and the work of historians who came long before us, perhaps you can understand why we cannot agree that the so-called traditions of the EOC deserve equal merit as the Bible, especially if the EOC cannot substantiate a historical basis for the traditions it claims.

WHERE is the PROOF that these Orthodox traditions deserve EQUAL MERIT, when the Documents of the 6 Church Councils (and the 7th) are not released for ALL to see & read for themselves ?

Obviously, after investigating the claims of the EOC and the RCC, our conclusions were that the Reformation and its teachings were closer to Early and authentic Christianity that either the EOC or the RCC.

We are aware that this claim would present its own levels of difficulties, mainly because one first has to deal with the propaganda created by the Roman Catholic Church about Protestants, such as the myth that Protestants and Protestant teaching did not exist until the 1600s. But those early Church Councils affirm Protestant theology far more than they affirm either RCC or EOC theology and doctrines.

But one would actually have to have access to those documents, in order to personally establish the veracity of this statement.

But we probably...just don't know what we're talking about...so why don't you just send us copies of the First 6 Church Councils ???

Most Eastern Orthodox adherents in other countries, go for their entire lives, without understanding the theology, the purposes, the doctrines, or the liturgies that they are presented with on Sundays (or during the week).

When you find that proof and documentation about the 6 Church Councils, 

maybe you can find the proof for the 7th as well ???

NEXT: 

Why Non-Orthodox Reject the 7th Church Council

Was Early Christianity Corrupted by 'Hellenism'?