The difference between Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Is the symbol of the Orthodox faith different from the Catholic? What exactly

The significance of Orthodoxy in Russian history and culture is spiritually defining. In order to understand this and be convinced of this, one does not have to be Orthodox oneself; it is enough to know Russian history and have spiritual vigilance. It is enough to admit that the thousand-year history of Russia is being created by people of the Christian faith; that Russia was formed, strengthened and developed its spiritual culture precisely in Christianity, and that it accepted Christianity, professed, contemplated and introduced into life precisely in the act of Orthodoxy. This is precisely what was comprehended and pronounced by the genius of Pushkin. Here are his original words:

“The great spiritual and political upheaval of our planet is Christianity. In this sacred element, the world disappeared and was renewed. "The Greek religion, separate from all others, gives us a special national character." “Russia has never had anything in common with the rest of Europe”, “its history requires a different thought, a different formula”...

And now, when our generations are experiencing a great state, economic, moral, spiritual and creative failure in the history of Russia, and when we see her enemies everywhere (religious and political), preparing a campaign against her originality and integrity, we must firmly and accurately pronounce: do we value our Russian identity and are we ready to defend it? And further: what is this originality, what are its foundations, and what are the attacks on it that we must foresee?

The originality of the Russian people is expressed in its special and original spiritual act. Under the "act" one must understand the internal structure and way of a person: his way of feeling, contemplating, thinking, desiring and acting. Each of the Russians, having got abroad, had, and still has, the full opportunity to be convinced by experience that other peoples have a different way of life and spirituality from ours; we experience it at every step and hardly get used to it; sometimes we see their superiority, sometimes we acutely feel their dissatisfaction, but we always experience their foreignness and begin to languish and yearn for the “homeland”. This is due to the originality of our everyday and spiritual way of life, or, to put it in the shortest word, we have a different act.

The Russian national act was formed under the influence of four great factors: nature (continentality, plain, climate, soil), the Slavic soul, a special faith and historical development (statehood, wars, territorial dimensions, multinationality, economy, education, technology, culture). It is impossible to cover all this at once. There are books about this, sometimes precious (N. Gogol “What, finally, is the essence of Russian poetry”; N. Danilevsky “Russia and Europe”; I. Zabelin “The History of Russian Life”; F. Dostoevsky “The Diary of a Writer”; V. Klyuchevsky “Essays and Speeches”), then stillborn (P. Chaadaev “Philosophical Letters”; P. Milyukov “Essays on the History of Russian Culture”). In understanding and interpreting these factors and the Russian creative act itself, it is important to remain objective and fair, without turning into either a fanatical “Slavophile” or a “Westernizer” blind to Russia. And this is especially important in the main question that we are raising here - about Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

Among the enemies of Russia, who do not accept her entire culture and condemn her entire history, Roman Catholics occupy a very special place. They proceed from the fact that there is “good” and “truth” in the world only where the Catholic Church “leads” and where people unquestioningly recognize the authority of the Bishop of Rome. Everything else goes (so they understand) on the wrong path, is in darkness or heresy and must sooner or later be converted to their faith. This constitutes not only the "directive" of Catholicism, but the self-evident basis or premise of all its doctrines, books, evaluations, organizations, decisions and actions. The non-Catholic in the world must disappear: either as a result of propaganda and conversion, or by the destruction of God.

How many times in recent years have Catholic prelates taken it upon themselves to explain to me personally that “the Lord is sweeping the Orthodox East with an iron broom so that a single Catholic Church may reign”... How many times I shuddered at the bitterness that their speeches breathed and their eyes sparkled. And listening to these speeches, I began to understand how the prelate Michel d "Herbigny, head of Eastern Catholic propaganda, could go to Moscow twice (in 1926 and in 1928) to establish a union with the "Renovation Church" and, accordingly, the "Concordat "with the Bolsheviks, and how could he, returning from there, reprint without reservation the vile articles of the communists, calling the martyr, Orthodox, patriarchal Church (literally) "syphilitic" and "perverse." And I realized then that the "concordat" of the Vatican with the Third The International has not been realized until now, not because the Vatican "rejected" and "condemned" such an agreement, but because the communists themselves did not want it. I understood the destruction of Orthodox cathedrals, churches and parishes in Poland, which was carried out by Catholics in the thirties of the current (twentieth. - Note ed.) of the century ... I finally understood the true meaning of the Catholic "prayers for the salvation of Russia": both the original, brief, and the one that was compiled in 1926 by Pope Benedict XV and for reading to to which they are granted (by announcement) "three hundred days of indulgence" ...

And now, when we see how the Vatican has been preparing for a campaign against Russia for years, carrying out a massive purchase of Russian religious literature, Orthodox icons and entire iconostases, mass training of the Catholic clergy to simulate Orthodox worship in Russian (“Eastern Rite Catholicism”), close study Orthodox thought and soul for the sake of proving their historical inconsistency - all of us, Russian people, must put before ourselves the question of what is the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, and try to answer this question for ourselves with all objectivity, directness and historical fidelity.

This is a dogmatic, church-organizational, ritual, missionary, political, moral and act difference. The last difference is vital and primary: it gives the key to understanding all the others.

The dogmatic difference is known to every Orthodox: firstly, contrary to the decisions of the Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople,381) and the Third Ecumenical Council (Ephesus, 431, Rule 7), Catholics introduced into the 8th member of the Creed an addition about the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from the Father, but also from the Son (“filioque”); secondly, in the 19th century, a new Catholic dogma was added to this that the Virgin Mary was conceived immaculate (“de immaculata conceptione”); thirdly, in 1870, a new dogma was established on the infallibility of the pope in the affairs of the Church and doctrine (“ex cathedra”); fourthly, in 1950, another dogma was established on the posthumous bodily ascension of the Virgin Mary. These dogmas are not recognized by the Orthodox Church. These are the most important dogmatic differences.

The church-organizational difference lies in the fact that Catholics recognize the Roman pontiff as the head of the Church and substitute for Christ on earth, while the Orthodox recognize the single head of the Church - Jesus Christ and consider it only correct that the Church be built by the Ecumenical and Local Councils. Orthodoxy also does not recognize secular authority for bishops and does not honor Catholic order organizations (especially the Jesuits). These are the most important differences.

Ritual distinctions are as follows. Orthodoxy does not recognize worship in Latin; it observes the liturgies composed by Basil the Great and John Chrysostom and does not recognize Western models; it observes the communion bequeathed by the Savior under the guise of bread and wine and rejects the "communion" introduced by the Catholics for the laity with only "consecrated wafers"; it recognizes icons, but does not allow sculptures in churches; it elevates confession to the invisibly present Christ and denies the confessional as an organ of earthly power in the hands of a priest. Orthodoxy has created a completely different culture of church singing, prayer and ringing; he has a different outfit; he has a different sign of the cross; a different arrangement of the altar; it knows kneeling, but rejects the Catholic "crouching"; it does not know the rattling bell during prayers and many other things. These are the most important ritual distinctions.

Missionary distinctions are as follows. Orthodoxy recognizes freedom of confession and rejects the entire spirit of the Inquisition; extermination of heretics, torture, bonfires and forced baptism (Charlemagne). It observes, when converting, the purity of religious contemplation and its freedom from any extraneous motives, especially from intimidation, political calculation and material assistance (“charity”); it does not consider that earthly help to a brother in Christ proves the “orthodox faith” of the benefactor. It, according to the words of Gregory the Theologian, seeks "not to conquer, but to win brothers" in faith. It does not seek power on earth at any cost. These are the most important missionary distinctions.

These are the political differences. The Orthodox Church has never claimed either secular domination or the struggle for state power in the form of a political party. The original Russian-Orthodox solution of the question is as follows: Church and state have special and different tasks, but help each other in the struggle for the good; the state rules, but does not command the Church and does not engage in forced missionary work; The Church organizes its work freely and independently, observes secular loyalty, but judges everything by its own Christian yardstick and gives good advice, and perhaps denunciations to the rulers and good teaching to the laity (remember Philip the Metropolitan and Patriarch Tikhon). Her weapon is not a sword, not party politics, and not order intrigue, but conscience, instruction, denunciation and excommunication. Byzantine and post-Petrine deviations from this order were unhealthy phenomena.

Catholicism, on the contrary, seeks always and in everything and in all ways - power (secular, clerical, property and personally suggestive).

The moral difference is this. Orthodoxy appeals to the free human heart. Catholicism appeals to the blindly obedient will. Orthodoxy seeks to awaken in man a living, creative love and a Christian conscience. Catholicism requires from a person obedience and observance of the prescription (legalism). Orthodoxy asks for the very best and calls for evangelical perfection. Catholicism asks about what is prescribed, what is forbidden, what is permitted, what is forgivable, and what is unforgivable. Orthodoxy goes deep into the soul, looking for sincere faith and sincere kindness. Catholicism disciplines the outer man, seeks outward piety, and is satisfied with the formal semblance of good deeds.

And all this is most closely connected with the initial and deepest act difference, which must be thought through to the end, and, moreover, once and for all.

Confession differs from confession in its basic religious act and its structure. It is important not only what you believe in, but also what, that is, what forces of the soul, your faith is carried out. Ever since Christ the Savior established faith on living love (see Mark 12:30-33; Luke 10:27; cf. 1 John 4:7-8:16), we know where to look for faith and how find her. This is the most important thing for understanding not only one's own faith, but especially someone else's faith and the entire history of religion. This is how we should understand both Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

There are religions that are born out of fear and feed on fear; thus, African Negroes in their mass are primarily afraid of darkness and night, evil spirits, witchcraft, death. It is in the struggle against this fear and in the exploitation of it by others that their religion is formed.

There are religions that are born out of lust; and feed on eroticism taken as "inspiration"; such is the religion of Dionysus-Bacchus; such is "left-hand Shaivism" in India; such is Russian Khlystism.

There are religions that live in fantasy and imagination; their supporters are content with mythical legends and chimeras, poetry, sacrifices and rituals, neglecting love, will and thought. This is Indian Brahmanism.

Buddhism was created as a religion of life-giving and austerity. Confucianism arose as a religion of historically suffered and sincerely felt moral doctrine. The religious act of Egypt was dedicated to overcoming death. The Jewish religion was looking primarily for national self-affirmation on earth, putting forward henotheism (the god of national exclusivity) and moral legalism. The Greeks created a religion of the family hearth and visible beauty. The Romans - the religion of the magical rite. What about Christians?

Orthodoxy and Catholicism alike elevate their faith to Christ, the Son of God, and to the gospel gospel. And yet their religious acts are not only different, but incompatible in their opposites. It is precisely this that determines all the differences that I indicated in the previous article (“On Russian Nationalism.” - Approx. ed.).

The primary and fundamental awakening of faith for the Orthodox is the movement of the heart, contemplating love, which sees the Son of God in all His goodness, in all His perfection and spiritual strength, bows down and accepts Him as the real truth of God, as its main life treasure. In the light of this perfection, the Orthodox recognizes his sinfulness, strengthens and purifies his conscience by it, and embarks on the path of repentance and purification.

On the contrary, in a Catholic, “faith” awakens from a volitional decision: to trust such and such (Catholic-Church) authority, to submit and submit to it, and to force oneself to accept everything that this authority decides and prescribes, including the question of good and evil, sin and its admissibility.

Why does an Orthodox soul come to life from free tenderness, from kindness, from heartfelt joy - and then it blooms with faith and voluntary deeds corresponding to it. Here the gospel of Christ evokes sincere love for God, and free love awakens the Christian will and conscience in the soul.

On the contrary, the Catholic, by constant efforts of the will, forces himself to the faith that his authority prescribes to him.

However, in reality, only external bodily movements are completely subordinated to the will, conscious thought is subordinated to it to a much lesser extent; even less is the life of imagination and everyday feelings (emotions and affects). Neither love, nor faith, nor conscience is subject to the will and may not respond at all to its “compulsions”. One can force oneself to stand and prostrate, but it is impossible to force reverence, prayer, love and thanksgiving in oneself. Only external "piety" obeys the will, and this is nothing more than an external appearance or just a pretense. You can force yourself to make a property "donation"; but the gift of love, compassion, mercy is not compelled by will or authority. For love - both earthly and spiritual - thought and imagination follow by themselves, naturally and willingly, but the will can beat over them all their lives and not subject them to its pressure. From an open and loving heart, conscience, like the voice of God, will speak independently and authoritatively. But the discipline of the will does not lead to conscience, and obedience to external authority completely stifles personal conscience.

This is how this opposition and irreconcilability of the two confessions unfolds, and we, the Russian people, need to think it through to the end.

He who builds religion on will and on obedience to authority will inevitably have to limit faith to mental and verbal "recognition", leaving his heart cold and callous, replacing living love with legalism and discipline, and Christian kindness with "commendable", but dead deeds. . And prayer itself will turn into soulless words and insincere gestures. Anyone who knows the religion of ancient pagan Rome will immediately recognize its tradition in all this. It is precisely these features of Catholic religiosity that have always been experienced by the Russian soul as alien, strange, artificially strained and insincere. And when we hear from Orthodox people that in Catholic worship there is external solemnity, sometimes brought to grandeur and “beauty”, but there is no sincerity and warmth, there is no humility and burning, there is no real prayer, and therefore spiritual beauty, then we know where to look for an explanation for this.

This opposition between the two confessions is found in everything. Thus, the first task of an Orthodox missionary is to give people the Holy Gospel and divine service in their own language and in full text; Catholics adhere to the Latin language, which is incomprehensible to most nations, and forbid believers to read the Bible on their own. The Orthodox soul seeks a direct approach to Christ in everything: from inward solitary prayer to the communion of the Holy Mysteries. The Catholic dares to think and feel about Christ only what the authoritative mediator between him and God will allow him to do, and in the very communion he remains deprived and insane, not accepting transubstantiated wine and receiving instead of transubstantiated bread - a kind of "wafer" that replaces it.

Further, if faith depends on the will and decision, then obviously the unbeliever does not believe because he does not want to believe, and the heretic is a heretic because he decided to believe in his own way; and the "witch" serves the devil because she is possessed by an evil will. Naturally, they are all criminals against the Law of God and that they should be punished. Hence the Inquisition and all those cruel deeds with which the medieval history of Catholic Europe is saturated: crusades against heretics, bonfires, torture, the extermination of entire cities (for example, the city of Steding in Germany in 1234); in 1568 all the inhabitants of the Netherlands, except those named by name, were sentenced to death as heretics.

In Spain, the Inquisition finally disappeared only in 1834. The rationale for these executions is clear: an unbeliever is one who does not want to believe, he is a villain and a criminal in the face of God, hell awaits him; and behold, the short-lived fire of an earthly fire is better than the eternal fire of hell. It is natural that people who forced faith by their own will, try to force it from others as well, and see in unbelief or heterodoxy not a delusion, not misfortune, not blindness, not spiritual poverty, but an evil will.

On the contrary, an Orthodox priest follows the Apostle Paul: not to strive to "take power over another's will", but "to promote joy" in the hearts of people (see 2 Cor. 1, 24) and firmly remember Christ's covenant about "tares" that are not subject to premature weeding (see Matt. 13:25-36). He recognizes the guiding wisdom of Athanasius the Great and Gregory the Theologian: “What is done by force against desire is not only forced, not free and not glorious, but simply did not even take place” (Word 2, 15). Hence the instruction of Metropolitan Macarius, given by him in 1555 to the first Kazan archbishop Guriy: “With all sorts of customs, as possible, accustom the Tatars to him and bring them to baptism with love, but do not lead them to baptism with fear.” The Orthodox Church from time immemorial has believed in the freedom of faith, in its independence from earthly interests and calculations, in its heartfelt sincerity. Hence the words of Cyril of Jerusalem: "Simon the sorcerer in the font dip the body with water, but do not enlighten the heart with the spirit, and go down, and go out with the body, but do not bury the soul and do not rise."

Further, the will of earthly man seeks power. And the Church, building faith on the will, will certainly seek power. So it was with the Mohammedans; this has been the case with Catholics throughout their history. They were always looking for power in the world, as if the Kingdom of God were of this world - any power: independent secular power for the pope and cardinals, as well as power over kings and emperors (recall the Middle Ages); power over souls and especially over the will of his followers (confessional as a tool); party power in a modern "democratic" state; secret order power, totalitarian-cultural over everything and in all matters (Jesuits). They regard power as an instrument for establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. And this idea has always been alien to both the Gospel teaching and the Orthodox Church.

Power on earth requires dexterity, compromise, cunning, pretense, lies, deceit, intrigue and betrayal, and often crime. Hence the doctrine that the end resolves the means. It is in vain that the opponents expound this teaching of the Jesuits as if the end "justifies" or "sanctifies" bad means; in this way they only make it easier for the Jesuits to object and refute. Here we are not talking about “righteousness” or “holiness” at all, but either about church permission - about permissibility or about moral “good quality”. It is in this connection that the most prominent Jesuit Fathers, such as: Escobar-a-Mendoza, Soth, Tholet, Vascotz, Lessius, Sanquez and some others, assert that "actions are made good or bad depending on a good or bad goal" . However, the goal of a person is known only to him alone, it is a private matter, secret and easily amenable to simulation. Closely connected with this is the Catholic doctrine of the permissibility and even innocence of lies and deceit: you just need to interpret the spoken words “differently” to yourself, or use an ambiguous expression, or silently limit the amount of what was said, or remain silent about the truth - then a lie is not a lie, and deceit is not deceit, and a false oath in court is not sinful (for this see the Jesuits of Lemkull, Suaretz, Buzenbaum, Layman, Sanquez, Alagona, Lessia, Escobar and others).

But the Jesuits also have another teaching, which finally unties their hands for their order and their church leaders. This is the doctrine of evil deeds allegedly committed "by the command of God." So, in the Jesuit Peter Alagona (also in Buzenbaum) we read: “According to the command of God, you can kill the innocent, steal, debauchery, for He is the Lord of life and death, and therefore one must fulfill His command.” It goes without saying that the presence of such a monstrous and impossible "command" of God is decided by the Catholic Church authority, obedience to which is the very essence of the Catholic faith.

Anyone who, having thought through these features of Catholicism, turns to the Orthodox Church, will see and understand once and for all that the deepest traditions of both confessions are opposite and incompatible. Moreover, he will also understand that the whole of Russian culture was formed, strengthened and flourished in the spirit of Orthodoxy and became what it was at the beginning of the 20th century, primarily because it was not Catholic. The Russian man believed and believes with love, prays with his heart, freely reads the Gospel; and the authority of the Church helps him in his freedom and teaches him freedom, opening his spiritual eye to him, and not frightening him with earthly executions in order to "avoid" otherworldly ones. Russian charity and the "poverty" of the Russian tsars always came from the heart and kindness. Russian art has entirely grown out of free contemplation of the heart: the soaring of Russian poetry, and the dreams of Russian prose, and the depth of Russian painting, and the sincere lyricism of Russian music, and the expressiveness of Russian sculpture, and the spirituality of Russian architecture, and the feeling of Russian theater. The spirit of Christian love also penetrated into Russian medicine with its spirit of service, disinterestedness, intuitive and holistic diagnosis, individualization of the patient, brotherly attitude towards the suffering; and into Russian jurisprudence with its search for justice; and in Russian mathematics with its objective contemplation. He created the traditions of Solovyov, Klyuchevsky and Zabelin in Russian historiography. He created the tradition of Suvorov in the Russian army, and the tradition of Ushinsky and Pirogov in the Russian school. One must see with one's heart that deep connection that connects Russian Orthodox saints and elders with the way of life of the Russian, common people and educated soul. The whole Russian life is different and special, because the Slavic soul has strengthened its heart in the precepts of Orthodoxy. And the most Russian non-Orthodox confessions (with the exception of Catholicism) have taken into themselves the rays of this freedom, simplicity, cordiality and sincerity.

Let us also remember that our white movement, with all its loyalty to the state, with its patriotic fervor and sacrifice, arose from free and faithful hearts and has been maintained by them to this day. A living conscience, sincere prayer and personal “volunteering” are among the best gifts of Orthodoxy, and we have not the slightest reason to replace these gifts with the traditions of Catholicism.

Hence our attitude towards the "Catholicism of the Eastern Rite", which is now being prepared in the Vatican and in many Catholic monasteries. The very idea of subjugating the soul of the Russian people by means of a feigned imitation of their worship and of establishing Catholicism in Russia by this deceitful operation - we experience as religiously false, godless and immoral. So in war, ships sail under a false flag. This is how smuggling is carried across the border. So in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" a brother pours a deadly poison into his brother-king's ear during his sleep.

And if anyone needed to prove what Catholicism is and by what means it seizes power on earth, then this last enterprise makes all other proofs superfluous.

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03 / 08 / 2006

DIFFERENCES OF ORTHODOXY FROM CATHOLICISM

Catholicism and Orthodoxy, as well as Protestantism, are directions of one religion - Christianity. Despite the fact that both Catholicism and Orthodoxy are related to Christianity, there are significant differences between them.

The reason for the split of the Christian Church into Western (Catholicism) and Eastern (Orthodoxy) was the political split that occurred at the turn of the 8th-9th centuries, when Constantinople lost the lands of the western part of the Roman Empire. In the summer of 1054, the Pope's ambassador to Constantinople, Cardinal Humbert, anathematized the Byzantine patriarch Michael Kirularius and his followers. A few days later, a council was held in Constantinople, at which Cardinal Humbert and his henchmen were anathematized in response. Disagreements between representatives of the Roman and Greek churches escalated due to political differences: Byzantium argued with Rome for power. The distrust of East and West spilled over into open hostility after the crusade against Byzantium in 1202, when Western Christians went against their eastern brothers in faith. Only in 1964 did the Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and Pope Paul VI officially cancel the anathema of 1054. However, differences in tradition have become strongly ingrained over the centuries.

Church organization

The Orthodox Church includes several independent Churches. In addition to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), there are Georgian, Serbian, Greek, Romanian and others. These Churches are governed by patriarchs, archbishops and metropolitans. Not all Orthodox Churches have communion with each other in the sacraments and prayers (which, according to the catechism of Metropolitan Philaret, is a necessary condition for individual Churches to be part of the one Ecumenical Church). Also, not all Orthodox Churches recognize each other as true churches. Orthodox believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.

Unlike the Orthodox Church, Catholicism is one Universal Church. All its parts in different countries of the world are in communion with each other, and also follow the same dogma and recognize the Pope as their head. In the Catholic Church, there are communities within the Catholic Church (rites) that differ from each other in forms of liturgical worship and church discipline. There are Roman rites, Byzantine rites, etc. Therefore, there are Roman rite Catholics, Byzantine rite Catholics, etc., but they are all members of the same Church. Catholics consider the Pope to be the head of the Church.

worship

The main service for the Orthodox is the Divine Liturgy, for Catholics - the Mass (Catholic Liturgy).

During the service in the Russian Orthodox Church, it is customary to stand as a sign of humility before God. In other Eastern Rite Churches, it is permitted to sit during worship. As a sign of unconditional obedience, the Orthodox kneel. Contrary to popular belief, it is customary for Catholics to sit and stand in worship. There are services that Catholics listen to on their knees.

Mother of God

In Orthodoxy, the Mother of God is primarily the Mother of God. She is revered as a saint, but she was born in original sin, like all mere mortals, and reposed like all people. Unlike Orthodoxy, in Catholicism it is believed that the Virgin Mary was conceived immaculately without original sin and at the end of her life she was raised alive to heaven.

Symbol of faith

Orthodox believe that the Holy Spirit comes only from the Father. Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and from the Son.

Sacraments

The Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church recognize seven main Sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), Communion (Eucharist), Repentance (Confession), Priesthood (Ordination), Consecration (Unction) and Marriage (Wedding). The rituals of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches are almost identical, the differences are only in the interpretation of the sacraments. For example, during the sacrament of baptism in the Orthodox Church, a child or an adult plunges into the font. In a Catholic church, an adult or a child is sprinkled with water. The Sacrament of Communion (Eucharist) is performed on leavened bread. Both the priesthood and the laity partake of both the Blood (wine) and the Body of Christ (bread). In Catholicism, the sacrament of communion is performed on unleavened bread. The priesthood partakes of both the Blood and the Body, while the laity only partake of the Body of Christ.

Purgatory

Orthodoxy does not believe in the existence of purgatory after death. Although it is assumed that souls may be in an intermediate state, hoping to go to heaven after the Last Judgment. In Catholicism, there is a dogma about purgatory, where souls dwell in anticipation of paradise.

Faith and Morality

The Orthodox Church only recognizes the decisions of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, which took place from 49 to 787. Catholics recognize the Pope as their head and share the same faith. Although within the Catholic Church there are communities with different forms of liturgical worship: Byzantine, Roman and others. The Catholic Church recognizes the decisions of the 21st Ecumenical Council, the last of which took place in 1962-1965.

Within the framework of Orthodoxy, divorces are allowed in individual cases, which are decided by priests. The Orthodox clergy are divided into "white" and "black". Representatives of the "white clergy" are allowed to marry. True, then they will not be able to receive episcopal and higher dignity. "Black clergy" are monks who take a vow of celibacy. The sacrament of marriage among Catholics is considered to be concluded for life and divorces are prohibited. All Catholic monastic clergy take a vow of celibacy.

sign of the cross

Orthodox are baptized only from right to left with three fingers. Catholics are baptized from left to right. They do not have a single rule, as when creating a cross, you need to fold your fingers, so several options have taken root.

Icons

On Orthodox icons, saints are written in two-dimensional image according to the tradition of reverse perspective. Thus, it is emphasized that the action takes place in another dimension - in the world of the spirit. Orthodox icons are monumental, strict and symbolic. Among Catholics, saints are written in a naturalistic way, often in the form of statues. Catholic icons are written in direct perspective.

Sculptural images of Christ, the Virgin and saints, accepted in Catholic churches, are not accepted by the Eastern Church.

crucifixion

The Orthodox cross has three crossbars, one of which is short and is at the top, symbolizing the tablet with the inscription "This is Jesus, King of the Jews", which was nailed over the head of the crucified Christ. The lower crossbar is a foot and one of its ends looks up, pointing to one of the thieves crucified next to Christ, who believed and ascended with him. The second end of the crossbar points down, as a sign that the second thief, who allowed himself to slander Jesus, ended up in hell. On the Orthodox cross, each leg of Christ is nailed with a separate nail. Unlike the Orthodox cross, the Catholic cross consists of two crossbars. If Jesus is depicted on it, then both feet of Jesus are nailed to the base of the cross with one nail. Christ on Catholic crucifixes, as well as on icons, is depicted in a naturalistic way - his body sags under weight, torment and suffering are noticeable in the whole image.

Wake for the deceased

Orthodox commemorate the dead on the 3rd, 9th and 40th days, then a year later. Catholics commemorate the dead on Memorial Day, November 1st. November 1st is an official holiday in some European countries. The dead are also commemorated on the 3rd, 7th and 30th days after death, but this tradition is not strictly observed.

Despite existing differences, both Catholics and Orthodox are united by the fact that they profess and preach throughout the world one faith and one teaching of Jesus Christ.

findings:

1. In Orthodoxy, it is customary to consider that the Universal Church is "embodied" in each local Church, headed by a bishop. Catholics add to this that in order to belong to the Universal Church, the local Church must have communion with the local Roman Catholic Church.

2. World Orthodoxy does not have a single leadership. It is divided into several independent churches. World Catholicism is one church.

3. The Catholic Church recognizes the supremacy of the Pope in matters of faith and discipline, morality and government. Orthodox churches do not recognize the primacy of the Pope.

4. Churches differently see the role of the Holy Spirit and the mother of Christ, who in Orthodoxy is called the Mother of God, and in Catholicism the Virgin Mary. In Orthodoxy there is no concept of purgatory.

5. The same sacraments operate in the Orthodox and Catholic churches, but the ceremonies of their implementation are different.

6. Unlike Catholicism, in Orthodoxy there is no dogma about purgatory.

7. Orthodox and Catholics make the cross in different ways.

8. Orthodoxy allows divorce, and its "white clergy" can marry. In Catholicism, divorce is prohibited, and all monastic clergy take a vow of celibacy.

9. The Orthodox and Catholic Churches recognize the decisions of different Ecumenical Councils.

10. Unlike the Orthodox, Catholics paint saints on icons in a naturalistic way. Also among Catholics, sculptural images of Christ, the Virgin and saints are common.

In 1054, one of the most important events in the history of the Middle Ages took place - the Great Schism, or schism. And despite the fact that mutual anathemas were lifted by the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Holy See back in the middle of the 20th century, the world did not unite, and the reason for this was both dogmatic differences between both confessions and political contradictions closely connected with the Church throughout its existence.

This state of affairs persists even though most of the states where the population professes Christianity, and where it has taken root in antiquity, are secular and have a large proportion of atheists. The Church and its role in history became part of the national self-identification of many peoples, despite the fact that representatives of these peoples often did not even read the Scriptures.

Sources of conflict

A single Christian church (hereinafter referred to as the EC) arose in the Roman Empire in the first centuries of our era. It was not something monolithic in the early period of its existence. The sermons of the apostles and then the apostolic men lay down on the consciousness of the man of the ancient Mediterranean, but it differed significantly from that of the people of the East. The unified dogma of the EC was finally developed during the period of the Apologists, and in addition to the Scripture itself, its formation was strongly influenced by Greek philosophy, namely: Plato, Aristotle, Zeno.

The first theologians who worked out the foundations of the Christian faith were people from various parts of the empire, often with personal spiritual and philosophical experience behind them. And in their works, in the presence of a common basis, we can see some accents, which in the future will become sources of controversy. Those in power will cling to these contradictions in the interests of the state, caring little about the spiritual side of the issue.

The unity of common Christian dogma was supported by the Ecumenical Councils, the formation of the clergy as a separate class of society proceeded according to the principle of continuity of ordinations from the Apostle Peter . But the harbingers of a future split were already clearly visible at least in such a case as proselytism. In the period of the early Middle Ages, new peoples began to enter the orbit of Christianity, and here the circumstance from whom the people receive Baptism played a much greater role than the very fact of it. And this, in turn, had a strong impact on how relations between the Church and the new flock would develop, because the community of new converts did not so much accept the dogma as entered the orbit of a stronger political structure.

The difference in the role of the Church in the east and in the west of the former Roman Empire was due to the different fate of these parts. The western part of the empire fell under the pressure of internal conflicts and barbarian raids, and the Church there actually formed a society. States were formed, disintegrated, re-created, but the Roman center of gravity existed. In fact, the Church in the West rose above the state, which determined its further role in European politics until the era of the Reformation.

The Byzantine Empire, on the contrary, had its roots in the pre-Christian era, and Christianity became part of the culture and self-consciousness of the population of this territory, but did not replace this culture entirely. The organization of the Eastern churches followed a different principle—locality. The Church was organized as if from below, it was a community of believers as opposed to the power vertical in Rome. The Patriarch of Constantinople had the primacy of honor, but not legislative power (Constantinople did not shake the threat of excommunication as a stick to influence objectionable monarchs). The relationship with the latter was realized according to the principle of a symphony.

The further development of Christian theology in the East and in the West also followed different paths. Scholasticism spread in the West, trying to combine faith and logic, which ultimately led to a conflict between faith and reason in the Renaissance. In the East, these concepts have never been mixed up, which is well reflected in the Russian proverb "Trust in God, but don't make a mistake yourself." On the one hand, this gave great freedom of thought, on the other hand, it did not give the practice of scientific dispute.

Thus, political and theological contradictions led to the schism of 1054. How it went is a big topic worthy of a separate presentation. And now we will tell you how modern Orthodoxy and Catholicism differ from each other. The differences will be considered in the following order:

dogmatic;
Ritual;
Mental.

Fundamental dogmatic differences

Usually little is said about them, which is not surprising: a simple believer, as a rule, does not care about this. But there are such differences., and some of them became the reason for the split in 1054. Let's list them.

Views on the Holy Trinity

A stumbling block between Orthodox and Catholics. The notorious filioque.

The Catholic Church believes that Divine grace comes not only from the Father, but also from the Son. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, professes the procession of the Holy Spirit only from the Father and the existence of Three Persons in a single Divine essence.

Views on the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary

Catholics believe that the Mother of God is the fruit of the Immaculate Conception, that is, she was free from original sin from the very beginning (recall that by original sin considered disobedience to the will God, and we still feel the consequences of Adam's disobedience to this will (Gen. 3:19)).

The Orthodox do not recognize this dogma, since there are no indications of such a thing in Scripture, and the conclusions of Catholic theologians are based only on a hypothesis.

Views on the unity of the Church

Orthodox understand faith and sacraments as unity, while Catholics recognize the Pope as the vicar of God on earth. Orthodoxy considers each local church to be completely self-sufficient (for it is a model of the Universal Church), Catholicism puts the recognition of the Pope's authority over it and all aspects of human life at the forefront. The Pope is infallible in the views of Catholics.

Resolutions of the Ecumenical Councils

Orthodox recognize 7 Ecumenical Councils, and Catholics - 21, the last of which took place in the middle of the last century.

Dogma of Purgatory

Available for Catholics. Purgatory is a place where the souls of the dead go in unity with God, but did not pay for their sins during life. It is believed that living people should pray for them. Orthodox do not recognize the doctrine of purgatory, believing that the fate of the human soul is in the hands of God, but it is possible and necessary to pray for the dead. Finally, this dogma was approved only at the Ferrara-Florence Cathedral.

Differences in views on dogmas

The Catholic Church adopted the theory of dogmatic development created by Cardinal John Newman, according to which the Church should clearly formulate its dogmas in words. The need for this arose to counter the influence of Protestant denominations. This problem is quite relevant and broad: Protestants honor the letter of Scripture, and often to the detriment of its spirit. Catholic theologians set themselves a difficult task: to formulate dogmas based on Scripture in such a way as to exclude these contradictions.

Orthodox hierarchs and theologians do not consider it necessary to somehow clearly state the dogmatics of the doctrine and develop it. In the view of Orthodox churches, the letter does not give a complete understanding of faith and even limits this understanding. Church Tradition is complete enough for a Christian, and every believer can have his own spiritual path.

External differences

This is what catches the eye in the first place. Oddly enough, but it was they, despite their non-principled nature, that became the source of not only small conflicts, but also big upheavals. Typically it was for the Orthodox and Catholic churches, differences within which, at least regarding the views of the hierarchs, provoked the emergence of heresies and new schisms.

The rite was never something static - neither in the period of early Christianity, nor during the Great Schism, nor in the period of separate existence. Moreover: sometimes cardinal changes took place in the rite, but they did not bring them closer to the unity of the church. Rather, on the contrary, each innovation broke away from one or another church of the believers.

For illustration, we can take the church schism in Russia in the 17th century - and after all, Nikon did not seek to split the Russian church, but, on the contrary, to unite the Ecumenical (his ambition, of course, went off scale).

It's also good to remember- with the introduction of ordus novo (services in national languages) in the middle of the last century, part of the Catholics did not accept this, believing that the mass should be served according to the Tridentine rite. Currently, Catholics use the following types of rites:

ordus novo, standard service;
the Rite of Trent, according to which the priest is obliged to conduct Mass if the parish is by a majority vote in favor;
Greek Catholic and Armenian Catholic rites.

There are many myths around the theme of ritualism. One of them is the dictate of the Latin language among Catholics, and no one understands this language. Although the Latin rite was replaced by the national one relatively recently, many do not take into account, for example, the fact that the Uniate churches, subordinate to the Pope, retained their rite. They also do not take into account the fact that Catholics also began to publish national Bibles (Where was it to go? Protestants often took this).

Another misconception is the primacy of ritual over consciousness. This is partly due to the fact that the consciousness of a person has largely remained pagan: he confuses the rite and the sacrament, and uses them as a kind of magic, in which, as you know, following the instructions plays a decisive role.

In order for you to better see the ritual differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism - a table to help you:

category	subcategory	orthodoxy	Catholicism
sacraments	baptism	full immersion	sprinkling
	chrismation	immediately after baptism	confirmation in adolescence
	communion	at any time, from the age of 7 - after confession	after 7-8 years
	confession	at the lectern	in a dedicated room
	wedding	allowed three times	marriage is indissoluble
Temple	orientation	altar to the east	the rule is not respected
	altar	fenced with an iconostasis	not fenced, maximum - altar barrier
	benches	absent, pray standing with bows	are present, although in the old days there were small benches for kneeling
	liturgy	Scheduled	can be ordered
	musical accompaniment	choir only	may be an organ
cross	difference between orthodox and catholic crosses	sketchy	naturalistic
	the Omen	triplets, top to bottom, right to left	open hand, top to bottom, left to right
clergy	hierarchy		there are cardinals
	monasteries	each with its own charter	organized into monastic orders
	celibacy	for monks and officials	for all above deacon
posts	eucharistic	6 hours	1 hour
	weekly	Wednesday and Friday	Friday
	calendar	strict	less strict
calendar	Saturday	complements sunday	Sunday replaced Saturday
	calculus	Julian, New Julian	Gregorian
	easter	Alexandrian	Gregorian

In addition, there are differences in the veneration of saints, the order of canonization of such, holidays. The vestments of the priests are also different, although the cut of the latter has common roots among both Orthodox and Catholics.

Also in Catholic worship more important is the personality of the priest; he pronounces the formulas of the sacraments in the first person, and in Orthodox worship in the third person, since the sacrament is performed not by the priest (as opposed to the rite), but by God. By the way, the number of sacraments is the same for both Catholics and Orthodox. The sacraments are:

Baptism;
Chrismation;
Repentance;
Eucharist;
Wedding;
Ordination to the dignity;
Unction.

Catholics and Orthodox: what is the difference

If we talk about the Church, not as an organization, but as a community of believers, then there is still a difference in mentality. Moreover, both the Catholic and Orthodox churches have strongly influenced both the formation of civilizational models of modern states, and the attitude of representatives of these nations to life, its goals, morality and other aspects of their being.

Moreover, this affects even now, when the number of people who do not belong to any confessions is growing in the world, and the Church itself is losing its position in regulating various aspects of human life.

The average visitor to the temple rarely thinks about why he, for example, is a Catholic. For him, this is often a tribute to tradition, a formality, a habit. Often belonging to one or another confession serves as an excuse for one's irresponsibility or as a way to score political points.

So, representatives of the Sicilian mafia flaunted their belonging to Catholicism, which did not prevent them from receiving income from the drug trade and committing crimes. The Orthodox even have a saying for such hypocrisy: “Either take off your cross, or put on your underpants.”

Among the Orthodox, there is often such a model of behavior, which is characterized by another proverb - "until the thunder breaks out, the peasant will not cross himself."

And yet, despite such differences both in dogmas and in ritual, there are indeed more common things between us than differences. And dialogue between us is necessary to preserve peace and mutual understanding. After all, both Orthodoxy and Catholicism are branches of the same Christian faith. And it is worth remembering this not only for hierarchs, but also for ordinary believers.

The table "Comparison of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches" will help you better understand the fundamental differences when studying the history of the Middle Ages in the 6th grade, and can also be used as a review in high school.

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"Table "Comparison of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches""

Table. Catholic and Orthodox Church

	Catholic Church	Orthodox Church
Name	Roman Catholic	Greek Orthodox Eastern Catholic
	Pope (pontiff)	Patriarch of Constantinople
		Constantinople

Relation to the Mother of God
Images in temples	Sculptures and frescoes
Music in the temple	Organ use

The language of worship

Table. Catholic and Orthodox Church.

How many mistakes are made? What mistakes are made?

	Catholic Church	Orthodox Church
Name	Roman Catholic	Greek Orthodox Eastern Catholic
	Pope (pontiff)	Patriarch of Constantinople
		Constantinople
	Believes that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father through the Son.	He believes that the Holy Spirit proceeds both from the Father and from the Son (filioque; lat. filioque - "and from the Son"). Eastern Rite Catholics have a different opinion on this issue.
Relation to the Mother of God	The embodiment of Beauty, Wisdom, Truth, Youth, happy motherhood	Queen of Heaven, patroness and comforter
Images in temples	Sculptures and frescoes
Music in the temple		Organ use
	Seven sacraments are accepted: baptism, chrismation, repentance, the Eucharist, marriage, priesthood, and unction. During the ceremonies, you can sit on the benches The Eucharist is celebrated on leavened bread (leavened bread); communion for the clergy and laity with the Body of Christ and His Blood (bread and wine)	Seven sacraments are accepted: baptism, chrismation, repentance, Eucharist, marriage, priesthood, anointing (unction). The Eucharist is celebrated on unleavened bread (unleavened bread made without yeast); communion for the clergy - with the Body and Blood of Christ (bread and wine), for the laity - only with the Body of Christ (bread). You can't sit during the rituals.
The language of worship	In most countries worship is in Latin	In most countries, worship is in national languages; in Russia, as a rule, in Church Slavonic.

The Christian faith from time immemorial has been attacked by opponents. In addition, attempts to interpret the Holy Scriptures in their own way were made at different times by different people. Perhaps this was the reason why the Christian faith was divided over time into Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. They are all very similar, but there are differences between them. Who are Protestants and how does their teaching differ from Catholic and Orthodox? Let's try to figure it out. Let's start with the origins - with the formation of the first Church.

How did the Orthodox and Catholic Churches appear?

Approximately in the 50s from the Nativity of Christ, the disciples of Jesus and their supporters created the Orthodox Christian Church, which still exists today. First there were five ancient Christian Churches. In the first eight centuries since the birth of Christ, the Orthodox Church, led by the Holy Spirit, built her teaching, developed her own methods and traditions. To this end, all the Five Churches took part in the Ecumenical Councils. This teaching has not changed today. The Orthodox Church includes Churches that are not connected with each other by anything other than faith - the Syrian, Russian, Greek, Jerusalem, etc. But there is no other organization or no person that unites all these Churches under its leadership. The only leader in the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ. Why is the Orthodox Church called the Catholic Church in prayer? It's simple: if you need to make an important decision, all the Churches take part in the Ecumenical Council. Later, a thousand years later, in 1054, the Roman Church, which is also Catholic, separated from the five ancient Christian churches.

This Church did not seek advice from other members of the Ecumenical Council, but made decisions and carried out reforms in church life itself. We will talk in more detail about the teachings of the Roman Church a little later.

How did the Protestants appear?

Let's return to the main question: "Who are the Protestants?" After the separation of the Roman Church, many people did not like the changes introduced by it. It was not in vain that the people thought that all the reforms were aimed only at making the Church richer and more influential.

After all, even in order to atone for sins, a person had to pay a certain amount of money to the Church. And in 1517, in Germany, the monk Martin Luther gave impetus to the Protestant faith. He denounced the Roman Catholic Church and its ministers that they are looking only for their own benefit, forgetting about God. Luther said that the Bible should be preferred if there is a conflict between church tradition and Scripture. Luther also translated the Bible from Latin into German, proclaiming that each person can study the Holy Scriptures for himself and interpret it in his own way. So are Protestants? Protestants demanded a revision of attitudes towards religion, getting rid of unnecessary traditions and rituals. The enmity began between the two Christian denominations. Catholics and Protestants fought. The only difference is that Catholics fought for power and subjugation to themselves, while Protestants fought for freedom of choice and the right path in religion.

Persecution of Protestants

Of course, the Roman Church could not ignore the attacks of those who opposed unquestioning obedience. Catholics did not want to accept and understand who the Protestants were. There were massacres of Catholics against Protestants, public executions of those who refused to become Catholics, harassment, ridicule, persecution. Adherents of Protestantism also did not always prove their case in a peaceful way. Protests by opponents of the Catholic Church and its rule in many countries swept with mass pogroms of Catholic churches. For example, in the 16th century in the Netherlands there were more than 5,000 pogroms by people who rebelled against Catholics. In response to the riots, the authorities repaired their own court, they did not understand how Catholics differ from Protestants. In the same Netherlands, over 80 years of war between the authorities and the Protestants, 2,000 conspirators were convicted and executed. In total, about 100,000 Protestants suffered for their faith in this country. And that's just in one country. Protestants, in spite of everything, defended their right to a different point of view on the issue of Church life. But, the uncertainty that was present in their teaching led to the fact that other groups began to separate from the Protestants. There are more than twenty thousand different Protestant churches all over the world, for example, Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal, and among the Protestant movements there are Methodists, Presbyterians, Adventists, Congregationalists, Quakers, etc. Catholics and Protestants have greatly changed the Church. Who are Catholics and Protestants according to their teachings, let's try to figure it out. In fact, Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians are both Christians. The difference between them is that the Orthodox Church has what can be called the fullness of the teachings of Christ - it is a school and an example of goodness, it is a clinic for human souls, and Protestants simplify all this more and more, creating something in which it is very difficult to know the doctrine of virtue, and what cannot be called a complete doctrine of salvation.

Basic principles of Protestants

You can answer the question of who the Protestants are by understanding the basic principles of their teaching. Protestants consider all rich ecclesiastical experience, all spiritual art collected over the centuries, invalid. They recognize only the Bible, believing that it is the only true source of how and what to do in church life. For Protestants, the Christian communities of the time of Jesus and his apostles are the ideal of what the life of a Christian should be like. But adherents of Protestantism do not take into account the fact that at that time the church structure simply did not exist. The Protestants simplified everything of the Church, except for the Bible, mainly because of the reforms of the Roman Church. Because Catholicism has greatly changed the doctrine and deviated from the Christian spirit. And the splits among the Protestants began to occur because they threw away everything - up to the teachings of the great saints, spiritual teachers, leaders of the Church. And since the Protestants began to deny these teachings, or rather, did not perceive them, then they began to argue in the interpretation of the Bible. Hence the split in Protestantism and the waste of energy not on self-education, as with the Orthodox, but on a useless struggle. The difference between Catholics and Protestants is being erased against the background of the fact that the Orthodox, who have been keeping their faith for more than 2,000 years in the form in which it was transmitted by Jesus, are both called a mutation of Christianity. Both Catholics and Protestants are sure that it is their faith that is true, such as Christ intended it to be.

Differences between Orthodox and Protestants

Although Protestants and Orthodox are Christians, the differences between them are significant. First, why do Protestants reject saints? It's simple - in the Holy Scriptures it is written that the members of the ancient communities of Christians were called "saints". Protestants, taking these communities as a basis, call themselves saints, which is unacceptable and even wild for an Orthodox person. Orthodox saints are heroes of the spirit and role models. They are the guiding star on the path to God. Believers treat Orthodox saints with awe and respect. Christians of the Orthodox denomination turn to their saints with prayers for help, for prayer support in difficult situations. Icons with images of saints do not just decorate their homes and temples.

Looking at the faces of the saints, a believer seeks to improve himself through the study of the lives of those depicted on the icons, inspired by the exploits of his heroes. Having no example of the holiness of spiritual fathers, monks, elders and other very respected and authoritative people among Orthodoxy, Protestants can give only one high title and honor for a spiritual person - this is "one who has studied the Bible." A Protestant person deprives himself of such an instrument for self-education and self-improvement as fasting, confession and communion. These three components are the hospital of the human spirit, forcing you to humble your flesh and work on your weaknesses, correcting yourself and striving for the bright, kind, Divine. Without confession, a person cannot cleanse his soul, begin to correct his sins, because he does not think about his shortcomings and continues to live an ordinary life for and for the sake of the flesh, in addition, he is proud that he is a believer.

What else do Protestants lack?

No wonder many do not understand who Protestants are. After all, people of this religion, as mentioned above, do not have spiritual literature, such as that of Orthodox Christians. In the spiritual books of the Orthodox you can find almost everything - from sermons and interpretation of the Bible to the lives of the saints and advice on the fight against one's passions. It becomes much easier for a person to understand the issues of good and evil. And without the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, the Bible is extremely difficult to understand. Protestants began to appear, but it is still only in its infancy, and in Orthodoxy this literature has been improved for more than 2000 years. Self-education, self-improvement - the concepts inherent in every Orthodox Christian, among Protestants are reduced to the study and memorization of the Bible. In Orthodoxy, everything - both repentance, and prayers, and icons - everything calls for a person to strive at least one step closer to the ideal that God is. But the Protestant directs all his efforts to be virtuous outwardly, and does not care about his inner content. That's not all. Protestants and Orthodox differences in religion are noticed by the arrangement of churches. The Orthodox believer has support in striving to be better both in mind (thanks to preaching), and in heart (thanks to the decoration in churches, icons), and will (thanks to fasting). But Protestant churches are empty and Protestants hear only sermons that affect the mind without touching the hearts of people. Having abandoned monasteries, Protestant monasticism was deprived of the opportunity to see for themselves examples of a modest, humble life for the sake of the Lord. After all, monasticism is a school of spiritual life. It is not for nothing that there are many elders, saints or almost saints of Orthodox Christians among the monks. And also the concept of Protestants that nothing but faith in Christ is needed for salvation (neither good deeds, nor repentance, nor self-correction) is a false path, leading only to the addition of one more sin - pride (because of the feeling that once If you are a believer, then you are the chosen one and you will certainly be saved).

The difference between Catholics and Protestants

Despite the fact that Protestants are natives of Catholicism, there are significant differences between these two religions. So, in Catholicism, it is believed that the sacrifice of Christ atoned for all the sins of all people, and Protestants, however, like the Orthodox, believe that a person is initially sinful and the blood shed by Jesus alone is not enough to atone for sins. Man must atone for his sins. Hence the difference in the construction of temples. For Catholics, the altar is open, everyone can see the throne, for Protestants and Orthodox in churches, the altar is closed. Here's another way Catholics differ from Protestants - Protestants communicate with God without an intermediary - a priest, while Catholics have priests to mediate between a person and God.

Catholics on earth have a representative of Jesus himself, at least they think so - this is the Pope. He is an infallible person for all Catholics. The Pope of Rome resides in the Vatican, the single central governing body for all the Catholic Churches in the world. Another difference between Catholics and Protestants is the rejection by Protestants of the Catholic notion of purgatory. As mentioned above, Protestants reject icons, saints, monasteries and monasticism. They believe that believers are holy in themselves. Therefore, Protestants do not distinguish between a priest and a parishioner. A Protestant priest is accountable to the Protestant community and cannot confess or give communion to believers. In fact, he is just a preacher, that is, he reads sermons for believers. But the main difference between Catholics and Protestants is the question of the connection between God and man. Protestants believe that the personal is enough for salvation, and a person receives Grace from God without the participation of the Church.

Protestants and Huguenots

These names of religious movements are closely related. To answer the question of who the Huguenots and Protestants are, you need to remember the history of 16th century France. The French began to call the Huguenots protesting against the rule of Catholics, but the first Huguenots were called Lutherans. Although an evangelical movement independent of Germany, directed against the reforms of the Roman Church, existed in France as early as the beginning of the 16th century. The struggle of Catholics against the Huguenots did not affect the increase in the number of adherents of this movement.

Even the famous one, when the Catholics simply staged a massacre and killed many Protestants, did not break them. In the end, the Huguenots achieved recognition by the authorities of the right to exist. In the history of the development of this Protestant movement, there were oppression, and the granting of privileges, then again oppression. Yet the Huguenots persevered. By the time of the end of the twentieth century in France, the Huguenots were, albeit a small number of the population, but they were very influential. A distinctive feature in the religion of the Huguenots (followers of the teachings of John Calvin) is that some of them believed that God determines in advance which of the people will be saved, whether a person is sinful or not, and the other part of the Huguenots believed that all people are equal before God and the Lord grants salvation to everyone who accepts this salvation. Disputes between the Huguenots did not stop for a long time.

Protestants and Lutherans

The history of Protestants began to take shape in the 16th century. And one of the initiators of this movement was M. Luther, who opposed the excesses of the Roman Church. One of the directions of Protestantism began to be called by the name of this person. The name "Evangelical Lutheran Church" became widespread in the 17th century. The parishioners of this church began to be called Lutherans. It should be added that in some countries all Protestants were first called Lutherans. For example, in Russia, until the revolution, all adherents of Protestantism were considered Lutherans. To understand who Lutherans and Protestants are, you need to turn to their teachings. Lutherans believe that during the Reformation, the Protestants did not create a new Church, but restored the ancient one. Also, according to the Lutherans, God accepts any sinner as his child, and the salvation of the sinner is only the initiative of the Lord. Salvation does not depend on the efforts of a person, nor on the passage of church rites, it is God's grace, for which you do not even need to prepare. Even faith, according to the teachings of the Lutherans, is given only by the will and action of the Holy Spirit and only by the people chosen by him. A distinctive feature of Lutherans and Protestants is that Lutherans recognize baptism, and even baptism in infancy, which Protestants do not.

Protestants today

Which religion is correct is not worth judging. Only the Lord knows the answer to this question. One thing is clear: the Protestants proved their right to be. The history of Protestants, starting from the 16th century, is the history of the right to one's own opinion, to one's opinion. Neither oppression, nor execution, nor ridicule could break the spirit of Protestantism. And today, Protestants are the second largest believers among the three Christian religions. This religion has penetrated almost all countries. Protestants make up approximately 33% of the total population of the globe, or 800 million people. There are Protestant churches in 92 countries of the world, and in 49 countries the majority of the population is Protestant. This religion prevails in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Iceland, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, etc.

Three Christian religions, three directions - Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants. Photos from the life of parishioners of churches of all three denominations help to understand that these directions are so similar, but with significant differences. It would, of course, be wonderful if all three forms of Christianity would come to a common opinion on controversial issues of religion and church life. But while they differ in many ways and do not compromise. A Christian can only choose which of the Christian denominations is closer to his heart and live according to the laws of the chosen Church.