Acts 10:24–25 says, “As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. Among those so venerated is Mary, the Mother of God, the Theotokos.”Įvangelical Christians consider this inclusion of saints in worship as a violation of 1 Timothy 2:5, which states, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Scripture also records several responses of men or angels when someone bowed before them (Revelation 22:9 19:10). Yet, she does offer veneration to individuals who have been important human instruments of God in the history of salvation. Their website states, “The Orthodox Church worships God alone. Veneration of saints – The Greek Orthodox Church states that their practice of kneeling before or kissing the images of Mary and deceased saints is a way of showing reverence to their memories, rather than worshiping them. The Greek Orthodox Church believes that the partaking of communion helps guarantee their salvation.Ģ. Such a concept hints at cannibalism, which is only spoken of in Scripture as a most heinous desperate act (Leviticus 26:29 Deuteronomy 28:53–57 Jeremiah 19:9 Lamentations 2:20 4:10 Ezekiel 5:10). There is no solid scriptural foundation for believing that bread and drink become the physical body and blood of Jesus. Communion – Only baptized and faithful Orthodox may partake of the elements of Holy Communion, which they suggest become the actual body and blood of Christ, a belief called “ transubstantiation,” although some Orthodox theologians object to that term.
Observing the Eucharist is central to their service and for continuing their “process” of salvation.Ī few Greek Orthodox practices that differ from evangelical Christianity are as follows:ġ. Within a typical 75-minute service, they will light candles for various reasons, kneel in tandem, kiss icons, and make the “ sign of the cross,” although they repeat the gesture backward from the way Roman Catholics do. Worship services are filled with formality, ritual, and choral music. Their structure more resembles Catholicism than Protestantism. Many Greek Orthodox Churches conduct their Sunday service, called a Divine Liturgy, in Greek, which is a problem for anyone who does not speak Greek. The Greek Orthodox Church claims to trace its roots to the apostles and early church fathers, calling itself “the Mother Church of Christendom.” While they do hold to many foundational truths of Christianity, such as the Trinity, they have also added many practices and beliefs at variance with biblical Christianity. The term orthodox means that they believe they hold the correct opinion on true Christianity. Even though the Greek Orthodox Church is separate from Catholicism, many of its practices are similar, such as the veneration of saints. The Greek Orthodox Church (GOC) is a branch of Eastern Orthodoxy, which formally broke with the Western (or Roman Catholic) Church in AD 1054.
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