[Ansteorra] Veiling

SoldierGrrrl soldier.grrrl at gmail.com
Thu Mar 5 08:24:15 PST 2009


On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Maria Buchanan <scarlettmb at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> I beg to differ with you.  However, I have been to all three all conducted in the English language and I can tell you the rituals are different.  Period.
> The Orthodox church has 3 versions of itself, just as the Catholic church in general has 6 - the 3 orthodox, RC, Anglican, and Episcopal.  I have been to all 6 different churches, all conducted in the English language.  And they are all different.
> You may have been told that the 3 orthodox churches are the same (the one difference being language) but they are not.
> Maria

My lady,

My husband and I actually *are* Orthodox Christians.  We have attended
Liturgy in at least three different countries, and while the window
dressing may be different, the Liturgy is reconizably the same, to
include the major "elements" and the rubrik.   We have not been denied
Communion at any of them due to being "from another version."  (I
can't remember the correct term for the elements of the services, and
the rubrik may be slightly altered due to the culture that particular
church has grown in.  Rubrik refers to the bowing, crossing yourself,
raising fo icons and the Gospel, etc.)

(We did not take Communion in Baden-Baden, Germany, but that  was
because the priest did not speak enough English to make sure that we
had been confessed recently and that our priest was aware that we
would be taking Communion at other churches while we were travelling.)

I *believe* It is more correct to say there are 15 churches in the
Orthodox Communion, although I do not think "versions" is sufficiently
precise to actually explain the cultural differences between the
churches.  A great deal of the difference *is* due to cultural
expectations and the translation of the liturgy into a local
vernacular.  Hence, in the Antiochian Church, the musical forms follow
more "Arabic" tones, while in the Greek, we have Byzantine tones, and
the Orthodox Church in America sounds a bit more like what most of us
would term "Classical."

The Roman Catholic Church is not the Episopalian Church is not the
Anglican church.

While I understand the Episopalians allow anyone to take communion,
the Roman Catholic Church does not.  From belief.com:  The Episcopal
Church's policy is that any baptized Christian can receive Communion
in the Episcopal church (and they let their members receive Communion
in any church that welcomes them). But for Catholics, the Vatican
counts as valid only Catholic Eucharist--bread and wine that have been
consecrated by a priest as part of a Catholic Mass.

Any cononical Orthodox Church in the Orthodox Communion is considered
to be within the holy body of Orthodoxy and as such one church are one
Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Chuch, even as they are autocephalous.
(Catholic in this instance meaning Universal.)

With this, I would aplogize to the list for taking up bandwidth on
what may seem like minutia of the church, and would ask that if we
would like to continue this discussion, we do it privately so as not
to bore the list to tears.

I remain your obedient servant,
Helene Dalassene
Company of Hellsgate
-- 
Blonde.  It's not just a hair color; it's a way of life.

http://soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com/



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