Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Living Church of God

Is there an alternative to the Roman Catholic Church that actually teaches original Christianity? Might it be the Orthodox Church or the Living Church of God?

By COGwriter

Most people in the West know very little about the doctrines of the Eastern Orthodox (sometimes improperly spelled Orthadox) Church. This church is also sometimes known as the Greek Orthodox or simply the Orthodox Church (which is how this article will normally refer to it as). It has many semi-autonomous branches and affiliates, many of which are not Greek.

There are probably two main reasons that Westerners know very little about the Orthodox Church.

The first is that there are relatively few members of any Orthodox Church in the West (there are about 1,000,000 in the USA) as Russia actually seems to have the most members. However, the Orthodox Church is quite large. News accounts have claimed that, in total, there are over 200,000,000 Orthodox believers (Stacy M. Orthodox Leader Celebrates Epiphany. Associated Press as cited in Washington Post On line, 01/06/06).

The second reason is that it seems less into doctrinal literature production (especially in English) than many churches in its size range. Timothy Ware, an Orthodox bishop, seemed to confirm this as he wrote,

"The Orthodox Church is not as much given to making formal dogmatic definitions as is the Roman Catholic Church" (Ware T. The Orthodox Church. Penguin Books, London, 1997, p. 204).

This article will attempt to highlight some of the major similarities and dissimilarities between the Orthodox Church and the Living Church of God (LCG)--and some of what these differences mean.

For purposes of this paper, the Churches of God are defined as groups holding to the basic teachings of the pre-1986/Tkach Worldwide Church of God (WCG), and specifically the Living Church of God which is the Church that this writer attends. The Bible (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 10:32; 11:16,22; ;15:9; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Timothy 3:5,15) and history (Polycarp's Letter to the Philippians; The Martyrdom of Polycarp) show that the true church often used the term "Church of God" as part of its name.

The Orthodox Churches are defined as those groups who have semi-autonomous ties to the largest groups who claim to be the successors to four of the five "sees".

The Orthodox correctly teach:

"Christianity, if true, has nothing to fear from honest inquiry" (Ware, p.201).

Since both the Orthodox and LCG consider that there is true Christianity, documenting the beliefs of both groups should assist any pursing honest inquiry.

Similarities

Both agree that God offered Adam a choice, but he made the wrong one.

Adam

Orthodox:

"God gave Adam free will -- the power to choose between good and evil -- and therefore it rested with Adam either to accept the vocation set before him or to refuse it. He refused it. Instead of continuing along the path marked out for him by God, he turned aside and disobeyed God..By turning away from God, who is immortality and life, humans put themselves in a state that was contrary to nature...Orthodox do not say as Calvin said, that humans after the fall were utterly depraved and incapable of good desires....Most Orthodox theologians reject the idea of 'original guilt', put forth by Augustine and still accepted (albeit in mitigated form) by the Roman Catholic Church...Humans (Orthodox usually teach)...are only guilty in so far as by their own free choice they imitate Adam...Orthodox have never held (as Augustine and many others in the west have done) that unbaptized babies, because tainted with original guilt, are consigned by a just God to the everlasting flames" (Ware, pp.222-224).

Living Church of God:

"The first human, Adam, was created with the potential of qualifying to replace Satan, the former Lucifer, on earth's throne, restoring the GOVERNMENT OF GOD. But it was necessary that he resist, and reject Satan's "GET" way, which was the foundation of Satan's evil government, and choose GOD'S WAY of his law--the way of LOVE (GIVE), the basis of God's government!...But God offered to him immortal LIFE through this symbolic tree of LIFE. God did not urge or compel him to take it--he merely made it freely accessible...Adam disobeyed God and sinned deliberately. But even though he was not deceived in this original temptation, his deliberate disobedience of God's explicit command cut him off from God, producing a state of mental perversion and opening his mind to the deceptions of Satan. From that moment, Adam and all his children after him were receptive to the sway of Satan...Adam chose a different kind of knowledge--he took TO HIMSELF the knowledge of good as well as evil" (Armstrong HW. Mystery of the Ages, Chapter 3).

Like the Orthodox, the LCG also does not consign babies to torment.

Against the Evangelical Protestant Teaching of Born Again

Both agree that the idea that one is "born-again" now for instant salvation is not an accurate portrayal of what the Bible teaches.

Orthodox:

"Frank Schaeffer...calls the standard evangelical doctrine a "false bill of goods." "The simplistic 'born-again' formula for instant painless 'salvation' is not only a misunderstanding, I believe it is a heresy. It contradicts the teaching of Christ in regard to the narrow, hard, ascetic, difficult way of salvation."" (Clendenin D.B. ed. Eastern Orthodox Theology, 2nd ed. Baker Academic, 2003, p. 268).

Living Church of God:

"THE MEANING OF "BORN AGAIN" With a physical human birth, there must first be "begettal" (by the male), and "conception" (by the female). With a spiritual birth, there must first be a spiritual begettal and conception. Then, after a period of "spiritual gestation" or spiritual growth (2 Peter 3:18), true Christians will someday experience a literal spiritual "birth," thereby becoming immortal children of God. We will literally be born again at the resurrection as Christ Himself was, "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4)." (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

"The Dictionary of the Bible and Religion explains in the article "Regeneration" that the rite of infant baptism, practiced not only by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, but by many Protestant churches as well, "is historically known as baptismal regeneration and rests on the belief that the sacrament, when performed aright, has the power to confer what it signifies, namely regeneration or new birth of the child to God’s family." Churches that view infant baptism as a sacrament believe that the ceremony itself confers regeneration, and that the baptized person at that point enters into the Kingdom of God. Evangelicals would argue that the individual must first make his own personal profession of faith, after which he is "born again" and is, from that moment on, in the Kingdom...Those who view "born again" as a matter of sacrament and those who view it as personal experience do agree on one point. Both viewpoints assume that Christians are already born again at this present time...Just as new life is imparted in the process of human birth—with a begettal, a period of growth and development and then a coming forth into the world—so also is new life imparted in the process of salvation. We are begotten, we grow and develop as Christians, and then we enter into the Kingdom of God. The "when" of salvation is the resurrection from the dead, when we will finally inherit the Kingdom of God as spirit-born sons of God. Christ said in Luke 20:36 that we will be the "children of God, being children of the resurrection" (NRSV)...To equate the biblical "born again" with conversion, or an emotional experience at baptism, is to miss the entire point that salvation is a process! Salvation begins with our receiving God’s Holy Spirit after baptism and thus becoming a partaker "of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Christians then grow in grace and knowledge throughout the rest of their physical lives. The salvation process will culminate at the resurrection with the Christian’s full arrival into the glorious Kingdom of God as a fully glorified, Spirit-born son of God. Truly, God is "bringing many sons to glory" (Hebrews 2:10)!" (Ogwyn J. What Do You Mean "Born-Again"? Tomorrow's World. Jan-Feb 2003).

While neither group agrees with the evangelical teachings, they do not agree with each other much on this point.

What they do seem to agree on though, is that being born-again is more than the simple acceptance of Jesus as Savior and that those who receive the Holy Spirit are in the process of becoming saved.

An article with biblical and historical information would be Born Again: A Question of Semantics?

New Testament Church Started in Jerusalem on Pentecost

Both groups believe that the Christian Church started in Jerusalem on the Pentecost after the crucifixion.

Orthodox:

"So the history of the Christian Church beings, with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles at Jerusalem during the feast of Pentecost...Before long the members of the Jerusalem Church were scattered by persecution" (Ware, p.12).

Living Church of God:

"What had happened to the Church that was established through an outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost in 31AD? Where was Christ and what was He doing during this time? In the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation, we find messages that Jesus Christ recorded for the seven churches of Asia Minor. In chapter one, the Apostle John saw a vision of the glorified Christ standing in the midst of seven golden lampstands. These seven lampstands represent the Church of God in its entirety throughout time (Revelation 1:12–20)" (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

John The Apostle Went to Ephesus

Both groups agree that John the Apostle went to Ephesus.

Orthodox:

John, "According to tradition, he went to Asia Minor and settled in Ephesus" (Matrantonis, George. The Twelve Apostles. Copyright: © 1990-1996 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7065.asp 07/05/05 ).

Living Church of God:

"The Apostle John died in Ephesus at the end of the first century" (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

Polycarp Was A Successor to the Apostles

Both groups agree that Polycarp was a successor to the original apostles.

Orthodox:

"...early bishops include James, Polycarp..." (A Timeline of Church History: Tracing the birth and continuity of the Orthodox Church from Pentecost to present, 3rd edition printed in Canada. Concilliar Press, Ben Lomond (CA), 1996).

"Christianity spread far and wide throughout the known world, but the Good News of Christ aroused intense opposition, and the first three centuries of the Church were characterized by sporadic, but bloody, persecutions. Church tradition is full of the lives of these early martyrs for the faith, and one cannot but admire the courage and perseverance of these heroes who willingly gave up their lives rather than denounce Christ. Among these were...Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, burned at the stake when over eighty years old" (from "These Truths We Hold - The Holy Orthodox Church: Her Life and Teachings." Compiled and Edited by A Monk of St. Tikhon's Monastery. Copyright 1986 by the St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, South Canaan, Pennsylvania 18459).

"As a sharer of the ways and a successor to the throne of the Apostles, O inspired of God, thou foundest discipline to be a means of ascent to divine vision. Wherefore, having rightly divided the word of truth, thou didst also contest for the Faith even unto blood, O Hieromartyr Polycarp...This apostolic and prophetic man, and model of faith and truth, was a disciple of John the Evangelist (Polycarp the Holy Martyr & Bishop of Smyrna. Greek Archdiocese of America. http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=439 8/27/05).

From a book written by an Orthodox archpriest,

"You've got Polycarp...He was Bishop of Smyrna by about 100 A.D. Early writers like Irenaeus tell us he was the spiritual son of the Apostle John" (Gillquist PE. Becoming Orthodox. Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Brentwood (TN), 1989, p.39).

Living Church of God:

"Polycarp (ca. 69–155AD) had been a personal disciple of the Apostle John and was one of the few church leaders of his day to hold fast to the Truth...The Apostle John died in Ephesus at the end of the first century. The next faithful leader in Asia Minor...was Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. As a young man, Polycarp had been a personal disciple of John and had observed the Passover with him on several occasions. Polycarp became prominent during the first couple of decades of the second century. The churches under his leadership remained one of the few areas where God’s Festivals continued to be observed throughout the remainder of the second century. In his old age, Polycarp even made a journey to Rome seeking to convince the bishop of Rome, Anicetus, of his errors in not celebrating the biblical Passover date and in observing, in its place, an annual Sunday Paschal observance (Easter) and a weekly celebration of "Eucharist" " (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

The Original and True Church

Both the Orthodox Church and the LCG teach that they are the original and true Church:

Orthodox:

"...be Orthodox. We wish to make that choice available and to urge people to become part of this original Church of Jesus Christ. Repeatedly, in the Book of Revelation, Jesus says, 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches'" (Gillquist, p.182).

The Orthodox claim one of its strongest point is

"its determination to remain loyal to the past, its sense of living continuity with the church of ancient times...Orthodoxy, believing that the Church on earth has remained and must remain visibly one, also believes itself to be that one visible Church. This is a bold claim...The Orthodox believe that they are the true church...Claiming as it does to be the one true Church, the Orthodox Church believes..." (Ware, pp.203, 246-247).

Living Church of God:

"The biblical name of the true Church is "the Church of God." God names things what they are. The name is clearly stated in both singular and plural form in twelve different places in the New Testament—including Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 10:32; 11:16; 1 Timothy 3:15" (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

"God’s Church has endured through the ages. It is a “little flock” (Luke 12:32), but God has always remained true to His promise that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18)...the true Church of God... The true Church, symbolized by a woman in Revelation 12, was forced to flee into the wilderness...the true Church’s history is not about one continuous human organization. The preserved history of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God has been almost entirely written by its enemies who viewed it as heretical" (Ogwyn J. God's Church Through the Ages. LCG Booklet, 2004).

"Where Is God’s True Church Today?...We in the Living Church of God are definitely focused on accomplishing the Work that Jesus Christ is doing through His Church in these last days...By examining the “fruits” you can see for yourself how God is using the Living Church of God today to accomplish His purposes. Remember, as indicated above, God’s true Church is the “body” of Christ...Rather than argue and make excuses to disobey, God’s Church keeps holy what God has made holy. It follows the inspired example of Jesus and the apostles in keeping God’s Sabbath and His annual Holy Days, which reveal His awesome plan. Finally, God’s Church does the Work of proclaiming as a “witness” the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and the good news of the soon-coming Kingdom of God based on His law. The organization that publishes this booklet strives to do all of these things. As you know, we in the Living Church of God try to follow all of the above truths with all our hearts and powerfully proclaim the end-time prophecies of the Bible..."(Meredith R.C. Where Is God’s True Church Today? LCG Booklet, 2005).

There is at least one important difference in this similarity. The Orthodox Church teaches the same visible organization (though their other literature suggests a collection of semi-autonomous groups) is the true Church. LCG teaches that the Bible shows that the Church will be in the wilderness for a time, hence not always clearly visible.

It should be noted that neither the Orthodox Church or LCG believe that their respective members are the only ones part of the Church. However, my understanding is that the Orthodox Church believes there are probably thousands of times more actual Christians alive today than those in LCG believe that there are.

The Ten Commandments

Both groups believe that Christians should keep the ten commandments and both group number them the same.

Orthodox:

In the early third century, Clement of Alexandria listed most of the ten commandments (for some unknown reason, he left out two commandments-- 3. cursing and 9. false witness):

The first commandment of the Decalogue shows that there is one only Sovereign God...

The second word intimated that men ought not to take and confer the august power of God (which is the name, for this alone were many even yet capable of learning), and transfer His title to things created and vain, which human artificers have made...

And the fourth word is that which intimates that the world was created by God, and that He gave us the seventh day as a rest, on account of the trouble that there is in life. For God is incapable of weariness, and suffering, and want. But we who bear flesh need rest. The seventh day, therefore, is proclaimed a rest...

Now the fifth in order is the command on the honour of father and mother...

Then follows the command about murder...

This is followed by the command respecting adultery...

And after this is the command respecting theft...

And the tenth is the command respecting all lusts (Clement of Alexandria. Stromata, Book VI).

Orthodox priest George Mastrantonis wrote:

The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue (deca, ten; logos, word), constitute the ethical code by which the human race is guided, on the one hand, to believe in the true God, and, on the other hand to sustain the godly society in the attainment and application of God's will on earth. The Ten Commandments were kept undefiled and handed down to us as a treasure and monument of Christian civilization. The Christian Church has embodied the Ten Commandments as a basic moral code of, discipline toward God and toward men.

The First Commandment

"I am the Lord thy God.... Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

"And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Ex. 20:1-3...

The Second Commandment

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them."

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Ex. 20:4-6...

The Third Commandment

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." Ex. 20:7...

The Fourth Commandment

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle. nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Ex. 20:8-11...

The Fifth Commandment

"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long."

"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." Ex. 20:12.

The Sixth Commandment

"Thou shalt not kill." Ex. 20:13...

The Seventh Commandment

"Thou shalt not commit adultery" Ex. 20:14...

The Eighth Commandment

"Thou shalt not steal." Ex. 20:15...

The Ninth Commandment

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Ex. 20:16...

The Tenth Commandment

"Thou shalt not covet they neighbor's house."

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, not his manservant, not his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's." Ex. 20:17.

(Mastrantonis, G. The Ten Commandments. Copyright:  © 1990-1996 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7115.asp 05/14/07).

Living Church of God:

In the early second century, Polycarp wrote:

But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, falsewitness; "not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing," or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing (Polycarp. Letter to the Philippians, Chapter II. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1as edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885).

From The Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs of the Living Church of God:

God’s basic spiritual law is summed up in the "Ten Commandments" (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 4:13; 10:4). In the "Sermon on the Mount" and elsewhere, Jesus magnified God’s law (Matthew chapters 5-7; Isaiah 42:21), showing His followers that they must obey both the letter and the "spirit." "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Romans 7:12). It is practicing this way of life—through Christ living in us (Galatians 2:20)—that makes one a true "saint" (Revelation 14:12).

In the 21st century, a booklet by LCG's RC Meredith states:

The First Commandment..."And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me’" (Exodus 20:1–3)...

The Second Commandment..."You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). The second commandment tells us how to worship the true God, what pitfalls to avoid in our worship, and of the continuing blessing or penalty that comes to our progeny as a result of the way in which we worship Almighty God. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord [Eternal] your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Exodus 20:4–6)...

The Third Commandment...The third commandment deals with God’s name, His office, His position as the great sovereign Ruler of the universe: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" (Exodus 20:7)...

The Fourth Commandment..."Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8–11). This command is, in its wording, the longest of any of the ten...

The Fifth Commandment..."Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12)...

The Sixth Commandment...Amid the thunder and lightning and literal shaking of Mount Sinai, God’s voice thundered the sixth commandment: "Thou shalt not murder" (Exodus 20:13, Jewish Publication Society translation). Biblical authorities agree that "murder" is a more correct reading of the original inspired Hebrew than the word "kill." For it is possible to kill, yet not to murder...the instructions in Numbers 35:9–34 show that accidental killing was not regarded as murder...

The Seventh Commandment..."You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14)...

The Eighth Commandment...This is God’s law protecting all private property and possessions: "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15)...

The Ninth Commandment..."You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16). It is only in seeking and bearing witness to the truth that man is associated with God. For, in fact, God is truth! Jesus said: "Your word is truth" (John 17:17). And: "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6)...

The Tenth Commandment..."You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s" (Exodus 20:17). (Meredith RC. The Ten Commandments. Living Church of God booklet, Charlotte (NC)).

The two groups observe the same list, thus they disagree with the Roman Catholics and the Lutherans who accept Augustine's change to combine the first two commandments and to divide the tenth into two (this is discussed in the article Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Church of God?).

Homosexuality Is a Sin

Even in the 21st century, leaders of both groups are not afraid to call acts of homosexuality a sin.

Orthodox:

The following is from an interview by Spiegel with Metropolitan Kyrill (a metropolitan is type of high ranking bishop) who is also the foreign minister of the Russian Orthodox Church:

SPIEGEL: ... but not everyone says: Thou shall not be gay. Why should people have to conceal their homosexuality?

Kyrill: The Bible calls it a sin. But we do not condemn these people. The church is opposed to these people being persecuted or offended. But why should sin be propagated? The gay parade is a blatant display of sodomy. In that case, we might as well promote other sins, as has long been the case on television. This degenerates public morality. It is the church's job to call a sin a sin. Otherwise it no longer serves a purpose. Unfortunately, the tendency in today's world is to champion the freedom of choice, while freedom from evil is virtually forgotten.

Living Church of God:

In a published article, RC Meredith, presiding evangelist of the Living Church of God wrote:

Is Homosexual Behavior SIN?

     But is homosexual behavior an absolute sin against God and the way He created us? Of course it is! We just read that practicing homosexuals "will not inherit the Kingdom of God." And in very plain language God describes the famous philosophers of Greece and Rome: "Professing to be wise, they became fools.… For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting" (Romans 1:22, 26–28) (Meredith RC. The Plain Truth About Homosexuality! Tomorrows' World, Magazine of the Living Church of God.  Jan-Feb 2008).

Length of Services

Both groups have services that tend to be about two hours (though sometimes they go longer).

Orthodox:

Certainly Orthodox functions tend to be more prolonged than their Western counterparts...It is perfectly possible to celebrate the Byzantine liturgy, and to preach a short sermon, in an hour and a quarter...In 1943 the patriarch of Constantinople ruled...the Sunday liturgy should not last over an hour and a half...a normal Russian parish...lasts no more than two hours" (Clendenin D.B. ed. Eastern Orthodox Theology, 2nd ed. Baker Academic, 2003, pp. 19, 20).

Living Church of God:

In the Living Church of God, Sabbath services usually last about 2 hours; in the United Church of God, normally an hour and a half.

Scripture

Both groups claim to accept the writings of the Bible and teach that they should be "People of the Book".

Orthodox:

"The Bible is the supreme expression of God's revelation to the human race, and Christians must always be 'People of the Book' (Ware, p.199).

Living Church of God:

"THE HOLY BIBLE The Bible is the inspired revelation from God to mankind. It is the true basis of all Church doctrine (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16). We believe the Bible is inerrant in its original manuscripts and is the authoritative foundation for all true knowledge (John 17:17)" (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

"We as the church had better become 'the church of the book'...We better believe and BE 'the People of the Book' " (Meredith R.C. Vital Keys to Understanding the Bible. DVE388. July 1, 2006).

Passover is Based Upon a Lunar Calendar

Orthodox:

Montreal's Eastern Orthodox Christian community - Greeks, Ukrainians, Russians, Serbians, Armenians and Romanians - is observing Holy Week...There are 11 major Orthodox churches in Montreal, serving about 100,000 people. The differences among them are ethnic or linguistic, not theological.

The spiritual focus today is one of quiet mourning, solemn meditation and strict fasting, recalling Jesus's entombment.

Pascha, or Easter, will be celebrated after midnight tonight.

The two Christian communities - Orthodox and Western rite - observe Easter vigils on different dates because they follow different calendars.

Orthodox churches rely on lunar cycles to fix the date for Easter. The rest of the Christian world accepts the Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.

(Eastern Orthodox faithful celebrate Easter tomorrow. The Gazette, Montreal - April 26, 2008. http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=db21a78e-edc1-408d-bbd8-3ea9aa570086).

Living Church of God:

This lamb was to be the "Passover lamb" and was to be slain on the eve of the 14th day of Abib—the first month of the year in God’s sacred calendar...The first three of God’s commanded Festivals come in the spring. They all picture spiritual aspects of the Plan of God. The last four Festivals all fall in the seventh month—the month of finality or completion—and picture the completion of God’s plan on earth (Meredith RC. The Holy Days—God's Master Plan. LCG Booklet).

Because of this similarity of using the biblical month/lunar calendar, the Living Church of God and the Orthodox normally observe Passover (which the Orthodox normally call Pascha) close to the same date (both groups can differ from the Roman Catholic Church by about a month).

Purgatory

Both groups reject the Roman Catholic idea of purgatory.

Orthodox:

"Today most if not all Orthodox theologians reject the idea of Purgatory" (Ware, p.255).

Disavowing a belief in the Western "Purgatory," our Church believes that a change is possible during this intermediate state and stage (Aghiorgoussis, Maximos. The Dogmatic Tradition of the Orthodox Church. Copyright:  © 1990-1996. http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8038.asp 08/18/07).

Living Church of God:

...According to Raynerus, the Vaudois had major differences with Roman Catholicism. He lists 33 beliefs that he considered "errors", including: their claim to be the true Church of Christ and the Apostles’ successors, their belief that the Roman Catholic church is the harlot of Revelation and their rejection of Roman Catholic feast days, purgatory, transubstantiation and prayers for the dead (Allix, p. 188). Accounts from the 1100s assert that the Waldenses (Vaudois) shared the same beliefs as Albigenses and Cathars...The true Church did not believe in a Trinity, an immortal soul or purgatory. It did not promote clerical celibacy, indulgences, infant baptism, prayers to the dead or the use of idols and images. " (Winnail D. The Reformation and Religious Deception. Tomorrow's World, LCG Magazine. January-February 2002).

What Happens After Death for Those Who are Neither Saints Nor Incorrigibly Wicked?

Both groups seem to agree that God has a plan that does not require those not now saved to suffer eternally.

Orthodox:

Clement of Alexandria wrote:

He destroys no one but grants salvation to all...

He indeed saves all. But [He saves] some by converting them through punishments. However, those who follow voluntarily [He saves] with dignity and honor (Clement of Alexandria. Cited in Bercot DW. The Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody (MA), 1998, p. 591).

Bishop Timothy Ware wrote:

"What exactly is the condition of souls in the period between death and the Resurrection of the Body at the Last Day? Here Orthodox teaching is not entirely clear...The majority would be inclined to say that the faithful departed do not suffer at all. Another school holds that perhaps they suffer, but if so, their suffering is of a purificatory but not an expiratory character. Yet a third group would prefer to leave the whole question entirely open: let us avoid detailed formulation about the life after death" (Ware, p.255).

"There is no terrorism in the Orthodox doctrine of God...several of the Fathers have none the less believed that in the end all will be reconciled to God. It is heretical to say that all must be saved, for this is to deny free will; but it is a legitimate hope that all may be saved. Until the Last Day come, we must not despair of anyone's salvation, but must long and pray for the reconciliation of all without exception" (Ware, 262).

Origen wrote:

"Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world," whether the world here is to be taken intellectually of the Church, and the taking away of sin is limited to the Church. In that case what are we to make of the saying of the same disciple with regard to the Saviour, as the propitiation for sin? "If any man sin," we read, "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world?" Paul's dictum appears to me to be to the same effect, when he says, "Who is the Saviour of all men, especially of the faithful" (Origen. Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book VI, Chapter 38).

Thus Origen is teaching [correctly in the view of the Living Church of God] that Christ died for all and not just those in the church.

The Greek Orthodox priest George Mastrantonis has noted that Origen was:

"the first great theologian in Alexandria" (Mastrantonis G. Fasting from Iniquities and Foods. Greek Orthodox Diocese of America. http://www.goarch.org/en/special/lent/articles/lent_fasting_from_iniquities.asp 12/01/05).

Thus, it is possible that Origen's writings may have had some influence upon the position that Timothy Ware took. Specifically, noted historian K.S. Latourette observed this about Origen:

Origen taught that ultimately all the spirits who have fallen away from God will be restored to full harmony with Him. This can come about only with their cooperation, for they have freedom to accept or reject the redemption wrought in Christ. Before full restoration they will suffer punishment, but that punishment is intended to be educative, to purge them from the imperfections brought by their sin. After the end of the present age and its world another age will come, so Origen believed, in which have been born again will continue to grow and the unrepentant will be given further opportunity for repentance (Latourette K.S. A History of Christianity, Volume 1, Beginnings to 1500. Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1975, p.151).

While we in LCG would not word it quite that way, this does support the idea that God has a plan that will give the unrepentant an opportunity for salvation after this present age. More information can be found in the article Hope of Salvation: How the Living Church of God Differs from Protestantism.

Living Church of God:

"The Last Great Day features the great judgment that will occur at the end of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth (John 7:37; Leviticus 23:36, 39, 33-34; Revelation 20:11-12)...With a physical human birth, there must first be "begettal" (by the male), and "conception" (by the female). With a spiritual birth, there must first be a spiritual begettal and conception. Then, after a period of "spiritual gestation" or spiritual growth (2 Peter 3:18), true Christians will someday experience a literal spiritual "birth," thereby becoming immortal children of God. We will literally be born again at the resurrection as Christ Himself was, "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4)...The "Last Judgment" Age (called the "Great White Throne Judgment") in which all who have ever lived—yet who died in sin and ignorance of God’s Truth and His way of life—will be resurrected to a physical life and will have the Word of God opened to their understanding (Revelation 20:11-14; Matthew 10:15; 11:21-24; 12:41-42; Ezekiel 37:1-14)" (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

"...the vast majority of human beings will ultimately be in God's family" (Meredith R.C. Last Great Day Sermon. Clearwater, Florida, 20051025).

An article of related interest may be Universal Salvation? There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis.

Baptism By Immersion

Though they differ in who they will baptize, both the Orthodox Church and LCG practice baptism by immersion.

Orthodox:

"Even though some Orthodox clergy have grown careless about observing the proper practice, there is no doubt about the true Orthodox teaching: immersion is essential...Baptism signifies a mystical burial and resurrection with Christ (Romans vi, 4-5 and Colossians ii, 12)" (Ware, p. 278) .

Living Church of God:

"Baptism by immersion After God calls us and brings us to repentance, and we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, the next vital step to salvation is water baptism. One should be baptized (Acts 2:38; 8:35-39; 9:1-18) as a sign of total surrender to God and of a willingness to bury the old self (Romans 6:3-6)" (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

An article of related interest may be Baptism and the Early Church.

Becoming God

Both groups teach that in God's plan, He intends to truly make the saved part of the God family.

Orthodox:

...so that if he should incline to the things of immortality, keeping the commandment of God, he should receive as reward from Him immortality, and should become God... (Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus, Book 2, Chapter XXVII. Translated by Marcus Dods, A.M. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

"St. Athanasius summed up the purpose of the Incarnation by saying, 'God became human that we might made God' " (Ware, p.21).

"...we are God's 'offspring' (Acts xvii, 28), His kin...we will become 'like' God, we will acquire divine likeness; In the words of John Damascene...To acquire the likeness is to be deified, it is to become a 'second god', a god by grace'. 'I said, you are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High' (Psalm lxxxi, 6; cf John x, 34-35)" (Ware, p. 219).

"Such, according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, is the final goal at which every Christian must attain: to become god, to obtain theosis, 'deification' or 'divinization'. For Orthodoxy our salvation and redemption mean our deification...deification is not something reserved for a select few initiates, but is something intended for all alike. The Orthodox Church believes this is the normal goal of every Christian without exception. Certainly we shall only be deified on the Last Day; but for each of us the process of divinization must begin here and now in this present life" (Ware, p.231,236).

The Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople recently taught:

"The church fathers were primarily pastors, not philosophers," he said. "They were concerned first with reforming the human heart and transforming society, not with refining concepts or resolving controversies."

The patriarch said that at the center of their pastoral work was a recognition that humanity is "called to know and to become God," the call to holiness which the Orthodox term "deification." (Pope, Orthodox patriarch meet privately, pray together.CNS News - March 6, 2008. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801277.htm).

Living Church of God:

"'Will true Christians literally become God at the resurrection? That is, literal members of the God family, born into that family at the resurrection? In other words, born sons of God, lessor in rank than the Father and the Son. Is God's purpose to reproduce himself?' ANSWER. Yes, God is now reproducing himself in the process called spiritual salvation" (McNair, Raymond. Personal Correspondence. GCG, September 27, 1995; p:4).

"How can you not be filled with ALL of the 'fullness of God' and not be God?" "This is the final fulfillment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--the ultimate Good News--that man can be born into the God Kingdom, the God-level of existence" (Meredith, Roderick C. Your Ultimate Destiny. Booklet. LCG, 1996; p:33)

"God’s purpose is that He is reproducing Himself and that those converted, ultimately, become full members of the Family of God, under the authority of the Father and the Son (1 John 3:1-3). They will share divine glory in the resurrection" (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

"God is reproducing Himself...we will not be a lessor form of existence...He put His very divine nature in us...in the process of reproducing Himself...that is why we are alive. That is the ultimate purpose of our existence" (Meredith R.C. Last Great Day Sermon. Clearwater, Florida, 20051025).

We can be changed into--actually born--of spirit as a literal son of God! God is reproducing Himself! He, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, is begetting human beings through His Spirit to be born as His sons--to be in His family and inherit eternal life (Meredith RC. How to Know God. Tomorrow's World Magazine, September-October 2007, p. 7).

We should never forget that God has called us to become His full sons and daughters, to share His level of existence with us for all eternity. Just as these characteristics— amazing power, access to all of the universe and perception of all things—apply to Christ and the Father now, they one day will apply to us! (Smith, Wallace. God and the "Three 'O's. Living Church News, Sep-Dec 2007, pp. 10-12,20.)

Our potential...we will be God...We have a lot to be thankful for...When He is done we will be exactly like Him (Way H. Being Thankful. LCG Sermon, SLO County, 12/01/07).

Melito

Both groups consider that Melito was a faithful early Christian leader.

Orthodox:

"St. Melito of Sardis" (The Immortal Dies http://www.orthodox.clara.net/melito.htm, 10/05/05).

"St. Melito of Sardis in Lydia" (Serbian Orthodox Cathedral Bulletin, May 8, 2005).

Living Church of God:

"Melito of Sardis was a Quartodeciman, and those in the true Church (the Church of God) are also Quartodecimans" (Reynolds, R. LCG minister. Clearwater, Florida, 20051021).

Both LCG and the Orthodox tend to look favorably on Melito of Sardis (though they disagree about his possible authorship concerning a document involving Mary--we in LCG would agree with this statement from "The Catholic Encyclopedia", "the book De Transitu Virginis, {is} falsely ascribed to St. Melito of Sardis"). But while both groups believe he was a faithful leader, the Orthodox hold to many teachings that differ from those of Melito--for additional documentation, please see the article Melito of Sardis

Birth Control and Abortion

Orthodox:

"Many Orthodox theologians and spiritual fathers consider that the responsible use of contraception within marriage is not in itself sinful. In their view, the question of how many children a couple should have, and at what intervals, is best decided by the partners themselves...Abortion on the other hand is unambiguously condemned in Orthodox moral teaching. We do not have the right to destroy human life" (Ware, p.296).

"the view of the Orthodox Church on the issue of contraception. Because of the lack of a full understanding of the implications of the biology of reproduction, earlier writers tended to identify abortion with contraception. However, of late a new view has taken hold among Orthodox writers and thinkers on this topic, which permits the use of certain contraceptive practices within marriage for the purpose of spacing children, enhancing the expression of marital love, and protecting health" (Harakis S. The Stand of the Orthodox Church on Controversial Issues. http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7101.asp 8/20/05).

Living Church of God:

"To prevent having children and producing a family would be a direct violation of God’s command, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” But to plan a family in an intelligent manner, as to the time of the first arrival, and the time-spacing of other children—that is a different matter. Nothing in the Bible forbids this. Much in the Bible, in principle, supports it!" (Armstrong HW. Missing Dimension in Sex).

"The Apostle Paul wrote: "But if anyone does not provide for his own [family]… he has denied the faith" (1 Timothy 5:8). Would anyone argue that a Christian can provide for a family member by killing him? Remember: one of the Ten Commandments specifically condemns murder (Exodus 20:13). In other words, any birth control method that induces abortion is wrong" (Winnail D. Abortion: A Modern Holocaust? Tomorrow's World Magazine, LCG, March-April 2005).

Papal Authority

Both groups deny the Vatican's view of papal authority.

Orthodox:

"The Orthodox Church does not accept the doctrine of Papal authority set forth in the Vatican Council of 1870, and taught today in the Roman Catholic Church" (Ware, p.27).

Living Church of God: From LCG' God's Church through the Ages booklet,

"Victor of Rome sought to intimidate the churches of Asia Minor into conforming to the Roman Easter practice. Polycrates wrote Victor:

     "We therefore observe the genuine day [Passover]; neither adding thereto nor taking therefrom. For in Asia great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again in the day of the Lord’s appearing, in which he will come with glory from heaven, and will raise up all the saints; Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who sleeps in Hierapolis… John, who rested upon the bosom of our Lord… Polycarp of Smyrna…or Melito, the Eunuch who lived altogether in the Holy Spirit, and who lies in Sardis, awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when he shall rise from the dead? All these observed the fourteenth day of the Passover according to the gospel deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith… and my relatives always observed the day when the people threw away the leaven [Abib 14]. I, therefore, brethren, am now 65 years in the Lord, who having conferred with the brethren throughout the world, and having studied the whole of the sacred Scriptures, am not at all alarmed at those things with which I am threatened, to intimidate me. For they who are greater than I, have said, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men’" (Eusebius, Church History, xxiv).

As history shows, from the Apostle John to Polycarp to Polycrates to present, those in the Church of God have never accepted the authority of the Bishop of Rome (called pope since the late 4th Century) to establish doctrine--especially if such papal pronouncements contradict scripture.

Married Clergy

Orthodox:

Thus Orthodox tradition and practice honour and respect the celibacy of priests and praise their service in the body of the Church; at the same time, they honour and respect the married clergy since, they too, serve the same sacrament of the Church and salvation. The Orthodox Church thus accepts these two forms of service equally and leaves the choice of which it is to be to the individual member, in accordance with his own vocation and particular charisms. For pastoral reasons however, the Church has favoured the institution of celibacy for the order of bishops, and these are chosen exclusively from the celibate priesthood (Damaskinos Papandreou, Orthodox Metropolitan of Switzerland. The Orthodox Churches and Priestly Celibacy. http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/misc/damaskinos_celibacy.htm viewed 02/04/08).

Living Church of God:

The Living Church of God does not require celibacy for the ministry and it is not necessary for advancement. Most of its elders/presbyters, regional pastors, and evangelists are married. While both the Living Church of God and the Eastern Orthodox Churches allow their elders/presbytrs to be married, the Orthodox do not allow this any more for their bishops (an article of related interest would include Was Celibacy Required for Early Bishops or Presbyters?).

No Immaculate Conception

Both groups deny the Catholic dogma of Mary's alleged "immaculate conception".

Orthodox:

The Orthodox Church does not accept the Catholic dogma of 1854--the dogma of the immaculate conception of the Virgin, in the sense that she was exempt at birth from original sin . This would separate her from the human race and she would have been unable to transmit to her Son real humanity (Clendenin p. 67).

Living Church of God:

"The Bible never refers to Mary’s "Immaculate Conception"—the doctrine that she was born without sin." (Winnail DS. The Lady of Nations. Tomorrow's World, LCG Magazine).

This subject is a little tricky. The Orthodox (see Mary below) believe that Mary was not exempt from "original sin", a concept that LCG deny, while LCG teach that sin only Jesus did not sin (Hebrews 4:15)--Mary did sin (Romans 3:23), a concept that the Orthodox tend to deny.

Dissimilarities

Although there are similarities, there are a tremendous amount of dissimilarities between the Orthodox Church and those of the Church of God as the Orthodox have accepted many doctrines that the original Church of God did not. Those who are willing to believe the Bible should be able to quickly determine which group is truly the most faithful.

Head Coverings for Overseers/Bishops/Patriarchs?

Orthodox:

The Rheims New Testament (used by Catholics, including some English-speaking Orthodox) in 1 Corinthians 11 teaches:

3. And I will have you know, that the head of every man, is Christ: and the head of the woman, is the man: and the head of Christ, is God. 4. Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered: dishonorest his head.

The Catholic Encyclopedia notes:

In the Orthodox Greek Rite (the other Greek Rites need not here be considered) a liturgical head-covering was not worn until the sixteenth century. Before this only the Patriarch of Alexandria, who wore one as early as the tenth century, made use of a head-covering, and his was only a simple cap (Braun J. Transcribed by William Stuart French, Jr. Mitre. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

All the Orthodox patriarchs I have ever seen photographs of were wearing head coverings of some type. And they seem to pray wearing them, thus they seem to ignore the early biblical practices and thus biblically appear to be dishonoring Christ.

Living Church of God:

Living Church of God leaders follow the teachings of the Bible, including 1 Corinthians 11:3-4. They do not pray or conduct church services wearing hats, mitres, or other head coverings. However, just like the Bible allowed the priests in the Old Testament to have beards (e.g. Leviticus 21:1-5; Psalm 133:22), church leaders can have beards or other facial coverings (though in modern times few do).

Those Orthodox male leaders wearing head coverings are dishonoring their head, who is supposed to be Christ. Hence, they are disqualifying themselves as true ministers of Christ by their head coverings.

Therefore, just seeing the appearance of any Orthodox bishop/patriarch should be enough to show people that the Living Church of God is more faithful than the Orthodox Church to the Bible and early traditions of the Church. An article of related interest may be What Were the Early Duties and Dress of Elders/Pastors?.

Pope

Orthodox:

"Orthodox believe that among the five Patriarchs a special place belongs to the Pope...Orthodoxy does not deny the Holy and Apostolic See a primacy of honour, together with the right (under certain circumstances) to hear appeals from all parts of Christendom. Note that we have used the word 'primacy', not 'supremacy' " (Ware, p.27).

Living Church of God:

"By the terms of Justinian’s decree, however, the bishops of Rome (now called popes) held the reins of power and were thus the real riders sitting astride the imperial Beast in the West. It is important to note at this point a significant difference between the Beast described in Revelation 13 and the one described in Revelation 17. The Beast of Revelation 13 corresponds to what Daniel saw in Daniel 7. John described a creature that began in Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon and continued on to his day. Out of the seventh head, the Roman Empire, would arise ten kingdoms. Daniel 7 explained that the first three of those ten horns would be "plucked out." However, the Beast of Revelation 17 is different. It is a creature ridden by the woman, unlike the earlier description. The Beast in Revelation 17 is the one "that was and is not" (v. 11)—the Roman Empire after the deadly wound is healed. This is what history has ironically and misleadingly labeled the "Holy" Roman Empire, dominated by the Church of Rome, which has continued from 554 ad through various revivals to modern times" (Ogwyn J. The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon Coming Reality? LCG Booklet).

Perhaps it should be mentioned here that some within the Orthodox church hold a position on the Roman Catholic Pope more similar to the LCG position than the one listed above from the Orthodox. And that is that many Orthodox believe that the "Roman See" has changed doctrines from those of the early church, hence should not be looked at as a faithful successor to the apostles.

However, recent events have strongly suggested that much of the Orthodox leadership (Russian Orthodox possibly excepted) seems determined to enter into more unify with the Catholics with some type of acknowledgement of papal primacy (see 11/16/07 news item Orthodox Closer to Accepting Papal Authority).

Icons

While the early church condemned all idols and icons, the Orthodox now have a different view.

Orthodox:

"...within Christianity itself there had always existed a 'puritan' outlook, which condemned icons because it saw in all images a latent idolatry...The final victory of the Holy Images in 843 is known as 'the Triumph of Orthodoxy'...One of the distinctive features of Orthodoxy is the place which it assigns to icons. An Orthodox church today is filled with them...An Orthodox prostrates himself before these icons, he kisses them and burns candles in front of them...Because icons are only symbols, Orthodox do not worship them, but reverence or venerate them...icons form a part of Holy Tradition...The Iconoclasts, by repudiating all representations of God, failed to take to full account the Incarnation" (Ware, pp. 31-33).

"The Orthodox Church uses icons for veneration with the understanding that the respect is paid not to the material icon but to the person represented "in spirit and truth"...The Seventh Ecumenical Council (787 and 843) decreed the use of icons, following in the main the teaching of St. John of Damascus" (Litsas FK. A Dictionary of Orthodox Terminology - Part 2. http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9152.asp 8/27/05) .

"In every Orthodox church the sanctuary is divided from the rest of the interior by the iconostasis, a solid screen, usually of wood, covered with icons...Orthodox churches are full of icons...When Orthodox people enter a church, their first action will be to buy a candle, cross themselves, kiss the icon, and light a candle in front of it...the church, through the voice of its councils and its hierarchs, ordains that icons be painted as they were formerly painted by the holy iconographers" (Clendenin, pp. 17,18,50).

The Orthodox Church has a book called The Synaxarion which contains stories, handed down through some type of tradition, about early church leaders. The Synaxarion seems to have been composed between the ninth and eleventh centuries and apparently was motivated by the Orthodox devotion to icons:

The iconoclast heresy of the eighth and ninth centuries was directed against veneration of saints as well as against their holy images and, in general, opposed the presence of any intermediary between ourselves and God. The Orthodox reacted by attaching even more importance to veneration of the saints. Once the heresy was overthrown, they covered the walls of the churches with icons, were zealous in writing long lives of the heroes of Orthodoxy and completed the calendar and the Church service. The holy hymnographers of the Monastery of the Stoudion, Saint Theodore, Saint Joseph and others, ordered our Church services in the form they have retained ever since. After the sixth ode of the Matins canon, because of the number of hymns, the reading of the lives of the saints of the day was restricted to brief notices, called the Synaxarion, as a vestige of the practice of the first liturgical assemblies. From the ninth to the eleventh century, the compilation of the short notices that appear in the Synaxarion was completed (Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra, Mount Athos. Introduction to The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. From Volume One of The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Published by the Holy Convent of the Annunciation of Our Lady, Ormylia (Chalkidike, Greece), 1998. From http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/synaxarion_intro.aspx 03/31/06).

Living Church of God:

"Man is incomplete, having cut himself off from the true worship of the true God. Yet he is to worship that God alone: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). The second commandment tells us how to worship the true God, what pitfalls to avoid in our worship, and of the continuing blessing or penalty that comes to our progeny as a result of the way in which we worship Almighty God. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord [Eternal] your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Exodus 20:4–6). The natural physical mind cries out for something to help in the worship of God. Physical human beings want some physical object—some "aid" to worship—to "remind" them of the invisible God. Yet that is exactly what is forbidden in this commandment! Jesus said: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father is seeking such to worship Him" (John 4:23). Notice that it is only the "true" worshipers who are able to worship the Father in spirit and truth. Many others attempt some form of worship but, because they limit their worship by a false concept of God, it is largely in vain. "God is Spirit: and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (v. 24). The instant that human beings set up any representation of God, they deny what is essential in God. God is the essence of all power—all wisdom—all love. God is limitless. When a man invents his own mental or physical image of God, he automatically limits in his own thought and worship the God who will not be limited!" (Meredith RC. The Ten Commandments. LCG Booklet).

"Thousands of professing Christians employ representations or pictures of a so-called Jesus Christ in their worship—and even display them in their homes. What does your Bible say about such pictures? First of all, the second commandment itself obviously prohibits the use of anything that represents God or could easily become an object of worship. Certainly, since Jesus Christ is God (Hebrews 1:8), this would directly prohibit any picture or likeness of His person! In addition, for those who might wish to "reason" or argue about this point, these so-called pictures of Christ have no similarity whatever to the way Jesus Christ really looked! Jesus—when in human flesh—was a Jew (Hebrews 7:14). The features in most of His supposed pictures are obviously not Jewish! As the Word of God, Christ inspired the Apostle Paul to write: "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?" (1 Corinthians 11:14). Yet these pictures invariably show a man with long hair, soft feminine features and a sentimental, sanctimonious look in His eyes. This is not the Christ of your Bible!" (Meredith RC. The Ten Commandments. LCG Booklet).

The Bible and some considered as early saints and/or "fathers" by the Orthodox condemned idols. This is documented in an article titled What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons?

Mary

Orthodox:

"...we are called by God in no uncertain terms to bless the Mother of our God. We cannot get around that point in scripture...Can Mary really save us? Yes...(Gillquist, pp.115,120).

"...Orthodox honour Mary...because she is Panagia, All-Holy. Among all God's creatures, she is the supreme example of synergy or co-operation between the purpose of the deity and human freedom" (Ware, p.258).

Based mainly on looking a Hebrew scriptures translated as "until" (and the New Testament was written in Greek), an Orthodox archpriest writes this, "...the word until in Matthew 1:25 does not mean that Joseph and Mary began a sexual union after Christ was born. Such as teaching is found nowhere in Scripture and is contrary to the consistent voice of the entire early Church...Mary and Joseph had no sexual union whatsoever, before or after the birth of Christ" (Gillquist, pp.117-118).

"The Orthodox Church venerates the Virgin Mary...We ceaselessly pray to her to intercede for us. Love and veneration of the Virgin is the soul of Orthodox piety...Orthodoxy does not admit in the all-pure Virgin any individual sin...Living in heaven in a state of glory the Virgin remains the mother of the human race for which she prays and intercedes" (Clendenin, pp. 66,67).

Living Church of God:

"Remarkable as it may seem, scholarly sources plainly acknowledge that this focus on Mary was totally absent in the early Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: "This doctrine is not contained, at least explicitly, in the earlier forms of the Apostles’ Creed, there is perhaps no ground for surprise if we do not meet with any clear traces of the cultus of the Blessed Virgin in the first Christian centuries" (article: "Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary"). Mary was not given the titles "Mother of God" or "Queen of Heaven" until centuries after she had lived. There is no mention in the teachings of Christ or the Apostles of worship, adoration or prayers to Mary, and there is no biblical reference for saying the rosary. Jesus taught His disciples to pray to God the Father (Luke 11:1–2), and to petition in the name of Jesus Christ (John 14:13–14). The Bible lists no festivals devoted to Mary, and offers no examples of anyone praying before a statue of Mary. In the Bible—and the early Church—such practices were condemned as idolatry (see Exodus 20:4–5). The Bible never refers to Mary’s "Immaculate Conception"—the doctrine that she was born without sin. Nor does it teach the "Assumption"—the doctrine that Mary was bodily transported to heaven. Rather, Scripture clearly states that "no one has ascended to heaven" except Jesus (John 3:13). In the last century, apparitions and their supporters have promoted Mary as the "Mediatrix of All Mercies" (thus diminishing Jesus Christ’s true role as revealed in the Bible), and as the "Queen of Peace," though the Bible never refers to her this way." (Winnail DS. The Lady of Nations. Tomorrow's World, LCG Magazine).

Nowhere in the Bible, nor the writings of those considered to be early (prior to the third century) "Church Fathers" do we see veneration for Mary.

Perhaps it should be pointed out that since the first resurrection has not yet occurred (Revelation 20:5) that we in LCG do not believe that it is possible for Mary (or anyone who died other than Jesus) to hear anyone's prayers. Since the Bible teaches that other than Jesus (Hebrews 4:15), "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23), those of us in LCG cannot accept that Mary was without sin.

Furthermore, since the Bible shows that Eve was the mother of all humans (Genesis 3:20), we do not accept that Mary could properly have that title. However, while it is true that the Bible called Mary "blessed" and we in LCG agree that Mary was blessed, the Bible calls many others "blessed" as well--but never says to worship nor highly venerate those that are blessed.

Tradition

Orthodox:

"While the Bible is treasured as a valuable written record of God's revelation, it does not contain wholly that revelation. The Bible is viewed as only one expression of God's revelation in the on-going life of His people. Scripture is part of the treasure of Faith which is known as Tradition. Tradition means that which is "handed on" from one generation to another. In addition to the witness of Faith in the Scripture, the Orthodox Christian Faith is celebrated in the Eucharist, taught by the Fathers, glorified by the Saints, expressed in prayers, hymns, and icons; defended by the seven Ecumenical Councils; embodied in the Nicene Creed, manifested in social concern; and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is lived in every local Orthodox parish" (Fitzgerald T. Teachings of the Orthodox Church. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7062.asp 8/21/05).

"Orthodox are always talking about Tradition...It means the books of the Bible; it means the Creed; it means the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils and the writings of the Fathers; it means the Canon, the Service, Books, the Holy Icons -- in fact the whole system of doctrine, Church government, worship, spirituality and art which Orthodoxy has articulated over the ages...Note the the Bible forms a part of Tradition. Sometimes Tradition is defined as the oral teachings of Christ, not recorded in writing by His immediate disciples. Not only non-Orthodox but many Orthodox writers have adopted this way of speaking, treating Scripture and Tradition as two different things, two distinct sources of Christian faith. But in reality there is only one source as Scripture exists within Tradition. To separate and contrast the two is to impoverish the idea of both alike...Among the various elements of Tradition, a unique pre-eminence belongs to the Bible, to the Creed, to the doctrinal definitions of the Ecumenical Councils: these things the Orthodox accept as something absolute and unchanging, something which cannot be cancelled or revised. The other parts of Tradition do not have quite the same authority" (Ware, pp. 196-197).

Yet it also acknowledges,

"Jesus said in the Matthew passage that the tradition of men produced hypocrisy and even vain worship" (Gillquist, p.67).

But also teaches,

"Tradition is there not just to preserve the Bible but to interpret it" (Gillquist, p.76).

Living Church of God:

"We believe that if religious people say they "believe" in the God of the Bible, they should really teach and believe what the Bible actually says.

..Although most western nations profess Christianity, do they get their version of "Christianity" from the Bible, or from human tradition?

...it is good to be sure that we understand what the Bible really says—not what people tell us the Bible says. For, if you are careful with this and truly honest, you will find that most of the churches of this world do not really understand the Bible or teach it in this way at all. Most individuals and religious organizations are more concerned with "tradition," and "going along" with what the majority thinks, than they are with genuinely studying and then living by every word of the Bible—with the Old Testament, of course, magnified and interpreted by the New Testament" (Meredith RC. The Bible or Human Tradition? Tomorrow's World. LCG Magazine. September-October 2004).

Even some who the Orthodox consider to have been early saints (such as Melito and Irenaeus) condemned tradition when it conflicts with scripture.

Furthermore, the Bible warns that eventually those who accepted the traditions of idols will realize that they have inherited lies. Notice what God's prophet Jeremiah was inspired to write:

From the ends of the earth and say, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things." Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods? "

Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD (Jeremiah 16:19-21).

Thus the time will come, and it has not yet come, that the vast majority of those whose religion is based upon traditions that contradict the Bible will realize that they have inherited lies. Once they realize that, God will then cause them to know Him.

Do you want to wait until then to know God or do you want to know God now?

We in the Church of God believe that Scripture itself provides the answers about reliance on tradition.

Three articles of related interest may include Tradition and Scripture, Universal Salvation? There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis, and Hope of Salvation: How the Living Church of God differs from most Protestants.

Church Services

Orthodox:

"St. Justin Martyr describes the liturgical worship of the Church, centered on the Eucharist" (A Timeline of Church History: Tracing the birth and continuity of the Orthodox Church from Pentecost to present).

Essentially quoting, Jack Sparks, Ph.D., an Orthodox archpriest writes,

"...what early Christian worship was like. The source most always considered first is the record of St. Justin Martyr (in his First Apology), written around 150 A.D., where he put down on paper for the emperor, the pattern of Christian worship. it looked like this:

"SYNAXIS: * Greeting and response * Hymns interspersed with * Readings from Scripture *, the "Apostles' Memoirs" * The Homily * Dismissal of those not in the Church

"EUCHARIST * Intercessory Prayers * Offertory -- of bread and wine * Consecration of Gifts * Communion * Giving of Thanks * Benediction...

...there were essentially two orders of worship in the early Church that went together to form one basic liturgy. The first part was called the synaxis, which simply means 'meeting'. It was patterned after the synagogue worship of the Jews in the years that immediately preceded Christ. It would make sense for the Jewish converts to Christ to retain their basic forms of prayers, hymn singing, Scripture reading, and homily. The second part of the early Christian liturgy was the Eucharist, that is 'the thanksgiving'. It's that part of the worship that leads up to and including the taking of communion" (Gillquist, pp.36-37).

From Justin himself:

"And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president" (Justin Martyr. The First Apology. Chapter LXII).

From Orthodox writers:

"In Orthodox services, Mary is often mentioned, and on each occasion she is usually given her full title: 'Our All-Holy, immaculate, most blessed and glorified Lady, Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary' " (Ware, p.257).

"In the Orthodox church today, as in the early church, all services are sung or chanted...singing is unaccompanied and instrumental music is not found, except among certain Orthodox in America...An Orthodox normally stands during church services...Canon 20 of the first ecumenical council forbids all kneeling on Sunday" (Clendenin, pp. 15,16).

"Prayers address to the Virgin occupy a large place in the Orthodox service" (Clendenin, p. 67).

Here is what a former Protestant, now an Orthodox archpriest, wrote about his (and his friends) first visit to an Orthodox church service, "culturally the service seemed worlds removed from us. By the time the Bishop arrived we were overflowing with more questions. "Why do they pray, 'Lord have mercy' so often?" "Tell us about the priest's vestments." "What do all the candles on that stand mean?" "Is there incense in every service?" Being familiar with evangelical Protestantism himself, the Bishop understood our culture shock. We believed the basic doctrines on this ancient faith, but the rubrics of worship simply were not in the history books" (Gillquist, pp. 137-138).

Interestingly, even to this day, the Orthodox consider Saturday and Sunday festive days, different from other ones:

In the tradition of our Church, Saturday like Sunday is considered a festal day. Even during the Great Lent the rules of fasting are relaxed on Saturdays and Sundays (Calivas A. The Great and Holy Saturday. Copyright: 2002-2003 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America).

It perhaps should be noted that contrary to Justin's practices, the Passover/Pascha services mentioned in the New Testament were not weekly events, nor did they involve the distribution of water (i.e. Luke 22:14-20). It should also be mentioned that the historical records do show that in Asia Minor and elsewhere, many Orthodox kept the Saturday Sabbath for centuries after Justin (please see The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad), thus it is no surprise that the Orthodox still retain a tradition that the Sabbath is different from the other days of the week. The Roman Catholics insisted on Saturday fasting

Perhaps this would be a good place to mention that it was the Sabbath-keeping by the Orthodox that was one of the reasons that caused its schism from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 A.D.

In the fifth century, the historian Socrates noted:

For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this. The Egyptians in the neighborhood of Alexandria, and the inhabitants of Thebais, hold their religious assemblies on the sabbath, but do not participate of the mysteries in the manner usual among Christians in general (Socrates Scholasticus. Ecclesiastical History, Book V, Chapter XXII. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Volume 2. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight).

Rome actually fasted on the Sabbath. Notice the reason, according Victorinus, bishop of Pettau wrote (circa 304) as to the reason those associated with Rome fasted:

On the seventh day…we are accustomed to fast rigourously…We must fast even on Friday in order that we not appear to observe the Sabbath with the Jews (Cited in Bacchiocchi S. Anti-Judaism and the Origin of Sunday, p. 74).

Augustine noted:

I believe that the Apostle Paul did all these things honestly, and without dissimulation; and yet if any one now leave Judaism and become a Christian, I neither compel nor permit him to imitate Paul's example (Augustine. Letter 82 From Augustine to Jerome (A.D. 405), Chapter 2 verse 15).

Augustine was a major force in coming up with "purgatory" and notice that he forbade Jewish converts from following Paul's example (the Bible shows that Apostle Paul kept the seventh-day Sabbath in Asia Minor; see also Acts 13:14), even though the Apostle Paul clearly taught, "I urge you, imitate me" (1 Corinthians 4:16). However this was not the case in Asia Minor as many continued to observe the Sabbath:

R.L. Odom has persuasively brought out that the Roman insistence on making the Sabbath a day of fast contributed greatly to the historic break between the Eastern and Western Christian Church which occurred in A.D. 1054 (Cited in Bacchiocchi Anti-Judaism and the Origin of Sunday, p. 67).

The polemic work Against the Calumnities of the Greeks of Cardinal Humbert of Rome, provides additional evidence in this regard. The Cardinal argues that the Latins in no way resemble the Jews in their observance of the Sabbath, since on that day they "do all sorts of work, even as in the preceding five days and fast [on the Sabbath]. ..." He proceeds then to show the Greeks that they are the ones who judaize since they observe the Sabbath in an identical manner of the Jews...the document date (ca. A.D. 1054)...the lengthy quotation from "the most blessed Pope Sylvester" (A. D. 314-355)...Cardinal Humbert cites to dissuade the Greeks from the observance of the Sabbath (Cited in Bacchiocchi Anti-Judaism and the Origin of Sunday, pp. 74-75).

Or in other words, the Roman Catholics were upset that the Orthodox (the Greeks) considered the Sabbath a festal and not a fast day and that this is one of the reasons why they separated from each other.

While the Orthodox tend to point to 1054, the Romans tend to have a mixed view:

In an attempt to quell the disturbance, the pope sent a three-man delegation, led by Cardinal Humbert, to visit Patriarch Cerularius, but matters worsened. The legates presented the patriarch with the pope’s reply to his charges. Both sides managed to infuriate each other over diplomatic courtesies, and when the smoke cleared, a serious rift had developed. This was not, however, the actual break between the two communions. It’s a popular myth that the schism dates to the year 1054 and that the pope and the patriarch excommunicated each other at that time, but they did not.

Orthodox bishop Kallistos Ware (formerly Timothy Ware) writes, "The choice of Cardinal Humbert was unfortunate, for both he and Cerularius were men of stiff and intransigent temper. . . . After [an initial, unfriendly encounter] the patriarch refused to have further dealings with the legates. Eventually Humbert lost patience, and laid a bull of excommunication against Cerularius on the altar of the Church of the Holy Wisdom. . . . Cerularius and his synod retaliated by anathematizing Humbert (but not the Roman Church as such)" (The Orthodox Church, 67).

The New Catholic Encyclopedia says, "The consummation of the schism is generally dated from the year 1054, when this unfortunate sequence of events took place. This conclusion, however, is not correct, because in the bull composed by Humbert, only Patriarch Cerularius was excommunicated. The validity of the bull is questioned because Pope Leo IX was already dead at that time. On the other side, the Byzantine synod excommunicated only the legates and abstained from any attack on the pope or the Latin Church."

There was no single event that marked the schism, but rather a sliding into and out of schism during a period of several centuries, punctuated with temporary reconciliations. The East’s final break with Rome did not come until the 1450s (Catholic Answers.  Eastern Orthodoxy. NIHIL OBSTAT: Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004 . IMPRIMATUR: +Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004 http://www.catholic.com/library/Eastern_Orthodoxy.asp viewed 02/01/08)

Notice that Cardinal Humbert was sent to Constantinople, but made matters worse. However, it partially was because of his position in his "Against the Calumnities of the Greeks" paper that the Orthodox found Carindal Humbert so offensive--and part of why Cardinal Humbert was upset was because the Orthodox refused to change Saturday into a fast day (the Latin Church finally got rid of that itself in the Middle Ages--even though Cardinal Humbert was insistent about it in 1054).

How many Orthodox realize that offenses related to Saturday observance were a major factor in "the Great Schism"?

Perhaps if the Orthodox would study more into their history they will realize that the faithful in Asia Minor (including the Apostles Paul and John) did keep the seventh-day Sabbath and so should they.

Living Church of God:

Typically services begin with 2-3 hymns (normally biblical Psalms, often accompanied with a piano), followed by a 15 minute short scripture-based sermon, followed by a hymn and any announcements, followed by a scripture-based sermon (usually between 1 - 1 1/2 hours long), followed by a hymn and a closing prayer. Offerings are not collected in normal services. People sit through services, but stand during hymns. No "Eucharist" is offered, as LCG keeps the Lord's Passover as an annual, not weekly, event. LCG services, like those with Jesus, the apostles, and early true Christians, are held on Saturday.

"Rather, as they had been taught by Christ Himself, they kept, and always assembled on, the seventh day. What about when Paul traveled through predominately Gentile areas? God's Word tells us, "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his CUSTOM was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures" (17:1-2).  It was clearly Paul's "custom" to meet on the Sabbath. Acts 18:4 tells us that "he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks"...The New Testament states that we must make sure we are "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as [we] see the [millennial Sabbath] Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). We must not forsake assembling on the days God has appointed for that purpose. " (Meredith RC. Which Day os the Christian Sabbath? LCG Booklet).

No prayers to dead saints (including Mary) are offered in LCG services, nor is there evidence that they were originally offered prior to the third century.

People almost never sit in any portion of most Orthodox services (though they do more often in the USA than elsewhere). In LCG nearly everyone sits.

It should be noted that while the New Testament shows songs were sung, it never suggests that services were either sung or chanted, nor are there any biblical prohibitions to kneeling.

Eucharist/Lord's Passover

Orthodox:

"the Eucharist is offered. This sacrament is performed by a bishop or a presbyter using leavened (never unleavened) bread... (Clendenin, p. 28).

Living Church of God:

"At the end of Jesus’ human life, Luke tells us: "Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat…. ’ Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer’" (Luke 22:7–8, 15)...Also, the Apostle Paul clearly commanded the Gentile Church at Corinth to observe the Days of Unleavened Bread. Speaking of these days, Paul wrote: "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us KEEP THE FEAST, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7–8). Paul was obviously speaking of "keeping the Feast" of Unleavened Bread...First comes the solemn observance of Christ’s suffering and death on our behalf. The Bible calls this the "Passover." It pictures our acceptance of Christ’s broken body and shed blood, which He offered as our Savior. But remember, this is only the first step in God’s Plan for us! Next, we need to GROW in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18) and begin to put our old sinful ways and habits completely out of our lives. This "overcoming" process is pictured by the Days of Unleavened Bread (Meredith RC. THE HOLY DAYS—God's Master Plan. LCG Booklet, on-line version c. 2006).

There is no indication in the biblical text that leavened bread was ever used, which is why LCG uses unleavened, and never leavened, bread. Why the Orthodox intentionally use leavened bread in violation of the practice of Jesus and Paul is unclear to this writer.

Who and What is God?

Although early leaders that the Orthodox considers to be saints taught that only the Father and Son are God, the Orthodox moved away from its historical position because of various councils. Up until the late 4th century, most Orthodox held a "Semi-Arian" (otherwise known as binitarian) view of the Godhead.

Orthodox:

"the councils defined once and for all the Church's teaching upon the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith -- the Trinity and the Incarnation. All Christians agree in regarding these things as 'mysteries' which lie beyond human understanding and language...the first two, held in the fourth century...formulated the doctrine of the Trinity...The work of Nicea was taken up by the second Ecumenical Council, held in Constantinople in 381. This council expanded and adapted the Nicene Creed, developing in particular that teaching upon the Holy Spirit, whom it affirmed to be God even as the Father and the Son are God" (Ware, p.20,21-22).

"By the 4th century a polarity developed between the Eastern and Western Christians in their respective understandings of the Trinity. In the West God was understood primarily in terms of one essence (the Trinity of Persons being conceived as an irrational truth found in revelation); in the East the tri-personality of God was understood as the primary fact of Christian experience. For most of the Greek Fathers, it was not the Trinity that needed theological proof but rather God's essential unity. The Cappadocian Fathers (Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Basil of Caesarea) were even accused of being tri-theists because of the personalistic emphasis of their conception of God as one essence in three hypostases (the Greek term hypostasis was the equivalent of the Latin substantia and designated a concrete reality). For Greek theologians, this terminology was intended to designate the concrete New Testamental revelation of the Son and the Spirit, as distinct from the Father" (Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren. Basic Doctrines: Holy Trinity. http://www.kosovo.com/doctrine1.html#Holy%20Spirit 8/20/05).

"It was the supreme achievement of St. Athanasius of Alexandria to draw out the full implications of the key word in the Nicene Creed: homoousios, one in essence or substance, consubstantial. Complementary to his work was that of the three Cappadocian Fathers, Saints...(died 394). While Athanasius emphasized the unity of God -- Father and Son are one in essence (ousia) - the Cappadocians stressed God's threeness: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons (hypostasis)...Never before or since has the Church possessed four theologians of such stature within a single generation" (Ware, p.23).

"Orthodoxy professes its faith in a simple trinity...If we speak of a simple Trinity, this self-contradictory expression means the distinctions...God is unknowable about what he is" (Clendenin D.B. ed. Eastern Orthodox Theology, 2nd ed. Baker Academic, 2003, pp. 175,177).

Living Church of God:

"WHO AND WHAT IS GOD? The Father and the Son comprise the "Godhead." There is one God (1 Corinthians 8:4 and Deuteronomy 6:4). Scripture shows that God is a divine Family which began with two, God the Father and the Word (Genesis 1:26; Ephesians 2:19; 3:15; Hebrews 2:10-11)" (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

Perhaps some information from Roman Catholic sources needs to be mentioned here. The Catholic Encyclopedia article on Semi-Arianism states,

Semiarians and Semiarianism A name frequently given to the conservative majority in the East in the fourth century...showing that the very name of father implies a son of like substance...rejected the Divinity of the Holy Ghost...

It is critical to understand that the expression the conservative majority in the East in the fourth century is clearly referring mainly to those who are now known as the Eastern Orthodox--the Orthodox Church (there were also some Church of God members in that area who held that position then)! Both the Church of God and the Eastern Orthodox held a remarkably similar view of the Godhead until at least the late 4th century, but the Orthodox changed.

Although Catholic writers have had many definitions of "Semi-Arians" (most of which disagree with the Church of God position), one that somewhat defines the binitarian view taken in this article would possibly be this one from Epiphanius in the mid-4th Century,

Semi-Arians...hold the truly orthodox view of the Son, that he was forever with the Father...but has been begotten without beginning and not in time...But all of these blaspheme the Holy Spirit, and do not count him in the Godhead with the Father and the Son (Epiphanius. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Books II and III (Sects 47-80), De Fide). Section VI, Verses 1,1 and 1,3. Translated by Frank Williams. EJ Brill, New York, 1994, pp.471-472).

While early church writers (called Fathers by the Orthodox) specifically called the Father and the Son God, it was the heretic Valentinus who developed the idea of God existing as three hypostasis. Note what a bishop named Marcellus of Ancyra wrote on the nature of God around the middle of the fourth century,

Now with the heresy of the Ariomaniacs, which has corrupted the Church of God...These then teach three hypostases, just as Valentinus the heresiarch first invented in the book entitled by him 'On the Three Natures'.  For he was the first to invent three hypostases and three persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he is discovered to have filched this from Hermes and Plato." (Source: Logan A. Marcellus of Ancyra (Pseudo-Anthimus), 'On the Holy Church': Text, Translation and Commentary. Verses 8-9.  Journal of Theological Studies, NS, Volume 51, Pt. 1, April 2000, p.95 ).

What is most amazing to me is that the Orthodox frequently claim to have the teachings of the "early Fathers", yet on the nature of God they have ignored the plain teachings of the "early Fathers" such as Ignatius, Polycarp, Melito, and Irenaeus--all of whom held to a binitarian (a type of Semi-Arian position) of the Godhead.

More information on the Godhead can be found in the article Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings from Before the Beginning which documents the historical truth of the nature of God and some heretical doctrines on that subject.

The Holy Spirit

After the Council of Constantinople in 381, the Orthodox moved away from the majority view that the Holy Spirit is the power of God to one that it was a third person of a trinity.

Orthodox:

"Since the Council of Constantinople (381), which condemned the Pneumatomachians ("fighters against the Spirit"), no one in the Orthodox East has ever denied that the Spirit is not only a "gift" but also the giver--i.e., that he is the third Person of the holy Trinity" (Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren. Basic Doctrines: Holy Spirit. http://www.kosovo.com/doctrine1.html#Holy%20Spirit 8/20/05).

"Roman Catholic and Orthodox theologians agree in recognizing a certain anonymity characterizes the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. While the names Father and Son denote very clear personal distinctions, are in no sense interchangeable, and cannot in any case refer to the common nature of the two hypostases, the name Holy Spirit does not have that advantage. Indeed, we say that God is Spirit, meaning by that the common nature as much as any one of the persons. We say that he is holy...Taken in itself, the term Holy Spirit thus might be applied, not to a personal distinction...In that sense, Thomas Aquinas was right in saying that...the name Holy Spirit has been given to him...we find an image of the economy of the Third Person rather than an image of his hypostatic character: we find the procession of a divine force or spirit which accomplishes sanctification. We reach a paradoxical conclusions: all that we know about the Holy Spirit refers to his economy; all that we do not know makes us venerate him as a person" (Clendenin D.B. ed. Eastern Orthodox Theology, 2nd ed. Baker Academic, 2003, pp. 165-166).

Living Church of God:

"THE HOLY SPIRIT God is Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the very essence, the mind, life and power of God. It is not a Being. The Spirit is inherent in the Father and the Son, and emanates from Them throughout the entire universe (1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 139:7; Jeremiah 23:24)" (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. LCG, 2004).

Notice what The Catholic Encyclopedia reported:

Towards the middle of the fourth century, Macedonius, Bishop of Constantinople, and, after him a number of Semi-Arians, while apparently admitting the Divinity of the Word, denied that of the Holy Ghost. (Forget J. Transcribed by W.S. French, Jr. Holy Ghost. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VII. Copyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

So, the Patriarche of Constantinople, Macedonius (342-346, 351-360 A.D.), denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Clearly then, this is something that the Orthodox Church has truly changed. If you are Orthodox, are you aware of this?

According to historian Epiphanius, who wrote about the time of the Council of Constantinople, Pneumatomachians were those who did not accept that the Holy Spirit was a separate person--this is something that those in LCG would agree with--it is also what the vast majority of the Greco-Orthodox believed into the fourth century until a Council ruled differently.

We in LCG do not believe that we are "fighters against the Spirit". Throughout history, our critics have called us a variety of names and have defined us in ways that are inaccurate. But the fact is that those "early Fathers" who wrote about the Holy Spirit did not consider it to be the third person of any trinity. (More information on the Holy Spirit can be found in the article Did Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity?).

Prayers for the Dead

Orthodox:

"In God and in His Church there is no division between the living and the departed...Therefore just as Orthodox Christians here on earth pray for one another and ask for one another's prayers, so they pray for the faithful departed and ask the faithful departed to pray for them...Orthodox are convinced that Christians here on earth have a duty to pray for the departed, and they are confident that the departed are helped by such prayers" (Ware, pp.254-255).

"Reverence for the saints in closely bound up with the veneration of icons. These are placed by Orthodox not only in their churches, but in each room of their homes, and even in cars and buses...At Baptism an Orthodox is given the name of a saint, as a symbol of her or his entry into the unity of the Church...Orthodox have a special devotion to the saint whose name they bear; usually keeping an icon of their patron saint in their room and daily ask for his or her intercessions. The festival of their patron saint they keep as their Name Day...An Orthodox Christian invokes in prayers not only the saints but the angels, and in particular her of his guardian angel. The angels 'fence us around with their intercessions and shelter us under their protecting wings of immaterial glory'...The Mother of God. Among the saints a special position belongs to the Blessed Virgin Mary" (Ware, pp.256-257).

Living Church of God: The LCG agrees with Protestant reformers and also rejects:

"prayers for the dead as lacking scriptural foundation...doctrines, which the Roman Catholic church had absorbed from paganism" (Winnail D. The Reformation and Religious Deception. Tomorrow's World, LCG Magazine. January-February 2002).

No prayers to dead saints are offered in LCG services, nor is there evidence that they were originally offered prior to the third century. However prayers to heal and comfort those living are offered (though normally privately).

Worship Calendar

Orthodox:

"One of the major characteristics of the Byzantine liturgical tradition is the wealth and variety of hymnodical texts marking the various cycles of the liturgical year. A special liturgical book contains the hymns for each of the main cycles. The daily cycle includes the offices of Hesperinos (Vespers), Apodeipnon (Compline), the midnight prayer, Orthros (Matins), and the four canonical "hours"--i.e., offices to be said at the "First" (6:00 AM), "Third" (9:00 AM), "Sixth" (12:00 noon), and "Ninth" (3:00 PM) hours. The liturgical book covering the daily cycle is called the Horologion ("The Book of Hours"). The Paschal (Easter) cycle is centered on the "Feast of Feasts"--i.e., of Christ's Resurrection; it includes the period of Great Fast (Lent), preceded by three Sundays of preparation and the period of 50 days following Easter. The hymns of the Lenten period are found in the Triodion (Three Odes), and those of the Easter season in the Pentekostarion (called the "Flowery Triodion"). The weekly cycle is the continuation of the Resurrection cycle found in the Triodion and the Pentekostarion; each week following the Sunday after Pentecost (50 days after Easter) possesses its own musical tone, or mode, in accordance with which all the hymns of the week are sung. There are eight tones whose composition is traditionally attributed to St. John of Damascus (8th century). Each week is centered around Sunday, the day of Christ's Resurrection. The Easter and weekly cycles clearly dominate all offices of the entire year and illustrate the absolute centrality of the Resurrection in the Eastern understanding of the Christian message. The date of Easter, set at the Council of Nicaea (325), is the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox" (Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren. Worship and Sacraments. http://www.kosovo.com/doctrine3.html#Sacraments 8/20/05).

"In 190, the issue of Easter is in its agenda and a Synod is held, via the Eparch of Narkissos" (The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The Church of Jerusalem. http://www.jerusalem-patriarchate.org/en/home/homefr.htm 01/20/06).

The Orthodox Church reports this brief explanation in one of its timelines:

193 A.D. - Council of Rome, presided over by Bishop Victor, condemns the celebration of Pascha on Nisan 14, and addresses a letter to Polycrates of Ephesus and the Churches in Asia.

193 A.D. - Council of Ephesus, presided over by Bishop Polycrates, and attended by several bishops throughout Asia, reject the authority of Victor of Rome, and keep the Asian paschal tradition (Markou, Stavros L. K. An Orthodox Christian Historical Timeline. Copyright © 2003 OrthodoxFaith.com).

Although it appears that the Orthodox Church officially began to accept Easter around 190 A.D. (as it, as a Sunday holiday, originated in Rome a few decades earlier, though the churches in Asia Minor did not accept the change from Passover on the 14th of Nisan), thos