Orthodox countries make up a large percentage of the total number of states on the planet and are geographically scattered around the world, but they are most concentrated in Europe and the East.
There are not so many religions in the modern world that have managed to maintain their rules and main dogmas, a large number of supporters and faithful servants of their faith and church. Orthodoxy belongs to such religions.
Orthodoxy as a branch of Christianity
The very word "Orthodoxy" is interpreted as "correct glorification of God" or "correct service".
This religion belongs to one of the most widespread faiths in the world - Christianity, and it arose after the collapse of the Roman Empire and the division of churches in 1054 AD.
Basics of Christianity
This religion is based on dogmas, which are interpreted in Holy Scripture and in Holy Tradition.
The first includes the book of the Bible, consisting of two parts (New and Old Testaments), and the Apocrypha, which are sacred texts that are not included in the Bible.
The second consists of seven ecumenical councils and the works of the fatherschurches that lived in the second-fourth centuries of our era. These people include John Chrysostom, Athanasius of Alexandrovsky, Gregory the Theologian, Basil the Great, John of Damascus.
Distinctive features of Orthodoxy
In all Orthodox countries, the main tenets of this branch of Christianity are observed. These include the following: the trinity of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), salvation from the Last Judgment through the confession of faith, the atonement of sins, the incarnation, the resurrection and ascension of God the Son - Jesus Christ.
All these rules and dogmas were approved in 325 and 382 at the first two Ecumenical Councils. The Orthodox Church proclaimed them eternal, indisputable and communicated to mankind by the Lord God himself.
Orthodox countries of the world
The religion of Orthodoxy is practiced by approximately 220 to 250 million people. This number of believers is one tenth of all Christians on the planet. Orthodoxy is spread all over the world, but the largest percentage of people who profess this religion is in Greece, Moldova and Romania - 99.9%, 99.6% and 90.1% respectively. Other Orthodox countries have slightly lower percentages of Christians, but Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Montenegro are also high.
The largest number of people whose religion is Orthodoxy live in the countries of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, a large number of religious diasporas are spread around the world.
List of Orthodox countries
An Orthodox country is one in which Orthodoxy is recognized asstate religion.
The country with the largest number of Orthodox is the Russian Federation. In percentage terms, of course, it is inferior to Greece, Moldova and Romania, but the number of believers significantly exceeds these Orthodox countries.
- Greece - 99.9%.
- Moldova - 99.9%.
- Romania - 90.1%.
- Serbia - 87.6%.
- Bulgaria - 85.7%.
- Georgia - 78.1%.
- Montenegro - 75.6%.
- Belarus - 74.6%.
- Russia - 72.5%.
- Macedonia - 64.7%.
- Cyprus - 69.3%.
- Ukraine - 58.5%.
- Ethiopia - 51%.
- Albania - 45.2%.
- Estonia - 24.3%.
The spread of Orthodoxy across countries depending on the number of believers is as follows: in the first place is Russia with the number of believers 101,450,000 people, Ethiopia has 36,060,000 Orthodox, Ukraine - 34,850,000, Romania - 18,750,000, Greece - 10,030,000, Serbia - 6,730,000, Bulgaria - 6,220,000, Belarus - 5,900,000, Egypt - 3,860,000, and Georgia - 3,820,000 Orthodox.
Peoples who profess Orthodoxy
Let's consider the spread of this belief among the peoples of the world, and according to statistics, most of the Orthodox are among the Eastern Slavs. These include peoples such as Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians. In second place in terms of popularity of Orthodoxy as a native religion are the South Slavs. These are Bulgarians, Montenegrins, Macedonians and Serbs.
Moldovans, Georgians, Romanians, Greeks and Abkhazians are also moreOrthodox parts.
Orthodoxy in the Russian Federation
As indicated above, the country of Russia is Orthodox, the number of believers is the largest in the world and extends over its entire large territory.
Orthodox Russia is famous for its multinationality, this country is home to a large number of peoples with different cultural and traditional heritage. But most of these people are united by their belief in the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Such Orthodox peoples of the Russian Federation include the Nenets, Yakuts, Chukchi, Chuvash, Ossetians, Udmurts, Mari, Nenets, Mordovians, Karelians, Koryaks, Veps, the peoples of the Republic of Komi and Chuvashia.
Orthodoxy in North America
It is believed that Orthodoxy is a faith that is common in Eastern Europe and a small part of Asia, but this religion is also present in North America, thanks to the huge diasporas of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Greeks and other peoples resettled from Orthodox countries.
Most North Americans are Christians, but they belong to the Catholic branch of this religion.
In Canada and the United States, the attitude towards religion is slightly different.
Many Canadians consider themselves Christians, but rarely go to church. Of course, the difference is slightly present depending on the region of the country and urban or rural areas. It is known that urban dwellers are less religious than rural people. Religion in Canadamainly Christian, the majority of believers are Catholics, in second place are other Christians, a significant part are Mormons.
The concentration of the last two religious movements is very different from the region of the country. For example, the Maritime Provinces are home to many Lutherans who were once settled there by the British.
And in Manitoba and Saskatchewan there are many Ukrainians who profess Orthodoxy and are adherents of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Christians are less zealous in the US, but they attend church and perform religious rites more often than in Europe.
Mormons are mainly concentrated in Alberta, due to the migration of Americans who are representatives of this religious movement.
The main sacraments and rites of Orthodoxy
This Christian movement is based on seven main actions, each of which symbolizes something and strengthens human faith in the Lord God.
The first thing that is done in infancy is baptism, it is carried out by immersing a person in water three times. This number of dives is done in honor of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This ritual signifies the spiritual birth and adoption by a person of the Orthodox faith.
The second action, which is performed only after baptism, is the Eucharist or communion. It is carried out through eating a small piece of bread and a sip of wine, symbolizing the eating of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Also Orthodox confession, or repentance, is available. This sacrament lies in the recognitionall his sins before God, which a person speaks before a priest, and he, in turn, forgives sins on behalf of God.
The sacrament of chrismation is a symbol of the preservation of the received purity of the soul, which was after baptism.
The ritual, which is performed jointly by two Orthodox, is a wedding, an action in which, on behalf of Jesus Christ, the newlyweds are admonished for a long family life. The ceremony is performed by a priest.
Unction is a sacrament during which a sick person is smeared with oil (wood oil), which is considered sacred. This action symbolizes the descent of God's grace on a person.
There is another sacrament among the Orthodox, which is available only to priests and bishops. It is called the priesthood and consists in the transfer of special grace from the bishop to the new priest, the validity of which is for life.
