One of the most widespread world religions is Christianity, which preaches faith in Jesus Christ - the Savior of all offended and thirsty for justice. However, in the course of historical events, Christianity broke up into three currents: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism.
What Orthodox believe in
The Orthodox people are people who believe in God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit.
For them, God is one, but embodied in the specified Trinity. The main postulates of Orthodoxy are:
- The belief that Jesus Christ has two natures at the same time - human and Divine.
- Faith in the atoning sacrifice that Jesus made for the salvation of mankind.
- Belief in the afterlife and that everyone after death will be rewarded according to his merits.
- Faith in a mysterious power called Divine grace, which is sent to people from above for liberation from sin.
- Belief in the existence of angels and demons.
The main shrine isThe Bible honored by the Orthodox people.
This book, which consists of the Old and New Testaments, reflects the main Christian ideas and guides believers on the true path.
The foundations of Orthodox society
Orthodoxy was most widespread among the Slavic peoples.
The adherents of this trend in Christianity (literally meaning “correct teaching/judgment”) adhere to ancient customs and traditions that clearly reflect their worldview.
Thanks to Christian foundations, such significant holidays as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter appeared in the life of the Orthodox.
Orthodox people are people who sacredly honor family values and traditions. In particular, before Christmas, believers keep a long fast. Its end falls on January 6 - Christmas Eve.
On this day, you can not eat until the first star rises. Traditionally, after the evening service, the family gathers at the festive table, where they break the fast with kutya (sochi).
The main holidays in Orthodoxy
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of God the Son - Jesus Christ, who came into the world as the Messiah, the Savior. Thanks to Jesus, people gained faith and received hope for mercy, kindness, truth and eternal life, about which Christ spoke in his sermons. According to the Julian calendar, this holiday is celebrated on January 7, while Catholics celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25.
On this daycarolers go home, praising the birth of Christ in carols and wishing all household members he alth and prosperity.
Another significant holiday celebrated by the Orthodox people is Epiphany, which marks the baptism of Jesus, who at that time was 30 years old. The rite was performed by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and symbolized the cleansing of the soul and body of a person from sins.
On the eve of the holiday, the ceremony of consecrating water is held in temples and churches. It is believed that after this rite, water acquires miraculous properties that can heal the sick, as well as have a detrimental effect on evil spirits. By tradition, Epiphany water is kept in the house for a whole year, until the next festive consecration.
The baptism of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the tradition of baptism of children, which has become one of the sacraments of the Orthodox Church.
The main Christian holiday is the Resurrection of Christ - Easter. It is dedicated to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This day is celebrated with special celebration: many hours of services are held; believers prepare Easter, bake Easter cakes, paint eggs, which are consecrated after the end of the service.
The Orthodox traditions of the Russian people consisted, among other things, in the belief in the salvation of the soul, cleansing it from sins for doing good deeds. Therefore, on Easter, parishioners donated for the benefit of the church and especially those in need.
The impact of religion on society
The Orthodox peoples of Russia make up a significant part of the total population of the country. However, they get along well withrepresentatives of other religions, such as Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists.
An important fact is that the Russian Orthodox Church is the largest of its kind.
Its influence is quite noticeable in all matters of human life and the state. And yet in our time it is not as great as it used to be. Thus, the church greatly influenced the work of many outstanding writers and composers: A. S. Pushkin, F. M. Dostoevsky, N. V. Gogol, P. I. Tchaikovsky, M. P. Mussorgsky, A. P. Borodin. The Orthodox people are very sensitive to the works of these outstanding people. Their significance for the culture and life of believers is enormous, as is the observance of the customs and traditions of their ancestors.
