Catholic-Orthodox Differences In Theology

Volumes can be written on the differences between Catholic and Orthodox theology. What follows is as simple and concise as I can make it. The basic difference is this: Catholicism is more legalistic, and Orthodoxy is more therapeutic.

Soteriology

Western Christians, including Roman Catholics, believe in the concept of original sin. That we are all guilty of the sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Furthermore, this sin was an offense against God, and since the seriousness of an offense is dependent upon the dignity of the one offended, and since our infinite God is of limitless dignity, it follows that the malice against God is an evil without limit or measure. In short, this original sin created a sort of legal problem with God, and all of us, as descendants of Adam and Eve, are in a debt situation in which our sins must be paid for. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross paid for our sins, and this makes it possible for us to go to heaven when we die, so long as we believe in Christ and repent of our sins.

Eastern Christians, including the Orthodox, as well as Eastern Catholics, believe that the fall of mankind is much more complicated than an act of simple disobedience. The sin committed by Adam and Eve was ultimately a refusal to enter into communion with their Creator. It was a refusal to love. God held nothing away from mankind, but gave us this world and the entire creation as a gift to us, as a means of communion with Him. He even made us in likeness of Himself for this purpose. In fact the reason mankind was created was to become like God. In short, Adam and Eve's sin was that they were attempting to become like God without God. This act of disobedience was mankind's "no thank you" to God. Instead of offering their lives as love and communion with God, Adam and Eve chose to treat the world as an end in and of itself. This separated Adam and Eve from God and brought mortality into their lives. We do not inherit any guilt for Adam and Eve's sin, but we do inherit the consequence, which is death. Enslaved to the inevitability of death, people become self-centered, egotistical, enslaved by their passions and the need to survive. They see their fellow human beings as objects to be used to obtain their own desires. Sin, then is a sickness which requires healing. Christ's sacrifice was not an act of payment against a debt owed to God, but was more like a rescue mission. His divine nature joined with our human one, and in His resurrection he defeated death. His work has made it possible for us to reunite ourselves to God and return to the loving condition of communion with God that existed before Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. This process of reunification is what we call "theosis" or "God-likeness", and it is our reason for existence. We use spiritual "medication" and "exercises" to help us in our efforts to heal our sinful nature, and set us on the path towards theosis. These include prayer, fasting, charity, and participating in the sacraments. These things help us to avoid sin, and draw us closer to God. We believe that if we live our lives striving to become close to God, when we die we will be in God's presence.

These two divergent theological philosophies -- one legalistic, and the other therapeutic -- more than anything else, separate Roman Catholic doctrine from Orthodox doctrine.

Purgatory

In general, the Orthodox do not believe in Purgatory. At least they do not believe in a purification by fire after death. Orthodox belief is that when we die, we enjoy a foretaste of our eternal state which is neither one entirely of bliss (Heaven) or entirely of torment (Hell). All enter into the presence of God, and experience God's presence as either light and love, or as burning fire and torment, depending upon how they lived their lives. There are a minority of Orthodox (mainly Russian) who believe in a kind of purgatory called the "aerial toll houses" where the soul undergoes purification before finally landing in the presence of God, but this is by far not a universal view. In Orthodox eschatology, we do not experience our ultimate fate until the Final Judgment.

The Filioque Clause

One point which Orthodox theologians bristle at, is the addition back in the 8th century of the filioque clause into the Nicene Creed by Roman Catholics. This well intentioned, but possibly theologically suspect clause, says that the Holy Spirit, ...proceeds from the Father and the Son... Precisely why this clause should cause so much consternation is difficult to grasp for all but the most learned theologians. Nevertheless, Orthodox and Catholic believers at all levels are ready to storm the battlements with broken beer bottles over its inclusion.

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