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Russian Orthodoxy is practiced mainly in Russia, but has found itself surging also in the United States.
The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on the Julian calendar - which is 13 days different than the Gregorian, or secular calendar. Christmas is celebrated by Russian Orthodox on December 25th on the Julian Calendar, or January 7th on the secular calendar.
As opposed to an "open handed" crossing guesture in the RC church, The Russian Orthodox/ OR ANY EASTERN ORTHODOX RITE uses the sign of the cross by: Joining the 3 fingers of the right hand, (thumb,forefinger and index finger together.) This symbolises the Holy Trinity. The parishioner then crosses himself in the manner of touching the Head (Father), the chest,(son), then RIGHT breast then LEFT breast (Holy Spirit). People in the Catholic church go LEFT breast then RIGHT.
The Eastern Orthodox Church uses the Bible. The books in their Canon are slightly different than that of the Roman Catholic, but they also use 3 Maccabees, Psalm 151, and 1 Esdras.
Most Orthodox churches call their leader a patriarch. However, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria uses the term pope. The Byzantine Rite of the Catholic Church as well as other eastern rites of the Catholic Church also uses the term patriarch, equivalent of an archbishop.
Because the two Churches (Orthodox and Catholic) use different calendars to calculate the date of Easter (which is a movable holiday). The Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar, whereas the Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar. The two Easters are not always a week apart (in 2007, they were on the same day), but that's usually the case.
The Roman Catholic Church is normally known for using fresco's and Statues in their churches. Whereas The Eastern Orthodox Church uses mosaics and icons, with a small percentage of the time they will also use fresco's .
When the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar, Europe "lost" 12 days. The Orthodox church and the Western Church did not agree on which date Christmas should now be on. The Orthodox church now celebrates Christmas on January 6 while the Western church uses December 25.
Roman Catholic AnswerThe Greek Church outlawed the use of statues and uses icons as being less "life-like". The Roman Church does use icons, just not as exclusively as the Greek Church does.
The Serbian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar, so Christmas currently falls on January 7 of the Gregorian calendar.January 7th for the orthodox people.
Orthodox is made up of two Greek words "ortho" which means correct and "doxa" which means worship or glory. In a secular sense, 'orthodox' can mean traditional or conforming with accepted standards. In a spiritual context, the word 'Orthodox' means the correct faith or the correct worship and glory of God.
The Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) churches are the two main branches of Christianity. The Eastern Church is composed of national churches that are in communion with the Patriarch of Constantinople, while the Western Church is under the jurisdiction of the Pope in Rome. The two churches have different theological traditions and practices. The main differences between the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) churches are: -The Eastern Church uses the Byzantine Rite while the Western Church uses the Latin Rite. -The Eastern Church is organized into Patriarchates while the Western Church is organized into Dioceses. -The Eastern Church teaches that the Bishop of Rome is the first among equals while the Western Church teaches that the Bishop of Rome is the supreme Pontiff. -The Eastern Church is composed of national churches while the Western Church is composed of local churches 678217.