Posted on 12/09/2008 5:51:27 AM PST by Gamecock
Orthodoxy [or‘-thuh-dawk’-see]
(Greek orthos, “right, true” + Greek doxa, “opinion, thinking”)
Orthodoxy has been widely acknowledged to refer to adhering to the teachings and traditions in an established faith or religion. With respect to Christianity, the concept generally means recognizing and accepting the fundamental teachings and doctrines held by all Christians of all time, everywhere. All three branches of Christianity (Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox) consider the early ecumenical confessions such as the Apostles’ Creed, Athanasian Creed, and Nicean Creed to be their primary sources relating to orthodoxy.
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In the end that's what it all comes down to "opinion".
We have an entire large branch of Christianity that claims in their very name that THEY are the RIGHT-THINKING, right-worshiping ones.
And another large branch that claims to be THE UNIVERSAL Church(TM).
And a lot more smaller branches that have the same attitude. If you ain’t part of OUR group, then you’re really not “with it.”
Doxa does not mean opinion, it means “praise”, thus Orthodoxia means “right or correct praise”. This is because lex orandi, lex credendi.
Good to see you back. Hope all is well.
Right belief as compared with heterodoxy or heresy. The term is used in the East to identify those churches (not united with Rome) which accepted the ancient councils, notably Ephesus and Chalcedon, and which call themselves "the holy, orthodox, catholic, Eastern Church." In the West the word is sometimes used to describe a justifiable concern for sound doctrine in the Catholic faith. (Etym. Greek orthos, right + doksa, opinion: orthodoksa, having the right opinion.)
A hymn or formula of praise to God. "Glory to God in the Highest," recited or sung at Mass, is known as the greater doxology. "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit" is the lesser doxology. (Etym. Greek doxa, opinion, glory + logia, science, knowledge.)
Greek doxa, "opinion, thinking" [Gamecock]
In the end that's what it all comes down to "opinion". [Wmfights]
Well, you're all right. However, Wmfights, you have the wrong sense of the contextual usage/meaning of "opinion." "Opinion" in this case means something weighty -- like a Supreme Court majority "opinion."
That's far different than a blogger offering his or her "opinion" -- or a FREEPER. "Glory" or the Greek, "doxa" includes the thrust of "weightiness."
So when "glory" is applied to God -- like when we'll sing this "Christmas" (with the angels) "glory to God in the highest, peace, good will on earth" -- what we are assigning to God is His weightiness, His gravity, His solid "opinions" as Judge of the universe that what He says, goes. He has the final say (opinion).
You don't openly argue disrespectfully with a judge. You give him honor and respect, even when not all that they do is respectable.
But with the Judge of the universe, His words carry weight. They are glorious -- for He is glorious. And there is a straight-thinking Source in the universe, the Glorious One on High.
Yes
And? Talk to any law enforcement official who specializes in counterfeit bills. Counterfeit bills aren't all alike. Some are quite good in terms of sophistication and detail. Others smack of "attitude" -- the gall for this bill to try to pass itself off as genuine when it might as well be Monopoly $.
If you ain’t part of OUR group, then you’re really not “with it.”
OK, first of all isn't it downright "likely" -- in the final evaluation of all things -- that some folks & some groups aren't with it? (Do we have to always play the self-esteem game where trophies are given to last-place teams?) I mean, religion isn't a competition, but history has proved some people were right on some things (example, Churchill about Hitler)...while others were wrong (like Neville Chamberlain signing a peace treaty with Hitler).
Secondly, our Lord's a big God. (As in universal). So when He runs things, it's going to tend to be done on a universal basis. But He also acts locally (Bethlehem 2000 years ago is the best example). So, certainly, as you've well pointed out, we need to reserve some suspicion for groups that claim exclusivity.
We have an entire large branch of Christianity that claims in their very name that THEY are the RIGHT-THINKING, right-worshiping ones.
The word "orthodox" doesn't need to raise hackles in a way that folks respond, "Ooohhh, they claim to be orthodox. Then what does that make the rest of us? Twisted thinking?"
Why?
(a) Well, Catholic itself means "Universal" (I noticed you excluded them as an example). Just because the Lord lays claim to a universal church doesn't mean the rest of us respond, "Ooohhh, they claim to be God's worldwide church. That doesn't exactly leave any turf for the rest of us."
b Because we are all to strive for orthodoxy according to God's revealed Highest Court opinions. And just as important, is for us to strive for orthopraxy (straight practices). The Good Samaritan showed us his orthodoxy by his orthopraxy, even though he wasn't in an "in" group.
In modern usage, the distinction exists between capital “O” Orthodoxy, and referring to the Eastern Orthodox Church, — and lower-case “o” orthodoxy, which is an epithet describing adherence to any well-defined historical belief or thought system, at times even outside of the arena of religion, but primarily, indeed, the teachings of the Early Church.
Who determines what is "correct praise"?
If it is people in power it is an application of their opinion.
If it is God then it is a perfect judgment and we don't have any input and certainly don't have any right to judge and punish.
“If it is God then it is a perfect judgment and we don’t have any input and certainly don’t have any right to judge and punish.”
God decided and told the Greeks. Some people listened to us, some didn’t. :)
No, I included the Catholics as an example.
The fact is, an exclusive attitude is found in various corners. Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant.
The One receiving the praise...'cause even formal worship in a Christian "orthodox" setting may be truly worshipful from one person -- and perhaps may not be from another person present.
Generally speaking, Jesus laid out the perfect guidelines for us, saying, God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
IOW, worshipers must address God as He is -- Spirit -- and thru the revelation of what He has shown Himself to be -- not just any concocted image we might want to develop of Him.
If it is people in power it is an application of their opinion. If it is God then it is a perfect judgment and we don't have any input and certainly don't have any right to judge and punish.
At times, yes it can be people applying their own opinions. But it doesn't have to be if we allow the Holy Spirit to speak through us:
The apostle Paul told the Corinthians -- certainly one of the churches that did need church discipline from human leadership:
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man MAKES JUDGMENTS ABOUT ALL THINGS, BUT HE HIMSELF IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY MAN'S JUDGMENT. "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:12-16)
Christ is not so lousy of a communicator that He can't make His will known to and through His Spirit within His people.
Oh, yes indeed. But so also can be found an inclusive -- and then sometimes so inclusive that it's hard to find the difference between a Catholic and a Catholic-voodoo practicing Caribbean worshiper (syncretism)...or an Orthodox-in-Name only Communist leader in Russia...or an ordained homosexual who thinks it's OK for physicians to kill people in the United Church of Christ...
Yes, inclusivity is important...but not to the degree where the boundaries are so smudged you could write a "fill-in-the-blank" hyphen to go with Christian...a Buddhist-Christian...a New Age Christian...etc.
All three of these early creeds have been changed from what they said originally.
In the end that's what it all comes down to "opinion".
Exactly!
I agree.
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