Ecumenism: Is it good or bad for the Orthodox?

[Rick James York]

MODERATOR'S NOTICE: The following message has been posted by an account engaged in on-line identity fraud. The member 'Rick James York' is identical to members 'Rostislav' and 'John M.' The current post, made before discovery of this fact, is being retained in order to preserve the flow of threads; but readers should be aware of this case of multiple identity.

Ecumanism: Good or bad: -

If the Orthodox Church unites with all or most other Christian denominations will this be a bad thing because it could errode away at Orthodoxy's purity and "Right belief"?

or

If the Orthodox Church unites with all or most other Christian denominations will this be a good thing because it could finally erradicate differences between the various denominations and create "solidarity" for all Christians?

[Herman Blaydoe]

Ecumanism: Good or bad: -

If the Orthodox Church unites with all or most other Christian denominations will this be a bad thing because it could errode away at Orthodoxy's purity and "Right belief"?

or

If the Orthodox Church unites with all or most other Christian denominations will this be a good thing because it could finally erradicate differences between the various denominations and create "solidarity" for all Christians?

First off, I think it is important to understand how you are using the word "ecumenism". Are you using it in the pejorative sense of making accommodations with other beliefs to make it more "all-encompassing", or in the sense of sharing what we believe with other churches as witnesses to the Truth and encouraging those things we share in those other faiths?

The first is certainly a "bad thing", but I do not believe it is happening at this point, so I do not think it is even worth talking about. The second point is worth discussing however, particularly the question of how effective is this witness? Some say activities certain Orthodox churches are engaged in are not very effective at all, while others might counter that any effort is worthwhile.

It is good to know what others believe and to allow them to believe them. Otherwise, we get mindsets that start pogroms and cleansing and things get very, very unpleasant for all concerned. We cannot completely withdraw from the world we live in, at least not all of us. Otherwise, who will be the witness at all?

[Rick James York]

MODERATOR'S NOTICE: The following message has been posted by an account engaged in on-line identity fraud. The member 'Rick James York' is identical to members 'Rostislav' and 'John M.' The current post, made before discovery of this fact, is being retained in order to preserve the flow of threads; but readers should be aware of this case of multiple identity.


First off, I think it is important to understand how you are using the word "ecumenism". Are you using it in the pejorative sense of making accommodations with other beliefs to make it more "all-encompassing", or in the sense of sharing what we believe with other churches as witnesses to the Truth and encouraging those things we share in those other faiths?

The first is certainly a "bad thing", but I do not believe it is happening at this point, so I do not think it is even worth talking about. The second point is worth discussing however, particularly the question of how effective is this witness? Some say activities certain Orthodox churches are engaged in are not very effective at all, while others might counter that any effort is worthwhile.

It is good to know what others believe and to allow them to believe them. Otherwise, we get mindsets that start pogroms and cleansing and things get very, very unpleasant for all concerned. We cannot completely withdraw from the world we live in, at least not all of us. Otherwise, who will be the witness at all?If you read the two questions carefully, you may see that the way to view ecumenism is up to the persons posting replies to them. I have left it objective for the sake of collecting many replies not many questions.

I have my own view but I do not want to be biased for the sake of open discussion.

The questions are not philosophical, the answers can be if the replier wants them to be so, but it is not at all a requirement.

I would personally much more prefer clear concise answers for the sake of all readers.

[Andreas Moran]

If the Orthodox Church unites with all or most other Christian denominations will this be a good thing because it could finally erradicate differences between the various denominations and create "solidarity" for all Christians?

If this means other CDs recovering the true faith with nothing added and nothing taken away, obviously that would be a good thing. It would mean all Christians restored to Orthodoxy . It won't happen.

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear all,

I would like to take this opportunity to remind that this forum is for the focused study of patristic theology. 'Orthodoxy on ecumenism' is robustly treated in other fora, which are more appropriate places for such discussions. For those interested in this topic, I would encourage participation in those boards / lists, which allow focused treatment and consideration.

Here we long ago determined that inter-church relations, into which category such discussions fall, are beyond our remit (while still very important in their own right), so as to be able to use this space to focus on other important issues.

Many thanks to all.

XB, Dcn Matthew