Reconciling Differences

I have a habit of running through a line of thought, trying to understand it completely. Sometimes that can mean that I sound like I am espousing something that I don't really believe. What is really going on is that I assemble information about a subject by talking about it, thinking about it and trying to understand the paradigm where that information was generated. One such instance came back to haunt me recently as I managed to estrange a friend of mine converting to Catholicism. I respect this friend very much and my comments about the Pope and the Orthodox view of the Great Schism left my friend thinking that I regard Catholicism very unfavorably. I originally didn't know what to do about this so I just decided to come out and talk to her about it.

The Orthodox contention with the Catholic Church has to do with two major issues, Papal authority and the Nicean Creed. In the creed the words "and the Son" were added in an attempt to strengthen the creed against heresy. The major issue was that this addition was done in the West and the bishops of the east didn't approve it and claimed that an Ecumenical Council was necessary to change the creed. No such council was called and several Popes in Rome(and in Avignon) tried to force the usage of their modified creed using Papal authority. The Orthodox in the East did not recognize the Papal See as having the authority to change the creed and resisted those Popes who pressed the issue. It was not simply a theological split however that isolated the Roman Catholics from the Eastern Churches. Geography and politics drove larger wedges between the two churches. The Catholics were not so pleased about getting minimal help from the East to defend against attacking barbarians and the Orthodox didn't really enjoy the Crusades being used to ransack and steal from Orthodox churches in the East. The two sides of the former Roman Empire drifted apart and the Catholic West and Orthodox East began to develop Christendom in isolation of each other. I am probably sympathetic to the Orthodox view of things because being raised in the West I tend to look at my own roots more critically. I am sure that the Catholic understanding of the Schism is more favorably to their side -- such is the nature of polemic historical accounts.

I used to have a poor image of what Catholicism was, partially through ignorance, but also because of an iconoclastic Protestant tradition which viewed Mariology and the veneration of icons as idol worship. If anything, my encounter with Orthodoxy has given me a greater appreciation for Catholicism and a genuine interest in how Christianity is expressed in that church. I don't pretend that all Christians in Orthodoxy are doing it right and I would expect that there are Catholics, Protestants, Jews and others who have found a right relationship with God. I have no way of knowing the souls and inner thoughts of others, I leave that for God. I can only work on myself and hope, God willing, that my life is a true representation of my faith.

So friends, if I offend you, I apologize. I don't mean to call you out or offend. If I am brash, it is probably for poor reason. If I am wrong, correct me. If you disagree, tell me. I am open to what others have to say. That doesn't mean I will change my mind if I feel I am right, but most likely I am just expressing my thoughts poorly and I should be more careful.