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June 17, 2005 at 2:01 pm #5129
Anonymous
Inactive

I’m sorry that you thought my “warning” was serious…. I thought the laughing emoticon would give enough of a hint that I was joking…
[quote:305ra1pc] I don’t actually know what exactly you mean by doctrinal development (and you haven’t tried to explain) but I have explained what kind of development it is that we find illegitimate and which, to us, appears to be acceptable in the eyes of the RCC.[/quote:305ra1pc]
Like I said… I’m trying to learn about what YOU believe…. and you’ve explained what development you find “illegitimate”, and now I’m trying to find out “why”.
[quote:305ra1pc]What’s the purpose of an Ecumenical Council, you ask? To defend the faith handed down from the Apostles from heresy.[/quote:305ra1pc]
So, you believe that the Orthodox Church has [u:305ra1pc]no authority[/u:305ra1pc] to teach and prevent heresy, only react AFTER the fact?

Please spare me the compare and contrast with the RCC… I know what I believe… just explain to me what YOU believe.
[quote:305ra1pc]We have also had several Pan-Orthodox Councils since the last Ecumenical that have had the same purpose, defending the faith from, for instance, Protestant errors that were creeping into the Church. These, to me, seem only to differ from Ecumenical Councils by virtue of their name. Likewise we have local Synods like Iasi, whose decisions were accepted by the whole Church which met for the same purpose (Iasi, for instance, defended the entire Septuagint including deuterocannonicals against Protestant accusations that they weren’t Scripture – you had a council for a similar purpose, I believe). I know, however, of no council, Ecumenical, Pan-Orthodox, or Local which has sat for the purpose of defining new doctrine.[/quote:305ra1pc]
Great… this is the info I was looking for.

These Pan-Orthodox Councils and local Synods are authorized by whom?

What gives local Churches authority to bind doctrine/denounce heresy?….what I mean is, Ecumenical Councils are “the norm”, the way that the Orthodox faith operated for at least 900 years… what changed?

Thanks,
Scott