The Effect Of The Russian Orthodox Religion On The Cult Essays -- essa

The Effect of the Russian Jewish-Orthodox Religion on the CultOrthodox Christianity has had an immense effect on the culture of Russia.The adoption of the Orthodox faith from Constantinople by Prince Vladimir in 988introduced cultural influences that profoundly affected the Russianconsciousness. As the people embraced Orthodoxy it developed a uniquely Russianflavor and root deep in the fertile Russian soul. Orthodoxy had a majorimpact on politics, art, and nearly every other aspect of Russias culture.Orthodoxy helped forge Russias world impression and defined her place in the world.The church affected the thought patterns and motivations of a whole culture andchanged the way Russians thought about themselves and the ways that they livedtheir lives.The church acted as a unifying factor for the Russian nation. Churchholidays and fasts enriched and brought meaning to the cycle of seasons andsowing in the subsistence society. Russians possessed a deep religious faithand from it they d erived a wiz of purpose in the universe and the promise ofsalvation. The church nourished and preserved the culture of Russia duringcenturies of internal strife and foreign intervention. Orthodox people feel astrong sense of community and brotherhood towards one another through a sharedbond of faith. As a result of this emphasis on community, the rights of thegroup tend to take precedence over the rights of the individual in Russianculture. The Orthodox and Catholic faiths had an adversarial relationship foryears. As this fracture deepened and grew increasingly antagonistic, the riftbetween the East and the West also grew. The difference in religion betweenRussia and Europe can largely explain the vast differences that developed intheir cultures.The Tsar of All Russia derived his power and right to rule from hisstatus as Gods chosen representative on earth. As it is God alone who bestowedpower on the tsar, it was in the best interest of the monarchy to protect andpromote the churc h. This conception of the tsar possessing a divine right torule contributed to the political passivity of the Russian people. In theByzantium tradition the concept of symphonia defined the relationship betweenthe church and the state and acted as a balance on the unlimited power of thetsar. As the organize of the church and the... .... Those who refused tochange their rhythms of worship were called Old Believers and they were executedand silenced by the authorities. The Old Believers insisted on following theold forms because they feared committing heresy. The way they saw the situationwas that capital of Italy had fallen because of heresy. Moscow was the last seat ofOrthodoxy and if Russia fell from the grace of God, it would mean the end of theworld. The basic issue in the schism was the relationship between the Russianand Orthodox churches. Some felt that since Russia had adopted Orthodoxy fromByzantium she should remain a junior partner. Others felt that it wasRussias destiny to be a leader and to free her Eastern brethren.The Orthodox relegion has been essential to the people to bring them asense of hope and destiny and a glimpse of heaven on earth. The choice ofOrthodoxy was as influential as the Mongul Yoke on the formation of the Russiancharacter. Orthodoxy brought the people a lot of joy, created a sense ofcommunity, intensified the countries isolation, created beautiful art, startedwars, complicated politics, and best of all, reminded the people to cognise eachother.