Members of the Russian Orthodox Church regard the decisions of their church councils to be infallible.Ĭount Leo Tolstoy, author of novels such as Anna Karenina and War and Peace, was baptized (as an infant) into the Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian Orthodox Church promotes the use of icons (sacred images) and teaches that salvation is conferred through the observance of the sacraments-the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith alone is not taught in Russian Orthodoxy. Mary has a special place in Russian Orthodoxy as the Mother of God. Russian Orthodox services are liturgical and filled with symbolism. However, their doctrine has much more in common with Roman Catholicism than with evangelical Christianity. In these matters, the Russian Orthodox Church aligns with Scripture. Like other Orthodox churches, the Russian Orthodox Church is trinitarian, believes the Bible to be the Word of God, and teaches that Jesus is God the Son. This marked the birth of what became the Russian Orthodox Church, part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Later, Princess Olga of Kiev converted to Christianity, and eventually her grandson, Vladimir the Great, made Byzantine Rite Christianity the official religion in Kiev. According to the tradition, while on his missionary journeys, Andrew eventually reached Kiev, the current home of St. According to tradition, the Russian Orthodox Church is what came of a community of believers founded by the apostle Andrew, who visited Scythia and Greece, along the northern part of the Black Sea.

What does orthodox church believe