How different is Orthodoxy from other Christan faiths? I would like to deal with that question as a layperson who was brought up in the faith. We do not perceive ourselves as being different. And, of course, an outsider might question, how would you know since your only contact with religion is with your religion. I know because that outsider has only hearsay knowledge of mine and is steeped in his.
For example since I am now studying Genesis and have progressed to the second verse which reads And the earth was without form,/and void; and darkness was upon the/ face of the deep.. And the Spirit of the God/ moved upon the face of the waters./ I can illustrate Greek Orthodox mentality by discussing this very precise and without qualifications verse. The earth which we perceive to be solid and spinning was without form. The shape of the earth was as yet not qualified. The earth was void which is obviously empty and the earth was dark and enveloped in the dark. And God's spirit moved upon the waters.
As a Greek Orthodox all we can assume is that God's spirit was above the waters or he was looking at the waters. We cannot jump to conclusions and assume a Universe arranged in the magnificent order that we see as the completion of God's work. God's spirit moved upon the waters which he called earth.
For many religions who are frightening in their demand for total acceptance of their perception of God's creation, a Greek Orthodox bred religionist might seem pagan. How amusing. How can we impose our needs on the word of God as told to us by the Bible? Is God a tadpole coming out of the deep, the waters,is He a self created fish? Is He a spark of matter ignited by the pressures of uncontrolled gasses? We don't know. All I know this far is that God moved upon the face of the waters which is what earth was in verse 2 of Genesis.
If you like to spend some time as a reader of the Bible with me leave me a message for I intend to read each line as if for the first time. Genesis means Creation. It is a Greek work which means made.
