On the first and third Mondays of each month, I will answer readers’ questions about Eastern Orthodoxy. If you have questions, please leave them in the comments, email them to me, or tweet them to me. Today’s question is Why do Orthodox Christians revere Mary so much? I remember when I first visited Ruamrudee International …
Tag: prayer

Ask About Orthodoxy: Why Confess to a Priest?
On the first and third Mondays of each month, I will be answering readers’ questions about Eastern Orthodoxy. Today’s question is: Why do Orthodox Christians go to confession with a priest? {My apologies for being a day late.} Confession with a priest is highly uncomfortable for many Protestant Christians. Guess what? It’s uncomfortable for Orthodox …

Ask About Orthodoxy: Are Icons Idolatry?
On the first and third Mondays of each month, I will be answering readers’ questions about Eastern Orthodoxy. Today’s question is: Can you explain the Orthodox practice of using icons? Don’t some people consider that idolatry? {First of all, I need to apologize that this post is two days late. After a busy Holy Week …

Ask About Orthodoxy: Why All the Rituals?
On the first and third Mondays of each month, I will be answering readers’ questions about Eastern Orthodoxy. Today’s question is: Why are there so many rituals and what do they mean? I will try to answer that as simply as I can in one blog post, but I will not be able to address …
Wednesday Wrestling: The (Violent) Battle for the Soul
Today’s guest post is by friend and fellow writer, Susan Cushman. I can’t remember now exactly how we connected, but Susan is also Eastern Orthodox and lives in Tennessee, so we have some common friends. I was thrilled to find out that she was also a writer. We first met in person at the Southern …