ORTHODOXY

ORTHODOXY, one of the main divisions of Christianity. Orthodoxy developed as an Eastern branch of Christianity after AD 395, when the Roman Empire split into Eastern and Western parts. Orthodoxy took shape as a creed after the division of the Christian Church into Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox, which happened in AD 1054. The sources of belief are the Bible and the Holy Tradition. The Orthodoxy’s main tenets are the Trinity of God, Divine Incarnation, Redemption, Resurrection, Ascension, and the Second Coming of Christ. In Orthodoxy, there is no single spiritual centre or head of the church. Fifteen independent churches developed during the history of Orthodoxy. They are the following: Albanian, Alexandrian, American, Antiochian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Holy Land, Cypriot, Constantinople, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, the Czech and Slovak, and Hellas (Greek). Great importance is attached to the Orthodox holidays. Orthodoxy recognizes all Christian sacraments, including the baptism procedure by immersing the newborn into the font, chrismation after the baptism ceremony, etc.

In Bashkortostan, Orthodoxy is represented by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Old Believers organizations.