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What Orthodox Christians believe: a simple guide for anyone

A plain guide to the Orthodox Christian faith. What Orthodox Christians believe, how they pray and fast, and what it means for dating and marriage.

By Orthodate Editorial9 minute read

The short answer

What do Orthodox Christians believe?

Orthodox Christians believe in one God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They believe Jesus Christ is God, that he died and rose again, and that he opened the way back to God. They believe the Church keeps the faith the apostles taught, without adding to it. Worship, prayer and fasting are all part of that faith. The goal is not only to be forgiven. It is to be joined to God and changed by him.

Maybe you are dating an Orthodox Christian. Maybe you walked into an Orthodox church once and liked it. Maybe you grew up Orthodox but never had it explained. This guide gives you the basics in plain words. You will not need to look anything up.

At a glance

Key takeaways

  • Orthodox Christians believe in one God in three persons, and that Jesus Christ is God who became man, died and rose again. That belief is said out loud in the Creed at almost every service.
  • The Orthodox Church says it has kept the faith of the apostles without adding new teachings. That claim is the main thing that sets it apart from other churches.
  • Faith here is something you do, not only something you think. Prayer, fasting, confession and Communion are normal parts of life, and they will shape the habits of anyone you date or marry.

1. One God, three persons

Orthodox Christians believe in one God. They also believe that this one God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three persons, one God. This is called the Trinity.

Nobody claims this is easy to picture. The Church does not try to explain it away. It says that God is bigger than our ideas about him, and that we can know him without understanding him fully.

You will hear this belief said out loud at almost every service. It is called the Creed. It is short, it is old, and it has not changed. Every Orthodox Christian says the same words.

2. Who Jesus is

Orthodox Christians believe Jesus Christ is God. Not a good teacher only. Not a prophet only. God, who became a real human being with a real body.

They believe he was born of the Virgin Mary, lived among people, was killed on a cross, and rose from the dead three days later. Pascha, which is Orthodox Easter, is the biggest feast of the year because of this.

Here is the part that matters most. Orthodox Christians do not treat the resurrection as a nice story. They treat it as the event that changed what death is. Saint Athanasius wrote that God "became man that we might be made God". He did not mean we turn into gods. He meant we get to share God's life.

3. What the Church claims about itself

This is the belief that most often surprises people, so it is worth saying plainly.

The Orthodox Church says it is the same Church the apostles started, still going, with the same faith. It says it has not added new teachings over the centuries. When a question came up, bishops met together and said what the Church had always held. They did not invent an answer.

That is also why the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church are separate. They were one Church for a long time. They split, and the split became final over time. The reasons were partly about doctrine and partly about who has authority. Both sides still talk to each other, and both still call the other Christian.

You do not have to agree with this claim. But if you are dating an Orthodox Christian, it helps to know they believe it. It is why a church wedding matters so much to them.

4. Faith you can see

In Orthodoxy, belief is not kept in your head. It shows up in your week. Here is what that looks like in real life.

  • Services. The main service on Sunday is the Divine Liturgy. People stand a lot, there is singing rather than an organ, and the room smells of incense. Nobody will mind if you just watch.
  • Icons. Those painted images of Christ and the saints are not decoration. People kiss them and light candles in front of them. They are treated as windows, not as gods.
  • Fasting. On many days of the year, Orthodox Christians eat no meat and no dairy. It is about training, not about guilt over food.
  • Confession. People tell their sins to God in front of a priest, and the priest prays for forgiveness. It is private and it is normal.
  • Communion. Bread and wine, received at the Liturgy. Orthodox Christians believe it really is the Body and Blood of Christ. Usually only Orthodox Christians receive it.
  • Prayer at home. Many families have a corner with icons and a candle, where they pray morning and evening.

5. Mary and the saints

Orthodox Christians ask Mary and the saints to pray for them. This is often misunderstood, so here is the simple version.

They do not worship Mary. They honour her, because she is the mother of Christ. They call her the Theotokos, which means the one who gave birth to God.

Asking a saint to pray for you is treated the same way as asking a friend to pray for you. The Church believes the saints are alive with God, so they can still pray. Worship goes to God alone.

6. What Orthodox Christians are aiming at

Many Christians talk about being saved, and Orthodox Christians do too. But the picture is a little different, and the difference is worth knowing.

Orthodoxy does not mainly describe salvation as a legal problem being settled. It describes it as healing. Sin is treated like a sickness that pulls you away from God. Christ came to heal it.

So being a Christian is not only a decision you made once. It is a life you keep living. You pray, you fast, you confess, you receive Communion, you forgive people, you help people. Over time, God changes you. The Church calls this growing into the likeness of God.

This is why Orthodox Christians often answer "are you saved?" with something like "I hope to be". It is not doubt. It is a different map.

7. What all this means for dating and marriage

If you are reading this because of a person, this is the part you came for.

Marriage in the Orthodox Church is a sacrament. That means God acts in it. It is not a contract, and it has no vows. The couple are crowned instead, and the crowns stand for joy, for martyrdom and for a new household.

Because marriage is treated this way, a few things follow. Most Orthodox Christians want to marry in the church. They will usually want to raise children in the faith. The Church can bless a marriage between an Orthodox Christian and a baptised non-Orthodox Christian, but the rules vary by diocese, so the priest has to be asked early.

None of this has to be a problem. It just needs to be talked about before you are in love and in a hurry.

How to learn more without feeling lost

You do not need to read a theology book first. Do these in order, and you will understand more in a month than most people do in a year.

  1. Step 1

    Go to one Sunday service and just watch

    Stand at the back. Do not worry about when to cross yourself or stand up. Nobody is grading you. Go once, then go again two weeks later. The second visit always makes more sense than the first.

  2. Step 2

    Read the Creed slowly, once

    It is about 200 words and it holds the whole of what Orthodox Christians believe. It is said at every Liturgy. If you only read one thing, read this.

  3. Step 3

    Ask one honest question

    Ask the person you are dating, or ask the priest after the service. Priests are used to this and they do not expect you to know anything. A real question is better than an hour of reading.

  4. Step 4

    Try one fasting day

    Pick a Wednesday or a Friday and skip meat and dairy. You will learn more about Orthodox life from one day of doing it than from any article about it.

  5. Step 5

    Learn five words, not fifty

    Liturgy, icon, Theotokos, Pascha, fasting. Those five will carry you through most conversations. The rest you can pick up later.

Common questions

Is Orthodox Christianity the same as Catholic?

No, but they are close relatives. They were one Church for centuries, then split. They share most beliefs, including the Creed, the sacraments and bishops. They disagree about the authority of the Pope and some points of doctrine. An Orthodox Christian and a Catholic can marry, but you need to speak to the Orthodox priest early, because the rules vary by diocese.

Do I have to become Orthodox to date an Orthodox Christian?

No. Many Orthodox Christians date people who are not Orthodox. What does change is the wedding. The Orthodox Church normally blesses a marriage only when at least one partner is Orthodox and the other is a baptised Christian. If marriage is where this is going, ask the priest early rather than late.

Why do Orthodox churches look and sound so different?

Because the worship is meant to involve your whole body, not only your mind. The icons, the incense, the singing and the standing are all part of it. Most of what you see has not changed much in over a thousand years. If it feels unfamiliar, that is normal, and nobody expects you to join in straight away.

Why do some Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas in January?

Because churches use two different calendars. Some follow the older Julian calendar, which puts 25 December thirteen days later on the civil calendar, on 7 January. Others follow a revised calendar and keep Christmas on 25 December. It is the same feast. Pascha is worked out the same way in every Orthodox church.

Do Orthodox Christians read the Bible?

Yes. Scripture is read aloud at every service, and large parts of the services are taken straight from the Psalms. What is different is that Orthodox Christians read the Bible inside the Church rather than alone. They look to how the Church has always understood a passage, rather than deciding for themselves.

Can I visit an Orthodox church if I am not Orthodox?

Yes. Anyone can come to a service. Dress modestly, arrive a little early, and stand or sit wherever you like. You can light a candle. The one thing to hold back on is Communion, which is normally for Orthodox Christians who have prepared. Nobody will mind if you simply stay in your place.

Sources and further reading

Pastoral practice can vary by diocese and jurisdiction. For questions about your circumstances, speak with the priest responsible for your pastoral care.