What makes you orthodox

But in a few Houston homes, Jews in their 20s and 30s have opted to fill these evenings with a different kind of obligation: strictly observing Shabbat, or the Jewish Sabbath. This means no texting, no music, no use of electronics, no driving, no meeting last-minute deadlines, no carrying objects outside of a few hundred square yards.

It is a choice to embrace ritual over leisure, a sacrifice of freedom in behavior, diet, and dress for an ancient set of rules. On its face, this seems like a generation-defying choice.

Young Americans are moving away from traditional religious observance in large numbers, and Jews are no exception.

Roughly a third of Jews born after think of their Judaism as a matter of identity or ancestry, rather than as a religion, according to Pew. But even the young Jews who gravitate toward Orthodoxy, rather than away from it, are still making individual choices about their beliefs and practices, picking among rituals and crafting lifestyles that fit their environments.

And rules and rituals seem to have appeal. A greater proportion of Jews in their 20s and early 30s identify as Orthodox than do Jews over the age of 50; the opposite is true of every other Jewish movement. Many of these young people were likely raised Orthodox and have chosen to keep the traditions of their upbringing.

Like the rest of their generation, they are largely nonconformists—just traditionally minded, rule-bound nonconformists. In large, coastal cities like New York or Los Angeles, Jewish life is ambient and available; a slide toward ritual may well help young people fit in with a cultural community. It is an active choice. The sprawling city of Houston has a large Jewish population sorted by highways and suburbs: Since it can take so long to drive from one side of the city to the other, geography often dictates what kind of Jewish life is accessible.

Many Orthodox Jews live in one of two pockets in the Meyerland neighborhood. The more strictly observant synagogues are located to the southwest, where members often adhere to the codes of behavior and dress—wigs for women, black hats and visible shirt fringes for men—that one might find in a place like Borough Park in New York.

A modern Orthodox synagogue lies on the other side of the interstate to the northeast. Orthodox Jews are vastly more likely than non-Orthodox Jews to enroll their children in private religious day schools rather than public schools , to pray daily, and maintain traditional kosher dietary practices.

Orthodox Jews are more than twice as likely as non-Orthodox Jews to say that being Jewish is very important to them, according to the Pew Research Center Survey of Jewish Americans.

Unlike Conservative and Reform Judaism, Orthodoxy is not a unified movement with a defined ideology and a universally respected authority. Rather, it is an umbrella term that covers multiple highly distinct subgroups, including Modern Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox also known as haredi Orthodox and Hasidic. Orthodox Demographics Approximately 10 percent of American Jews identify as Orthodox according to Pew — fewer than Reform and Conservative— however they tend on average to be younger and have larger families, which has led some to conclude that they will represent a growing share of the American Jewish community in the years to come.

Approximately 21 percent of Israeli Jews are Orthodox, according to a Pew study , though non-Orthodox religious movements are less widespread in Israel than they are in the United States.

Though it is by far the smallest grouping within American Judaism, Orthodoxy is demographically strong. According to a Pew analysis, Orthodox Jews are younger on average than the broader Jewish community, with roughly a quarter between the ages of 18 and 29 32 percent for ultra-Orthodox , compared to 17 percent of Reform Jews and 12 percent of Conservative Jews. They tend to have more children — 4. In this way all the Orthodox celebrate Easter together. The Orthodox Church calendar begins on September 1st and ends on August 31st.

Each day is sacred: each is a saint's day, so at least one saint is venerated daily. Christmas is celebrated by Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe and throughout the world on the 7th of January in the Gregorian Calendar - 13 days after other Christians. In the East, Christmas is preceded by a 40 day fast beginning on November 15th.

This is a time of reflection, self-restraint and inner healing in the sacrament of confession. Usually, on Christmas Eve, observant Orthodox Christians fast till late evening, until the first star appears. When the star is seen, people lay the table ready for the Christmas supper. On Christmas Day people take part in divine liturgy, after which many walk in procession to seas, rivers and lakes.

Everyone gathers around in the snow for outdoor ceremonies to bless the water. Sometimes rivers are frozen, so people make holes in the ice to bless the water. Some take water home to bless their houses. Then a great feast is held indoors where everyone joins in to eat, drink and enjoy themselves.

A Orthodox Russian custom is to serve Christmas cakes and to sing songs. The tradition is mixed with other pagan traditions of ancient Russia such that people may visit their neighbours in disguises, dance, sing and ask for presents, similar to trick-or-treating. There are similarities, as well as differences, between the Eastern and Western celebration of Christmas. The Eastern Christmas has a very strong family and social appeal just as it does in the West.

It brings people of all generations together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Unlike the West, where Christmas ranks supreme, in the East it is Easter , centred on the cross and the resurrection of Christ, which is the supreme festival of the year.

Eastern Orthodox Christmas also lacks the commercial side that is typical of the West. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so.

This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. Eastern Orthodox Church Last updated There are 15 'autocephalous Churches', listed in order of precedence. History and schism The Great Schism The doctrine of the Christian Church was established over the centuries at Councils dating from as early as CE where the leaders from all the Christian communities were represented.

Life and worship Life and worship Eastern Christianity stresses a way of life and belief that is expressed particularly through worship. A life of prayer At the centre of worship and belief is the Eucharist surrounded by the Divine Offices or the Cycle of Prayer.

The strict life of a monk or nun is seen as an important expression of faith. Fasting and prayer Fasting and prayer play an important part of the Orthodox Christian life. Also all Wednesdays and Fridays are expected to be days of fasting.

Even though today the call to fast is not always strictly followed, nevertheless many devout Orthodox Christians do undergo a time of genuine hardship and it has been said that: Orthodox Christians in the twentieth century - laity as well as monks - fast with a severity for which there is no parallel in western Christendom Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church.

Sacraments Sacred Mysteries sacraments The following seven principal Mysteries or sacraments are at the heart of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Baptism and Chrismation The first two are Baptism and Chrismation. You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.

Leviticus We hope our website gives you a good sense of who we are as Orthodox Christians and what we believe about God and His Church. Regardless of where you are in your search for a faith tradition that meets your needs, we invite you to come and experience Orthodox Christian worship and fellowship at the nearest parish. Click here for a directory of parishes. Just enter your zip code to find the parish closest to you.

Our hope is that when you visit your local Orthodox Christian Church, you will experience the presence of God in worship, enjoy fellowship with others that are also on their own spiritual journey, and join a community of believers in service to others.

The Ethics of Orthodox Christianity. Patristics: The Fathers of the Church.