Other Saint Nicholas referencesPart of the Saint Nicholas Page honoring Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker |
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The "Byzantine Rite" churches were once Orthodox, but during a time of intense political upheaval, professed allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings which are antithetical to true Orthodox Christianity. Principally, the issues are the headship of the Pope of Rome over the entire church (an idea which plagued the united church long before the Great Schism), and the dogmatic (i.e., required belief for salvation) assertions of Rome concerning the "filioque" - the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Son as well as from the Father, infallibility of the Pope, the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, the Assumption (before death) of the Virgin Mary into heaven, and the existence of purgatory. In these the Orthodox do not believe, and are thus separated in faith from those who follow these Roman teachings.
The American Revolution precipitated the administrative split in the Anglican communion that created the Episcopal Church from the Anglican Church.
There are groups that have banded together to rehabilitate and rescue the image of Saint Nicholas from being Santa Claus to being the saint that he truly is.
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Last modified January 17, 2004.
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