Soul Pancake is not a Christian website. According to an article at Stand Up For The Truth describing an episode in which host Zach Anner has a first-time encounter with a witch, Soul Pancake is: "created by Oprah’s friend, actor Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute of 'The Office'), who describes SoulPancake as: 'a creative way to chew on life’s big questions and figure out what it means to be human.' This journey led him to the Baha’i faith, which he described to Oprah in their first Soul Series in 2009: Rainn Wilson talks about the Bahai Faith with Oprah Winfrey"
In the episode below, host Zach Anner visits a Greek Orthodox church. One thing that you will notice right away is the abundance of religious imagery and icons. The youth pastor Noah tells Zach that this is common in Orthodox churches. He is very proud to admit this. They love it this way. The problem is that they (those within the Orthodox Church) revere images and icons to the point of idolatry, often bowing and kissing them. This is idol worship, that which is forbidden by God's Word and stirs up His righteous anger, for He is a jealous God.
The following is from an article regarding idolatry at GotQuestions.org:
"Even today there are religions that bow before statues and icons, a practice forbidden by
God’s Word. The significance God places upon it is reflected in the fact that the first of the Ten
Commandments refers to idolatry: 'You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not
make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in
the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God,
am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me' (Exodus 20:3-5)."
-See: Why is idol worship such a powerful temptation? (GotQuestions.org)
In the episode below, host Zach Anner visits a Greek Orthodox church. One thing that you will notice right away is the abundance of religious imagery and icons. The youth pastor Noah tells Zach that this is common in Orthodox churches. He is very proud to admit this. They love it this way. The problem is that they (those within the Orthodox Church) revere images and icons to the point of idolatry, often bowing and kissing them. This is idol worship, that which is forbidden by God's Word and stirs up His righteous anger, for He is a jealous God.
The following is from an article regarding idolatry at GotQuestions.org:
"Even today there are religions that bow before statues and icons, a practice forbidden by
God’s Word. The significance God places upon it is reflected in the fact that the first of the Ten
Commandments refers to idolatry: 'You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not
make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in
the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God,
am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me' (Exodus 20:3-5)."
-See: Why is idol worship such a powerful temptation? (GotQuestions.org)
In addition to the idolatry practiced at Orthodox churches, the Gospel is also not preached. The following is from an article at GotQuestions.org, What is the Eastern Orthodox Church and what are the beliefs of Orthodox Christians?:
The Orthodox Church claims to be the one true church of Christ, and seeks to trace its
origin back to the original apostles through an unbroken chain of apostolic succession.
Orthodox thinkers debate the spiritual status of Roman Catholics and Protestants, and a
few still consider them heretics. Like Catholics and Protestants, however, Orthodox
believers affirm the Trinity, the Bible as the Word of God, Jesus as God the Son, and
many other biblical doctrines. However, in doctrine, they have much more in common
with Roman Catholics than they do with Protestant Christians.
Sadly, the doctrine of justification by faith is virtually absent from the history and theology
of the Orthodox Church. Rather, Orthodoxy emphasizes theosis (literally, “divinization”),
the gradual process by which Christians become more and more like Christ. What many
in the Orthodox tradition fail to understand is that “divinization” is the progressive result of
salvation, not a requirement for salvation itself. Other Orthodox distinctives that are in
conflict with the Bible include:
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Eastern-Orthodox-church.html
origin back to the original apostles through an unbroken chain of apostolic succession.
Orthodox thinkers debate the spiritual status of Roman Catholics and Protestants, and a
few still consider them heretics. Like Catholics and Protestants, however, Orthodox
believers affirm the Trinity, the Bible as the Word of God, Jesus as God the Son, and
many other biblical doctrines. However, in doctrine, they have much more in common
with Roman Catholics than they do with Protestant Christians.
Sadly, the doctrine of justification by faith is virtually absent from the history and theology
of the Orthodox Church. Rather, Orthodoxy emphasizes theosis (literally, “divinization”),
the gradual process by which Christians become more and more like Christ. What many
in the Orthodox tradition fail to understand is that “divinization” is the progressive result of
salvation, not a requirement for salvation itself. Other Orthodox distinctives that are in
conflict with the Bible include:
- The equal authority of church tradition and Scripture
- Discouragement of individuals interpreting the Bible apart from tradition
- The perpetual virginity of Mary
- Prayer for the dead
- Baptism of infants without reference to individual responsibility and faith
- The possibility of receiving salvation after death
- The possibility of losing salvation
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Eastern-Orthodox-church.html
The beliefs and practices of the Orthodox Church are very similar to the Roman Catholic Church with the obvious exception of the Roman Pope. GotQuestions.org (contrasting Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Coptic Christianity) states: "They profess to be genuine followers of Jesus Christ and a part of His worldwide Church. But, as with Catholicism, they tend to emphasize meritorious works in salvation along with liturgical ritual rather than salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." I suggest reading (in addition to the articles above): Are Catholic beliefs and practices biblical?
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