The Catholics reject several of the specific canons of the early ecumenical
councils, but the orthodox accept them as inspired.
Catholics and Orthodox disagree on the dates of Christmas and Easter. While the
Orthodox church claims council at Nice was inspired, yet is rejects the canons
of Nicea on the date of Easter which the Catholics accept.
The Catholics teach purgatory, yet the Orthodox reject it.
Universal papal jurisdiction was a rather large dogfight in 588-606 AD.
Although the Orthodox reject Papal infallibility, the decisions of the orthodox
synods are considered infallible.
The Immaculate Conception is utterly rejected by the Orthodox.
The orthodox baptized by full immersion (thrice), the Catholics sprinkle.
In the Orthodox Church married men can become priests. In the Catholic church
men are forbidden to marry. (except for one small part of the world)
The Roman Catholic church introduced instrumental music no earlier than the 7th
century and the Orthodox church has never used instrumental music, but like the
apostles, sang without instrument.
In Catholic communion, the cup is withheld from the members, while the Orthodox
float the "crouton looking" bread cubes in the wine. Catholics
believe the bread and wine (transubstantiation) become the literal body of
Christ when the priest says, "this is my body". The Orthodox
disagrees and says the change takes place at prayer. Catholics use unleavened
bread, while Orthodox use leavened bread. Orthodox must keep a ridged schedule
of fasts in order to have communion every week, but the most common practice is
a minimum of four times a year during the four Orthodox Lents "Christmas,
Easter, Peter and Paul, The virgin Mary. Catholics on the other hand, must not
eat the hour before, to have communion every day. In the end, Orthodox offer
communion weekly and Catholics daily. In practice most Orthodox laity have
communion four times year and Catholics weekly. So which of these two
traditions is the one the apostles used? All this proves that they have no
valid "apostolic tradition", otherwise they would all agree! They
differ on the frequency of communion, the fasting requirements and the actual
method of partaking.
Transubstantiation is a false doctrine that says the bread and grape juice of
the Lord's supper actually molecularly change to become the flesh and blood of
Jesus. Of course this old doctrine was formulated before the advent of
molecular microscopes which see no change. For Catholics the
"Transubstantiation" occurs when the priest says the words,
"this is my body". For Orthodox the change occurs when the priest
offers the prayer of thanks.
The "Filioque" scandal: Following the Nicene creed, the Orthodox
Church believed the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father alone. Then in 1054
AD the Roman church added to the wording of the Nicene creed "And the
Son" or the "Filioque." The Roman church believed the Holy
Spirit proceeded from BOTH the Father and the Son.
Orthodox keeps the original Nicene Creed, accepted by the Universal Church,
East and West, during the first millennium without the addition of "And
the Son" or the "Filioque." It accepts, on faith, Christ's words
in the Gospel, that the Father is the Unoriginate Source of the Life of the
Trinity, with the Only-Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit Proceeding from the
Father Alone. We cannot know how the Begetting of the Son and the Proceeding of
the Spirit from the same Father is different, only that it is and this
distinguishes the two Persons