if i was to condense the whole theological argumentation down to one point, i would say beside their spiritual laxity and backsliding, the most important thing separating us is how we each regard authority. in orthodoxy, priests and bishops and laypeople are bound to follow holy tradition, we must believe what the saints before us believed and there can be no deviations from it, it is impossible for us to approve of things like gay pride without lapsing into heresy. in orthodoxy, nobody is above the tradition, and nobody has absolute power to be free from criticism, in fact that laypeople are encouraged to scrutinize and criticize bishops and patriarchs, anybody can fall into heresy and anybody can be subject to correction from anyone else. among catholics, the pope is literally immune from heresy. so what he says can never be heretical, even if it is morally outrageous such as permitting gay couples to be blessed by priests. there is a culture of shame and silencing where catholics are not allowed to speak out against the pope or their hierarchs. that's how so many children ended up molested. they think the pope is someone chosen by god and of supreme honor simply because of his position, whereas orthodox are quick to drop all reverence for a position if the person holding it is fighting against truth and decency. our bishops are fallible men who can fall into heresy, and we invite laypeople to correct them if need arises. it is a strong cultural difference.
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