"orthodox" with a little "o" -- not meaning the "Greek Orthodox Church" as in the Christian denomination that is similar to Roman Catholicism.
I'm thinking more along the lines of a dictionary definition for orthodox:
"...conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true; established and approved..."
Here's my theory...
I think there are tens of millions - perhaps hundreds of millions - of people who would affiliate themselves with one of the world's major religions; without actually deciding to accept or conform to what has been established and approved as the central tenents or beliefs.
For example:
A self-defined "Christian" who says, "but I don't actually believe that Jesus is the Son of God, or that he actually came back to life after being crucified." So...not orthodox in their beliefs.
Or a Mormon (LDS) who says, "but I don't actually believe the book of mormon supersedes the bible or that I can possibly become a god myself" Then...not an orthodox LDS believer.
Or a Muslim who says, "but I don't actually believe in Sharia Law to restrict conversions to Christianity or that women should be recognized as half that of men..." More likely considered a "Moderate Muslim," but not an orthodox believer.
Or a Buddhist who says, "sure, I like the self-discipline of our beliefs, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in God..." Philosophically acceptable, but not an orthodox believer, either.
All of these positions are perfectly fine and pretty common for lots of very nice people--including numbers of my friends and family.
But I think they probably have more in common with each other as a separate, distinct group - they are the "secular" believers...secular meaning, "not subject to, or bound by religious rule."
In fact, the non-orthodox believers often share a willingness to blur crisp lines of belief with self-defined alternatives, possibly to avoid the awkward confrontations of orthodoxy. Better to say, "I'd like to believe there is an alternative view...." than to say, "I find it challenging, but I do believe that to be truly stated in our beliefs....'
Back in the third century, people, including the Gnostics, were pressing Christians to articulate their orthodoxy. Something called the Apostles Creed has survived since that time:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic [universal] church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
What do you believe?
