ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Emanation in the Eastern Orthodox Church

Okay kiddo, so in the Eastern Orthodox Church, emanation means that there is a really big and powerful guy named God who created everything in the world. But he didn't just create everything all at once, like with a magic wand or something. Instead, he sort of sent out tiny little parts of himself, kind of like little rays of sunshine or beams of light.

These little parts of God are called emanations, and they are like little pieces of God that are present in everything in the world. It's kind of like how when you make a drawing, you put a little bit of yourself into it, because you're the one who made it.

So in the Eastern Orthodox Church, they believe that everything in the world has a little bit of God in it, because of these emanations. And that's why they believe that it's important to treat everything in the world with respect and kindness, because it's all connected to God in some way. Pretty cool, huh?