Final answer:
The Protestant Reformation, augmented by the challenges following events like the Black Death and critiques from reform movements, had a more devastating effect on Orthodox Christianity during the Victorian era than Darwin's theory of evolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
No one during the Victorian era had a more devastating effect on Orthodox Christianity than the factors that led to the Protestant Reformation. The groundwork for this religious upheaval was laid by groups critical of the Church's wealth and practices, whose leaders were often branded as heretics. This movement questioned the Church's ability to secure salvation for its followers, especially after events such as the Black Death, which challenged the Church's authority and efficacy in the face of massive societal trauma. These critiques, combined with the rise of individualistic spiritual practices, proved to be even more destabilizing to Orthodox Christianity than the scientific challenges posed by theories like Darwin's theory of evolution.
Both the bubonic plague and the Plague of Justinian significantly altered societal structures and exacerbated the division between east and west, leading to economic and cultural isolation. Coupled with political oppression, such as the Russian Tsars' enforced connection between the Orthodox Church and the state, movements for reform and critique of the Church grew. This religious schism ultimately had a prolonged and profound impact on the Christian faith, especially on the Orthodox tradition, which saw a fragmenting effect well through the Victorian period and beyond.