Posted by L.K. on August 19, 2001 at 23:56:26:
In Reply to: Re: Hoping to get along with my Greek in-laws posted by Liza on August 18, 2001 at 05:41:41:
: : "Liza's" cynicism betrays much of what a real Christian isn't. Obviously I've touched a raw nerve, here.
: I'm not a Christian. However, I have infinitely more respect for the stupidest "born-again" Protestant than I do for someone who proudly brandishes their Orthodoxy...without understanding zip about the Bible. This guy (actual incident) is typical of your average Greek Orthodox "believer":
: Greek Orthodox lay believer: Of course, we know that Protestatism is a heresy. That Calvin was a sick man. Orthodoxy is the true faith.
: Liza: Yeah..well...OK. (who really cares right? let the guy have his say...it makes him feel good about being Greek)
: Greek Orthodox lay believer: Tell me...how does the Bible say to hold one's fingers when making the sign of the cross? Does it say to hold them the Orthodox way or the Catholic way?
: Liza: (chuckle, snort) That's not in the Bible.
: Greek Orthodox lay believer: (no answer...just a loooooonnnnnnngggggg uncomfortable silence)
: This exchange is fairly typical. Some no-nothing Orthodox "believer" starts to rag on the non-Orthodox. Then, they almost invariably say something that betrays their almost complete lack of knowledge about Christianity. Wait a minute! Aren't they supposed to be Christians? Yes and no. Orthodoxy really has more to do with nationalism than Christianity....
:
: : manifested by a non-chauvenistic, non-nationalistic form of humility that characterizes true Orthodox Christians.
: Oh..you've GOT to be kidding my friend. The Orthodox Church is positively brimming with the noxious fumes of religious nationalism. This has got to be one of the funniest statements I've seen yet on the Orthodox Church. I don't fret over it though. The non-Greek who gets pulled into this will see soon enough what an ethnocentric cesspool it is...
: : For those totally unaware of the Orthodox church's recent history, it wasn't until after the French Revolution's role in creating the modern idea of nationalism (late 18th century) that ethnic branches of the Orthodox Church developed.
: Yeah...it's a heresy that's pretty much become doctrine. Let's face it. There is nothing spiritual about phelytismos...and the Orthodox Church is overflowing with it. It's also overflowing with the some of the STUPIDEST anti-Jewish stuff I've seen in years. Not reasoned opinions on the plight of the Palestinians etc...but the kind of thing that one finds in a US gun show. Let's see...should I also add to this the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church recently canonized Tsar Nichoalas? Yeah...he's now a saint and his family are "martyrs" :) Martyrs for what I have zero idea...
:
: : "Liza" (who, from her cynical polemic about the superiority of the "Christian" west (Romanism and Protestantism) and her advice to you to be insincere and deceitful towards your (hopefully) future in-laws, is not exactly a representative of what most Greeks are about.
: As I said before. I'm not a Christian. Also tell us what's wrong with actually BELIEVING in something you profess? :)
: : Be honest, be sincere and show an interest in the true traits of a virtuous Greek:
: Yes...and stay away from Orthodoxy.
Hey Liza,
Relax sister. You appear to be a hate-filled person who's missed the point of Themistokles trying to provide 'shy-boy' with exactly what he asked. You are so biased in your opinions against Orthodoxy that the value of what you say is virtually meaningless. Remember poor old Oscar Wilde's admonitioni that a "cynic is a person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." I'm afraid your single-mindedness against anything Orthodox and your abject generalizations betrays ignorance of this original of Christian faiths (perhaps you are a devout member of a Christian faith group (or non-Christian organization) which is in strong opposition to Orthodoxy because of what it offers to the world. With deep regret, I must say that you appear to be the most patronizing person ever to have visited this wonderful web-board. I am a convert to Orthodoxy, having first studied every hue of Protestantism that I could examine. Incidentally, I'm a professor of Medicine in a university in central Canada, just in case you will call me ignorant as well. And no, I'm not Greek, although the two individuals who helped me guide me into Orthodoxy were Romanian and Russian. If you would like, Liza, I could post some potentially useful literature regarding the value of Orthodox Christianity for you as well.
In Christ,
L. K.