HT: Mystagogy
According to a poll done by Κάπα Research published in the Sunday Vema, essential Orthodox teachings like the resurrection of Christ are being abandoned.
When asked “Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead?” there appears to be a drop of 10 points since the 2008 poll. 51.3% stated ‘yes’ and ‘probably yes’ then, while 41.8% answered to the same thing this year, with 26.5% indicating “yes and 15.3% “probably yes”. Contrast this with 48.1% who said ‘no’ and ‘probably not’, while 10.1% replied “do not know” or “no answer”.
A similar trend is seen to the question ‘”Do you think that in recent year Greeks believe in the divine?”, where only 28.8% said “the same as before” and 18.9% “more” and 46.1% “less”.
Regarding Easter, people were asked to complete the sentence “For you personally, Easter is …” 36% said “a period of religious devotion” and 11.1% “a chance to go to church”. In contrast, 42.5% said “a chance to return to their manners and customs” and 39.9% said “a chance for vacation and relaxation”, while 15.1% said “a chance to be with my relatives” and 11.9% said “a chance to visit my place of origin”.
In the same vein the answers to the question “On the evening of the Resurrection do you follow the entire Divine Liturgy, starting from the very beginning and leaving after the ‘Christ is Risen’, or simply prefer to go to hear the ‘Christ is Risen’?” 48.4% said “Just go to hear the ‘Christ is Risen’, “28.8% said “I go from the beginning of the Divine Liturgy and then I leave after the ‘Christ is Risen’, “and 8.5% said “I do not go to church”. Only 13.6% said they stay for the entire Divine Liturgy.
Regarding whether or not they believe in God, 56.3% said “Yes” and 20% said “Probably yes”. However, 13% said “No” and 7.7% said “Probably no”. 3.1% said “I don’t know” or gave “No answer”.
When asked about their knowledge of the Holy Week religious texts, 9.1% said “a lot”, 36.6% said “fair amount”, 37.9% said “a little”, and 16.2% said “none”.
And to the question “What emotions were generated within you during Holy Week?”, 43.9% said “humble devotion”, 25.1% said “reverence”, 18.4% said “tranquility”, 14.8% said “love”, 12.9% said “peace”, 10.5% said “joy”, and 11.1% said “philanthropic feelings”.
It is a sad fact that 48.1% of the people in Greece do not believe in the Resurrection. Apparently, the current trend of secularism that has been pervading much of Europe during the past two decades has had a significant impact on Greece.
Tragic! That means that 48.1% of people in Greece are not really Christians. They are Orthodox in name only. Lord have mercy!
“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.
For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)”
This sad article outlines what is a simple reality. The GOA is completely disconnected from the reality on the ground in Greece and instead hawks ethnic nostalgia as culture and Church. Riots and cultural decay in Greece are to be ignored and replaced with Festivals, basketball tournanments and a vision of being Greek that embraces material wealth over a spiritual inheritance. The more you think about it the more I believe the GOA is in complete fantasy land. Nothing matters to 79th Street but the fantasy of being Greek and as long as you can sell the fantasy and host a big party….. reality does not matter.
I do not really know how much GOA has to do with this reality. The situation is probably the same in all Orthodox countries and much worse in the West.
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The evolutionary worldview emerged because the Western world rejected God. The rest of the people rejected God because they have been taught to believe in evolution. Whenever a person embraces evolution, he simultaneously (even if unknowingly) eliminates creation as an option regarding his origin. Many people are searching to find their way in this fallen world. The Lord calls us one by one and we should not expect everyone to be like us.
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What you probably mean is that the real problem lies with those of us who claim to believe (myself and GOA included), yet live “normal” lives. Salvation does not come from “normality”, but from our ability to do God’s will and to reflect the divine. There are only two roads in this life – the road of salvation or the road of losing the soul. I am not certain that I am on the road of salvation. I am still searching and hoping to find “something” to do and feel that my work is blessed.
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For over half of a century, we have been led to believe that most educated people believe in evolution and if we wish to be considered intelligent, then we should believe in evolution. Today, many believe in evolution simply because it is what they have been taught; they have studied science and believe the evidence supports the theory. The message spread through the media and school was “all scientists believe it; so should you.”
I am not surprised by the results of the poll. People (especially the young) are caught in the busy and frantic pace of daily living to think about the purpose of their existence and the implications of this theory of evolution.
This survey is bogus it is shameful to post this and cut down one’s own church it is shameful . And I know you will not post this comment of course….
Georgia: How long can one live in denial? We have to face whatever problems really exist. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Sister Gavrilia (a tonsured Greek nun and spiritual daughter of the well-known Mother Gavrilia (1897-1992), the “ascetic of love” of Greece).
Regarding the Church:
George, we post most anything as long as it is respectful and yours is. You don’t have to agree to discuss here.
Second, the article is about the the nation of Greece, not the Church. I have no real idea if the poll is accurate or not (some are, some aren’t) but that secularization affects Greece like it has all of Europe seems indisputable from where I sit.
An interesting poll would be to make each point of the Symbol of Faith a question and ask if people believe it.
Do you believe there is a God? Yes No. Maybe.
Do you believe there is only one God? Yes. No Maybe.
Do you believe God is All-Mighty? Yes. No. Maybe.
etc etc etc.
Belief-O-Matic does a good job in pin-pointing actual belief despite nominal affiliations.
http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMatic.aspx