www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Greece 'most religious' country in EU

Dearest Stuart,

I really could care less about the poll. I just posted it because I thought that the whole article was interesting.

I am sorry that you think I am 'hot and bothered' about it, sir, because in reality, it seems that you are.

Unless of course I offended you because I corrected your inaccuracy about the particular poll?

Please forgive me then.

I do agree with you about polls. They are all over the place!

How about we discuss instead the rest of the article--such as the part that says that Ireland and Poland have the highest rate of church attendance in Europe, which is quite a cool thing in this day and age--or does that not interest you because they are Catholic and not Orthodox?

I wish you peace and love,
Alice

I just read another article about how Ireland's Mass attendance was 90% in 1986, by 2011 just 18%. Poland is still high in the 50% range, but dropping due to various reports of sexual abuse of minors.

Gee, I guess the United States doesn't look quite so bad in comparison, does it?

I think that what constitutes being religious doesn't need to be based solely on numbers of people attending church etc.

The Church has always been like a good Mother who offers the means of salvation and holiness through her very Life including liturgy, shrines etc.

People are free to make use of them - or not.

That doesn't take away from the beneficial influence the presence of the Holy Church exerts in a given nation.

Christians are often like a pendulum who swing this way and that.

One may be oblivious to miracles and other evidence of the Presence of God among us

That doesn't change the fact that God and Christ are among us, calling us to repentance and to a deeper, fuller life in the Church all the time.

When I was in Greece, I felt the powerful influence of the Greek Orthodox Church there and felt personally called to deeper repentance.

That has stayed with me all my life, even though I've faltered and fallen siince.

I would reccommend a spiritual pilgrimage to Greece to anyone who looks to the experience of drinking deeply from its refreshing waters of holiness and spirituality.

Alex