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http://www.hirr.hartsem.edu/research/quick_question17.html

What do you think? Are these figures accurate? Isn't it interesting that Metropolitan Pangratios's Archdiocese of Vasiloupolis 1) has so many adherents and 2) is listed above a lot of other canonical churches? (if you don't know who Met. Pangratios is, don't ask!)

In Christ,

anastasios

Dear anastasios:

If the published figures are correct, it means Orthodoxy has a lot of evangelizing to do to match the "around 6 million" Orthodox in the US recently claimed in this Forum. This equally, if not more so, goes for our Byzantine Catholic brethren: there is an urgent need "to make known"
the Eastern side of our Church.

And, in a very personal way, it means also that the Archdiocese of Chicago has almost double the number of baptized Catholics over the number of Orthodox throughout the continental U.S.

Unfortunately the nearest RC Church has more members in its immediate parish than the entire Patriarchate of Constantinople does in its homeland!!! (Darn that Turkish government! grrrrrr)

In Christ,

anastasios

Amado,

I only know of about 300 baptised Orthodox Christians in the Chicago area. An even bigger step in the direction of smallness.

And it would be nice to make it 301, what do you say?

Is it any suprise to find this out? I mean Eastern Christianity is hardly even known in the USA let alone large in membership. First of all, a great many people (Estimated 60% of US population) do not go to any Churchat all. Secondly, the Orthodox Church used to be big, especially because of immigration, but when the


second and third generation became Americanized, most of them abandoned their religion just like the rest of the population did to theirs because the pressure put on them by secular society called for its abandonment.


Thirdly, the USA, being a western country, is not traditional Orthodox territiory and the Eastern Church (With the exception of Alaska) was a relative latecomer to the scene.


Fourth and finally, Orthodoxy is an Eastrn ethnic church because it adapted itself to particular cultures back before world wide secularization occured. Today it would be virtualy impossible for such a culture gelling to occur, especially in the USA!

All these reasons are why, though the East may make some small inroads, she wil never make it big in the westernworld because, after all, this is the ***WESTERN*** world and not the East.

An Orthodox Christian who actually looks at his faith seriously behond the ethnicity and cultural side has to really wonder if God has actually abandoned the entire western world to walk in darkness for the last ten centuries because his religion has had no real presence in the west to proclaim Christ gospel.

But the Eastern Catholic on the other hand, while always willing to both share and preserve his faith for the western world, does not need to wonder where God was in the west for the past millinium. He knows that the Almighty took care of them with the Roman rite so, while he wishes to see his faith grow and prosper out west, he does not, like our Orthodox friends, have to despair that the rest of the world shall never here the Good News.

Just my observations.

Robert K.

I would tend to agree with Robert with regards to the Church "not making it big" in the West.

But not because it is "an ethnic" church. Clearly it was not Russian until the Russians made it their own. It was not Serbian until they made it their own. Certainly ethniticity is an impediment, but it is only so because of pride and laziness.

I would like to add a few reasons:

1.It's NEXT TO impossible to preach Christ where Christ has been preached.

2. The secularized West would have a terribly difficult time accepting Orthodoxy. Sure they can except it outwardly, attend church, beleive in Her doctrine. But how many would ever truly humble themselves, sell their excess riches for the poor, and really become Orthodox? (This was discussed in another thread.)

If the Church was of this world the world would love Her, but since the Church is not of this world the world hates Her. And the spirit of this world is very strong in the West.

So I agree with Robert. The Church will never make it big in the West.

[ 04-19-2002: Message edited by: OrthodoxyOrDeath ]

Regarding current statistics for Eastern Orthodox churches, does anyone have current figures on Eastern churches in communion with Rome, specifically, the Byzantine Catholic Church? Moshe Zorea

Is not the Pittshurgh Metropolia about 125,000?

Axios