The URI Chaplains’ Association, of which I am a member, is putting on a multi-faith panel discussion entitled “The Unmentionables: religion and politics.” I get to present the Orthodox experience. Here’s a draft of my notes. If you comment quick enough, you can have an impact on my presentation. I sure would appreciate the help!
Points:
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Huge variation – the pastoral application of universal truths
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For most Orthodox theologians, the ideal relationship of church and state is a symphonia of the two, with both working together for the health and salvation of all
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In majority Orthodox states, such as the Eastern Roman or Byzantine empire, this has typically lead towards considerable blending and overlap between politics and religion (with mixed results)
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In minority Orthodox states such as our own, the hopes and expectations of state authority are lessened considerably: we pray for a government that will provide us with a safe place where we can pursue perfection according to the Orthodox Way (the shell of an egg which allows for the development of the chicken).
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Anything more creates considerable tension. We have a Universal faith (explain), but are a minority religion (< 1 million in USA)
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Some aspects of Orthodox morality are widely shared, but others, like chastity and the protection of the unborn, are decidedly unpopular and counter-cultural
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Our numbers are so small that influencing the government to enact particular moral policies always requires compromises, this means participating in the creation of policies that are spiritually unhealthy and sinful. Some are willing to take the hit, and our faith provides ways to slough off the accumulation of sin that compromises cause.
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Really a moot point for many Orthodox Christians as their moral views have not been shaped by their Orthodoxy but by their culture. The moral opinions of blue state Orthodox tend to be blue; the moral opinions of red state Orthodox tend to be red. You get more predictive value from knowing where they are from than knowing their faith.
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This is a result not just of the natural processes of assimilation, but by the increasingly prevalent view among Americans that religion is private and should be compartmentalized. This is too bad.
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But my opinion is that looking to the government for all but the most minimal solutions is a trap
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History – to include Byzantine and Russian history – has shown us that the government that is confident and strong enough to legislate and enforce morality also has the boldness and strength to legislate and enforce wickedness. And because voters and governments often lack the discernment between the two, I would just as soon that it do as little as possible and empower voluntary associations and markets do the rest.
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A close relationship between church and state is also a trap in that it weakens our communities and undermines our legitimacy. Again, history provides plenty of examples of this.
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Nonetheless, we must be engaged: separation of Church and State is wonderful, separation of Church and Society is not.
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Conclusion: moving away from my own personal politics
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As a minority group, Orthodox Christians in the United States are greatly appreciative of the first amendment; i.e. that the government is prohibited from doing anything that will impede our ability to live and worship as Orthodox Christians.
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As a minority group with views that are counter-cultural and even offensive to some, we are also thankful for this University’s commitment to diversity and multi-culturalism.
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Really a moot point for many Orthodox Christians as their moral views have not been shaped by their Orthodoxy but by their culture. The moral opinions of blue state Orthodox tend to be blue; the moral opinions of red state Orthodox tend to be red. You get more predictive value from knowing where they are from than knowing their faith.
(Sad, but often true. Furthermore, I have made the comment before, that ostensibly, some Orthodox Christians are more concerned in preserving their culture than Orthodoxy itself).
Nonetheless, we must be engaged: separation of Church and State is wonderful, separation of Church and Society is not.
(Well said, Father).
Thanks, Ted. And I’m not sure we can blame overt ethnophylitism (sp) anymore – I think it is the automatic process of assimilation to the politics of the world. It would be great to do a study that unpacks this: find data to fill the 2 x 2 box of those from Orthodox immigrant communities who had managed vs. not managed to maintain language/culture (horizontal axis); with whether they maintained traditional Orthodox positions vs. those whose moral views fit into one of the sets offered by the world (vertical axis). That would be way cool science!
Best line: “Nonetheless, we must be engaged: separation of Church and State is wonderful, separation of Church and Society is not.”. Such an important distinction and may be the most significant debate now. Religion and religious people and religious views must have a place at the table when discussing government and society. Popular figures like Bill Maher openly denigrate and insult people of faith. This is now viewed as mainstream. This is untenable. As society has further embraced an anything goes except religion attitude” religious beliefs are not tolerated even when applied only within your own faith community, It is only a matter of time before leftist activist try to force goverment to regulate religious practices, as the current adminstration has aleady begun under healthcare, but then the left will persecute churches who refuse gay marriage. They will force the state to license clergy to allow them marry and then strip them of that right unless they comply. Thereby destroying traditional marriage and forcing traditional churches to have their parishioners get married by the state as well as their now unlicensed clergyman.
On the historical association between the Orthodox church(es) and the state I think it critical to mention the horrors that the God-less communist states and the oppressive intolerant Muslim states (particularly “secular” Turkey) and now fundamentalist Egpyt visits upon Eastern Christians. Most of your audience will have no idea about the holodmor, Armenian genocide, the intolerance and hatred with which Turkey still persecutes the Patriarchaate and Greeks and Armenians etc.
All of that is international in flavor, but it colors in the life experience of the eastern Christian communities. These are experiences which parishioners and the families lived and forms the basis from which the form their opinions of government. However, your point about the blue and red states is a very accurate one. Are the influences of jobs, unions, the major influence or popularized social justice where the nanny state must help everyone and shouldn’t we all want that because we are Christians.
I think defining that the way you did is as deep as that needs to go. Foreign policy doesn’t move the Orthodox voter as much either.
Great point, David. I wasn’t explicit about communism, but that is what I was thinking of with my comment about the state that is strong enough to enforce morality is strong enough to enforce wickedness.
I will make sure in the intro, when I am talking about Orthodox politics being largely driven by the context of the believer, that the positions of the Orthodox Christian in modern Egypt or 18th century Greece or 20th century Ukraine is very different from that of those living in modern America!