tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3415815443006499013.post573698002516133677..comments2023-04-27T04:14:30.583-07:00Comments on Straight from the Heart: E Pluribus Unum?Donna Farleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11884647995104136193noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3415815443006499013.post-8087643174246585902012-01-12T19:52:35.009-08:002012-01-12T19:52:35.009-08:00Thank you for your comments, Daria. I absolutely ...Thank you for your comments, Daria. I absolutely understand the desire of new Canadians/ Americans from other countries to preserve language, culture and familiarity. Certainly if I lived in (for example) China, I would gravitate towards my fellow Canadians there and want to worship, confess and pray in English (or French). The desire is completely understandable, but has unfortunate consequences for the next generations. For the children and grandchildren of Canadian/ American immigrants will inevitably regard themselves as Canadian/ American first, and if their church retains old language and ethnicity, it will be less attractive to them. At least two generations of Canadian Orthodox children have been lost to the Orthodox Church here in Canada because of the local church's insistence on retaining the ancestral languages. Your willingness to "do like the Romans when in Rome" is exactly what is required, even though it calls for courage and sacrifice. God bless you!Fr. Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13933248163052873060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3415815443006499013.post-26211946172050295032012-01-12T18:48:50.364-08:002012-01-12T18:48:50.364-08:00I absolutely agree with you. I like your saying &q...I absolutely agree with you. I like your saying "Orthodoxy is tribal". I have lived in Canada for more than 2 years... I'm from Russia. It was quite unusual for me to see how things are here. On one hand I understand why would a Russian or Serbian would go to a Russian or Serbian church instead of a Greek church, for example. I feel more comfortable going to a Russian church.. because I can talk in Russian there, to have confession in Russian, to listen to Russian chants and so on. <br /><br /> But on the other hand I don't really like that, as you mention, there is tribal Orthodoxy. There is no such thing in Russia... there is only one church - Russian Orthodox. <br /><br /> I think that one of the main problems is that people want to preserve their own part of their homeland in their churches. That's what I feel since the culture around is different to what I'm used to. The other big problem is that some of the churches live using different calendars. It doesn't make sense for me in some way... it reminds me one saying "When in Rome, do like Romans do" or "Don't bring your coal to Newcastle". I mean that to live using Julian calendar in the country where 95% of the people use the Gregorian is strange. When people celebrate Christmas on December 25 you have to wait 2 weeks from that (and it will possibly be a work day, if it is not on the weekend) and all Christmas holidays from work will be finished. For my husband it is very unusual.<br /><br /> One more obstacle is language. I really appreciate those churches who use no less than 90% English in their services. My husband is Canadian and if the service is 90% NOT in English - he doesn't understand anything and it is not surprising. <br /><br /> I think that what you said is correct- probably people don't want that unity? Unity requires some sacrifice of language, our "national coals" that we bring from our countries. It looks like people don't want to sacrifice them for the sake of unity and attracting more people to our churches... Instead we are like single churches that are trying to live on their own. Without having that unity we don't even have enough means to build Orthodox high schools in at least the big cities.Dariahttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1421177603noreply@blogger.com