DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Orthodox churches in the USA and 501c3 status

**ThzinChang** · 05-26-2011, 01:52 PM

The Seperation of Church and State is peculiar to protestantism. Its actually a new concept within the realm of human history altogether. In Orthodox thought ideally the church and state is to work symphonically and synergistically. If the secular government has a program that can benefit the church, her members, and possibly even society, then the church can opt to partake of the program.

The seperation of church and state is only observed in Orthodoxy if the state becomes openly hostile to the church. Your looking at the situation through the prizm of your own cultural upbringing, whereas in Orthodoxy the voluntary and willfull seperation of church and state is simply not ideal and possibly even antithetical to the gospel.

05-26-2011, 01:52 PM	#9
ThzinChang Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 508 Senior Member	The Seperation of Church and State is peculiar to protestantism. Its actually a new concept within the realm of human history altogether. In Orthodox thought ideally the church and state is to work symphonically and synergistically. If the secular government has a program that can benefit the church, her members, and possibly even society, then the church can opt to partake of the program. The seperation of church and state is only observed in Orthodoxy if the state becomes openly hostile to the church. Your looking at the situation through the prizm of your own cultural upbringing, whereas in Orthodoxy the voluntary and willfull seperation of church and state is simply not ideal and possibly even antithetical to the gospel.
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