08-26-2008, 01:13 AM
Maybe I can tell a story and lighten the mood here a bit.
I grew up one house away from a Greek Orthodox Christian family.
The 'Peter's'. They had two sons, who had both American and Greek names.
'Dennis' ("Mimi"), and 'Basil' ("Lackey"), who were near my age.
Their dad and mom ("mum", for you Brits and Kiwi's!) used to operate a restaurant in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, where I grew up.
One night, they had me hang out in their parent's restaurant with them, and they told me that I HAD to attend Church with them as well.
I wasn't ASKED, but was TOLD, that I was to attend this Greek Orthodox Church with them.
Well, I asked how and what they did at Church, as I knew that they were Greek Orthodox.
And they proceeded to tell me that I would have bow down to a statue of Mary and Jesus and kiss pictures (icons) of the same.
You must remember, that I grew up in a strict Scottish Presbyterian Church where my dad was a Deacon, and my sister was the Church secretary, and kissing pictures and bowing down to statues was just pagan to the core to me, and I told Mimi and Lackey that I wouldn't do that, and they proceeded to tell me that I HAD TO.
Well, I was maybe 7 or 8 years old then, and I proceeded to cry, and tell them that I WOULDN'T do that, and that I wanted to go home.
After much crying by me, and anger on their parents part, because they HAD to take this crying kid home, because he wouldn't co-operate with the Greek Orthodox religious rites........I got my ride home, halfway across Little Rock, AR. <!-- s:lookround: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/lookround.gif" alt=":lookround:" title="Look Round" /><!-- s:lookround: -->
You must remember, that I had been indoctrinated that we Scottish Presbyterians just DIDN'T DO these "Catholic" kinds of things!
For literally YEARS after that, Mimi and Lackey's parents thought that I did NOT believe in any kind of God, because I refused to participate in these "Catholic Rituals". <!-- s:whatthat: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/whatsthat.gif" alt=":whatthat:" title="Whats That" /><!-- s:whatthat: -->
So, remember my story:
Maybe if any Greek Orthodox families offer you FREE FOOD, just remember, that that "free food" MAY come with a high religious price, that you won't want to pay! lol <!-- s
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/poketoungeb.gif" alt="" title="Poke Tounge" /><!-- s -->
"Beware of Greeks offering gifts". <!-- s
arcasm: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/sarcasm.gif" alt="arcasm:" title="Sarcasm" /><!-- sarcasm: -->
I grew up one house away from a Greek Orthodox Christian family.
The 'Peter's'. They had two sons, who had both American and Greek names.
'Dennis' ("Mimi"), and 'Basil' ("Lackey"), who were near my age.
Their dad and mom ("mum", for you Brits and Kiwi's!) used to operate a restaurant in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, where I grew up.
One night, they had me hang out in their parent's restaurant with them, and they told me that I HAD to attend Church with them as well.
I wasn't ASKED, but was TOLD, that I was to attend this Greek Orthodox Church with them.
Well, I asked how and what they did at Church, as I knew that they were Greek Orthodox.
And they proceeded to tell me that I would have bow down to a statue of Mary and Jesus and kiss pictures (icons) of the same.
You must remember, that I grew up in a strict Scottish Presbyterian Church where my dad was a Deacon, and my sister was the Church secretary, and kissing pictures and bowing down to statues was just pagan to the core to me, and I told Mimi and Lackey that I wouldn't do that, and they proceeded to tell me that I HAD TO.
Well, I was maybe 7 or 8 years old then, and I proceeded to cry, and tell them that I WOULDN'T do that, and that I wanted to go home.
After much crying by me, and anger on their parents part, because they HAD to take this crying kid home, because he wouldn't co-operate with the Greek Orthodox religious rites........I got my ride home, halfway across Little Rock, AR. <!-- s:lookround: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/lookround.gif" alt=":lookround:" title="Look Round" /><!-- s:lookround: -->
You must remember, that I had been indoctrinated that we Scottish Presbyterians just DIDN'T DO these "Catholic" kinds of things!
For literally YEARS after that, Mimi and Lackey's parents thought that I did NOT believe in any kind of God, because I refused to participate in these "Catholic Rituals". <!-- s:whatthat: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/whatsthat.gif" alt=":whatthat:" title="Whats That" /><!-- s:whatthat: -->
So, remember my story:
Maybe if any Greek Orthodox families offer you FREE FOOD, just remember, that that "free food" MAY come with a high religious price, that you won't want to pay! lol <!-- s
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/poketoungeb.gif" alt="" title="Poke Tounge" /><!-- s -->"Beware of Greeks offering gifts". <!-- s
arcasm: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/sarcasm.gif" alt="arcasm:" title="Sarcasm" /><!-- sarcasm: -->