tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10905712.post8363504728850581874..comments2023-03-31T06:15:48.139-07:00Comments on Suitable For Mixed Company: Orthodox missions in the United States, and religion in Las VegasKathryn Judsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459741827801474808noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10905712.post-67602509679580302132008-02-07T13:32:00.000-08:002008-02-07T13:32:00.000-08:00Fr. Tom, Thanks for taking the time to write.I was...Fr. Tom, Thanks for taking the time to write.<BR/><BR/>I was raised in a household as scrubbed clean of God and references to God as my atheist mother could scrub it, in an area that had no Orthodox church. I knew there were Catholics and I knew there were Protestants, but I didn't even hear of Orthodox churches or believers, except rarely in storybooks (and then they were always long ago and far away), or in infrequent news stories about Soviets shutting down churches (not long ago, but still far away, and since my mother was all in favor of shutting down as many churches as possible everywhere, she let me know that she didn't approve of the methods but still considered it progress). For all intents and purposes, Orthodox churches barely crossed my radar, and then only as something outdated and quaint, holdouts for old people who didn't know better. When the old people died out, so would the churches.(It had to be true. My mother said so...)<BR/><BR/>I've since converted to Christianity, orthodox, small o. I sometimes wonder whether my mother, if she'd lived into the age of the internet, would have discovered she was dead wrong about what churches actually teach and do (she hated a Christianity of her own making, as far as I can tell, in hindsight), or if she'd have found fellow scoffers and become more radical. We'll never know, because she died before the web could expand her horizons and experience a bit. For me, though, the internet has been invaluable, in letting me become acquainted with people outside my neighborhood and family, in enabling me to go to a source instead of having to rely on what I might stumble across on the religion-unfriendly news or in a small town library.<BR/><BR/>Although I'm not Orthodox (big O), I see God being honored - and God at work - in Orthodox churches. I'm happy to see that missions are being planted, and am happy to help spread the word. <BR/><BR/>I hope that answers your questions.Kathryn Judsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06459741827801474808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10905712.post-32384718737744720082008-02-06T19:16:00.000-08:002008-02-06T19:16:00.000-08:00I was doing a blogsearch.google.com search on the ...I was doing a blogsearch.google.com search on the term 'Orthodox' and your post came up as one of the first listings. I knew about the interview on AFR, so it was nice to see that the podcast led you to do a bit more searching. But I was struck by your closing thought, that 'you thought that the Orthodox Church had essentially died out in America, if not the world' (or something to that effect). Without sounding offended (because I'm not), I guess I'm more incredulous. I was just wondering if you might expound a bit on what led you to believe such a thing? Just curious and a bit fascinated by such thoughts.<BR/><BR/>To set the record straight, although Orthodoxy has experienced some bumps in this country (and the world) for various reasons, historical and otherwise, there is much good to point to regarding the life of Orthodoxy in North America and the world.<BR/><BR/>Enjoying your blog!<BR/><BR/>Fr TomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com