Greek Orthodox Religion

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Greek Orthodox Church A friend of mines entire family is Greek Orthodox, mainly her grandfather who is a Greek Orthodox priest, and their religion has always intrigued me. So seeing that this assignment called for experiencing new religions I took this opportunity to attend one of their church services as well as a baptism. Although I am of Greek decent, my family and I are not Greek Orthodox, nor have we ever attended an Orthodox service. Going in to this assignment, I thought knew what the Greek Orthodox religion was; I just assumed it was merely Catholicism but for a different ethnicity. Obviously I was wrong, this religion does have some similar qualities such as communion and the wedding process, but a lot of the details differ. The…show more content…
I asked my friend what the church looked like ten years ago and she said it looked basically the same. With few renovations, the workers tried to keep the purity of the church in tact. As you drive past it on Kendall Drive, you see the large stained glass from the outside as well as the flagpole, hoisting a Greek and American flag proudly. When you walk in through the entrance, you are greeted in an inside vestibule. Traditionally it was called a narthex, which purpose was to keep the non-members of the church out of the congregation but still allow them to hear the service. The vestibule usually contains pictures of saints, candles that are to be bought, and a greeter. The candles are usually bought, stuck in the sand, and lit. They are a symbol of prayer for someone. Other than in the vestibule, larger candles are placed throughout the church in small, clear, red vases. Where the congregation sits is called the nave. This is the central approach to the altar and the body of the church. Inside the nave is dimly lit and there are long pews on the sides and in the center of the room. In front of each pew on the ground are kneeling benches used throughout the service when the priest instructs them to use it for praying. Standing is the preferred posture of prayer in the Orthodox Church. The congregation kneels only at certain moments, such as the Invocation of the Holy Spirit during the Divine Liturgy. Also throughout the church are paintings of saints. The Greek Orthodox Church practices a veneration of icons; reverence is directed toward the person they represent and not the relics themselves .The sanctuary, also known as the altar, is at the front of the church. It is considered holy and sacred because of the presence of God in the Eucharist. Usually there is a small wall or curtain, known as the templon, which separates the altar from the rest of the room. The templon is consisted of paintings of angels and beautiful

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