Ambivanlentni pravoslavci
The Ambivalent Orthodox

Summary/Abstract: Eastern Orthodoxy and the Oriental Orthodox churches as well remain religiously prominent in the Orthodox heartland of Greece, Russia, and countries of south-eastern Europe – areas that until fairly recently have not known much if any democracy. Ortho- doxy's difficult historical experiences have made it ambivalent toward democratic plu- ralism. Nonetheless, the Trinitarian theology of Orthodoxy leads it to value freedom and equality, and to take a largely positive view of democracy. Along with democracy, how- ever, come phenomena such as pluralism, difference, and competition, about which many Orthodox believers and churches feel considerably more ambivalent. The identity-cards controversy in Greece, arguments over religious liberty in Russia, and a lawsuit involving U.S. Orthodox laity and the Orthodox Archdiocese of America illustrate various aspects of this ambivalence.

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