scholarly journals The Affiliation between State and Churches: The Case Study of Greece

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikos Koutras

AbstractThe issue of State-Church relations should be examined in detail, to reveal why Christian Orthodox Church and State in Greece are two sides of the same coin. For many centuries, both Christian Orthodox Church and State have been the pillars of social cohesion in Greek society. This paper highlights the importance of Church and State separation in Greece nowadays.

Author(s):  
Paschalis M. Kitromilides

The chapter examines the formation of a Greek national Church and its role in the political life of the country. The emergence of an independent (autocephalous) Orthodox Church in the kingdom of Greece is considered in connection with the issue of autocephaly in canon law and the debates it provoked. It is pointed out that Greek autocephaly set a precedent for the subsequent emergence of other autocephalous churches in the Orthodox communion as part of the nation- and state-building projects of the respective national societies. The multiplicity of ecclesiastical jurisdictions in the Greek state are discussed as a record bearing the traces of the unification and national integration of Greece. Penultimately, the role of the Orthodox Church of Greece as national Church and the interplay of ecclesiastical and secular politics is examined. The close connection of Church and politics in Greek society is illustrated by pointing out that periods of political instability and subversion of constitutional government in twentieth-century Greece have provoked ‘archiepiscopal questions’ in ecclesiastical life. Lastly, the main issues in Church–State relations in post-1974 Greece are surveyed and appraised.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhidong Hao ◽  
Yan Liu

The campaign of church demolitions and cross removals in Zhejiang from 2013 to 2016 has revealed some uneasiness in the religion-state relationship in China. The party-state has had a policy of “mutual accommodation” since the 1990s, and the official churches are good examples of such accommodation. But the demolition of Sanjiang Church shows the limits of the policy. In this case study, we argue that mutual accommodation between the two sides is still possible but constrained by two factors: the broad political and policy structure, and the individuals involved in the interaction between church and state. This case study helps to shed some light on an issue that has a far-reaching effect on sociopolitical change in China.


Author(s):  
David Niose

The culture wars continue to rage in America. In many ways modern American culture is decidedly secular, with little indication that theological concerns play a significant role in the everyday lives of most ordinary citizens. But certain pockets of American society, defined by both geography and politics, continue to exalt traditional religion despite a general overall demographic trend toward secularity. These tensions play out in many ways in public life but nowhere more visibly than in the judiciary, where the two sides struggle to move the legal consensus in their direction. Terms that have been part of the American vernacular for centuries—“church–state separation” and “religious freedom”—still remain open to interpretation, with each side claiming that tradition and precedent favors them. Recent cases, addressing issues such as legislative prayer, LGBT rights, the Affordable Care Act, and the Pledge of Allegiance, do little to resolve these tensions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 225 (4) ◽  
pp. 324-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Barkas ◽  
Xenia Chryssochoou

Abstract. This research took place just after the end of the protests following the killing of a 16-year-old boy by a policeman in Greece in December 2008. Participants (N = 224) were 16-year-olds in different schools in Attiki. Informed by the Politicized Collective Identity Model ( Simon & Klandermans, 2001 ), a questionnaire measuring grievances, adversarial attributions, emotions, vulnerability, identifications with students and activists, and questions about justice and Greek society in the future, as well as about youngsters’ participation in different actions, was completed. Four profiles of the participants emerged from a cluster analysis using representations of the conflict, emotions, and identifications with activists and students. These profiles differed on beliefs about the future of Greece, participants’ economic vulnerability, and forms of participation. Importantly, the clusters corresponded to students from schools of different socioeconomic areas. The results indicate that the way young people interpret the events and the context, their levels of identification, and the way they represent society are important factors of their political socialization that impacts on their forms of participation. Political socialization seems to be related to youngsters’ position in society which probably constitutes an important anchoring point of their interpretation of the world.


IAWA Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitra Mantzouka ◽  
Vasileios Karakitsios ◽  
Jakub Sakala ◽  
Elisabeth A. Wheeler

Several specimens of Lauraceae fossil wood from the Cenozoic of Greece (southern part of Lesbos), the Czech Republic (Kadaň-Zadní Vrch Hill and Jáchymov), and Hungary (Ipolytarnóc) were studied. When considering whether they belonged to the speciose fossil wood genus Laurinoxylon, we reviewed the literature and data from InsideWood on fossil and modern woods. As a result, we propose criteria for excluding a fossil Lauraceae wood from Laurinoxylon and list the species that should be excluded from this genus. The criteria (filters) proposed to exclude a genus from having relationships with Laurinoxylon are: A. Axial parenchyma features: A1. Marginal axial parenchyma, A2. Aliform to aliform-confluent paratracheal parenchyma. B. Ray features: B1. Rays higher than 1 mm, B2. Exclusively homocellular rays, B3. Rays more than 5 cells wide, B4. Rays storied. C. Porosity features: Ring-porous. D. Idioblasts: Absence of idioblasts. Based on the distribution of idioblasts, we recognize four groups in Laurinoxylon (Type 1 - with idioblasts associated only with ray parenchyma cells, Type 2a - with idioblasts associated with both ray and axial parenchyma, Type 2b - with idioblasts associated both with rays and present among the fibres, and Type 3 - with idioblasts associated with ray and axial parenchyma and also among the fibres) and list the extant genera with features of those groups. Such grouping helps with interpreting the relationships of fossil lauraceous woods with extant genera. We discuss the Oligocene–Miocene European species that belong to these Laurinoxylon groups, noting that some warrant reassignment to different genera or even families. Future studies are needed to determine whether new genera should be established to accommodate these species. We propose the new combination Cinnamomoxylon variabile (Privé-Gill & Pelletier) Mantzouka, Karakitsios, Sakala & Wheeler.


Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Adamantia Efstratiou ◽  
Marina Bountouni ◽  
Efthimios Kefalas

The aim of this study was to gather information on the spread of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from wells, boreholes and untreated drinking water in islands of Greece. We analyzed for antibiotic resistance 235 E. coli strains isolated from untreated drinking water of small rural communities, and ground water from 4 islands. Resistance was tested against Norfloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin, Amoxicillin and Cefaclor. More than half (54.9%) were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested. Of these 26.3% showed multiple resistance (to two or more antibiotics). Strains from drinking water sources were overall more sensitive. Frequent resistance was observed for Amoxicillin (38.3%) and Levofloxacin (28.5%), low for Norfloxacin (5.5%).


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