ABSTRACT
The explanation appears to lie in a sort of role reversal; to the church, members of the community have given the group cohesion role that traditionally is a function of community; to the community they have accorded the largely religion-based role of forging and sanctioning a system of moral values. That the church is “necessary” to Greek ethnicity has received considerable discussion. As Orthodoxy has become synonymous with Greekness, the Greek cannot exercise “consumer preference” to select another denomination from America’s denominational cafeteria. Orthodoxy has ultimately emerged as a public rather than private religion. The church has been largely shaped into an ethnic entity that provides a badge of identification, perpetuates Greek distinctiveness, and serves a belonging-providing function. It is rare for a community member to express a strong personal faith, or to look to Orthodoxy for a charter of beliefs and practices that can be applied to the business of daily life.
