In 2014 I was on a trip to Europe. I only spent two days in Serbia, but I really loved it there. I’m definitely going to go back. I was particularly attracted to the anti-Western mentality that they had there. One thing that I noticed was the religiosity. Serbia is a deeply religious country. They are part of the Eastern Orthodox communion and the Orthodox faith forms an integral part of their society. It’s pretty impressive. I wish all Catholic countries were this observant.
About ten months ago I was in a conversation with an Orthodox Priest who lived here in Canada. He was affiliated with ROCOR. He mentioned that Serbian people in Canada rarely attend Church. I mentioned that I had been to Serbia and they were very much into their faith. He conceded the point but mentioned that when Serbs leave Serbia, they tend to leave their faith as well. He mentioned that there were about 7,000 ethnic Serbs in our city and they only get about 20 or 30 people showing up to the Serbian Church on Sunday.
I asked him if this was true with Russians as well. He said that it was definitely the case. He said that there are about 10,000 native Russian speakers in our city(most of whom would have been baptized Orthodox) but only two small churches. One of the two has since shut down.
I was talking to a Polish friend of mine this weekend. He told me similar stories. I mentioned that the Polish Church had five Masses on Sunday. He corrected me and said four. He said that the population is mostly elderly as well and it won’t be long until it’s three Masses, then two, then one. Everything I hear about Poland shows that it’s a bastion of Catholic faith. Although I’ve never been there, I hear many stories from my friends who’ve been there regarding the strong Catholic culture. Many young people are entering the Priesthood, becoming monks and nuns, and church attendance is through the roof. However, most of that observance drops when they move into a new country such as Canada.
I’ve observed this pattern with other cultures and religions as well, but I won’t go into the details here. This kind of nationalism worries me. If Catholicism is such a part of Polish identity, why is it only a part of Polish identity in Poland. Certainly these Poles who leave Poland still identify as Poles.
Perhaps this experiment isn’t perfect. Maybe these Serbs, Poles, and Russians would continue practicing their faith if they went to another country where their faith was the majority. Canada isn’t Catholic or Orthodox, although both religions have historic roots here due to our Ukrainian farming heritage and early French influence.
Although nationalism in Russia, Serbia, and Poland promotes their native faith, nationalism has often been the enemy of religion. Turkish nationalism has been extremely anti-Islamic. French and Italian nationalism have been extremely anti-Catholic. Similar things can be said about Germany and also Russia when it was under communism.
I haven’t come to a firm conclusion regarding nationalism but the more I reflect on it, the more I think it’s an enemy of religion. I’ve read a lot of Saint biographies in my life. One thing that I notice is the lack of attachment to their ancestry. Their more important identity was to a universal faith that wasn’t bound by cultures, borders, or languages. When Fernando and Isabella expelled the Moors from Spain, they gave them the option of conversion. Some converted and some left. The Moor who converted didn’t stop being a Moor. He only stopped being a Muslim.
I would like some feedback from my readers on this one. Do you have similar experiences in your life or in the lives of those that you know?
Nationalism is healthy, as long as it doesn’t supersede/replace faith. In Eastern Orthodoxy this is a serious issue, because religion has often been abused and misused for political purposes, some of them quite ungodly. Sadly, we are witnessing this even today- the Russian Patriarch acts like a minister of foreign affairs of Russia, Macedonian bishops sabotage normal relations between the Macedonian Church
and other Orthodox Churches, the Ecumenical Patriarch hardly does anything to prevent dissemination of Masonry among bishops in his office, etc.
God help us.
On the other hand, the West is in dire need of a healthy dose of nationalism, otherwise it will just keep corroding- gay marriages, “social” genders, hordes of Muslim “refugees” and other “joys” of contemporary Western civilization are just the beginning.
Hi Orangehunter,
I’m glad to hear your opinion on this. In terms of the West, I think it’s a bit too simplistic to say the West needs nationalism. Every country is different. I would say that we need common sense more than anything.
Canada and the USA have never really had much for nationalism because we’re both colonies. Europe is different on the other hand. Western Europe is in deep trouble. They’ve lost their faith, reason, and common sense. The episode with Martin Sellner, Brittany Pettibone, and Lauren Southern is the most recent example.
I’m thinking of making a vow to never go Western Europe ever again. I’m starting to really despise those countries. Not the people of course, but the governments. Their governments are betraying their own citizens. Germany is the best example of this.
I fully agree with you that the West needs a change of course. You’ll never hear me praising the West once on this blog. Is Nationalism the answer to that? I don’t know. Maybe we’re working with different definitions of nationalism. One thing is for sure, it can’t be done without faith. You said it quite well when you said:
“Nationalism is healthy, as long as it doesn’t supersede/replace faith.”
Sorry, I didn’t take into account that “nationalism” probably doesn’t have the same broad meaning to you as a Westerner as it does to me. In countries, influenced by Orthodox tradition, it’s assumed for some reason that nationalism is not just a more extreme “mode” of patriotism, but also upholding of a set of conservative moral values, such as traditional definition of marriage and gender. I guess it’s because conservative moral values are what makes a nation more resistant to the vicissitudes of fortune.
I agree with you there. It’s just that in the West, “a set of conservative moral values, such as traditional definition of marriage and gender” has become completely fringe. In Canada, we were the third country to have homosexual “marriage”. Since Trudeau has assumed power, it has only degenerated further and further.
I don’t know what it’s going to take to wake up. It’ll probably be societal collapse. In Eastern Europe, I encourage all of you to remain strong. You have the advantage of seeing our collapse. Don’t give cultural elites and inch. Don’t ever compromise with them. They don’t stop. My country is proof.
It would appear that poorer countries have populations that are more devout. People in wealthier countries (in effect Western ones) become more comfortable and more materialistic which has its effect on religious practice. Immigrants from poorer countries eventually catch up to native populations and tend to become less religious. Islam appears to be more resistant to this but eventually it will wither in the Western countries if only it were not constantly reinforced by further immigration (inc marriages and family re-union).
We see a similar effect in the reduction in the numbers of children in Western countries. As our societies have become richer in material terms people have chosen relative luxury over having children.
Hi Christopher,
I don’t know if I agree with the more poor, the more devout. There are definitely some anomalies. America is the richest Western nation and also the most observant in their faith. It also has the least nationalism.
If you refer only to Western Europe, we don’t see anomalies but I don’t think Western Europe has lost it’s faith because of wealth and comfort. It’s more to do with cultural Marxism and the Church not being the Church when it needs to be.
Ah! You’ve spotted a flaw in my statement. Quite a large one too.
It’s just based on what I see, which I think holds for Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Western Europe too.
I certainly think wealth and comfort does play a role. It just think it isn’t the only thing though. Wealth alone won’t sink the faith, but I do think it lowers the defenses and makes it vulnerable to attack.