Combination of Church and State

In Romania, the vast majority of people (approximately 85%) are Romanian Orthodox.  Not all practice, but many do.  And even if they don't practice, the people still identify with that religion and stay strong to it.  The city where I stayed had hundreds of Romanian Orthodox churches.  It could be compared to Provo and the amount of LDS churches.  Basically one on every street corner.  They are very beautiful, and it is very interesting to see the different types of services and rituals they participate in. 

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to visit many churches and monasteries.  On one of these day trips that I took, there was one experience that really caused me to think about me life in the United States.  I was sitting in a chair along a wall, and a school class came into the monastery.  At first, I didn't think anything of it.  It just appeared to be a normal class field trip.  However, the class moved to the front of the room, stood in front of the idols there, and began to recite prayers and do traditional Romanian Orthodox rituals.  This is what truly peaked my interest.

I was so fascinated by the fact that such a religious act would be allowed at school.  It was only then that I really thought about how not all countries view religion and government as we do.  Of course I knew this, but it was so interesting to experience it firsthand.  I just sat there watching the children in amazement.  I later asked a member of the LDS branch about the Romanian Orthodox influence in schools.  He said that school is the one place where you really learn about the Orthodox church.  That is where the children get there foundation.  It is studied every day for a good portion of school time.

I was fascinated by this, and wonder what it would be like to live in a place where state and religious matters are so intertwined.