From: jdd1@cec1.wustl.edu (James Dimos Dimarogonas)
Subject: Re: Proselytism
Keywords: religion, Greece
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis MO
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 17:46:52 GMT

In article <BvA5En.DIr@gabriel.keele.ac.uk> cla02@keele (R. Wallace) writes:
>
>There is a report this morning in the Independent newspaper of an
>individual (a Jehovah's Witness) being prosecuted in Greece under a law
>dating back to 1938 prohibiting proselytisation by any religious group
>in Greece except the Greek Orthodox Church.
>
>Is this true? Does the law exist? How is it applied?

There is no exception for the orthodox church.  No religion in Greece
is allowed to advocate their beleives in public. But you can distribute
pamphlets, thats why you usually see Jehovah's witnesses standing at
corners holding their pamphlets.  They are allowed to do that, if they dont
try to persuade any one to take them.  I know it sounds a little absurd
but it works both ways:  an orthodox priest cannot go in a muslim vilage
and start prieching and telling them to repent.  It was the lawmakers
interpretation of freedom of religion.              
>
>
>There are, are there not, places in Greece where there are substantial
>numbers of Roman Catholics. How does this legislation affect them?

I think that most catholics in Greece are in the islands (I think that
Syros is mainly catholic). It does not realy affect them in their religious
practices, it just confines them in churches or private homes.  By the
way, the orthodox and catholic church have excelent relations.  There
is even a movement that calls for unification of the two churches.  There was
a meeting a few years ago in Rhodes between representatives of the two
churches on the matter. 
>
>
>Does the ban affect non-Christian religions? No, this is not a hidden
>question on the treatment of Muslims in Greece! It has just occurred to
>me that I have never ever in a Greek city seen little lines of bald
>people wearing sheets and chanting 'Hare Krishna'. Could they if they
>wanted to?

There were some of those, at least I remember seeing them 5 or 6 years ago.
But the movement was not very sucsesful.  Since nobody arrested them I
guess that they had the right to.  Trouble would start if they would try
to priech in public.  I guess that dancing and singing would not qualify
as proselitism. 
>
>Does the ban extend to propagating Atheism?

Interesting question!  In other words would a non-religion fall under
the law for religions.  I think not, since the comunist parties have
been advocating atheism in public for years, and nobody even thought
that this could be considered as religious proselitism!

Now if you want the truth of the matter, it is just that nobody cares
about what other religions are doing.  They are aplying the law selectively
to the Jehobah witnesses, exactly because of their refusal of military
service.  The goverement feels threatend by such behaviour, so they
would like to control the propagation of this particular religion.
This is a contoversial issue.  And especially for Greece that has had
around 6 armed conflicts in this century.  Even I personally dont feel very
comfortable with this thing.  I dont see why I should have to go to
front line and risk death when someone else is exused for religious
reasons.  But on the other hand how can you make exceptions on the
freedom of religion? That is equally unacceptable. I dont see any easy
answers on this issue.  And the whole issue also carries sentimental
overtones, since in almost every Greek family there is some grandfather or 
something that was killed in some conflict. 
>
>Richard Wallace.

Regards

James Dimarogonas