In 1916, a group of Greek immigrants opened the Greek Orthodox Christian Church of St. Nicholas in New York City. It stood there until September 11, 2001, when the second of the World Trade Center towers collapsed on top of it, the result of a horrible terrorist attack. The church has been attempting to rebuild their place of worship since that time, working with the proper authorities to do so. There was even an agreement reached at one time between the Archdiocese and the Port Authority for a particular area to be set aside for the church’s use. But it seems the city has now reneged on their offer, and St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is fighting a losing battle to reconstruct their building just a block or two from ground zero.
I say we don’t let them build their place of worship — not near ground zero, anyway. And here are my reasons:
- Where is their funding coming from? Sure they say the city is compensating them for moving from their original site, but can they provide us with some proof? Now I don’t claim to know much about the Greek Orthodox Church, but I’m guessing it’s pretty similar, or even related to, the Eastern Orthodox Church (which I’ve heard of). And so, it must have some ties to the east. And there are terrorists in the east — especially in the middle of it. So I demand to know where the funding is coming from for this so-called “Orthodox” church. No building’s going up until I see financial records, I tell you.
- Do any of us really know what the Greek Orthodox Church believes or practices? I know they speak really old languages during their services, wear funny robes and hats, and do a lot of chanting. And their church calendar begins on September 1st and ends on August 31st. It sounds like some kind of evil cult if, you ask me. You know what I think? I think if these Greek people want to have church buildings in America, they need to learn how to use American calendars, and they need to start speaking American. They had better cut it out with all the chanting stuff and immediately forfeit anything that looks or sounds unfamiliar to me. No doubt the immigrants who started these Greek churches were illegal in the first place. Can somebody make these guys show us some birth certificates, please?
- Ground zero is hallowed ground. And no one should be able to build any house of worship there unless they agree with me. And, frankly, I’m uncomfortable with some of the things this Greek Orthodox Church does. They shouldn’t offend me or make me uncomfortable, especially if they claim to be Christian; that’s just plain insensitive. What’s worse is that I’m sure they’re doing it on purpose, just to rub it in my face. I’ve personally asked them to change their choice of location, but they refused and said they believe their building will encourage a free exchange of spiritual ideas among the greater religious community. That’s not true. Only my church would be able to accomplish such a monumental task in that particular location.
- I tell you the only way I’d be willing to change my mind is if they didn’t call this thing a church building, but instead referred to it as a community learning center or something. Yeah, I suppose I could go for that. Those crazy Greeks with their funny hats.
[For more reading on the St. Nicholas situation, see these articles in The New York Times and FOX News. Or see this news release from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. For my views on the whole mosque ordeal (if I were a female with kids -- otherwise called a mother), go here.]
