The rise of Orthodox Christianity

[southernhybrid]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/...e_code=1.2U8.445d.jYbE7pNRksVk&smid=url-share

I guess Christianity isn't shrinking. Young men are attracted to a version which supports trad wives, having lots of kids, and in some cases racism and antisemitism, as well as hatred toward gay and trans folks. Who would Jesus hate? This is creepy and sad. I've just posted a tiny bit of the article but I suggest you read it all, as I'm gifting it and it has a lot of details and photos in it as well. Has anyone been aware of the rise of Orthodox Christianity especially among young men? We can only hope that the children of these folks will wise up like many of us have who were raised as evangelicals, Catholics etc. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Something is changing in an otherwise quiet corner of Christianity in the United States, one that prides itself on how little it has changed over time. Priests are swapping stories about record attendance numbers. Older members are adjusting — or not — to the influx of new attendees. Parishes are strategizing about how to accommodate more prospective converts than existing clergy can reasonably handle on their own.

Across the country, the ancient tradition of Orthodox Christianity is attracting energetic new adherents, especially among conservative young men. They are drawn to what they describe as a more demanding, even difficult, practice of Christianity. Echoing some of the rhetoric of the so-called manosphere, new waves of young converts say Orthodoxy offers them hard truths and affirms their masculinity.

One night this summer, the young adults of All Saints Orthodox Church in Raleigh, N.C., gathered at a bookshop and bar on the city’s north side. At the event’s peak, there were a mere handful of women present, and more than 40 men. The men noticed, and believed they knew why.
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Generation Z is upending the expectations of many scholars and faith leaders, who watched the country steadily secularizing for decades, with each generation less religious than the last. Some recent surveys suggest that young adult men are defying that trend.

The new energy in many Orthodox parishes tracks with broader trends among young men embracing harder-edge and more intense versions of several Christian traditions. In the Catholic church, a significant minority of young people prefer the pre-Vatican II Traditional Latin Mass, and attend parishes where women wear veils to mass.

These remain relatively small religious subcultures, but they are part of a shift that enthusiastic observers are calling a revival. Pew Research found this year that after years of decline, the Christian population in the United States has been stable for several years, a change fueled in part by young adults.

Some argue that the common denominator in churches attracting young people is not their style of worship but their treatment of the supernatural. Father Damick, the priest in Pennsylvania, pointed out that charismatic Christianity, whose theology includes an openness to faith healing and “spiritual warfare,” has also resisted trends of religious decline.

The online influencers that many young men credit with introducing them to Orthodoxy speak directly about politics and culture in a way that parish priests more often avoid. They tend to share an unbending social conservatism, with a particular interest in the “traditional family” and what they describe as the threats of feminism, homosexuality and transgender identities. They are also generally opposed to the state of Israel.
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Certain corners of the Orthodox internet are not just conservative or traditionalist, but openly racist and antisemitic, with several far-right figures converting in recent years. In the South, there is a strain of neoconfederate Orthodoxy that marries white supremacy and Orthodox practice. Matthew Heimbach, who organized the notorious Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, had been excommunicated from the Antiochian Orthodox church but joined another branch.

 

[Elixir]

A predictable result of the Republicans’ long running war on science and education.
Keep ‘em stupid, and they’re easy to control.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Orthodox Christianity has a specific meaning (the confluence of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches) and a general meaning, pertaining to conservative Christian groups and including movements like the evangelicals and the inerrantists. Are you discussing the general meaning of the term?

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Make Christianity Great Again

 

[steve_bank]

I don't think it has ever gone away.

Opus Dei is a conservative group. And a lttle wacky. They sometimes wear pain bracelets on the thigh that give a lite pain during the day. You can buy online.

African Catholics are particularly conservative, from reporting. As is African Christianity in general.

Opus Dei - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Opus Dei (Latin for 'Work of God') is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church founded in Spain on 2 October 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá. The prelature states that it helps lay and clerical members pursue holiness through everyday occupations and social responsibilities. The Holy See granted final approval in 1950 under Pope Pius XII.[2] In 1982 Pope John Paul II affirmed its status as a personal prelature through the apostolic constitution Ut sit.[2]: 1–9  Catholic Church leaders have voiced institutional support while the organization remains controversial.[3]

Laypeople constitute most members of Opus Dei, and the rest are secular priests governed by a prelate elected by specific members and appointed by the Pope.[4] Because Opus Dei is Latin for "Work of God", members and supporters often refer to the prelature as "the Work".[5][6] Beyond personal charity and social services, the prelature organizes training in Catholic spirituality applied to daily life. Opus Dei members are located in more than 90 countries.[7] About 70% of members live in their own homes and maintain secular careers while taking part in prelature activities,[8][9] while the remaining are celibate, of whom the majority live in Opus Dei centers.

The image of Irtish and and Italian Catholic family I grew with up was patriarchal, lots of kids.

Certainly bias against Jews and gays. The RCC has made efforts to soften its image but I exp[ect it is still there.

 

[southernhybrid]

Orthodox Christianity has a specific meaning (the confluence of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches) and a general meaning, pertaining to conservative Christian groups and including movements like the evangelicals and the inerrantists. Are you discussing the general meaning of the term?

Not sure what you're asking. Orthodox Christianity is a specific branch. It's all explained in the linked article. it's not the same as evangelicalism. In some ways, it's crazier. in fact, according to the article, some evangelical young men have switched over, including some due to a scandal at their former church.

I guess part of my point was that just as we begin to think that the nation and younger people are becoming more secular, this movement towards an old, conservative form of Christianity is gaining members, mostly men.

It wouldn't be concerning to me, if it were the more liberal sects that were increasing, but that's not what's happening.

 

[steve_bank]

You have to be careful, the RCC has had a media propaganda campaign for a long time. TVradio/net. From a search it appears to be mostly Catholic reporting.

I do not think you have to worry about a resurgence of the RCC in the USA.

I'd be suspicious of 'growing number', but I heard a report in the main stream news that some are moving to a conservative sex for procreation not pleasure.

I expect some are just tired of the 24/7 hyper sexuality in culture.

AI Overview
+5
Recent trends show a growing number of young men, particularly within the conservative Catholic community, are returning to or maintaining religious affiliation
. They are often drawn to conservative interpretations of faith due to a desire for structure, meaning, and purpose in a chaotic world. This trend is linked to a rise in conservative political views among young men and a desire for traditional values, though the motivation is not solely political but also social and cultural.

Younger Priests Remain More Conservative Than Older Priests in US, Survey Says

About 51% of priests ordained in 2010 or later said their political views are either conservative or very conservative. There is also a generational divide on whether Eucharistic devotion or access to the traditional Latin Mass are priorities, with younger priests more focused on those issues.

www.ncregister.com

The Catholic Project released a new survey on Oct. 14. (photo: Shutterstock)
Tyler Arnold/CNA Nation
October 14, 2025

Younger U.S. priests are far more conservative than older priests, reaffirming a generational divide in political views, according to a 2025 survey.

The strong generational divide in political views among Catholic priests in the United States was reaffirmed in a 2025 survey that shows younger priests are far more conservative than older priests.

The National Study of Catholic Priests, published on Oct. 14, was commissioned by The Catholic Project at The Catholic University of America and conducted by Gallup. Researchers surveyed the same priests who were surveyed in The Catholic Project’s 2022 survey to examine the U.S. priesthood.

According to the report, the 2025 survey “closely mirrors” the findings in 2022 and shows “a clear generational shift away from liberal self-identification.”

About 51% of priests ordained in 2010 or later said their political views are either conservative or very conservative. Another 37% said they were moderate and the remaining 12% were either liberal or very liberal.

Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off

After years of decline, the U.S. Christian share now shows signs of leveling off. The new Religious Landscape Study explores trends in identity, beliefs and practices. Pew Research Center.

www.pewresearch.org

Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off

The Religious Landscape Study (RLS) is the largest single survey the Center conducts, aiming to provide authoritative figures on the size of U.S. religious groups because the U.S. census does not collect that information.

We have conducted three of these landscape surveys over the past 17 years, with more than 35,000 randomly sampled respondents each time. That’s enough to paint a statistical portrait of religion not only nationally, but also in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in 34 large metro areas.

This introductory essay walks through the big-picture trends: evidence both of a long-term decline in American religion and of relative stability in the last few years, since 2020 or so.

 

[bilby]

Why would anyone be surprised that these assholes are leaning towards Russian religion, given the amount of Russian propaganda they consume?

 

[southernhybrid]

Why would anyone be surprised that these assholes are leaning towards Russian religion, given the amount of Russian propaganda they consume?

According to the article, it's members are or were mainly from Ukraine and Greece. It did originate in the 9th Century, but I had to look that part up, as it's not mentioned in the article I linked.

It seems to me it's more about this crazy macho bullshit that a lot of young men are attracted to, including their desire to suppress women's rights. I guess it makes sense considering the conservative political movement in the US. Not common sense of course,

In the United States, Orthodox Christianity is by far the smallest and least-known of the three major branches of Christianity, representing about 1 percent of the population, compared with about 40 percent who are Protestant and 20 percent who are Catholic. Orthodox pews here have historically been occupied by immigrants from Ukraine, Greece and other countries with large Orthodox populations. Their American-born children often drift to other churches.

 

[bilby]

According to the article, it's members are or were mainly from Ukraine and Greece. It did originate in the 9th Century, but I had to look that part up, as it's not mentioned in the article I linked.

As I understand it, the split between Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity is basically the same split that separated the Eastern and Western Roman Empire(s). Catholicism got watered down more as the Western Empire was repeatedly invaded and sacked by various peoples from the North, while Eastern Orthodoxy was less affected die to the relative strength (at the time) of Constantinople.

That split between East and West led to many of the cultural differences that persisted between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries during the C20th, though the success of the USSR in WWII meant that many "western" countries ended up on the Russian side of the Iron Curtain, while British naval power in the Mediterranean meant that the Greeks and Turks ended up on the Western side.

Of course, the Turks (and other Balkan peoples) had since become Muslims, under Ottoman rule.

The Great War was, in part, caused by the friction between the mostly Catholic Austro-Hungarians and the mostly Orthodox Russians, Serbs, and Greeks as they sought to supplant (mostly Islamic) Ottoman power in the Balkans.