In the current expansion eastward, however, it is inevitable that the
values and mores of European institutions and alliances will be shaped more and
more by the traditionalist views of Orthodox Christian believers and less and
less by the modern, secularized Protestant assumptions of Western European
democracies. Orthodox believers already far outnumber Protestants across Europe,
and by some estimates they may eventually even surpass Roman Catholics. If
21st-century Europe ever develops a religious complexion, it will be
predominantly Eastern Orthodox.
In the long run, therefore, while the greatest challenge to Europe's
cultural and political identity may come from the growth of Islam, its more
immediate challenge is how to deal with some 40 million to 140 million Orthodox
Christians who, when given a voice in European policymaking, will argue that
churches should have a more prominent voice than heretofore in the shaping of
social policy.
There are two ways of dealing with this challenge. One way is to stick
to a narrow definition of "the West." Make modern-day secularism the gold
standard of democracy and decry all challenges to secularism as examples of a
"values gap" between East and West. This tried and true formula has the
advantage of already being familiar, thanks to the cold war. Unfortunately, it
is also a recipe for a conflict within European institutions. And, given the
rapidly growing numbers, influence, and wealth of the Orthodox Churches of
Eastern Europe, it is a conflict Western Europeans are likely to lose.
from http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1011/p09s01-coop.htm
h/t Rod Dreher
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