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A secularist, no matter where he or she might be from, can never understand this unless he or she is willing to undertake a sort of self abnegation before God which few of them are willing to do and an acceptance of the fact that evil is very real in this world. It has to do with pride, Eleni mou

Kolokotronis mou, you said so well. This brings memories of recent murder of Amish girls in their school and the Amish community quietly burying them without pomp or calls for revenge, in forgiveness and acceptance that no secularist could ever be capable of, precisely because of pride. Their "honor" would have to be avenged. For men tend to return evil for evil and that is what the Christ tells us we must not do.

So, the Church is seen as being passive and even permissive of tyrannical regimes. The Church cannot change its teachings to suit our passions. Being Orthodox doesn't mean you are passive, but when evil is done no amount of evil done in revenge will make it a blessing.

Being Orthodox doesn't mean you are passive, but when evil is done no amount of evil done in revenge will make it a blessing.

The problem with the "passive" nature of Christian action is that without the enormous amount of blood shed defending Christians - martyrs, military, missionaries, others - there might not be any Christian left to witness Him.

The Amish can "turn the cheek" precisely because so many Christians have died defending those principles.