The Cross Removed From Church On Religious Textbook Cover Sparks Controversy in Greece

The cover of the new Religious Studies textbook for the 11th grade in Greece has caused a stir due to the absence of a cross on the depicted church and bell tower.

The book cover, designed by an artist, features a church and bell tower devoid of the traditional Christian symbol. The omission has sparked debate and drawn comments from experts on MEGA Channel, following an explanation from the artist himself.

“The issue with the Religious Studies textbook cover is, I think, quite clear,” says Anastasios Lavrentzos, Doctor at the Athens University of Economics and Business.

“It’s the image of a church without a cross and a bell tower that doesn’t resemble an Orthodox one. I understand that the artist has his own view, which is respectable from an artistic point of view, but it is completely different to project this in a religious textbook. In my opinion, it can be included within the framework of a broader deconstructive practice that exists in Greece, that is, to distance ourselves from what defines us collectively.”

He adds: “I am surprised how a book is presented with a bell tower that resembles a minaret rather than an Orthodox bell tower.”

Author and theologian Nikos Kosmidis offers a different perspective: “What I see in the image does not resemble a minaret. Whoever makes such invocations should consider a Muslim country to distinguish between a minaret and a bell tower.”

“Beyond that, there is an issue that is constantly being raised. It stems from the fear that a part of the Christian community has that our state is becoming secularized. The fact is that religious faith, and especially a living relationship with Christ, cannot be the propaganda of a state,” he adds.

“Let’s evaluate why such reactions arise,” he concludes.