First, a little history lesson:

The most important thing about Macedonia’s history is that it is a place where the Apostle Paul spent time, along with other elect; and where he found some righteous souls who feared and obeyed God.  Paul went to Macedonia at least three times, the first time after a vision appeared to Paul in the night of a man of Macedonia praying for him to come and help (Acts 16).  He ended up in Philippi, the chief city of that part of Macedonia, where he found the beloved Lydia, a seller of purple, who loved and helped God’s people, being one of his sheep.  Also here, after casting demons out of a woman making some filthy Jews rich with her sorceries, Paul and Silas were thrown into jail after being beaten with many stripes.  As they sang and prayed an earthquake tore the prison down, and they saved the jailer from killing himself.  He was one of God’s elect also, who brought them to his home, fed them, washed their stripes, and was with his house straightaway baptized. 

Paul spoke of the elect Macedonians in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.  For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

The churches in Thessalonica, Philippi and Berea were all in Macedonia, and Paul spoke of the church at Thessalonica as being an example to all that believed in Macedonia and in Achaia.  1 Thessalonians 1:5-8: For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

After sending Timothy and Erastus ahead of him, from Ephesus, Paul went to Macedonia again, on his way to Corinth (Acts 20).  He went a third time after the Jews tried to kill him in Thessalonica, where he met with the noble people of the church at Berea. Acts 17:5-11:  But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.  And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

The good people Paul found in Macedonia who obeyed God, besides Lydia, the Philippian jailer, and Jason, included Sopater (Acts 20:4), Aristarchus (Acts 19:29), Secundus (Acts 20:4), Clement (Phil. 4:3), Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25), Euodia (Phil. 4:2); Syntyche (Phil 4:2); possibly Luke came from Philippi; and Gaius (Acts 19:29).  Today this little country has no gospel light.  They are without excuse. 

Back to today...

Two-thirds of the population is Orthodox Christian, and nearly another third Muslim.  Macedonia has about 1,200 churches and 425 mosques.  There is a Roman Catholic church in Skopje, and the other religious communities have their own places of worship in the capital and other towns.  The Orthodox and Islamic religious communities have religious schools in Skopje, and there is an Orthodox Theological College also in Skopje. 

The Archbishop of Ohrid is the head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, and this office claims to date back to at least 343 A.D.  Prince Boris, after the establishment of the Bulgarian state incorporating a part of Macedonia, ordained Clement as Bishop of Dremvica and Velika with a resident in Ohrid, wherein Clement became the first Macedonian-Slavic bishop.  Ohrid became an educational, literary and church center.  With time the church in Macedonia became independent, having been under the jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Patriarchate founded by Tsar Symeon, with this independence approved by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.  Blah, blah, blah.  The Macedonian people re-established their church as a fundamental feature of national identity on the foundations of the Archbishopric of Ohrid.  During Ottoman rule, the archbishops of Ohrid took the role of popular leaders in the movement for liberation.  When the national liberation movement after WWII took hold, the Macedonian Orthodox church was closely involved, recognizing this as the way to retain the hearts of the people. 

Macedonia is not unique from most nations—they substitute worshiping fancy-named religious phonies and traditions and genealogies for reading and obeying the Bible.  Just because the religions are called “orthodox,” or are old and crusty with a lot of boring history, doesn’t make them any less part of the whore of false religion.