I just listened to a Radio 4 documentary on the
increasingly tight relationship between the Putin government and hardliners in
the Russian Orthodox Church. It revolves around the Pussy Riot case but
highlights a trend in Russian society that is extremely scary.
A series of religious figures and politicians declare that
any criticism of the church threatens Russian society and amounts to a crime
and deserves some serious punishment. It all sounds faintly deranged and
medieval, spoken in the quiet voices of those confident in their authority, and
it’s made worse by the fact that they have the support of a big proportion of
the public and they are slowly getting their way. One of the most powerful
nations on Earth is absorbing the church into an increasingly oppressive
autocracy.
For years I’ve sympathised with liberals and religious
sceptics in the States, who if they live in the wrong part of the country
endure some serious stick for not going along with the fundamentalist
orthodoxy. But at least they’re living in a democracy, and for now at least the
framework of law in the country is relatively sane. What’s going on in Russia
is worse, the criminalisation of secular expression, not least because a large
part of the population seems ready to go along with it.
Those of us who live in secular, civilised societies can
shudder, turn away and get on with our lives, comfortable in knowing that we
can criticise a church without ending up in court. But Russia’s still a major
power, it has economic and military influence, and if the church begins to
dominate the country’s ethical dialogue it can plant some dangerous seeds for
the future. Just think of Iran with a larger army, a nuclear bomb, and a bunch
of billionaires pressing flesh with the powerful all over the world.
I don’t know what we in the West can do about it, and
suspect the answer is nothing – but I hope it doesn’t last.
Mark Say's collection of fiction, Perversities of
Faith, is available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com. Also
check out www.marksaywriter.com.
It is no secret that the Orthodox Church is pro-Romanov Dynasty as was instrumental in the families current state of adoration by the faithful. The Romonov's are of the House of Oldenburg. One of the three Houses that must be uprooted in the future by the coming Caesar/ Csar/ Tsar/ Fuhrer. Notably the prophesies speak of three houses / kings being uprooted. I take these to be the House of Hapsburg, House of Oldenburg and the House of Bourbon. These are the Houses that dominate kingdoms in Europe today and must be uprooted with the return to Imperial Roman Empire. Currently the EU is pushing eastward with Turkey at its steps. the assimilations of Turkey is just a matter of time. Next the current dialogue between the Latin Rite and the Orthodox Rite will help forge the reemergence of Christian Roman Empire, before the great apostasy of Imperial Empire with Emperor worship. Before this the cities of Rome and Constantinople, the seats of both the Latin and Orthodox Rite will regain dominance and blow life into the future apostasy. "Who is like the Beast and who can make war with it?. Putin is currently a defacto Czar of Russia, ominous sign of things to come.
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