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Yesterday, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a law officially banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
All that remains is to ban God.
What’s the significance for Christians in the West?
Over the past decade, an increasing number of American Christians have praised Putin and his allies because of their criticism of Western decadence. The Russian president has publicly spoken out about homosexuality and divorce, and expressed support for the “traditional family.” But Christians in the West are often unaware that Russia is far from a haven of social conservatism. The country has one of the highest abortion rates in the world, and their authoritarian leader is “pro-choice.” In 2017, Putin said, “In the modern world, the decision is up to the woman herself,” and added that making abortion illegal would only push the practice underground, causing immense damage to women’s health.
Expressing a sentiment shared by many experts on Russia, Alexis Mrachek says that “Putin’s use of traditional Christianity is calculated for political effect. American and European observers would do well to see through the charade.”
Similarly, Moscow Patriarch Kirill is not a champion of Christian values such as religious liberty. He also has little tolerance for Russian Christians who don’t want to be under his spiritual leadership. Kirill has said “there can be no place in Russia for a free market in religious life” and called “foreign missionary activity a sinister threat to the nation’s security.” But it’s his failure to oppose an unjust war that makes him a threat to Christians in the West and to those in Ukraine. Whether out of fear or deference, he’s allowing Putin to use the authority of the Russian church to discredit the Christian faith.
The FAQs: How the Russia-Ukraine War Is Linked to Religion
MARCH 17, 2022 | JOE CARTER
originally posted by: RussianTroll
On Monday, August 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree “On providing humanitarian support to individuals who share traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.” The document was adopted “in order to protect fundamental human rights and freedoms, to support individuals who have made a free choice in favor of spiritual, cultural and legal ties with the Russian Federation.”
the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a law officially banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. All that remains is to ban God.