August, 1, 1999
Dear friends,
I appreciate your support of my "news-service." Certainly, remember, that this
is "bad-news-service." I don�t write about restoration of the churches, everyday
parish life, chartitable work, first, because this information is widely published
by official structures and their numerous adherents, second, because bad news
about Christian life must be very impotant for Christian conscience.
Court in Kemerovo (Russian South) ruled that Anastasiya Sharyginam 3 years
old, must be taken away from her parents and given to her grandmother, because
her parents have been baptized as Baptists. The court have writtten in the decision
that "the Baptist rite of baptism differs from the rite of the official Church."
The incident was described by Tamara Zilber in
"Izvestiya," July 23, 1999. The judge Olga Umanskaya told the journalist that
there is official Church in Russia. When the journalist expressed her astohishment,
the judge corrected herself and said that Russian Orthodox Church is "traditional."
The journalist states that this term doesn�t have legal sense. But actually in
the Russian Religious Freedom Act of 1997 Russian Orthodox Church is specially
called "traditional," so this term is legal at least in the sense that it is used
in the legal act. The singularity of the case lies in the fact that these spueses
belong to the
"normal Baptists," i.e. to those Evangelicals who lives in Russian for more
than a century, not for the those who�ve been converted by American missionaries
during last years.
Some of you wrote me that bad news about Russian Orthodox life affirm their
bad opinion about Russian Church and Russian life in general. Certainly, Russia
is less West than is my dream. But Russia is still more West than East. Many shortcomings
of Russian life are the result not only of our, Russians, evil, but of the very
unwise Western support of the most anti-Western forcies in Russian politics.
One example. In July James Billington, director of the Library of Congress,
U.S.A., visited Russia. He is good man and the author of one of the most popular
in U.S. book about Russian culture. He loves Rusia and knows our history and culture.
He organized a special project: 3000 Russian governmental officials of different
ranks will visit U.S.A. and for several days work on the places in the governmental
offices similar to their own in Russia. The trip will be paid by American tax-payers.
Billington repeats the idea of Peter the Great: to send Russians to the West
to be civilized, to understand that the West is not as bad. The result will be
the same: Russians will take the worst from the West, not because Russians are
so perverse, but because Billington (and Peter the Great) have chosen those Russians
who already power-corrupted. And power tends to corrupt everywhere, as Lord Acton
stated, but power in Russia corrupts nearly absolutely. And there is a lot of
people in Russia who are in need of Western support, but don�t recieve it, because
they are far from power structures, secular or Church.
Actually, most Russian officials have already visited West and know what is
normal life. They enjoy it � for themselves, but in Russia it is more profitable
for them to sustain unliberal economic life. They visit the West with joy (especially
on the Western account), but they will never transplant Western values on Russian
soil, because this will undermine their power. Certaonly, we Russians are to solve
the problem of Russian nomenclature, don�t help us, but don�t be with our enemy
at least. Western support of Russian nomenclature is one of the main reasons of
its continuing reign. Remember, that Miloshevich studied in American university,
that he was for many years supported by George Bush, who compared Miloshevich
with Lincoln!
Also, in Russia now there is strong religious discrimination. But Russian inquisitors
have their Western analogues. The Parliament Assosiation of the Council of Europe
in June 22, 1999 published press-release calling to the struggle with "cults."
The state must make careful distinction between "normal religions" and "cults."
This press-release criticies American researcher Melton Gordon and supports German
Lutheran pastor Thomas Gandow, actively struggling with "cults." Russian Orthodox
cult-strugglers spread this information with joy ("Radonezh," #92, p. 5): for
them it proves than democracy is compatible with the cult-hunt. Certainly, there
are some differences: Russian Orthodox inquisitors think Roman Catholics and Baptists
are also "cults." But I think such difference is a minor one.
Dear friends,
I�ve decided to put on my web-site on the regular basis (weekly, I hope) short
notes on the Russian events. I know that some English-speaking friends of mine
are interested in such text, and I�ll be glad for any comments, ideas, questions.
Sorry for any mistakes! Remember I live in Russia and have very limited practice
in English!!
The third week of July: Russian media widely discussed accusations against
the Patriarch: he is the trustee of the non-commercial foundation "Primireniye
i Soglasiye" ("Reconciliation and Agreement".) Foundation (director Gulnar Sotnikova)
was accused of using privileges for non-profit organizations in order to make
busyness.
The only fact really established is that the Patriarch called to the police
(which searched the foundation) to check whether police acted in accordance with
the law. Certainly such call is not in itself violation of the law, but in Russia
law is less important then informal "connections" and hierarchy of high officials,
so certainly Patriarchy used his influence to defend the foundation in evasion
of the law and court.
There is high probability that accusations are true, and even higher � that
the matter will be solved outside the legal field. The image of the Patriarch
certainly suffered a lot, because silent majority is sure that all talks about
charity in modern Russia cover struggle with the taxes.
The personal lawyer of the Patriarch Anatoly Kucherena
defended him in media, but his argumentation was too wide. He ascribed all the
accusations to the anticlericalism, stated that Patriarch is nearly a saint and
any accusations against him are false. Most evident lie of Kucherena is in the
statement that the Patriarch protested against coup-de-etats in August, 1991 �
no, the Patriarch protested against any bloodshed in general, didn�t defend democracy
and Yeltsin then, and blamed plotters personally only when they have been defeated.
Kucherena even describes Bolshevistic cruelties against priests during 1920-s
and states that present accusations are of the same sort. This is a rhetoric too
demagogic even for the lawyer.
On July, 17 the Synod of the Moscow Patriarchy decided to demote the bishop
of Yekaterinburg Nikon Vorobyov, accused in sodomy.
I think this is an attempt of the Patriarch (who is the complete master of the
Synod) to restore his image in the eyes of the public opinion. But the same Synod
canceled the General Council of the Russian Orthodox
Church, which was appointed on year 2000. The bishop�s conference will be
called instead. These General Councils must be held (according to the official
Order of the Moscow Patriarchy) every five years, but in 1995 the Council was
also canceled and replaced by the bishop�s conference. Certainly, such unlawful
decision indicates that the Patriarch is afraid of the Council and is not sure
that he can manage with those people who don�t depend on him in earthly matters,
like bishops.
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