Friday, December 20, 2013

Putin Preaching Revival?

In Today's New American online article "Putin paints Russia as defender of Traditional Values, Blast West",
Alex Newman chronicles how Putin is highlighting his re“In many countries today, moral and ethical norms are being reconsidered; national traditions, differences in nation and culture are being erased,” Putin said during his speech at the Kremlin in front of politicians and other establishment Russians, echoing widespread concerns increasingly being heard across the globe. “They're now requiring not only the proper acknowledgement of freedom of conscience, political views and private life, but also the mandatory acknowledgement of the equality of good and evil, which are inherently contradictory concepts.”
cent positions in favor of traditional Western moral values. In an annual address to the Russian people he stated

Recently the Neo-Soviet leader has passed restrictive laws on homosexuals and recently passed a law banning blasphemy and providing stiff penalties for desecrating religious sites.In addition it is now illegal to advertise for abortions in Russia. As Putin remarked that the morality imposed by modern western societies is, “inherently undemocratic because it is based on abstract ideas and runs counter to the will of the majority of people.” It also brings about “negative consequences,” he said. “We know that more and more people in the world support our position on protection of traditional values."later, according to the Telegraph. " At his annual press conference, Russia's Vladimir Putin said he thought there was no real difference between Oliver Cromwell and Joseph Stalin."

So is Putin Sincere? Has he been reading Solzhenitsyn or Schaeffer? Newman argues that he is being totally hypocritical. I think he may just being practical. When the Soviets first came to power they were passionate.(no pun intended) devotees of "free love". It didn't take long for them to begin reversing this and promoting marriage. This did not mean they were embracing Christian ethics, they just realized the destabilizing influence
of their own Atheistic morality.

In addition, Stalin when he realized he was facing WW2, began emphasizing more traditional historical
Russian values. This included reducing persecution of the clergy and religion. He wanted to make sure the Russians had the ability to withstand invasion, and realized as Solzhenitsyn once noted that the average
Russian was not prepared to die for the international Proletariat but would die for the "Rodina", (Motherland). How far will Putin go? What will he do if there is real religious revival in Russia?

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