If you noticed my comparison it was that of the Lutheran Church in the 1930s as Hitler came to power....Hitler made sure all of the seminaries were filled with his people...and the rest is obvious.
The Soviet Union (formerly known as Russia) did the same thing when the tsar was over thrown. The ‘church’ had to be state approved and we all know what that means.
You and I agree this is not a new thing at all. It is part of why I laugh when people tell me what a wonderful Christian Putin is and how Christian ‘Russia’ is becoming
Ahh I understand you now. Yes, indeed, one does not know whether to laugh or cry when people call Putin a “Christian.”