Posted on 05/05/2014 1:07:56 PM PDT by wonkowasright
Stockholm. Carl Bildt, Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and one of the architects of the EU Eastern policy, thinks Russia has changed for the worse in the past several years. While it demonstrated attachment to western values in the first decade after the Soviet Union fell apart and tried to impose them on its citizens, Russia’s current leadership takes a firm stand against the West, the Russian agency REX reported.
In the words of Mr Bildt, Vladimir Putin demonstrates attachment not to world but to Eastern Orthodox values, which becomes clear from a Twitter post of his [Bildt’s]. ”The new anti-west and anti-decadent line [of conduct] of Putin is based on the deep conservatism of Eastern Orthodox ideas,” Carl Bildt is convinced.
The Swedish minister explains the striving to destroy the Ukrainian church and bring the Ukrainian autocephaly back into the fold of the Moscow Patriarchate with Putin’s striving to gain control over Ukraine. But precisely Eastern Orthodoxy, according to Bildt, is the main threat to western civilisation.
There is no doubt truth to this. The disturbing part is the extent to which what is called "world values" are different .......
The questions over who controls which branch of Orthodox, Russia or Ukraine is not so big a deal as Orthodox is generally controlled by the ruling government. The deeper question is who winds up ruling the Ukraine.
If we consider Western Civilization as it is today its moral relativistic, post-Christian form, Eastern Orthodoxy would be more than a small step up.
I’d have to agree, though I doubt Putin is Orthodox-anything.
Indeed. And on on that values front there are those truly frightened if East and West were to, through a miracle, reunite when Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew meet or in following time.
That cannot be discounted as a motive for those in the West who are trying their best to foment a crisis.
He may be phony as any political type, but under Putin in Russia you can :
1. Pray in school
2. Reinstall the religious images where they were removed.
3. Churches are being built by the boat load
4. etc.
While non orthodox branches of the faith are having some headwinds, Christianity is resurging in a land that in my lifetime was still repressing all forms.
Amen!
This is a silly analysis (that of this fellow Bildt).
There is no ideological component to Putins actions.
He and his government are plainly and simply after power, uncomplicated by any higher ideals.
To the extent the Russian media invokes “values” its just propaganda chatter.
Now, it may be that Bildt et al are themselves trying to create propaganda chatter, to rile up the socialist/libertine population of Europe.
To a degree this conflict is one of two amoral groups (Russian and European leadership) with no fixed principles or beliefs, pretending to have them for tactical purposes.
Caught in the middle are the Ukrainians, or most of them, who have a definite preference for self-determination.
As I noted on the earlier thread on this, Bildt did not say this. I’m amazed at how much credence Freepers give to a story that originated on a Russian “news” site.
Putin could easily do all this without threatening anyone else.
Part of this is a deliberate revival of Russian nationalism. An integral part of Russian nationalism is the Russian religion and its church. In itself thats not a bad thing, neither the nationalism nor the religious part of it.
The problem is that its being put to cynical and unworthy uses.
“Not familiar with this source” ergo lets discuss not just rant because it might be a biased source.
Heck I’ve seen folks post from CNN and NYT too....
I’m very familiar with the source of this story. I also know what Bildt really tweeted. Here’s a link. Notice the difference between what he actually said and the quote in the article.
https://twitter.com/carlbildt/status/448069450437513216
The article was commenting on more than the tweet.
The article sites as its source Rex, which it describes as “the Russian agency.” Can you find a source for this supposed outburst that doesn’t site that as its source?
“The Swedish minister explains the striving to destroy the Ukrainian church and bring the Ukrainian autocephaly back into the fold of the Moscow Patriarchate with Putin’s striving to gain control over Ukraine. But precisely Eastern Orthodoxy, according to Bildt, is the main threat to western civilisation.”
Are you really doubting any of that ?
Do you have a source for that other than the Russian version of Infowars?
-In the words of Mr Bildt, Vladimir Putin demonstrates attachment not to world but to Eastern Orthodox values, which becomes clear from a Twitter post of his [Bildt’s]. ”The new anti-west and anti-decadent line [of conduct] of Putin is based on the deep conservatism of Eastern Orthodox ideas,” Carl Bildt is convinced.-
So, in effect “how dare they challenge our decadence!”
I’m sure you can find another source for that part, russia trying to gain control of the ukraine.
If “western values” are what is being pushed down our throats by Obama, I am seriously ambivalent.
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