Posted on 04/25/2019 8:18:05 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
Ukraine has had a tortured political existence as an independent nation, but it has respected freedom of conscience. In 2014 the Orthodox Church, both the Moscow and the Kiev patriachates, made up more than half of the religious organizations in both Donetsk and Luhansk. But there was an abundance of other faiths and churches. For the first time in decades, people enjoyed liberty in faith.
However, that changed when the separatists took control. They sought to eliminate dissent, any hint of backing for the Kiev government. And they claimed that the Russian Orthodox Church had been oppressed, encouraging creation of an Orthodox state. The end result is that most churches and faith-based communities in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with the exception of Orthodox parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate, are now forced to cease their religious activities or to significantly restrict them and to act in the underground.
The persecution could hardly be worse. Houses of worship have been seized. Street gatherings are banned. Identification as a believer leads to additional punishment. Public evangelism is impossible. Literature cannot be distributed. Participation in common public activities, including hospital and prison chaplaincies, is barred.
The IRF found that abuses began as soon as pro-Russian separatists took control in April 2014. Anti-Semitic pamphlets first appeared. Then came kidnapping and illegal imprisonment, emotional abuse, physical torture and even murders of unwelcome clergymen and believers of non-traditional denominations. The result is a real nightmare for local religious communities that did not experience such persecution even during the Soviet terror times. This was also accompanied by the seizure of churches and houses of worship, some of which were used as firing positions and barracks for militants, mercenaries and regular Russian troops
(Excerpt) Read more at cato.org ...
I know what you are saying isn’t true, because I actually travelled to Russia last summer for the 100th anniversary of the killing of Tsar nicholas II.
I also went to the first Russian gulag up north...
But you already established you don’t know what you are talking about and are willing to throw around wild accusations
Too many young people not just in Russia, but around the world do not know basic Gulag history, and it is Russias disservice to the world to downplay this dimension of their history. There are so many lessons that must be learned.
Think of all the millenial socialists here in America who think Stalin and Lenin were not that bad. Or not as bad as Hitler. People to this day can even visit Lenins body at his mausoleum in Moscow.
It is my understanding that museums on the sites of actual Gulag camps are few and far between, and the few that exist are heavily monitored by the government. The narratives are adjusted to ultimately praise Russias war effort. Some even saying the Gulag system was necessary to defeat Hitler.
“” “” It is my understanding that museums on the sites of actual Gulag camps are few and far between, and the few that exist are heavily monitored by the government. The narratives are adjusted to ultimately praise Russias war effort. Some even saying the Gulag system was necessary to defeat Hitler.”” “”
How many museums do you want? I have been to some and never mantioned a thing praising Lenin or Stalin. I haven’t seen a thing linking Gulag to war affort there too.
Maybe but his views that a case could be made the Ukraine is a fake nation akin to Yugoslavia is accurate
Ukraine is a forced amalgamation of a lot of minor states
Dozens.
Its a problem bound to fester
And it’s not a good idea for Poland to take in too many Ukrainians, they didn’t exactly get along real well during WWII.
I did, and you’re right. He is morally questionable and politically malleable. And he thinks Ukraine is a “fake country” ( his words)
CC
“It is my understanding that museums on the sites of actual Gulag camps are few and far between, and the few that exist are heavily monitored by the government. “
It turns out that your understanding comes from being an armchair warrior on FR, making stuff up out of thin air, and then insisting you know for sure it is true.
And that anyone who disbelieves you is an agent or denying the truth because you saw it written down somewhere.
Just like how all those people skeptical of the mueller investigation were suspect agents, nice discussion technique.
I walked through a gulag museum in Russia. They didn’t downplay anything. They go into fine detail about killing of Christians. There is a functioning Christian monastery with services at the gulag. There are tours of all the sites and multilanguage guides.
There is a lot of ‘contrarian’ sympathy for Stalin in both Russia and Ukraine. Some people will say they demonize him because they are against all things soviet, and they actually miss aspects of soviet times (order, pension, whatever). I have heard people in Ukraine say outrageous things like that the people killed were corrupt and needed to be killed. As if they can judge even one person enough to say they deserve death, let alone millions.
There is a big statue of a communist on hill next to monastery i visit in ukraine. The taxi driver thinks it is strange I want to go monastery, but points at statue and says what a great man he was.
There are a lot of people who a communist and not christian. Some people are just nominally christian cause it is a national identity thing. But then the same thing with their communism, some don’t really know it but just like ancestors/history. Or maybe their school/family/govt taught that. There is a lot of brainwashing everywhere and we are doomed to repeat mistakes of history we don’t know
There are a lot of Ukrainians who think Ukraine is a fake country.
Russia did not win World War II. America, Canada, and Britain did.
But if the country truly wants to honor the *good* men and women who died, and not just the Stalin-sympathizers; then they wouldnt put up with a fool like Vladimir Putin for as long as they have. Period.
Historically what is now Ukraine has been owned by quite a number of different powers, basically whoever was expanding at the time... Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Ottomans, the Golden Horde, and so on. Ukraine does not have a lot of experience as an independent power.
“” “” Russia did not win World War II. America, Canada, and Britain did.”” “”
Britain? :) Thanks for a laugh.
That’s not the point. The man is on record for having written favorable articles for money. He’s not a journalist, he’s a whore with a laptop.
CC
Today is my luncheon date with Russian /Ukrainian friends in Hollywood...I’ll get their take and pass it on.
The Ukrainian govt recently formed a state-run church, and seized all Orthodox churches.
Russia takes her name from the Kiev Rus.
I’d also add there’s a bit of a linguistic trick in comparing Ukrainian vs Russian speakers, as if the Russian speakers spoke a foreign language, while the Ukrainian speakers spoke the mother tongue. In fact, Ukrainian is polish.
Ignore that. I got mixes up.
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