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‘History provides no example of a preist ridden people maintaining a free civil government’ Jefferson

Nowhere does that quote suggest doing what the soviets did, don’t be trite. The idea is that preists need to stay in their domain. He wants a law telling people out in town to dress according to his code.

You imply that the choice is a priesthood that dominates society, or a priesthood in the gulag. That’s a false choice,,, this guys job is to teach and convince, not to create law enforcing his belief.

I made no such implication. You came right out and stated that priests interfere with freedom, and I provided you with an instance, in the very country in question, where individuals with your enthusiasm for removing priests from society didn't bring about any greater level of freedom.

The fact is that, in a free society, anyone can say anything they want. It doesn't endanger anyone's freedom for a priest to say that women shouldn't wear mini-skirts. Heck, it doesn't endanger anyone's freedom for a priest to say that mini-skirt wearers should be arrested, unless the priest is running the government. Is this priest running the government? Nope, and not likely to, either. Yet, someone like you, when exposed to the opinion of another human being which doesn't agree with yours, says "Oh no!! We must fear that person! He will ruin our lives because he doesn't say things I agree with!" I actually think that your attitude is the greater threat to freedom than this priest, just as the Soviets were the greater threat (they also wanted to silence dissenting speech).

preists need to stay in their domain.

He's a Russian citizen, isn't he? Does his ordained status cause him to lose the right to speak out about Russian social issues and politics? Ordained men should be banned from the public square -- isn't that what you want?

“That’s a false choice,,, this guys job is to teach and convince, not to create law enforcing his belief.”

What if the Orthodox Priest believes it is a sin to murder? Should he encourage laws against it?

What if he believes it is a sin to steal? Shall he work for that to be illegal?

What moral beliefs is he allowed to want reflected in the civil code, and what moral beliefs are excluded?