Posted on 02/12/2014 9:39:43 AM PST by kronos77
>> but I think that if the West blinds itself to the cultural and political reality of the Russian Federation, nothing good will come from it from the conservative perspective.
Adulation from the Right is only meant to underscore how bad it is here.
The concept of the Third Rome is an invention of someone -- off-hand I forget the name -- in 16 century Russia. It assumes that Rome has already fallen, -- physically to the Germanic tribes and theologically to what the East perceives as error of Catholicism, and further to the heresy of Protestantism. The Holy See of the True Church then becomes Constantinople, but that, too, fell to the Turks; it is evident from this (quite prejudiced) observation that Moscow is indeed the Third Rome: the only standing Orthodox empire.
Naturally, Russia historically looked at Constantinople as its historical mission. I don't think any of that is relevant after a hundred years of disintegration in Russia.
Right, precisely. But Buchanan (who started it) is a historian of serious note. I regret that he turned to Russia with his blind spot.
The ROC is a rival. They praised the Aglican on their gay ministering moves and yet told them they would not encourage this in their own church.
Very peculiar politics given that any Church out there should be very concerned with gay vectored disintegration.
Rival to what or to whom?
They view a rivalry with the Catholics... even claim they do not believe. There is little work to make a common front against sin, but a strange sectarian like posturing of superiority.
The schism with the Orthodox is entirely the product of the eastern bishops. It is unfortunate that in Russia the most open to collaboration with the West wing of the Orthodox Church is also the most corrupt. Some village priest leads an ascetic life and is truly a spiritual father to his flock — and firmly believes the “Roman” Catholics are out there to destroy his faith. At the same time the gay lobby drives around drunk in Mercedeses, considers itself a shadow branch of Putin government, and enjoy ecumenical vacations whenever they can get them. In this environment we are both better off separate.
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