Posted on 04/14/2024 4:54:56 AM PDT by tlozo
The Summary of the Report
Background 2014-2021
Since the first months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2014, faith-based communities of various denominations have fully experienced the brutality and ruthlessness of Russia’s repressive policy in the occupied territories of Crimea and the Donbas region. Russian troops and Russian- backed separatists have targeted religious leaders and individual believers of most faiths, except the Orthodox parishes affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate. Representatives of religious minorities were arbitrarily arrested, threatened, beaten, illegally imprisoned, tortured, and some were deliberately killed. The repressive policy in the self-proclaimed “people’s republics,” in those parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by Russia, was aimed at strengthening the Russian regime and preventing resistance. The occupying authorities have eradicated dissent and all manifestations of Ukrainian identity, brutally persecuted pro-Ukrainian movements and any form of opposition, and introduced full control over the civilian population, similar to the situation in Russia itself.
One of the tools to repress Ukrainian religious communities in the Donbas region was the introduction of Russian legislation, which was entirely copied. Believers have faced demands from the occupying authorities for mandatory re-registration, acceptance of Russian citizenship, submission of lists of members of religious communities, etc.
However, even fulfillment of all these requirements did not guarantee re-registration under Russian law. After all, the real goal of the occupation authorities was to encourage religious communities and their leaders to collaborate and support the Russian regime. Disloyal religious leaders and denominations were persecuted through arbitrary accusations of spying for Ukrainian or Western intelligence services, sectarianism, extremism, or illegal missionary activities.
The evangelical churches (Baptists, Pentecostals, Adventists, etc.), as well as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, suffered particularly from Russian repression. In addition, the occupying authorities have declared the faithful of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah’s Witnesses to be “enemies of the people” and “extremists.” Religious communities on the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, occupied by Russia since 2014, have also been subjected to targeted repression. In particular, many representatives of Muslim communities of pro-Ukrainian Crimean Tatars and Jehovah’s Witnesses were sentenced to long prison terms on trumped-up extremism charges.
At least 630 religious sites were damaged or looted due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
* As of December 1, 2023
Full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine Previously, the Kremlin tried to disguise its direct military intervention in the events in the Donbas region from the international community. However, since February 24, 2022, President Vladimir Putin’s desire to completely conquer Ukraine and destroy Ukrainian statehood, national identity, culture, history, language, and religious pluralism became apparent. Hiding behind the slogans of protecting the Russian language, “denazification,” and “desatanization” of Ukraine, the Kremlin was actually implementing the ideology of the “Russkiy Mir” (Russian World). As interpreted by Russian propagandists, this ideology meant the physical destruction (genocide) of the Ukrainian people as a nation, the elimination of any mention of their cultural heritage, the overthrow of the Ukrainian government, and the disappearance of the Ukrainian state. For the sake of Putin’s imperial ambitions, Russian soldiers continue to die on Ukrainian land. During the 21 months of the full-scale invasion, Russian troops have wholly destroyed or damaged at least 630 religious facilities in Ukraine. Most were damaged by Russian missiles, kamikaze drones, and artillery, including targeted attacks on civilian objects. In addition, some places of worship have been deliberately looted by the Russian military, closed, or converted by the occupation authorities into administrative buildings. The Institute for Religious Freedom has also documented numerous cases of seizure of places of worship by the Russian military, which used them as military bases or as cover for their firing positions. This tactic of the Russian army resulted in an increase of destruction of religious sites in Ukraine.
Most churches, prayer houses, synagogues, and mosques were destroyed in Donetsk region (at least 146), Luhansk region (at least 83), and Kherson region (at least 78). The destruction in Kyiv region was also enormous (73) when Russian troops attempted to capture the capital of Ukraine in February-March 2022. Due to the ongoing hostilities, the number of destroyed buildings is increasing in Kharkiv region (at least 62), Zaporizhzhia region (at least 51), and Mykolaiv region (at least 41).
About authors and methodology
The Institute for Religious Freedom (IRF) is a human rights NGO, founded in 2001 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Our goal is to protect and promote religious freedom and other related human rights, facilitate inter- faith dialogue and church-state cooperation, strengthen democratic foundations and civil society in Ukraine. For this research, IRF conducted a written questionnaire and an oral survey of representatives of most churches and religious associations in Ukraine, as well as recorded video testimonies and documented specific Russian war crimes against religious leaders and faith-based communities
Website: irf.in.ua
Full Report:
https://irf.in.ua/files/publications/2024.03-IRF-Ukraine-report-ENG-web.pdf
Demographics is Destiny.
Putin is devout Orthodox Christian. I've heard his testimony about his mother risking her life to baptism him.
Russian Orthodox is favored in Russia because of its cultural history but also because it's not a perverted western domination that has embraced the LGBT and pro-abortion agendas.
There are US Christians have immigrated to Russia because they believe religious freedom is greater there than here.
Wrong: among other things, no Biblical Christian criminalizes the sharing of faith by any evangelical, and persecutes such for that and or political; reasons, and and baptism itself does not make one a Christian, much less as an infant. Which false gospel provides a false confidence that one is a Christian.
And of course, neither does any faithful Biblical Christian support LGBTQ nor abortion on demand for any reason, unless very very ignorant/deceived.
Russian Orthodox is favored in Russia because of its cultural history
Not just favored, but made the state church, forbidding evangelism by anyone else (not just cults and Islam), and distinctive historical doctrinal teachings of Roman Catholic as well its cousin of the Orthodox (which holds to most of them) are not what is manifest in the only wholly God-inspired, substantive, authoritative record of what the NT church believed (which is Scripture, in particular Acts through Revelation, which best shows how the NT church understood the gospels). but also because it's not a perverted western domination that has embraced the LGBT and pro-abortion agendas.
Which would mean it should support traditional conservative evangelicals, who most strongly esteem the Bible as the supreme authoritative and accurate word of God (and thus evangelize), which have long testified to being the most conservative major religious group (even) in America, including voting 80% for Trump, and even Romney (and would for Putin, if he would uphold the US constitution, but which he opposes), while polls of Russian find most are nominally orthodox, and only marginally more opposed (48 percent) than the non-Orthodox/nonbelievers (46 percent).
Even my own web site, despite its page with extensive examination and refutation, by the grace of God, of prohomosexual arguments, is likely blocked in Russia or inaccessible there. Of course, Google itself ignores that page.
Thus your constant recourse in attempting to justify the criminalization of even conservative evangelicals acting as such under Putin is sophistry. It is mainly in the interest of dictatorial control and thus seeking to quarantining (at the lest) any significant source that it cannot.
Yet we support his opposition to the LGBTQ movement, and opposition to abortion. Which are main reasons the Left of the West is working to also criminalize conservative evangelicals acting as such in the West. Yet which works to purify the church, exposing defectors like Andy Stanley, as well as our own degree of declension, as pilgrims in this foreign land.
| and baptism itself does not make one a Christian, much less as an infant. Which |
You're repeating PROPAGANDA. If that were true, why has Franklin Graham been embraced and allowed to speak in Russia?
https://baptist.org.ru/en/news/view/article/1606505
On July 28, 2021, a Reception was held in Moscow in honor of the arrival of the President of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association - Franklin Graham.
The event was organized by the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in cooperation with the Christian Center "Revival". Graham's working visit to Russia took place in preparation for the Hope Festival, which is scheduled to take place in July 2022. The reception program was led by Viktor Gamm - Evangelist and Regional Director of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association for the CIS and the Baltic States, Vice President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Evangelism Department, Chairman of the Board of the Christian Center "Revival" (Moscow).
Franklin Graham: "Isn't it sad, though, that America's own morality has fallen so far that on this issue -- protecting children from any homosexual agenda or propaganda -- Russia's standard is higher than our own?"
https://cne.news/article/2652-russian-evangelicals-happy-with-support-from-the-kremlin
Russian Evangelicals happy with support from the Kremlin
28-02-2023
CNE.news
The highest bishop of the Russian Union of Evangelical and Pentecostal churches (CEF) wants to serve the community during “this difficult time”.
Sergey Ryakhovsky visited the speech of President Putin last week and is happy with the Kremlin’s support.
On Tuesday, February 21st, Mr Putin used a highly anticipated speech to lash out at the West. According to Putin, there was no choice but to invade the neighbouring country as Kyiv was preparing an offensive in the eastern Donbas region with military help from the West. According to him, Russia cannot be defeated. “The existence of our country is at stake,” he said.
In the speech, Putin proposed creating a special state fund to assist the families of Russian soldiers who died during the war. The head of the Russian Evangelicals, Mr Ryakhovsky, was pleased with this. “I believe that the evangelical community needs to organise close interaction with the foundation on the spiritual restoration of the voiced category of citizens”, IRP News reports.
Mr Putin also addressed Western Christianity and criticised the Church of England, which considers the use of gender-neutral terms for God. “What can I say? May God forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Mr Ryakhovsky shares this thesis, IRP reports. “The Bible says that marriage is exclusively the union of a man and a woman, there are no same-sex marriages, and there is no reason to talk about the gender neutrality of God.”
According to Ryakhovsky, the Russian Evangelicals have “a unique opportunity to engage in the spirituality of our people. Promote spiritual, moral, family and social values. Serve the community during this difficult time.”
What?! You mean an event allowed for political purposes (for both parties) makes the law itself as not meaning what it says, and the multitude of documented reports by Christians of suppression and persecution of evangelicals acting as such (sharing faith, etc.) is all propaganda?! Are you for real? Effectually calling all such Christians liars due to your "see no evil" myopia of Russia? Unbelievable! And a desperate defense.
If you believe that, you can also conclude that since Franklin's dad was also "embraced and allowed to speak" in the old Soviet Union in 1982,and carefully said he had not seen (how could he in his carefully orchestrated visit?) any evidence of religious persecution in Russia, also means all the documentation of the latter is also propaganda! Do you also believe that out of your love for Russia? If so, why not move there?
Your own credibility is what has hit a new low with this pathetic sophist attempt. What's next?
What kind of argument is that? I could say the same! As well as,
But Graham made clear Friday he does not support Putin's invasion into Ukraine. "There are a few things Putin has done that are right," As well as what Graham also said, "But this is a war. I don't support war and I don't know of any Christian that supports war. We pray for peace, not war. I don't support this at all." - https://www.charismanews.com/world/88491-we-pray-for-peace-not-war-franklin-graham-sends-disaster-response-teams-to-europeThus, according to your argument, in principle if one agrees with Putin on some things, and he somewhat seeks to enlist them in needy (and demographic spiral Russia), then it means they hold that Russia assures freedom of evangelical faith to act as such, as we see in the book of Acts. Not.
More sophistry.
in the speech, Putin proposed creating a special state fund to assist the families of Russian soldiers who died during the war. The head of the Russian Evangelicals, Mr Ryakhovsky, was pleased with this. “I believe that the evangelical community needs to organise close interaction with the foundation on the spiritual restoration of the voiced category of citizens”, IRP News reports.
" pleased with this" for indeed all true Christians should assist the families of Russian soldiers who died during the war. And to "organise close interaction with the foundation on the spiritual restoration of the voiced category of citizens" to assist the families of Russian soldiers who died during the war is carefully nuanced enough to be acceptable as not conflicting with the prohibition against seeking to convert others to anything other than the RO.
Mr Putin also addressed Western Christianity and criticised the Church of England, which considers the use of gender-neutral terms for God. “What can I say? May God forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Mr Ryakhovsky shares this thesis, IRP reports. “The Bible says that marriage is exclusively the union of a man and a woman, there are no same-sex marriages, and there is no reason to talk about the gender neutrality of God.”
I agree! And as said, evangelicals would vote for Putin if he would uphold the constitution, in contrast to his rule. So, consistent with your attempted negation of what actually is the reality in Russia, since I agree with the above this must mean that I can act like an evangelical in Russia as here. A youth outside prayed with me today to ask the Lord Jesus to save him, by the grace of God. And as said, thousands passed by me on Monday as I held forth the word of life, which I hope I would want to publicly do in 63% RO, though against the law.
According to Ryakhovsky, the Russian Evangelicals have “a unique opportunity to engage in the spirituality of our people. Promote spiritual, moral, family and social values. Serve the community during this difficult time.”
Indeed - as said not by Putin but by a bishop of the Russian Union of Evangelical and Pentecostal churches - as all such situations is an opportunity. Christians in China - Putin's ally - often do the same, though the gov shuts them down more severely.
Thus in conclusion, all your poor attempts (seriously) to argue against the Yarovaya laws as meaning what they say simply fail to do so, and cannot withstand the abundant testimonies to them being interpreted as meaning persecution of evangelicals evangelizing or not being politically correct.
In reality, arguing with you has become akin to contending with a cult, or an atheist, of which I have some experience, and since you refuse objective judgment then I see little warrant for more time and energy spent in attempting to reason with you. And true conversion requires honestly.
May God grant you “repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” (2 Timothy 2:25)
Those who fell outside these four patriotic religions’ freedoms were subject to anti-missionary laws and state surveillance, which eroded their ability to practice their religion openly. This tactical choice targets independent religious activity outside of the Kremlin’s control and allows the regime to prosecute religious groups through incredibly vague laws. Notable groups target under these laws include Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, and Evangelicals. Indeed, according to a 2019 report, Evangelicals were the group most penalized under the anti-missionary laws. For example, the Kremlin forced a Russian Christian radio station to relocate from Moscow, Russia to Odesa, Ukraine. In 2022, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended labeling Russia as a country of particular concern “for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom”. - https://www.christianpost.com/voices/putin-is-not-the-defender-of-the-faithful.html
They have been voting for Putin in the same numbers that rest of the population has been -- more than 80%.
Life has dramatically improved for the average Russian during Putin's term in office. That's why he keeps getting elected.
You're not evangelical Christian. You're propagandist, probably an operative of some kind or another.
No REAL Christian is obsessed with Russia rather than worrying about erosion of freedom, including religious freedom, and moral decline in our country.
We're closer to being the old Soviet Union under Biden than Russia is. We have more political prisoners, including peaceful J6 protesters and pro-lifers that engaged in civil disobedience. We have open borders where drug and sex traffickers, gang members, Chinese nationalists and Islamic terrorists can freely flow into the country. It's our President trying to imprison his political opponent.
We're the ones that have perverted God's design for marriage. We're the ones that are performing sex changes on children. We're the ones with perverted drag queens grooming kids by reading them storybooks. Multiple states legalized abortion until birth.
If you are more concerned with Russia than this country, MAY GOD CURSE YOU and bringing you to your knees.
Another platitude because you can't back up your points.
There is NO comparison between the level of religious freedom in Russia, for evangelicals or anyone else, to China, where a church can't even operate without the consent of the communist party.
Evangelical, protestant and Catholic churches all operate in Russia and preach the gospel without government interference.
The Russian government favoring the Orthodox church is FAR different than the Chinese government shutting down churches that refuse to incorporate the government's propaganda into its sermons.
The evangelical church is operating and doing quite well in Russia, including in Moscow despite all your claims otherwise.
Based on your claims this church shouldn't be allowed in Russia, let alone with a website and thriving:
Moscow Central Church of Evangelical Christian Baptists: history, ministries, basic doctrine
The Moscow Central Church of Evangelical Christian Baptists today is one of the largest Protestant communities in the Russian Federation. Within the walls of this ancient building, regular worship services, Sunday school classes, study groups for future preachers, and youth fellowships are held.
How is this possible if evangelicals don't have religious freedom in Russia?
Volgograd Church hosted the ‘Turn on the Light’ Youth Conference
VOLGOGRAD – On November 23-25, 2023, in the Grace of Jesus Christ Church of Volgograd the fourth annual regional youth conference “Turn on the Light” took place.
More than 300 young people from different regions of Russia participated in the conference. The came from churches of Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, Penza, Krasnodar, Moscow, Orel, Sochi, and Sevastopol. The conference “Turn on the Light” is a place for young people to meet with God, to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be ready to influence the life of their city. “For no one who lights a candle covers it with a vessel, but the light lit by God shines brightly.”
Traditionally, the conference opened with an worship night. Teams from churches of Volgograd, Astrakhan, Akhtubinsk, Mikhaylovka, as well as author and Christian rapper Steph led worship. Pastors and ministers of the Grace of Jesus Christ Church of Volgograd, lead pastor of the association of the Truth Churches of Volgograd and Voronezh regions Anatoly Kozlov, and coordinator of humanitarian projects of the RCCEF Maxim Politko, preached at the conference.
Young people delved into topics: evangelism, social ministry, salvation of relatives, personal sanctification, preparation for family life, and order in finances. The conference sessions were not only in a sermon format, but also in a talk show and fellowship group format. Speakers shared invaluable experiences in applying and working the Word of God in life and ministry. Much time was devoted to prayer.
After the conference, the participants shared in small groups what they had received during the days of the conference: some received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, some were renewed in God, some underwent deep repentance, and some charted a way to be restored in God and to win the hearts of the youth. We believe that young people are the light of the world, for the city at the top of the mountain cannot hide.
The Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith
THE YAROVAYA ANTI-TERRORISM LAWS: WHO IS OVERREACTING?
A careful reading of these laws provides some insight and dampens the sensationalism. Does it give one the impression that Russian lawmakers are out to get Christian groups, as sites such as Religion News Service warn? “Religious organizations directly affected by the new laws are those with strong evangelization programs in Russia—the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists and other Protestant organizations with Baptist, Pentecostal and independent Christian roots,” that site reports. (They also report that all of these taken together make up no more than 1 percent of the Russian population). Are they saying that these groups’ missionary activities are “aimed at disrupting social safety and order, extremist actions, forcing adherents to break up families, and intrusion upon the personality, rights, and freedom of citizens; inclining people towards suicide, obstructing the reception of compulsory education, inducing citizens to refuse to fulfill their civil duty as established by law,” or that they violate “legislative requirements on freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, and religious congregation”? If their missionary work does have such aims then, yes, they are now punishable by law. Have there been sects in Russia with such aims? Yes, there have—and without having actually committed a crime or violation of public order, they have not been easy to deal with. But let’s focus on this principle of “preventative legislature”.
###
In the 1990s, the newly opened borders of the former Soviet Union experienced an influx of foreign missionaries. With all due respect for these organizations and their possibly good intentions, they were rather grossly ignoring the fact that Russia has been a Christian country since the year 988. Orthodox Christianity survived severe persecutions in the twentieth century, and by the nineties it was able to regain its proper place in Russian society. Orthodox Christianity as the most ancient, unchanged form of Christianity had no need of Pentecostal, Adventist, or Mormon missionaries, especially considering these organizations’ marked departure from traditional Christianity. Such groups can only bring confusion into a society that is predominantly Orthodox Christian, because they themselves are intolerant of Orthodoxy.
This of course is not even to mention such groups as the Scientologists, now infamous for their personality-destroying pseudo-religious methodology, or Aum Shinrikyo, which released sarin gas in a Tokyo subway station in 1995. The leader of this organization declared himself “Christ”; it was proclaimed a “dangerous religion” in Japan, and put under surveillance. The group had followers in Russia, where a criminal case was opened against them in April 2016; their facilities were raided and literature, cult items, and electronic information were confiscated. Clearly there is such a thing as a dangerous religion. We are accustomed to the phrase, “freedom of religion” as an alienable right. But what about religions that believe they must kill other people in order to be “saved”?
With all the recent, serious events it is not the time to raise a hue and cry about a house church being fined. Especially since this has not become a serious problem in post-Soviet Russia, and religion is not being persecuted in principle as it was under the Communists.
Russia is a state sponsor of proxy wars, sabotage, and terrorism.
Which is simply more misleading sophistry, as charged, for the charge was not that overall evangelical churches cannot operate and preach the gospel in Russia, but that the laws at issue forbid Missionary work, defined as defined in as broad a way as possible: “Missionary activity … is defined as activity of a religious association intended to spread information about its doctrines among people who are not participants (members, followers) of the particular religious association, with the goal of drawing those people into the group of participants (members, followers) of the religious association, carried out directly by the religious association or by citizens by the association or by legal entities, publicly, by means of the media, the information-telecommunication network “Internet”, or by other legal methods.”
Missionary activity thus defined is
More sophistry.Another platitude because you can't back up your points.
To the contrary, it is you who must resort to sophistry since you cannot refute the fact that evangelism of the lost by evangelicals in (mostly lost) Russia is against the law.
From the source in power, the protected class, versus the multitudes who have experienced actually application of the law. Talk about relying on propaganda!
Are they saying that these groups’ missionary activities are “aimed at disrupting social safety and order, extremist actions, forcing adherents to break up families, and intrusion upon the personality, rights, and freedom of citizens; inclining people towards suicide, obstructing the reception of compulsory education, inducing citizens to refuse to fulfill their civil duty as established by law,”.. If their missionary work does have such aims then, yes, they are now punishable by law.
More sophistry, for not only is that is disrupting social order subjectively defined, but the law itself does not restricts the application to the above, but broadly,
The activity of a religious association, aimed at disseminating information about its beliefs among people who are not participants (members, followers) in that religious association, with the purpose of involving these people as participants (members, followers). It is carried out directly by religious associations or by citizens and/or legal entities authorised by them, publicly, with the help of the media, the internet or other lawful means"...Citizens are also required to report unauthorized religious activity to the government or face fines.
https://motabredsquare.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/missionary-work-after-the-yarovaya-laws-part-ii-legal-analysis/: The bulk of the effect of this legislation on missionary work concerns the addition of a large section dedicated specifically to missionary work to the federal code concerning the freedom of conscience.
Missionary work is defined in as broad a way as possible: “Missionary activity … is defined as activity of a religious association intended to spread information about its doctrines among people who are not participants (members, followers) of the particular religious association, with the goal of drawing those people into the group of participants (members, followers) of the religious association, carried out directly by the religious association or by citizens by the association or by legal entities, publicly, by means of the media, the information-telecommunication network “Internet”, or by other legal methods.”
Missionary activity thus defined is allowed “without restriction” in buildings owned by the religious organization, and various other specially-designated places such as cemeteries, but (reasonably so) not in other religious associations’ property.
Missionary work is not allowed in residences. If there is one takeaway from the law, it should be this.
In other public situations, only the leader of the local religious association (or a designated alternate) is allowed to engage in missionary activities without a special permit – essentially, a legal declaration by the religious association that the carrier is authorized to perform missionary work. This requirement is notably targeted at Russian citizens, but a similar requirement is also required of foreign citizens. (It is my understanding that it is already the Church’s practice is to issue such declarations for missionaries.) Of particular note is the prohibition against missionary work intended to assist in the performance of “extremist activity.” This has been defined by recent legislation extremely broadly,...
One final provision clarifies that only religious services and rites, not missionary work, is allowed to be performed in people’s homes (by reference to the law governing religious meetings held outside of religious buildings). On the face of it, this suggests that anointing for the sick and afflicted is allowed in homes, and perhaps even holding Sacrament Meeting, but no missionary work. As a preventative measure, the provision also prevents the legal conversion of a residence into a religious space, meaning that you can’t just have someone in the branch register their apartment as a church and hold member lessons there. - https://motabredsquare.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/missionary-work-after-the-yarovaya-laws-part-ii-legal-analysis/
Mormon... not even to mention such groups as the Scientologists..or Aum Shinrikyo
Pathetic spin, for despite your attempts to make this all about LGBTQ and cults and actual terrorists - all of which traditional evangelicals oppose - these laws are not just restricted such, as the laws are far more inclusive of all who threaten the hegemony of the RO and thus Putin's ensured political dictatorship.
Orthodox Christianity as the most ancient, unchanged form of Christianity had no need of Pentecostal, Adventist, or Mormon missionaries, especially considering these organizations’ marked departure from traditional Christianity. Such groups can only bring confusion into a society that is predominantly Orthodox Christian, because they themselves are intolerant of Orthodoxy.
There you have it! The lie of Orthodox Christianity being the most ancient, unchanged form of Christianity, of traditional Christianity - which claim it shares with its competitor the RCC - , and which follows her aberration of using the power of the sword of men to punish theological dissent, none of which the holy fundamental Pentecostal (quite) NT church did not rely on or use against foes, but overcame such "By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left," (2 Corinthians 6:6-7)
Yes, in one sense, there is not separation of belief and state, as laws flow from beliefs, but while the state can affirm the basic beliefs of its people, its laws pertain to moral actions, and is not to deal with theological dissent by forbidding such (as the Left is doing here as well, as it imposes its faith-based ideological perversions), but ensure that such can be combated by holiness and doctrinal reproof, as the early NT church did.
If the issue was simply about stopping Western culture, then Russia should favor traditional evangelicals, but instead, its ant-evangelicals in the interest of the RO and political support thereby have served to placed a wedge btwn such, which see-no-evil Putin supporter as yourself attack them, thus showing RO fruit.
https://publicorthodoxy.org/2016/10/25/yarovaya-conservatives-traditional-values/...2013..Over the last several years, European and US religious conservatives have often rallied to the new Moscow-centered “traditionalist international.”...American evangelical heavyweight Franklin Graham began to warm to the Russian president as well. Viewing this remarkable rapprochement between American and Russian conservative Christians united by a culture wars agenda as potentially very harmful to the cause of human rights,...
the World Congress of Families—perhaps the single most important forum for collaborative efforts between West European, American, and Russian hardline religious conservatives... A rebranded WCF VIII went ahead with Russian financing, much of it linked to the ostentatiously Orthodox oligarchs Konstantin Malofeev and Vladimir Yakunin. Now billed as a forum called “Large Families: The Future of Humanity,” the event featured American WCF leaders as planned....A year later, WCF IX was hosted in Salt Lake City, and Russian Orthodox Christians played a prominent role there...
The first sign of fraying relations came when the preparing for a World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians that Graham planned to host in Moscow, in collaboration with the ROC, was quietly put on hold by the Russian side last spring. In August 2016, however, Graham announced that the summit would be moved from Moscow to Washington, D.C. and take place May 10-13, 2017. Acting as if the initiative to break with Russia was his own, Graham cited Russia’s recent passage of an “anti-terrorism” package known as the Yarovaya Laws (for the key role of United Russia Duma deputy Irina Yarovaya in their passage) as his reason for moving the summit. These laws place severe restrictions on Protestants and other minority religious groups in Russia, essentially banning proselytizing. In effect from July 20 of this year, the Yarovaya Laws are already being enforced. Protestants are being detained and fined for conducting ordinary religious activities.
I reached out to William Yoder, a Belarus-based writer on church affairs who has decades of on the ground experience working with Protestant communities in Eastern Europe and Russia, to get his opinion on the current state of affairs. In his view, “the Yarovaya Laws are putting a damper on the budding relationship between the Christian right in the US and the Orthodox in Russia ... by persecuting Protestants, the Russian state is making it considerably more difficult for American Christian conservatives to count themselves among Putin’s right-wing fellow travelers. - https://publicorthodoxy.org/2016/10/25/yarovaya-conservatives-traditional-values/
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