Why a church?

Despite the summer heat, religious life in the capital boils that no day is a conference or round table. Three events fell on Wednesday at once: in the Kuria, the International Union of Catholic journalists held a conference on the topic “Russia without myths and stereotypes: moral values, religion and media”, in the central house of the journalist Orthodox and Muslims once again judged how to protect society from films like “Da Vinci Code”, and discussed the problems of mission in the Danilov monastery. The center of the spiritual development of children and youth called

On the topic "Calls of the time and ways of the development of church life." The discussion flared up at the meeting found unexpected turns in these paths.

At the beginning and mid-90s, when religious freedom in Russia only gained its outlines, experts identified liberals and conservatives in the Russian Orthodox Church, relatively speaking. The liberals called for greater openness, creative attitude to religious tradition, access to modernity. Tradealists rejected any renewal within the church and preferred to stay away from the “poisoned secularism” of modern society. Now, when there is a process of intensive politicization of religious consciousness, the priorities, as the discussion on the round table showed, have changed somewhat. Those who could be called liberals are ready to seem to transfer their efforts to create inside the church. Traditionalists, who are rapidly mutating for fundamentalists, are eager to cover the whole society to the last materialist with their care.

According to statistics, the majority of our Orthodox and trust rating of the Russian Orthodox Church are high, the head of the school of youth service at the monastery center of spiritual development, abbot Peter (Meshcherynov) reasoned, but the word of the church is not always authoritative for Russians. Do we make efforts enough to explain to people what Christianity is? Are the forms of mission thought out? Do we give too much effort to search for enemies, spraying to this internal energy that could go to the realization of the gospel ideal in our own life?

Almost about the same, but somewhat at a different perspective, said a teacher of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and a member of the Synodal Commission on the canonization of Prot. Georgy Mitrofanov. He drew the attention of the gathered to the features of mass church consciousness. The widespread veneration of the new martyrs-laity and clergymen who died in the dungeons of the GPU-NKVD-did not arise, they are remembered only on commemorative dates. But many proposals are flowing into the commission on the canonization of “strong personalities related to the state”: Ivan the Terrible, who even enters into the fifth marriage is charged with virtue, Rasputin, Marshal Zhukov, “the secret Christian of Stalin”. They are more “their own” in spirit. The miracle workers are also revered, from whom the obvious and obvious benefits: he stood on a memorial service-a runny nose passed. Or cough. Or headache. One woman is a miracle of miracles! - I even felt a desire to work. All this indicates a deep disorientation of people, despite almost 20 years of catechizeric work, said Georgy Mitrofanov. The Christian faith is perceived as "another totalitarian ideology that authorizes magical and geopolitical aspirations."

Generally about distortions in the church consciousness and a lack of gospel love among co -religionists

Almost everything said: the chairman of the Union of Orthodox citizens Valentin Lebedev, who, unlike his assistant Kirill Frolov, always plays the role of a “good investigator”, and even the usually militant head of the Radonezh Society Yevgeny Nikiforov. However, the calls for love did not stop them to immediately defend the need and continue to engage in "searching for the enemy." The main in the Patriarchate of the army, Archpriest Dimitri Smirnov, even proposed to create the Internet "Enemies of the Church" with the indication of names, addresses, quotes from speeches, etc. “The lists are already ready,” Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin responded enthusiastically. The upholding of the interests of the Church "should be a point of application of general efforts, really a common thing between Christians," he emphasized.

Evgeny Nikiforov did not fail to contribute to the glorious combat present, urging to withstand "multiculturalism and polyoconfession": "Russia is the national Russian Orthodox state. You need to insist on this. " Again I was afraid of all gays. I thought that gays are people who did not fit into the sexual mainstream and seeking love pleasures (albeit sinful) “on the side”. And, it turns out, they are “part of the globalization project on the dechristianization of society”. That's how. The killers are not part, but gays are part. In general, close the ranks, peaks at the ready ...

The saddest thing is that the youth gathered at a round table, representatives of Orthodox organizations and the media, whose age was not exceeded 20 years, reacted to warlike Clichs with enthusiasm. “Bravo,” the guy exclaimed quietly next to me to the proposal of Father Demetrius to create the site “Enemies of the Church”. After all, it is simple and understandable (not some kind of “increasing gospel love”), besides, quite tangible political dividends can bring if the dreams of right-wing nationalists to “reorient” the authorities will come true. And prot. Demetrius also emphasized that he has his hopes for "churchly educated youth, obsessed with the pathos of mission." But if the pathos of the main church newcomers - a and prot. Vsevolod Chaplin, and Father Demetrius certainly enter them - such, then what is surprised at the distortions of consciousness and lack of love?

Bishop Dmitrovsky, who made an introductory report among the main church diseases, called spiritual disunity and "widely learned religious individualism." “Religious life becomes a variant of self -affirmation,” he said. The performances of most participants in the round table were the best illustrated by his words.