Dissenting

Dissent in the worldly environment is based on the laws of the earth. Therefore, the dissident call addressed to the authorities to "observe its constitution" is logically combined with the toast "for the success of our hopeless work." The rebellion of agnostics against godless power combines hopeless idealism and inconsolable, but quite realistic forecasts.

Dissentism among the church is essentially much more optimistic. For the sinful and unjust world of the earthly here is the eternal life and fear like a nobody except God. So, in any case, this is seen from the outside, and it is almost impossible for a person to be difficult to comprehend, like this church hierarchs in the USSR were not afraid to actively cooperate with the KGB, and ordinary priests were silently knocking on the flock. In such cases, an atheist agrees with his conscience, who has, but how did they get out of the situation? Who was the contract with and what did they sign?

Father Gleb Yakunin, a deep man, did not understand this either.

That is why his path to church dissidents was straight and simple. An open letter (together with Nikolai Ashleyman), addressed to Patriarch Alexy I, the authors of which insisted on the true separation of Orthodoxy from the state, repentance and "cleansing of ... fading" shameful reptile to the authorities. The publication of hundreds of documents testifying to gross violations of the rights of believers in the Soviet Union. The martyrdom of the Politzek, who was convicted of seven years of camps and five years of exile. And in the perestroika years and a little later - deputy activity, active participation in the work on the Law "On Freedom of Beliefs" and in the famous commission that revealed the names and nicknames of the Chekists in cassoons that occupied key posts in the Moscow Patriarchy.

That is why it was incomprehensible to prying eyes and the reaction of the church authorities to his letters, evidence, exposure. Instead of a conversation on the merits - "exhorting" at first conversations. Instead of help and support - rejection and betrayal. Instead of repentance - undisguised anger and hatred. And when, already in post -perestroika times, the Church again stinted with the authorities, holding it by the elbow, ineptly baptized, Gleb’s father again repressed. Deprived of the dignity. Anathematized. Cursed and forgot. They were not afraid of God.

However, from the point of view of the dissident of an ordinary, just an educated person who knows Russian history, everything that happened to Gleb Yakunin is understandable, in his own way is reasonable and even inevitable. For we are talking about the centuries -old tradition of the confrontation of truth and lies, honor and meanness, conscience and shamelessness. A tradition that almost never interrupted - and in the fate of Gleb Yakunin was imprinted with the same force as in the life of many Russian intellectuals who suffered for their beliefs. The prison, a camp, a psychiatric hospital, exile, or even an early death paid for them. Fortunately for all of us who are aware or not, Father Gleb lived a long life, which at least somehow reconciles with loss.

With what to reconcile much more difficult, it is with the tradition of pogrom and persecution. With the fact that nothing changes at all, and the day the day before yesterday is indistinguishable from today, and shamelessness again becomes the norm. In the Kremlin and in that state temple, from where the girls and guitars unsuccessfully tried to drive away demons.

And if the authorities are mired in lawlessness and brown, we can treat some ironic indifference, then church lawlessness causes a dumb. Moreover, in the unbeliever, perhaps this feeling of amazement is even stronger, since it is combined with the idea that somewhere there should be a kingdom not from this world. It turns out that there is no such place in the Russian Orthodox Church, is not provided for by the internal charter, but there is a continuous “vertical of power”, borrowed in the power of the worldly, and a cynic sitting on the throne, and crowds of unfortunate pagans, whom he nurses.

“People are happy to worship the relics and icons, but no one is interested in the Gospel, just as the personality of a priest or a bishop is not interesting, and even more so little worries the church structure, drunkenness, and theft in the church,” said Father Gleb about seven years ago, repeating the same thoughts that he stated in his old open letter. And as then, in the last millennium, the response to him, the unpacked, and the few like -minded people in this church were the grave silence of the highest hierarchs.

However, Gleb Pavlovich Yakunin, who survived and curses, and torture, was hardly despair, he was generally alive and cheerful. Yes, and he really believed - unlike them, and knew that he would appear to the court, which would judge him by commandments and on cases, and he would reject the concepts adopted in this godless world. Eternal memory.