Why Putin is a pagan

Bishop of the Apostolic Orthodox Church, Grigory Mikhnov-Vitenko, explains why the religiosity of Vladimir Putin is not related to Christianity

The Russian Orthodox Church has developed a concept to ensure the legal status of military priests. It provides for social benefits, guarantees and compensation, which are laid by military personnel under the current laws. According to the Bishop of the Apostolic Orthodox Church, Grigory Mikhnov-Vyatenko, the Russian Orthodox Church has long fulfilled the function of the intermediary in the commodity relations of the Russian authorities with God. At the request of the “cold”, Mikhnov-Witenko explains how the religious consciousness of the elites could form and why it can be considered sincere, but still cynical.

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Christmas night. Moscow. Kremlin. Annunciation Cathedral. Vladimir Putin is one-single. I look at the frames lifted by the presidential press service, and I feel sorry for everyone. You look at Putin - a pity for a person. You look at the clergy who work out this number - and they are sorry.

And the point is not that the service is carried out for one person - there is just nothing special in this. Once I served in the Cathedral of St. George in the Yuryev monastery. There is a very interesting design that tourists usually do not show: in one of the domed towers - a spiral staircase, it leads upstairs, in a small, two by two meters, a church. According to legend, this is the personal church of Prince Alexander Nevsky. So, one priest and one parishioner could physically fit in it. And the photographer or chronicler could not fit. I understand the phenomenon of the individual service, but I can’t understand - why in this case the press is needed? I understand Putin from a Christian point of view: he would really pray now, think alone about what he is doing, to repent. But these actions do not suggest the press. If we are talking about the Christian faith, these actions should be private. And if they are public, it means that this is no longer a Christian faith.

What is it then?

If formulated typologically, this is called totem religiosity. Pure water shamanism and paganism described in the history of religious studies a million times. We will figure out what this means in relation to a modern Russian.

The most, in my opinion, is the main thing that has happened to Russia over the past 100 years - God did not save our country. More precisely, we ourselves abandoned salvation. At first, the Marx-Engels-Lenin Marx-Engels-Lenin was hoisted on the religious pedestal, a completely religious cult with rituals, idols, a worship system, “relics” in the Mausoleum, “processions” at the first of May and other attributes of religiosity. It turned out that this did not work: the Soviet Union collapsed, but we did not abandon pseudo -religiosity, invented, or rather, reanimated the new cult system and loaded it with the same meanings.

The Orthodoxy of the 1990s is a totem religion. Why do I need a totem animal? In order to patronize me on the hunt (read - in business), to attract a partner (read - wife, husband, lover or mistress), in the war with the neighboring tribe (state), so that the crop (salary) is more fully, and so on. In this pagan system, relations with the Higher Forces are built on the principle of "you - I am to you." I am worship to you, you are well -being to me; I am a sacrifice to you, you are a gift to me.

In Soviet times, the symbols of worship and the victims were a party card, approval of the party’s policy, a subscription to the newspaper Pravda - all this was wrapped in preferences from the party pantheon: work, salaries, foreign apartments or rooms in communal services. In new Russia, new benefits have appeared: cars, careers, vacations in Turkey, or even in the Cote d'Azur-and something had to be provided with habit. The easiest way is victims of God. The construction of temples, generous donations, “sincere” faith. Only to believe in this system must certainly be publicly so that no one has a doubt that your beautiful life you have not just got it, but according to the fair God's will. What are you with him, with God, concluded an agreement.

I admit that such religiosity is completely sincere. What people really thought: how, oil is not 17, but for 70 - this Fart is not just like that, and if it is not just like that, then, with the source of the far, you need to enter into a relationship. What can we offer him? And only what we have: money and our own public image. Unfortunately, for the participants in this agreement, the religious zone still remains a mystical zone, it is impossible to transfer money directly, but you can always find a way to do it. And now the powerful of this world appoint intermediaries in relations with God. Intermediaries who will never condemn them, but on the contrary, will strongly support this totem religiosity.

I had to communicate with the clergymen of a very tall dignity, and each time I caught myself thinking that we were probably completely sincere, but we believe in different gods. Because they also have this faith on the so-called commodity-spiritual relations. They understand their task as increasing the well -being of the Church. They believe that it is thorough - build temples, increase flock, strengthen budgets. They sincerely believe that all this is very pleasant to God. And they preach this pagan principle of sacrifice to their flock, their parishioners (ideally rich and imperious). They explain that this is how it works, that you need to make religious actions, spend money. What is very important: so that the church does not look poor, but looks representative - otherwise it will be embarrassed in front of other religions, otherwise they will look better. Which is very important to sponsor flights to Athos. And certainly on private aircraft.

Any paganism involves its artifacts. They will have it. Let us recall all these “belts of the Virgin”, “Gifts of the Magi” with multi -kilometer bursts. Let us recall the fertile fire from Jerusalem, who descends, I remind, only the Orthodox and no one else. And only we will lead him. This is an absolutely pagan cult, there is no faith in the creator God, in the God-master in it.

The privatization of God is also a completely pagan sign. More precisely, from the point of view of traditional religious studies, this is considered a sectical phenomenon, but it seems to me that it is closer to paganism, where it is clear to everyone that "the leader of our tribe is the wise and the strongest," and "our idol is the strongest and most powerful." “They have a filthy idol, and we have a completely different matter.” "We are Russians, God is with us." More precisely, a little different: only with us and with anyone else.

And from this logic a stone's throw before the war. I remind you that all three Abrahamic religions are calling for very great accuracy when it comes to international relations. Christianity is always and only about the world, and if about the war - then about the forced if we were attacked. But this “I left the hut, went to fight, so that the land in Grenada was given to the peasants” - certainly cannot be in Christianity. And has not been since the time of the Crusades. Yes, and they gathered in the idea of ​​"we will remove the shrine from the infidels." And in Ukraine what other wrong ones? Despite the fact that the war in Ukraine is the first in a long time in which the aggressor openly hides God.

Porridge is in my head, but it is obvious to understand that there are not enough human forces, which means that magical forces are needed. And again, we see the love of power for pseudo -take symbolism: flying on a helicopter with an icon, transferring to the military particles of the life -giving cross, the construction of a whole temple of the Armed Forces, in which, by the way, what is located? Magic artifacts, such as Hitler's cap. It is obvious that this is a thing, which in the Christian temple has no place at all.

I recall an old joke. The gentleman, leaving the lady through the balcony, falls from the 10th floor and repeats: "Lord, only save, I will quit, smoke, I will not go to women, only save." Falls into a snowdrift. Does not break. He gets up, shakes himself and thinks: “Wow, just three seconds to fly, and what kind of garbage climbs into my head.” Vladimir Putin is now the same gentleman who flies from the 10th floor and is trying to agree with God. He sincerely believes that it is possible, that he is, what to offer God. It makes no difference for him who to bargain with - with Biden, Erdogan or the Lord God. They are all for him in a sense: everyone is sold, the issue of price.

But Putin's totemic religiosity does not imply the main thing. And for God, all people are equal. And for God - Russian President Vladimir Putin is no different from the rest. And he will judge like everyone else. However, for now, the flight continues - you can be baptized.