Big Mother is Watching You
HE Globe and Mail asks one of the more important questions of the week: Is Russia morphing into another USSR?
“Moscow apparently calculates that its brute seizure of another country’s territory can be disguised as a ‘peacekeeping’ operation to prevent ‘genocide’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’ by the Georgians. A sophisticated press operation to popularize this mendacious “narrative” is being mounted internationally and at home.”
No no no no. You mean “Washington” and “Iraqis” don’t you?
Ah, our Northern Neighbours are missing the real excitement…
Russia causes a war.
France brokers a peace.
Europe flexes her muscles.
And the USA? Stands back and waits until it’s all over and shows up for the signing ceremony.
Because we have NO WEIGHT WHATSOEVER left anywhere in the world. We have become the odd side show.
But – just so you know there are still total NUTS left in the world: Frankie Schaeffer says this is an Orthodox War against the Heterodox West.
As Russia sees it, Bill Clinton turned the American Air Force into air support for an Islamic revolution against the Orthodox world. The attack against the Serbian homeland was an exercise of naiveté equivalent to bombing Vatican City then wondering why Roman Catholics might be upset and stay upset. Then George Bush decided it would be a good idea to place a missile defense system in Poland, disregard Russia’s advice and invade Iraq and further insult and encircle the heart of the Eastern Orthodox world.
The Canadians were wrong, says Frankie: this is “post-Soviet Orthodox Russia”.
Yup:
Mother F’in Russia is striking back! Get your honkey Protestant asses out of the way!
Frank Schaeffer’s column really bothered me. Orthodox Christianity can’t be (mis)used as a pretext for explaining (away) this latest bout of human sinfulness. The Russia-Georgia conflict had nothing to do with “Orthodox Christian self-defense” against “an encroaching heterodox West.” The two warring countries both have numerical majorities of Orthodox Christians in their populations, in case he hadn’t noticed. It was a case of brethren who claim the same faith killing each other over worldly politics, self-determination, geopolitical ambition and international alignment.
I don’t like it when American leaders misuse religion as a morally justifying cover for their secular agendas; I don’t like it when Russian, Serbian, Greek or any other leaders do the same, either. God did not become human in the person of the Jesus Christ and plant his Church to provide a basis for social cohesion, ethnic solidarity, political statehood or superpower status. He did so to restore the communion of “every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9) with the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. There’s no avoiding that Christian universality. When any other purpose is ascribed to Orthodox Christianity, its salt loses it flavor, its yeast no longer rises.
Ironically, Russia and the United States seem to be playing from the same playbook these days. Both wrap themselves in the mantle of religion; both make a blurry equation between patriotism and faith in God; both have, in varying degrees, an aversion to the free flow of information and critical analysis among the general population; and both have invaded countries that didn’t attack them first, under dubious pretexts. John McCain’s blundering bit of moralizing — “In the 21st century nations don’t invade other nations” — would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic in its hypocrisy and blindness. Russia and the United States might not be quite as different from each other as they think right now.
Hands off, politicians! Orthodox Christianity is not a means to your end — its means and end are Jesus Christ, who has a far different agenda than yours. “God is in right, not in might,” as the old Russian saying (attributed to Saint Alexander Nevsky) goes. Oh, if only we took those words to heart… But in the meantime, we cannot justify human sinfulness under the cover of religion. It’s not going to play well in front of the awesome judgment seat of Christ in the end.
Gregory – I’m not sure why the spam filter grabbed on to your first two drafts. But thank you for going again.
Eh… The vagaries of technology. Perhaps they were too long, so I shortened it, but hopefully made a point nonetheless. Scary stuff happening over there! (And here too!)