This is one of the best statements I have seen on whom is to blame for the disaster in the Ukraine. As usual, the left has it exactly backwards and those with high levels of TDS are incapable of understanding AND acknowledging basic facts:
"On cue, an embarrassed Left now offers some surreal takes on why Putin went into Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014 and again into all of Ukraine in 2022—while mysteriously bookending the four invasion-free Trump years. We are told that hiatus was because Putin got all he wanted from Trump and rewarded him by not invading any of his neighbors.
Really?
Were Vladimir Putin and his advisors more or less delighted that their poodle Trump thankfully flooded the world with price-crashing oil? They were thankful Trump at least had killed Russian mercenaries in Syria?
Putin himself was content that the United States got out of his own advantageous missile deal? Was he thrilled that Trump sold once taboo U.S. offensive weapons to Ukraine? Did the Kremlin grow ecstatic when Trump upped the U.S. defense budget? And was Russia especially thankful that Trump jawboned NATO into spending another $100 billion on defense? Did Putin clap when Trump killed Soleimani and Baghdadi, and bombed ISIS out of existence?
TJM, let's put our indignation on hold for a bit, take a deep breath and address the news link Father McDonald provided to us.
If anyone has watched Putin since his rise to power, one cannot ignore what an enigma he is. He is no Stalin, yet some of his enemies accuse him of murder. He doesn't hate the west and has co-opted much of the successful policies we seem to despise now that once brought us wealth.
Yet over and over we hear that he is a CHRISTIAN! Is he? Only the good Lord knows, but we cannot ignore a few points: He was baptized by his mother, probably to counter the effect of his atheist father. He attends Russian Orthodox services regularly. He still wears his baptismal cross all the time. He has expressed concern that the west is abandoning the Christian values that built its civilization.
But he has a much more authoritarian approach. Orthodoxy is linked to the state, whereas most western countries embrace varying ideologies of separation of church and state. To be sure, there is great corruption among Russian Orthodox bishops, with Moscow Patriarch Kiril enjoying a huge income from government connections. We also know that many Russian Orthodox bishops were KGB operatives during the Soviet era.
Kiev is the oldest bastion of orthodoxy for the east. When Prince (or Grand Duke or whatever he was) Vladimir was baptized in 988, there was a brief unity with Rome, that soon broke with the schism that followed. But, as Pope John Paul II often said, regarding the orthodox, our Church needs to breathe with both lungs.
Using our one lung, Western Christianity has suffered the scandal of the Protestant "Reformation", hyper-intellectualism that has deconstructed theology and an obsession with pacifism that somehow has made us forget that we are also the Church Militant (which was not a cuss word before Michael Voris came along). Even in this diocese, we have had the scandal of "respectable" priests opining in the Southern Cross what a terrible mistake the Crusades were, ignoring the fact that the cruelty and abuse of the Muslim lords in Jerusalem necessitated them. Our own Church has been scandalized by its managed decline, militant (and no longer secret) promotion of a homosexual underground and abandonment of our dogmas.
Russian Orthodox Christianity in some ways hits the other extreme. They celebrate their faith as a religion of warriors. While I would never embrace the idea of imposing my faith on unbelievers by the sword (leave that to Mohammed and his minions) most Catholics balk at the idea of defending their faith and defending Christian civilization (if it even exists any more).
While not entirely outlawed, Catholics aren't particularly welcome in Russia and if Vladimir gets control (or should I say WHEN he gets control) of Ukraine, the outlook for the Uniates and Latin Rite Catholics does not look good. Putin looks at our pope with confusion and our pope seems to miss Putin entirely. Like Democrats and Republicans the Orthodox and the Catholics can both learn from each other.
Right now, I don't think anyone is learning anything. Mr. Merwick nailed it in a previous post: We've ignored the demands of our Lady to consecrate Russia and Russia appears to be preparing to be God's way of giving the west a spanking.
Very interesting thoughts. Unfortunately our media creates cartoon characters because they lack the intellect and judgment to do otherwise. They are almost to a man, leftists, so their mission is as they see it is to demonize anyone who does not hold their leftist views. I see that at play every day. Democrats, good, Republicans, evil. All Republican presidents and candidates for office are nazis. These mischaraterizations have been fairly successful in keeping the Democrat crime organization afloat, although many are catching on.
I have studied a fair amount of Russian history and the Russian people have suffered a great deal, under the Czarist regime and the Communist one. It seems like whenever a glimmer of hope is on the horizon, like it was immediately prior to World War I, their leadership makes a stupid move (like entering WW I) which dashes that hope. If Russia had stayed out of WW I, their middle class would have slowly grown, more liberal ideas of government may have taken hold, and Russia may have morphed into a Constitutional Monarchy. Nicholas I was a devoted husband and father, but was totally clueless when it came to running the country and he paid for that with his and his family's lives. Nicholas I was portrayed in the Western press very much like Putin is today.
Thank you for your very thoughtful and thought-provoking posts on this thread. As an initial reaction, I agree with much of what you write in your first post, although not all. But I will continue thinking about it. I am glad, also, to be made aware of the Cathedral of the Armed Forces. The notion of such a building and the images employed and evoked by it are disturbing but telling, revealing multiple layers of psychological, historical, sociological, and religious complexity. Again, as an initial reaction, they suggest to me the creation of a God in our own image rather than the reverse, but perhaps that is a risk to which everyone is subject anyway. And yet again, I must continue to contemplate this notion and these images.
TJM’s comments in his second paragraph suggest that he can make a valuable contribution to a serious conversation about these matters. What a shame, then, that he ruins it by engaging, characteristically, in partisan political sniping in his first paragraph, conveniently omitting Fox News and their ilk, for example, and instead focusing on only one side of the equation.
Sometimes (often?) prose is inadequate, and one must turn to poetry and music. Perhaps, then, the prophetic voice of the late Leonard Cohen (or Saint Leonard as my wife calls him -:)) in “Anthem” captures the brokenness of our human condition, especially in this dark time, as well as anything can and perhaps, too, suggests a path toward healing:
8 comments:
Maybe he could do one on Biden as well while he’s at it
This is one of the best statements I have seen on whom is to blame for the disaster in the Ukraine. As usual, the left has it exactly backwards and those with high levels of TDS are incapable of understanding AND acknowledging basic facts:
"On cue, an embarrassed Left now offers some surreal takes on why Putin went into Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014 and again into all of Ukraine in 2022—while mysteriously bookending the four invasion-free Trump years. We are told that hiatus was because Putin got all he wanted from Trump and rewarded him by not invading any of his neighbors.
Really?
Were Vladimir Putin and his advisors more or less delighted that their poodle Trump thankfully flooded the world with price-crashing oil? They were thankful Trump at least had killed Russian mercenaries in Syria?
Putin himself was content that the United States got out of his own advantageous missile deal? Was he thrilled that Trump sold once taboo U.S. offensive weapons to Ukraine? Did the Kremlin grow ecstatic when Trump upped the U.S. defense budget? And was Russia especially thankful that Trump jawboned NATO into spending another $100 billion on defense? Did Putin clap when Trump killed Soleimani and Baghdadi, and bombed ISIS out of existence?
The lefties here have no response? Do they prefer to ignore the facts in the real world so they can continue to live in their dream world?
TJM, let's put our indignation on hold for a bit, take a deep breath and address the news link Father McDonald provided to us.
If anyone has watched Putin since his rise to power, one cannot ignore what an enigma he is. He is no Stalin, yet some of his enemies accuse him of murder. He doesn't hate the west and has co-opted much of the successful policies we seem to despise now that once brought us wealth.
Yet over and over we hear that he is a CHRISTIAN! Is he? Only the good Lord knows, but we cannot ignore a few points: He was baptized by his mother, probably to counter the effect of his atheist father. He attends Russian Orthodox services regularly. He still wears his baptismal cross all the time. He has expressed concern that the west is abandoning the Christian values that built its civilization.
But he has a much more authoritarian approach. Orthodoxy is linked to the state, whereas most western countries embrace varying ideologies of separation of church and state. To be sure, there is great corruption among Russian Orthodox bishops, with Moscow Patriarch Kiril enjoying a huge income from government connections. We also know that many Russian Orthodox bishops were KGB operatives during the Soviet era.
Kiev is the oldest bastion of orthodoxy for the east. When Prince (or Grand Duke or whatever he was) Vladimir was baptized in 988, there was a brief unity with Rome, that soon broke with the schism that followed. But, as Pope John Paul II often said, regarding the orthodox, our Church needs to breathe with both lungs.
Using our one lung, Western Christianity has suffered the scandal of the Protestant "Reformation", hyper-intellectualism that has deconstructed theology and an obsession with pacifism that somehow has made us forget that we are also the Church Militant (which was not a cuss word before Michael Voris came along). Even in this diocese, we have had the scandal of "respectable" priests opining in the Southern Cross what a terrible mistake the Crusades were, ignoring the fact that the cruelty and abuse of the Muslim lords in Jerusalem necessitated them. Our own Church has been scandalized by its managed decline, militant (and no longer secret) promotion of a homosexual underground and abandonment of our dogmas.
Russian Orthodox Christianity in some ways hits the other extreme. They celebrate their faith as a religion of warriors. While I would never embrace the idea of imposing my faith on unbelievers by the sword (leave that to Mohammed and his minions) most Catholics balk at the idea of defending their faith and defending Christian civilization (if it even exists any more).
While not entirely outlawed, Catholics aren't particularly welcome in Russia and if Vladimir gets control (or should I say WHEN he gets control) of Ukraine, the outlook for the Uniates and Latin Rite Catholics does not look good. Putin looks at our pope with confusion and our pope seems to miss Putin entirely. Like Democrats and Republicans the Orthodox and the Catholics can both learn from each other.
Right now, I don't think anyone is learning anything. Mr. Merwick nailed it in a previous post: We've ignored the demands of our Lady to consecrate Russia and Russia appears to be preparing to be God's way of giving the west a spanking.
Pope Bergoglio: Consecrate NOW!
For a glimpse into Putin's style of Christianity, look no further than his Cathedral for the Armed Forces in Moscow.
Kumbaya and cuddles this ain't.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/20/orthodox-cathedral-of-the-armed-force-russian-national-identity-military-disneyland
Thomas Garrett,
Very interesting thoughts. Unfortunately our media creates cartoon characters because they lack the intellect and judgment to do otherwise. They are almost to a man, leftists, so their mission is as they see it is to demonize anyone who does not hold their leftist views. I see that at play every day. Democrats, good, Republicans, evil. All Republican presidents and candidates for office are nazis. These mischaraterizations have been fairly successful in keeping the Democrat crime organization afloat, although many are catching on.
I have studied a fair amount of Russian history and the Russian people have suffered a great deal, under the Czarist regime and the Communist one. It seems like whenever a glimmer of hope is on the horizon, like it was immediately prior to World War I, their leadership makes a stupid move (like entering WW I) which dashes that hope. If Russia had stayed out of WW I, their middle class would have slowly grown, more liberal ideas of government may have taken hold, and Russia may have morphed into a Constitutional Monarchy. Nicholas I was a devoted husband and father, but was totally clueless when it came to running the country and he paid for that with his and his family's lives. Nicholas I was portrayed in the Western press very much like Putin is today.
Thomas Garrett,
Thank you for your very thoughtful and thought-provoking posts on this thread. As an initial reaction, I agree with much of what you write in your first post, although not all. But I will continue thinking about it. I am glad, also, to be made aware of the Cathedral of the Armed Forces. The notion of such a building and the images employed and evoked by it are disturbing but telling, revealing multiple layers of psychological, historical, sociological, and religious complexity. Again, as an initial reaction, they suggest to me the creation of a God in our own image rather than the reverse, but perhaps that is a risk to which everyone is subject anyway. And yet again, I must continue to contemplate this notion and these images.
TJM’s comments in his second paragraph suggest that he can make a valuable contribution to a serious conversation about these matters. What a shame, then, that he ruins it by engaging, characteristically, in partisan political sniping in his first paragraph, conveniently omitting Fox News and their ilk, for example, and instead focusing on only one side of the equation.
Sometimes (often?) prose is inadequate, and one must turn to poetry and music. Perhaps, then, the prophetic voice of the late Leonard Cohen (or Saint Leonard as my wife calls him -:)) in “Anthem” captures the brokenness of our human condition, especially in this dark time, as well as anything can and perhaps, too, suggests a path toward healing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8-BT6y_wYg
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