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Russia is Fighting a Religious War
Shabbat Shalom. You have no doubt heard many armchair theories about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The same people who were all experts on the coronavirus suddenly became experts on foreign policy, economic sanctions, and psychology. Isn’t it amazing how that happens?
I do not claim to have any special training in matters of diplomacy, foreign affairs, political science, or mental health. But I do know a thing or two about religion, and I do know a thing or two about Russia, and today that is fortunate because we cannot fathom what Putin is doing unless we take Russian Christianity into account. This is a religious war of the sort that we have not seen in Europe in a very long time.
Apart from the Troubles in Northern Ireland between Irish Catholics and Protestants, the last truly religious wars on the European continent took place over two hundred years ago. Today, most of the churches in Europe are poorly attended and a deeply embedded secularism has ruled the day for quite awhile.
Russia, however, is very different from the rest of Europe. In fact, Russia is only sort of European. It is today and always has been a deeply religious place where the Russian Orthodox church has real power. In fact, Russia is so religious that even the staunchly atheist Soviet government was not able to topple the Russian Orthodox Church, and Stalin…
