Russian activists oppose church construction, get accused of "insulting religious feelings"

[Cleopatra7]

The Russian Orthodox Church under Putin enjoys privileges from the state that it has not enjoyed since the Tsarist era. Even the most minor offenses to the Church are treated as "insulting religious feelings":

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/18/russia-thou-shalt-not-disagree-orthodox-church

Quote

The story starts in 2013, when the Russian Orthodox Church got approval to build a church in Moscow’s Torfyanka park and quickly built a temporary shed and installed a large cross. Soon, the church was running weekly, open-air Sunday services. Church-goers quarreled with park visitors about noise and how children playing were disrupting prayer. Religious activists clashed with environmental activists. Everyone was unhappy.

From the start, a group of local residents spoke out vehemently against the project. They held signs saying their protest was not against the Church, but to preserve the park.

...

Early the morning of Monday, November 14, masked and armed riot police units came to the activists’ homes. Police smashed the door of one apartment and cut through the lock of another’s front door. One activist said at least 15 armed policemen came to arrest him. They threw him on the floor, handcuffed him in front of his children, and took him away.

A pro-Kremlin television channel was at the scene almost instantly, cameras rolling. It later aired a story referring to the activists as “neo-pagans” and “members of a cell” who had “ammunition and psychotropic drugs” in their apartments. The head of the Church, patriarch Kirill, called the protesters “cultists” and “pagans”.

With the way things are going in the US, I wonder if we will see bills about "insulting religious feelings." Such bills would probably be struck down on first amendment grounds, but it plays well with fundie voters, no matter how big a waste of time they are.

[Howl]

Well, we have ended up with various religious freedom acts in 19 states, which seems like a  a variation of the same thing, in my opinion.  I think Mike Pence's law in Indiana was the most recent.  Hoosiers, bring us up to date. 

In Texas, both our governor and ex governor and current attorney general have consistently ruled in favor of Christian nativity scenes and against displays by atheists or groups that advocate separation of church and state, which has kind of a "don't insult my religious feelings" vibe.  

Here's a couple of quotes: 

2011 [Gov.] Abbott told a local Fox News affiliate, "Our message to the atheists is, 'Don't mess with Texas and our nativity scenes or the Ten Commandments.'"

At the signing of the Merry Christmas Bill in 2013, [ex Gov.] Rick Perry said, "Religious freedom does not mean freedom from religion." 

 

 

 

[purjolok84]

It scares me that you could get a religion that has an issue with children playing. Surprising that this issue didn't come up when they rushed to build a church building in a park. Where children go to play. Who left their brain home with their bible that day?

What's even more disturbing is the Church's hold over government officials - they should not have the say to have police ripping down people's doors due to peaceful protest only then to label those people as against their religion. It's not that simple but it's so funny how some groups want to make it exactly like that. Us vs them. And unless the government in Russia steps in and stops this behaviour I can see behaviour like this escalating- the Orthodox church has way too much power.

[47of74]

And once Putin's Personal Fluffer takes over I expect it to get worse.   The reich wing Christians are probably taking notes on how to oppress others from places like Russia. 

 

21 hours ago, Cleopatra7 said:

The Russian Orthodox Church under Putin enjoys privileges from the state that it has not enjoyed since the Tsarist era. Even the most minor offenses to the Church are treated as "insulting religious feelings":

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/18/russia-thou-shalt-not-disagree-orthodox-church

With the way things are going in the US, I wonder if we will see bills about "insulting religious feelings." Such bills would probably be struck down on first amendment grounds, but it plays well with fundie voters, no matter how big a waste of time they are.

Yeah I could see those coming here too.  Especially with fuckheads like Greg Abbott in the Texas Governor's office. 

[Howl]

7 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Yeah I could see those coming here too.  Especially with fuckheads like Greg Abbott in the Texas Governor's office. 

Greg Abbott is definitely a fuckhead; Dan Patrick [TX Lieutenant Governor] and Ken Paxton [TX Attorney General]  are magnitudes worse (if that's possible).  Jeeze, how did a state that once elected the inimitable Anne Richards as governor end up with these losers? 

[bashfulpixie]

On 1/2/2017 at 8:48 PM, Howl said:

[snip]

At the signing of the Merry Christmas Bill in 2013, [ex Gov.] Rick Perry said, "Religious freedom does not mean freedom from religion."

Actually, if that's how a person chooses to live their life, that's exactly what it means.  Idiot.

Can't believe dumbasses like this are taking over to the extent they are.  Thanks low-information voters!

[Howl]

2 hours ago, bashfulpixie said:

Actually, if that's how a person chooses to live their life, that's exactly what it means.  Idiot.

Can't believe dumbasses like this are taking over to the extent they are.  Thanks low-information voters!

....and thanks to the Tea Party that encouraged the likes of Dan Patrick (an extreme right-wing talk-show host in a previous life) to crawl our from under his rock and into politics.  I'd like to amend my previous post.  Greg Abbot is an annoying and relatively centrist* social conservative.  Dan Patrick (born again evangelical) is a right wing Tea Party wingnut who continues to position himself further to the right of Abbot (a Catholic), with current speculation that he will challenge Abbot for governor in 2018.  

Patrick also claims to respect all religions but walked out of the Texas Senate chamber in 2007 when a Muslim cleric gave the opening prayer for the first time. Patrick said if he attended, he would violate the First Commandment to have no other Gods before Him.  

Just wanted to point out that "relatively centrist social conservative" means something very different in 2016 than it did even 10 years ago.