30 November 2013. Sergei Yolkin’s World. Events of the Week in Cartoons by Sergei Yolkin: 25-29 November 2013

Events of the Week in Cartoons by Sergei Yolkin: 25-29 November 2013

Sergei Yolkin

2013

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The SKP opened a criminal case against former Defence Minister Serdyukov on charges of corruption, duelling demonstrations took place in Kiev on the Maidan, both pro- and anti-EU, and a pavilion shaped like a Louis Vuitton suitcase appeared on Red Square, only to disappear within the week, its future site still unknown at present.

BMD

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The events of the week as seen through the eyes of Sergei Yolkin… the case against former Minoborony head Anatoly Serdyukov, the protests on the Maidan in Kiev, and the Louis Vuitton “suitcase” pavilion on Red Square.

29 November 2013

Sergei Yolkin

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/caricature/20131129/980641327.html

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30 November 2013. A Picture IS Worth a Thousand Words… It Ain’t Photoshop… It’s Just Another Day in Russia…

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Did you doubt the old story of St Serafim Sarovsky and the bear? Well, look at the above image. It ain’t Photoshop… it’s just another day in Russia…

BMD

Vladimir Legoida: “The Actions of the Group ‘God’s Will’ Reduces the Treasure of the Christian Faith into a Contrived Theatrical-Political Production”

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Civic activity is developing in our society, so, many people are willing to defend their beliefs, up to the point of participating in public events. This is important evidence of a civil society developing, one that’s able to exercise initiative and not stay sunken in apathy. At the same time, in such activities, elements come forward that lack depth and breadth of knowledge; they lack the wish to serve others, but they seem able to present their POV in a most original way. Often, recent demonstrations resembled theatrical productions; the participants seem to play a role and not to defend a real-life belief. It doesn’t seem to matter to them what venue is the stage for their performances… it could just as easily be museums, public offices, and even church buildings. They become actors who convert the passers-by about them into unwilling spectators of a play to which they didn’t purchase a ticket.

This trend is understandable and explainable in terms of postmodernism, but it’s profoundly alien to Orthodox Tradition. In private life or in the public square, Orthodox people shouldn’t focus on anything other than the Truth of Christ. The sole purpose of Orthodox activities in society is to help others or to witness to the truth. Only Divine Grace can change those who’re genuinely mistaken in their words and deeds. In other words, such activities can have only one benchmark… the love of neighbour. Without this indispensable condition, without a conscious experience of the spiritual life in the Church, even a noble and sincere desire to defend the faith and traditional values, which one can understand and support, doesn’t bring forth the desired good fruits.

Unfortunately, one doesn’t find care for educating or rescuing one’s fellow citizens in the sensational actions of “God’s Will”. On the contrary, the way that they conduct themselves reduces the treasure of the Christian faith into a contrived theatrical-political production. I urge all people whose social activity has its roots in the Orthodox faith to be exemplars of fidelity to their beliefs, which is inseparable from respecting the dignity of all those about them, each of whom is created in the Image of God.

19 March 2013

Vladimir Legoida

Chairman of the MP Synodal Information Department (SINFO)

Pravmir.ru

http://www.pravmir.ru/vladimir-legojda-akcii-bozhej-voli-nizvodyat-veru-xristovu-do-scenariya-teatralno-politicheskoj-postanovki/

Editor’s Note:

Hear, hear! One of my correspondents at the Centre wrote:

Do you think that you’re uniquely bedevilled with overly-religious twits in America? Think again! We have many of the same problems. As you so correctly point up, the toddlers climb on their soap boxes, embarrassing themselves and Christ’s Church, too.  Here’s a link for you that tells the truth of the matter {that was the piece posted above: editor}.

Yet again, the Cabinet comes forward… and it proves that salvation in the Church isn’t “Me n’ Jayzuss”…  it’s a community thing. We’re all saved together or we’re not saved at all. That’s what Christ taught, it’s what I believe, and that’s that. I do daresay that more than one of you out there agrees with me…

BMD

Religious Fanatics Gatecrash “Blasphemous” Theatre Performance

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Orthodox fanatics burst onstage during a rendition of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband and berated Moscow theatregoers for tolerating blasphemy. In a video of the incident posted on LifeNews, one sees Dmitri Tsorionov, AKA Enteo, leader of the group God’s Will, and a young female supporter disrupting a performance on Thursday evening at the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre before being dragged away by security, who handed them over to police afterwards. When security led the girl from the auditorium… still crying out, “Why do you so hate Jesus?”… some of the audience members began to applaud.

Alexander Cheparukhin, the audience member who recorded the footage, wrote on his Twitter account, “Most of the public were certain that Enteo’s monologue was the director’s most successful find and an extension of [Konstantin] Bogomolov‘s boisterous PR campaign”. A police representative told RIA-Novosti that cops arrested two people for hooliganism at the theatre and brought them to the station house, without naming the people in question. The authorities haven’t yet decided whether to charge them.

Enteo said that they went to the theatre to see if reports from shocked believers about the play’s content were right, but couldn’t restrain themselves at a pivotal moment in the performance, saying, “We went on stage and appealed to the hall’s conscience. We explained that an infernal blasphemy was happening on stage… a naked woman hung from the ceiling representing the crucified Jesus Christ and an actor playing a homosexual priest was worshipping her. This deeply offended us”.

Konstantin Bogomolov, whose provocative productions have lately become notorious in the theatre community, directed An Ideal Husband: A Comedy, based on Oscar Wilde’s play of the same name. The play received a nomination as the Best Large Scale Production in the 2014 Golden Mask Festival. Enteo and his followers claim that the production violates the so-called blasphemy law… passed into law earlier this year… which criminalised offending religious feelings. Enteo wrote on Twitter, “We’ll strive to have Bogomolov receive three years in jail for offending the feelings of believers”. Three years is the maximum possible sentence under the blasphemy law. God’s Will is known for organising rallies against homosexuality and Pussy Riot.

29 November 2013

The Moscow Times

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/religious-activists-gatecrash-blasphemous-theater-performance/490563.html

Editor’s Note:

These nutters don’t represent the Church or Christians… the official Church doesn’t endorse them nor does it condone their nutty actions. No, the Church doesn’t like blasphemy at all, but it doesn’t “bless” fanatics to disrupt public performances. It writes against such, it advises people not to attend such, and it takes a public stance against such. However, it doesn’t do what this barmy lot does. I do know of those amongst us who do applaud such shit, but they’re unrepresentative of real Orthodox and real Orthodoxy (but they’re “oh-so-religious”, dontcha know). You can oppose something without making a fool of yourself and the Church, too. That’s that…

BMD