(no subject)

[anglomedved]

I have been reading Patriarch Kirill's book ‘Freedom and Responsibility’, published in Russian in 2008 as Свобода и ответсвенность, which has just appeared in English.

It contains good messages, put across forcefully, which are needed here in the west. I warm, in particular, to the Patriarch's insistence that religion cannot be relegated to the private sphere, that religion must be taken into account in defining human rights, and that society has a role to encourage moral behaviour and block people whose activities will weaken this. His distinction between the ‘value’ and ‘dignity’ of man and his assimilation of this with the patristic distinction between the ‘image’ and the ‘likeness’ are particularly innovative and valuable.

 There is one thing with which, as a western European, I take issue.

More accurately with an absence. The Patriarch is rightly concerned that the Church should speak out against those sinful forces which weaken and damage society. Abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality, which he mentions frequently, are indeed just this. But I think I would speak for most western Christians in saying that he should speak out against all such sinful forces and not seem to pick and choose, in particular when speaking to the west.

 There is total silence in the dozen or so speeches or addresses of which the book is made up on corruption and a lack of legal security as harmful influences in society, and only a one-line mention of drugs and alcohol. The book uses the word ‘values’ throughout. Having a 'clean' police force, being well served by and not having to pay bribes to public officials, having a reasonable chance of a fair trial if you get the wrong side of the law, and being properly treated as a conscript soldier, are vital values in European society that we feel justly proud of (even if the situation is in fact far from perfect), and yes, Russia is widely accused of lacking, and the Orthodox church of not (or insufficiently) publicly condemning.

 When the book hits the reviews, my biggest fear is of negative reactions for just this reason. Which is a pity, as it could detract from the book’s obvious merits.

 

Comments

[bizantinum.livejournal.com]

Нельзя не согласиться. Разумеется, есть некая некорректность (в самом правильном смысле этого слова) для западного читателя.

[vladimir-xt.livejournal.com]

Спасибо, Майкл.

Мне тоже очень понравилось различение между ценностью и достоинством. Не знаю, правда, как это звучит у Патриарха - этот концепт менялся в церковных документах - от Декларации до соборного определения.
Самому мне нравится то, что Патриарх говорит о направлениях деятельности с молодежью, в частности.

Что же до безобразия... Об этом не говорят ни у нас, ни, особенно, в Белорусии...
Симфония.

[ursusanglicanus.livejournal.com]

The result is a double blockage:
For Orthodox, dialogue with Protestantism is blocked because of women priests and homosexuality, for Protestants dialogue with Orthodoxy is blocked because of its condoning of what are seen as very low quality political and social systems. Belarus is seen in western Europe as probably the worst governed state in Europe.