Podcasts about Russian Orthodox Church

Original Publish Date: 5/8/2025 Description: The conclave is over and the prediction markets were dead wrong. In this episode of History of the Papacy, we dive into the fascinating rise of Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope. Just days before his election, he barely registered in the prediction markets. So how did he win in less than five ballots? We explore how these markets work, why they usually get things right, and why the conclave is one place where money can’t predict the Holy Spirit. Support the show: Buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthepapacy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthepapacy Buy me a book! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1MUPNYEU65NTF Have questions, comments or feedback? Here are ways to contact me: Email Us: steve@atozhistorypage.com https://www.atozhistorypage.com/podcast Music Provided by: "Sonatina in C Minor" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) "Funeral March for Brass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) "Crusade Heavy Perfect Loop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Agnus Dei X - Bitter Suite Kevin MacLeaod (incomptech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Begin Transcript: [00:00:00] Welcome back to the History of the Papacy Podcast, a podcast about the Popes of Rome and Christian Church. Prepare yourself to step behind the ropes and leave the official tour of the story of the Popes and Christianity. I am your host, Steve Gura, and I thank you for joining me on this journey. Hey everybody, it's Steve here. I recorded this episode about, uh, maybe two days ago, and a lot has changed since that recording. We do have a new Pope, Pope Leo the 14th, who was former Cardinal. Robert Prevost, who is the [00:01:00] first American Pope, or who is the first American pope. We'll get into a lot of the details about this future Pope. We'll probably do an episode on this Cardinal Prevost, where he came from. There's a lot of interest. Details with his life. We probably won't get into a tremendous amount of detail because there's just so much new information coming out about him, but related to this episode that I recorded before, and I think this, this, uh, you should definitely hang on all the way to the end because it's so interesting. This whole episode was based around the prediction markets around who would be Pope, and I said it in this episode and I've said it many times. Prediction markets are very accurate in some ways, but I think that it was very inaccurate with this current Pope and just it would be inaccurate with Popes in general because it's such a unique election and that the only data points are the [00:02:00] 140 cardinals who go in, or the X amount of Cardinals will say in future conclaves. And we just don't know what the politics are. We don't a hundred percent know what the politics are going in, and we know. Basically 0% of what political machinations went on in that enclave. It must have been fascinating because of how quickly they came up with him. It was less than five ballots to get Cardinal Privos to become Pope Leo the 14th. It's one of the shortest conclaves of all times, only two days to get white smoke. So I think that that is fascinating. So definitely keep listening and let's see a little bit of how these markets worked. I'll just say that going in Cardinal Perlin was up. To 67% and Prevost was [00:03:00] pretty low down there. I don't even think he was on my uh, radar at all. He was on the poly market in the under 5%. So this will be definitely an interesting pay papacy to watch out for with this young pope, relatively young, not super young. 69 for an elected leader or of any sort or stripe in this era. That's young. So let's, let's check out and think a little bit more about these markets today. I'm going to address some of the top contenders for the, uh, next Pope. I'm not gonna get too much into the, the detail of each of these Cardinals, because again, there's 140 of them. All of them are in play as. To be the next Pope. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna take a little different tack than our friends over at Pontax or Popular History. Definitely tune [00:04:00] into both of them because they are doing continued coverage as well. Way I'm going to look at it today is I wanna look at some of the, what are these cardinals who are meeting in conclave looking for in the next Pope? And then what I'm also going to look at is. The poly market prediction. Market website. And what the poly market is, is people literally put their money where their mouth is. They put um, I guess what you might call wagers or their maybe investing in their own money on who they, the next Pope is. Honestly, they don't, most of these people, they're not gonna have any more insider information than you or I do. They're just predicting who they think the next Pope is. And what I think is valuable about poly market is this was more, this website was more accurate in the 2024 [00:05:00] presidential election than any of the polling and generally. Poly market is very accurate, especially as it gets closer and closer to the actual events, the more accurate it becomes. Again, there's some problems with the, the nature of. The conclave process because once they're in conclave, these 140 cardinals, a lot of politics breaks down when they're face to face and they're horse trading inside of the inside of the conclave. Somebody could be up, up, up, up, up in the ballots, but they're just not hitting that number, and then the whole conclave starts to switch and they could. Do a 180 turn that person who on the first initial ballots could have been the top contender, and then they start to lose steam and it [00:06:00] starts swinging towards somebody else. That can very easily happen when these popes. When these cardinals are on lockdown, could this be a quick conclave or could it be a long, drawn, drawn out affair? We just don't know at this time. Now, before we get too far into the actual, who's the, who are our top contenders? As on poly market. Let's talk a little bit about what these cardinals are actually looking for and what are some of the, the factors at play. This, it really is the, the chest, the 3D chest, the five D chest, if you will, of a conclave. What, what some of the factors that they're looking for is regionality. Is it going to be somebody from Europe inside of Europe? Is it an, is it an Italian or a Southern European versus the [00:07:00] Germans who have a really powerful block? Is it, are they looking? Are they looking for somebody who is. Theologically driven from a certain bent. Are they a moderate theologically? Are they liberal? Are they conservative? Are they a moderate conservative or liberal politically? And that politically charged moderate tism or liberalism or conservatism can very much change whether they are depending based on what region they're from. And then another factor, of course, is the. The person's age, are they looking for a pope that is younger or older? Are they looking for somebody who could be a placeholder? Fra? Pope Francis was Pope for a long time. He made a lot of changes. Are they looking for that cardinal? Who will become Pope, who's gonna be pretty much status quo? Are they gonna be a [00:08:00] Francis site, so to speak and continue his. Reforms and his changes and his policies, or are they going to look for somebody who's Auntie Francis, who's gonna go back on a lot of the things that he's done? Then there's the, it's sort of the X factor. Most of the popes who are real contenders are, uh, are all Latin, meaning that they're Roman. Roman and they're vet. But there's also this, uh. The so-called Sury Juris or Sury juris churches that are self-governing autonomous churches within the Roman Catholic Church. They're generally, uh, on the outside they would look like an Eastern Orthodox or an Oriental Orthodox, but they're not in communion with the Orientals or the. Or the Eastern Orthodox, but externally they look like them and [00:09:00] they have a lot of the same theological bents. None of these guys are really in the running, but it, it could be interesting that they wind up going with one of these. It's kind of an a way outsider possibility, but it's not. Impossible. So let's just talk about region quickly. Regions, we have the United States, we have South America, Europe. Then Africa and the East China and, uh, China really being the, that 800 pound gorilla in the room, generally speaking, the I. African cardinals are much more theologically conservative than maybe your European cardinals. You've got South America who many of their cardinals are much more. [00:10:00] Liberal politically and liberal, more liberal on the theological bent America, a real mixed bag. You have some very conservatively political and conservatively theological cardinals mixed in with some very liberal on both political and theological. Issues Europe. Again, a a mixed bag, but generally more liberal theologically and a mixture of liberal conserv or conservative politically. Now talking about theologically, you have your conservatives, your liberals, and your moderates, and your moderates. It's not like they're 50 50. A lot of times they don't have a a, they haven't drawn stark lines either liberal or conservative, or they do [00:11:00] have a mixed bag of both opinions. I. As far as somebody liberally, theologically, they're gonna be people who are more for remarriage, which was always a big no-no in the, uh, in the Catholic church where if you got divorced and you're not. You haven't been, your marriage wasn't a nulled in an official church capacity. These people, people, these laypeople who were married and divorced, were not allowed to get communion. They were essentially ex-communicated. So there's a lot of cardinals who wanna liberalize that. You have liberals who want to be ecumenical, meaning they wanna have strong ties and maybe even form communion again with some of the Protestant groups or some of the Eastern Orthodox and I. Oriental Orthodox [00:12:00] churches, they want much tighter, much tighter connections with these other churches that are not in communion with Rome. Conservatively, uh minded Cardinals want to be much stricter on those issues and they don't wanna. Necessarily have stronger ecumenical relationships with the other churches, or if the other churches wanna have relations with the Catholic church, they're gonna have to become Catholic and fall in line with Catholic Church dogmas. There's this big issue of the ordination of women. Liberals are leaning more towards the ordination of women. Maybe not full, full-blown priests, but maybe women, deacons. The conservatives are really against that. Then you have the issue of the Latin mass and the Latin mass is a. Huge [00:13:00] issue. Pope Francis the co, the Council of Vatican ii, all the way back in the sixties kind of dialed back and went back on the traditional Latin mass. And what we should really just say is the traditional Latin mass is not just saying the mass in Latin. There's a whole. Environment around that, where the people who are into the traditional Latin mass have certain political views, certain theological views. Popes later on, after Vatican two started to give the Latin mass a little bit more consideration. John Paul two light loosened up and allowed more groups to do this Latin mass. And then Pope Benedict. Loosened it a lot more, but Pope Francis really pulled back the reigns on how much the Latin mass was allowed and he fairly much banded except for certain groups and [00:14:00] certain circumstances. Hey, Steve here. If you're enjoying the history of the Papacy podcast joining us. On Patreon at patreon.com/history, ofthe papacy, we're working toward going completely listener funded, which means no more ads ever. When you join, you get early access to episodes, monthly book giveaways, and most importantly, your name is added to the history of the papacy dip. Dicks our own list of commemorated supporters. You can become an Antioch level supporter. For just $3 per month, but it makes a huge difference to making the history of the papacy ad-free and independent. Nobody likes ads, not you, not me, and I'm the guy who records them, so let's just give rid of them. Visit patreon.com/history of the papacy and join [00:15:00] today. Now, politically speaking, that's a whole different ball of wax. Like I said, regionally that's gonna change a lot because a conservative in Europe is going to look a lot different than, uh, conservative from say, the United States and what they believe in. Another big issue is on abortion, generally speaking. Abortion is an ex communicatable offense. If somebody gets an abortion, you're out and there's not a lot of options to get back in. You're more liberally inclined. Uh, pres and Cardinals would be willing to give people who have women who have had an abortion an option to get back into the church. Then we have this age issue, and age is very, it can be complicated because. Popes do not have to resign. [00:16:00] So you a, a cardinal could be right on the cusp of nine, uh, that 80-year-old of where they're no longer payable, but that cardinal could be 79 and 364 days old. Get elected Pope and still have good 10 years or more left in them and could still make a lot of changes. But then again, you have Cardinals who are in their fifties. They could have a 20 year reign no problem, and be very transformative. You could have a cardinal get picked who's very administrative minded and doesn't wanna make these big changes and all these different issues that are at play. There's just, we're talking about. Each, each single category that I've laid out, four, four different, five different categories, that they could be all over the place on these and inside of the conclave. They could be looking for somebody who's a little bit [00:17:00] of this, a little bit of that. It could just get down to the fact that as the, as the ballots start rolling out. They could go to somebody all together who's not any of these, and the cardinals could go for somebody who's in a way, opposed to them on many of the issues just because of way, the way this balloting inside of the conclave breaks down. There's probably going to be a lot of impetus for them to make it a, a conclave short. Like just let's boom, boom, boom and get it done with. There could be, but they could also get drawn out and it could take months. We just don't know. Pope Francis was a very quick conclave, not many ballots, but that doesn't necessarily mean the way it, it could play out in this current enclave. There's just so, so many factors at play. Then the, there's the, also the issue, a big issue [00:18:00] that in a lot of ways Pope Francis pun punted on, he talked a big game, but he didn't do much with the huge issue of the child sex abuse scandal. That's really been rocking the church since the sixties, but it's really played out during Francis' Reign. And Francis in Word took a very hard line, but then he didn't do much. And a lot of cardinals who are in sitting in conclave right now have very questionable backgrounds on what they, they actually did to fight against this. Major, major scandal. They, uh, some of the cardinals were very loose on who they were, who they clamped down on of priests that were known to have been essentially predators, and some cardinals came down hard on them.[00:19:00] Just another issue at hand. Now getting into who were the really, the guys who are in the top on Poly Market. We have Pietro Parlin. He's the top contender right now by far on Poly Market. He is. Coming in at 29% chance there's over a million dollars in play at his, uh, election. You can buy a, a share in Cardinal Parlin at uh, 29 cents us. He's youngish at 70 years old. He's an Italian, he's all of these cardinals. Uh, the thing you can really say is that they're all insiders. They all have top jobs. They are top, um, they're really ingrained into the, the whole. [00:20:00] Administration of the church. You can't really be a cardinal without doing that. He is the Cardinal Bishop of Santi, Simon, uh, GI Angela. As his, um, official post, he's also a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisors, and he's had a bunch of jobs. He was consecrated. He's actually one of the rare, uh, cardinals that was put in place by Pope. Uh. Pope Benedict. So he's been a, he's been around, even though he is only 70 years old. Most of the, of the vast majority of the Cardinals were actually appointed by Francis at this point. So this Pietro Harlene, he is definitely one to keep your eye on. Steve here with a quick word from our sponsors. The next one on the list [00:21:00] is coming in at 18% with, um, a, a well over $1.1 million in volume trading volume. So he's being heavily traded. Is Luis San Antonio Tagle and he is a Filipino. Uh, Cardinal. He seems to lean a little bit more on the theologically and politically liberal side, just from, you know, real broad strokes. And he is very young coming in at 67 years old and he's a. Probably, uh uh, what you could really call is a Francis site, and I think if he became Pope, he would definitely continue Francis' reforms and Francis' policies going forward. And somebody like him, you could see a easily a 20 year reign out of somebody [00:22:00] like him, maybe 25 year reign, somebody who's only 67 years old. Then we have coming in just a few percent lower Mateo Zui. He is coming in at about eight, $800,000 in volume on poly market. He's another Italian. He's a, uh, straight from Rome again. Young at 69 years of age. He's, uh, he's the bishop of Bologna, which is a powerful Italian episcopate. Again, I mean, these guys, they're, uh, they're, every single one of the, the top contenders resumes are totally, totally. Insiders, uh, inside of the, the papal, the curia, and the administrative arm of the papacy. [00:23:00] He's definitely another liberal who, uh, on political issues for sure. And again, he's another one who's probably would very much continue a lot of Francis' policies. Then you have. Coming in at 9%. So these top four that I've mentioned, they are, they're taking up about 70% of poly market. Turkson is an African Pope, or he's a African Cardinal Archbishop of Cape Coast in Africa Again. Full resume of all these jobs inside of the curia. A lot of these, uh, it, it's very interesting amongst the African Cardinals. Uh, Cardinal Syrah is another one who, uh, he's a little bit lower on the list only coming in at 3%. Where to Turin [00:24:00] is in at 9%, but with a lot of trading volume of over a million dollars. In volume. The African cardinals are of particular note because they are, the Catholicism is just exploding in Africa and it's bringing in a lot of, uh. New converts who are converting from either different Protestant groups or from the Native African religions, but they're, they're bringing in a lot, a lot of new, new converts. So that's something to watch because you're really in a, uh, an, an expansion mode. So they have to make certain compromises with native. Internal politics in Africa as well as the particular needs of these, the, these new groups of people who are coming into the church [00:25:00] who. Have their own beliefs, but are with an evangelistic faith. Some are, when they become Catholics, they're going to be very much, they wanna follow the letter of the law, but also they have their own thoughts on issues. I. And because they are growing so much, they're a force to be reckoned with. And I think that it's not impossible that they could go with an African cardinal just because this is such a powerful and growing block. And then the last Pope coming in at, or the last PO potential Pope is Pierre Batista Pizza Ball, who is an Italian again. He's leaning in. He's leaning in some ways towards the conservatives, but also the liberals. He is kind of a moderate. But he's really big into interfaith dialogue or ecumenical relationships between the different churches. Now, [00:26:00] another huge issue that I didn't mention is where cardinals are falling on some of the big hot button issues and. Two of the big hot button international issues in 2025 is the UK Russo Ukrainian War, which really pits in a lot of ways Catholicism versus Eastern Orthodoxy because there's, wow. We could get into a lot of issues here. Western Ukraine is largely Roman Catholic. Eastern Ukraine is largely amongst, especially amongst the Russian population. Russian Orthodox with deep, deep, deep ties to the Russian Orthodox Church under the patriarch Cial. Then in the middle, stuck in the middle are the what the Eastern Orthodox will call uni eights. But, [00:27:00] um, they're these, uh, the self-governing. Churches that would on the outside look Eastern Orthodox, but are actually in communion with Rome and they're stuck in the middle. But then you also have Eastern Orthodox who are a part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that's split away from the Russian Orthodox Church. They're accepted by some Eastern Orthodox but not accepted by the Russian Orthodox, so that's a huge issue going on. The popes of Rome have been sort of leaning more towards the, the breakaway Ukrainian Orthodox Church and against the Russian. Orthodox church inside of Ukraine. Huge political issue. Then you have the whole fight in the war that's currently going on in Gaza. [00:28:00] Now, that mostly focuses mu, most of the Gazen, uh, people are Muslim, but there's a significant Christian population and many of them are tied to the Eastern Orthodox Church. So beyond the religious issues, there's also the humanitarian issues for the Muslims and the Christians inside of Gaza. All issues that we're gonna have to look at, that we look at, uh, as outsiders not sitting inside of the conclave issues that. Many Catholics find very important to them, be it, uh, revolving around the Russo Ukrainian war and the war that's currently going inside of Gaza. Very important to many people in sitting inside of that conclave, the cardinals and the priest's laity, everybody who's outside of the conclave, [00:29:00] all issues that. Uh, we should be looking at and thinking about, and that these cardinals will certainly be looking at. So this is my little take on what to look for in the conclave, and definitely send in your comments and look for more. Coverage of conclave of 2025 coming up soon. I will talk to you next time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was born in Siberia in 1797 to a clerical family, and became a married parish priest in Irkutsk. A devout explorer, John Kriukov, told him of the great spiritual needs among the Russian and native peoples in Alaska, then Russian territory. Moved to serve Christ in this very difficult environment, he and his family arrived in Alaska in 1824. He quickly learned the Aleut language and worked humbly and tirelessly among the Aleuts. His spiritual classic, An Indication of the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven, was originally written in Aleut and later translated into many languages.   While he was visiting Russia in 1838, his wife died; one year later he was tonsured a monk and given the name of Innocent (he had been Fr John Veniaminov). Almost immediately after his tonsuring he was, without warning, raised to the rank of Bishop of all Eastern Siberia and Russian America, probably the largest diocese in the world at that time. Returning to Alaska, he continued his missionary work with vigor, often traveling among Aleut and Tlingit settlements in his own kayak. Wherever he went, he found the Alaskan people hungry for the faith, and his labors bore rich fruit which is still obvious today: Alaska has more Orthodox churches per capita than any other state.   In old age he was made Metropolitan of Moscow, head of the entire Russian Orthodox Church. His concern for Christian mission was undiminished, and as Metropolitan he created the Orthodox Missionary Society. He reposed on Holy Saturday of 1879.

Send us a textToday, we cover the only major schism in Russian Orthodox history, known as the Raskol. Occurring in the mid-17th century, the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, led to the schism that would pit one side, the central church, against those known as the Old Believers, millions who exist to this day.Support the show

A version of this essay was published by the Deccan Herald at https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/the-end-of-the-european-century-3438618The frenetic activity recently around the Ukraine war has brought into sharp focus several things. One is the irrelevance of the United Nations. Two, the fact that Europe has in effect reverted to being a backwater in the scheme of things. Three, the US may have finally escaped from being a British “Imperial Fortress”. Four, it would be generally a good idea for Europe to bury the hatchet with Russia, as they usually lose wars with Russia.The United Nations, which is to say the “liberal rules-based international order” [sic] set up by the winners in World War II, may have reached the end of its useful life. The UN is going the way of its feckless predecessor, the League of Nations. There were resolutions and counter-resolutions at the UN and its Security Council, but none of it mattered. It signals the end of globalization, and the end of Europe's brief dominance.After Vladimir Zelensky made a spectacle of himself in Donald Trump's Oval Office (which may have been instigated by Keir Starmer and others encouraging Zelensky to, as it were, stand up to Trump), there was the remarkable, hastily organized summit in London to drum up support for Ukraine. Alas, it showed instead the relative impotence of western Europe: despite their brave words, they cannot defend Ukraine without US support.The participants were: Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, etc and Euro-grandees such as Ursula von der Leyen. It is unclear whether this motley crew can raise more than a few infantry brigades/squadrons of aircraft, and some munitions. Enough perhaps for a peace-keeping force after a standstill/ceasefire, but not for a defensive force if war were to continue.A major problem with Europe is that they are living off of old glory. There was no reason to include both Britain and France in the UN Security Council with veto power after WWII, except for misguided American generosity. But there is a much bigger problem: after a brief ‘European Century' (or to be precise, three or four centuries) of global importance, they are reverting to their natural, diminished state.The economic center of gravity of the world, according to McKinsey and The Economist, has moved decisively to Asia from where it was in the post-war era (somewhere in the Arctic Sea near Iceland around 1950 and 1960). The Industrial Revolution enabled European conquest, and this caused a break in the pattern of Asian prominence.The magisterial “Economic History of the World” by Angus Maddison for the EU showed how India was the biggest economic power in the world from 1 CE (where they started their study) up until the 1500s or 1600s. India and China dominated the world economy until European colonialism hollowed out both, especially India. Now the pendulum is swinging back. And with economic power comes military power, as well as influence.My contention is that Europe isn't really a separate ‘continent', but only an appendage to Asia, and it should be called “Northwest Asia” henceforth.A major reason for British power, apart from their guns, steel and ruthlessness, was their cunning use of far-flung ‘imperial fortresses' such as in Malta, Gibraltar, Bermuda, Halifax, St Helena, Mauritius, Singapore, etc from which they could project power around the world. Interestingly, they were able to gaslight the United States into being another such fortress despite formal independence. Whitehall has led Foggy Bottom by the nose. In effect, NATO has been the instrument for thisThe US now seems to have woken up, and is pushing back. Starmer was told by Trump that the best outcome is for the war to end and the misery to stop for Ukraine, despite loss of territory. In any case, territory in Europe has been very fluid, and they have been fighting interminable wars there such as the 30 Years' War, 100 Years' War, etc. Notably, the Crimean peninsula was ‘donated' to Ukraine by Khruschev, himself a Russian-speaking Ukrainian.There are age-old blood feuds in Europe. I realised this in the Soviet days when I had a study partner in grad school, a Ukrainian-American woman. By mistake I referred to her as a ‘Russian' and she was most offended. I think this is because western Europe has been fighting with Russia forever, based partly on race (Russians are seen as ‘tainted' by Asian blood) and religion (Russian Orthodox Church vs Catholics and other Protestants).Unfortunately for them, western Europeans have continually lost their wars to Russia: most notably, Napoleon and Hitler were decimated. It would be best for all concerned if the EU/NATO and Russia were to make peace; otherwise they will both end up dominated and turned into vassals by China.The AI-generated podcast from NotebookLM.google.com is here:792 words, 4 Mar 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

A version of this essay was published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/shadow-warrior-what-zelenskys-debacle-says-about-us-newfound-clarity-13867967.htmlThe tongue-lashing received by Vladimir Zelensky in the Oval Office, in full view of the media, was a point of inflection. It highlighted something that we had suspected: the end of the ‘European Century' (or two or three), wherein they had risen to be the Masters of the Universe. Trump is emphasizing that the Atlantic was a 19th century story; with the rise of the US, the Pacific was the story of the 20th century; and the 21st finds the Indian Ocean rising.Zelensky's debacle was not the only pointer: Keir Starmer of the UK, despite some polite talk about the mythical ‘special relationship', was told sharply by Vance that there is no more free speech in the UK, and that it affects American technology companies and citizens. Let us remember also how Elon Musk lambasted the UK for its Pakistani rape gangs, and the limp-wristed reaction of its authorities. Trump also told Starmer “That's enough!”JD Vance, again, spoke some home truths to the Europeans at the Munich Security Conference, telling them their problems are home-grown: excessive migration, lack of democratic values, and censorship.All this is shocking to the supercilious elites of Europe, who are now seeing their cozy world collapse in front of their eyes: no more free-loading, no more Uncle Sam to the rescue. Suddenly, NATO is meaningless, and decades of Greta Thunberg and V-dem style lecturing, virtue-mongering and pontification are coming back to bite them on the backside.They must be recalling William Blake's apocalyptic vision in The Second Coming. Their world is indeed falling apart.Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned;The best lack all conviction, while the worstAre full of passionate intensity.It's hard to blame the Europeans. They have forgotten how it was only yesterday, as it were, that they were being hounded by the Barbary pirates, enslaved and turned into janissaries by the Turks. I read how the author of Don Quixote had been himself captured, enslaved for five years, and ransomed in 1580 for 300 gold coins, worth some $40,000 today.The European Century has made Europeans, and us, Fourth Worlders or those formerly colonized by them (as V S Naipaul put it), forget that Europe is just a backwater, a mere peninsula, an appendage, to Asia. It is now reverting to just “Northwest Asia”. For most of recorded history, Europe was an uncivilized land of savages; it was only the lucky accident of the Industrial Revolution that gave it the wherewithal to dominate the world.But that is in the past: the economic center of gravity of the world has indeed moved from the Atlantic to Asia.Source: The Economist.comThe illusion that America is obligated to support Europe, and also to fight Russia to the bitter end as part of the Cold War, was nurtured by Atlanticist Eastern Europeans exercised by an age-old blood feud: that between the Russian Orthodox Church on the one hand, and Catholics and other Protestant churches on the other hand.Those certainties are now falling by the wayside, as Trump pivots to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as back to isolationist Fortress America. As Zelensky did mention in his tirade, America has the good fortune to have two oceans around it, a serious moat. The US has been gaslighted for a long time by nose-in-the-air Europeans, most especially the mischief-makers at the UK's Whitehall (who are the real Deep State). But that's wearing off, and the blinkers are falling from their eyes. Sadly for Zelensky, he will be the first one affected by this new-found clarity.Zelensky also made several rookie mistakes. First, you don't go to your benefactor's lair (ie. the US Oval Office) dressed in a sweatshirt. Second, you don't talk over Trump. Third, you don't get into a shouting match in English with native speakers when English is your second language: you might miss the nuances of “you don't hold any cards”, for instance. Fourth, and most importantly, you don't trust Starmer, Macron, etc. and take up cudgels with Trump.The near-simultaneous “toolkit” tweets from a lot of EU grandees suggests they gaslighted Zelensky into his suicidal bit of bravado against Trump in the Oval Office. They used the exact same words! And Trump doesn't take slights lightly.The implications are dire. The Ukraine War is as good as over, because the Europeans alone cannot (or will not) supply Zelensky with enough weaponry to hold off Russia indefinitely. The most likely outcome is a ceasefire followed by a standstill agreement: what Ukrainian territory Russia currently holds it will continue to hold; Ukraine will be de jure partitioned. The rest is negotiable.If the Europeans had any sense, they would patch up with Russia. NATO as we know it will come to an end, and EU+Russia is a pretty powerful force, and neither will have to kowtow to China. With the US out of the picture, divided EU and Russia will both fall into the dhritarashtra alinganam of sweet-talking China. To their ultimate detriment, of course.It is good to contrast Trump's treatment of all these Europeans with his much gentler treatment of the Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba, and the Indian PM Narendra Modi, both Quad partners. He was polite and businesslike with them. Also, when a reporter asked about AUKUS, the brain-dead partnership with the UK that Biden dragged another Quad partner, Australia, into, his response was: “What's that?”There were early glimpses of a Trump foreign policy taking shape, as I mentioned in two prior columns: Chronicles of a Foreign Policy Foretold and Trump's America and Modi's India. Now things are clearer: there's a new Sheriff in town, and things are going to be different. But, William Blake notwithstanding, it's not the end of the world. We will all carry on.1000 words, 1 Mar 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

The subject of Ukraine shattered the unity of Eastern Orthodoxy long before Russia's full-scale invasion began. In 2018 the Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared independence from Moscow with the approval of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. In response, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow broke off all relations with Constantinople, creating arguably the greatest schism in Orthodoxy for 1,000 years. There are now two main Ukrainian Orthodox Churches: one that supports independence and one still loyal to Moscow. As The Spectator's Ukraine correspondent Svitlana Morenets points out, Ukrainians who previously didn't care which church they attended now have to decide which to attend. Meanwhile, Dr Yuri Stoyanov, a fellow at SOAS, describes the alarming escalation of apocalyptic rhetoric encouraged by Kirill, whose talk of a Holy War against the forces of Antichrist is popular with soldiers but means little to the average Russian.  As we approach the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Svitlana and Yuri join host Damian Thompson to discuss the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in perpetuating the conflict. Has Holy War returned to Europe? And is it true that President Putin has secretly been taking part in bizarre quasi-shamanistic rituals?  Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

The subject of Ukraine shattered the unity of Eastern Orthodoxy long before Russia's full-scale invasion began. In 2018 the Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared independence from Moscow with the approval of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. In response, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow broke off all relations with Constantinople, creating arguably the greatest schism in Orthodoxy for 1,000 years. There are now two main Ukrainian Orthodox Churches: one that supports independence and one still loyal to Moscow. As The Spectator's Ukraine correspondent Svitlana Morenets points out, Ukrainians who previously didn't care which church they attended now have to decide which to attend. Meanwhile, Dr Yuri Stoyanov, a fellow at SOAS, describes the alarming escalation of apocalyptic rhetoric encouraged by Kirill, whose talk of a Holy War against the forces of Antichrist is popular with soldiers but means little to the average Russian.  As we approach the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Svitlana and Yuri join host Damian Thompson to discuss the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in perpetuating the conflict. Has Holy War returned to Europe? And is it true that President Putin has secretly been taking part in bizarre quasi-shamanistic rituals?  Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Metropolitan Yevstratiy, the Deputy Head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine's External Church Relations, accuses the Russian Orthodox Church of being nothing more than an arm of the Kremlin, doing the bidding of President Vladimir Putin, the proverbial 'wolf in sheep's clothing'. In this case, religious vestments, and telling Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine that if they die in battle, they will immediately go to paradise, all sins forgiven. In 2019, Ukraine's Orthodox Church was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. It caused an uproar in Moscow. Kirill and Putin refused to recognize the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey) that authorized Ukraine's identity as an Autocephalous Church. That Russia is engaged in a Holy War is not in question. But it's Patriarch Kirill in Moscow, says Yevstratiy, that claims the Russian aggression against Ukraine is for the "Liberation of Ukrainians from Godless West... From the evil." And to, "bring to Ukraine the light and truth."   On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Metropolitan Yevstratiy also reveals a scarier version of the war in Ukraine; that Putin and Kirill want to make Moscow the third and final Rome, labeling the rest of Christianity, Catholics and Protestants alike as heretics and pagans. As President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth look for diplomatic solutions to the war's end, Yevstratiy and His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany, the leader of the OCU, are faithful that God Himself will bring an end to the battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recorded on December 28, 2024 As we approach the end of 2024, we discuss Bashar Al Assad giving up power and fleeing Syria, and give some our perspectives and observations. We also discuss Vladimir Putin blaming "ethnic Jews" for "tearing apart" the Russian Orthodox Church, and how this matches a pattern going back to Joseph Stalin and is not indicative of Putin being opposed to Israel or Zionism, but rather focuses on and targets the opponents of religious Zionism. https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israel-did-not-want-assad-removed-power-us-officials-tell-turkey https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/revealed-how-assads-downfall-thwarted-israels-plan-carve-syria https://eestieest.com/putins-remarks-about-jews-ukraine-and-the-russian-orthodox-church-arent-anti-semitic/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/russian-spokeswoman-says-jews-behind-trump-win/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinchas_Goldschmidt https://sputnikglobe.com/20220730/us-pushing-china-to-the-edge-as-carrier-group-heads-to-south-pacific-1097937615.html https://www.exposetheenemy.com/the-antedote https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections https://www.newsweek.com/alex-jones-conspiracy-theory-september-11-usa-vladimir-solovyov-1825521 https://www.newsweek.com/alex-jones-conspiracy-theory-september-11-usa-vladimir-solovyov-1825521 https://bylinetimes.com/2024/12/18/tortoise-and-the-heir-the-slow-news-media-firm-behind-the-observer-sale-and-the-curious-company-it-keeps/ https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1151955/Russia-linked-cable-cutting-tanker-seized-by-Finland-was-loaded-with-spying-equipment --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-antedote/support

Send us a textToday, we wrap up the series on the heads of the Russian Orthodox Church. Support the show

Kate Adie introduces stories on Syria, Myanmar, Ivory Coast, the Russian Orthodox church and Tunisia.The threat of being 'disappeared' was central to Bashar al Assad's system of repression and intimidation. Now he is gone, Syrian families want to know what happened to their loved ones. Yogita Limaye met people who've been searching for relatives for years – and who have discovered likely clues at a hospital morgue.BBC Eye has been investigating the role of moles in Myanmar's military - soldiers sharing intelligence with pro-democracy groups. These moles have helped the advance of rebel groups and the balance of power is now shifting, with the military now controlling less than a quarter of the country. Rebecca Henschke tells the story of the 'watermelon spies' - military green on the outside, rebel red on the inside.Chocolate has been one product that has notably suffered from 'shrinkflation' - rising in cost, and shrinking in size. This is in part due to the spiraling cost of cocoa - but not everyone involved in its cultivation is getting rich, as John Murphy discovered when he met farmers in Ivory Coast.The war in Ukraine has been sanctified by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow - head of the Russian Orthodox Church. He's even said Russian soldiers who die on the battlefield will be washed of their sins - but not everyone in the church agrees with this stance. Lucy Ash catches up with one priest risking punishment for speaking out.Tunisia recently hosted the World Morse Code championship – a fiendishly competitive tournament, in which participants are challenged to accurately receive, copy and send coded transmissions as fast as possible. Monica Whitlock went to watch the competitors in action.Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production coordinator: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Send us a textToday, we begin a two-part series of the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church, beginning in the early 14th century.Support the show

Support Our Cause at https://libri-vox.org/donate Leo Tolstoy's "A Confession," written in 1882 shortly after a life-altering spiritual crisis, is a brutally sincere reflection on life, morality, and the nature of faith. Tolstoy describes in great detail the process by which he lost his faith in established Christian churches, the meaninglessness of wealth and fame, the agony of acute depression, and how he overcame misery and dread through personal study of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Along the way, he contrasts the artificial faith and arrogance of educated people with the genuine faith and humility of the Russian peasant. This work, and others of its ilk, were aggressively censored by the Tsarist regime and directly led to Tolstoy being excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church. Summary by Paul Rizik.

Lawfare Associate Editor Olivia Manes sat down with with Marlene Laruelle, a Research Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at The George Washington University, and Director of GW's Illiberalism Studies Program, to discuss the financial, ideological, and historical connections between the American far-right and Russia. Marlene discussed the distinction between confluence and influence, white supremacist notions of a "pan-white" nation embodied by Russia, the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in fostering connections, and more.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/c/trumptrials.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happened when news of the Russian Revolution reached the empire's rural areas? How did the largely non literate peasantry interact with this change? How did the Russian Orthodox Church carry the message of the revolution? What did the empire's non Russian and non Christian peoples make of it? This episode explores the chaotic and fragmented way in which Russian society encountered revolutionary change. Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 955.Today, we discuss the Pentagon's verbal contortions as it explains where and when the US will shoot down Iranian missiles - plot spoiler: Israel now, Ukraine never - and speak to the author of a new book explaining how the Russian Orthodox Church became a vital force in Putin's existential war against Ukraine.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor, Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on X.RolandOliphant (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @RolandOliphant on X.With thanks to Lucy Ash (Foreign affairs broadcaster and author). @LucyAAsh on X.Full video of David's funeral:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/03/david-knowles-funeral-telegraph-journalist-ukraine-podcast/Lucy Ash's book, 'The Baton and the Cross: Russia's Church from Pagans to Putin':https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baton-Cross-Russias-Church-Pagans/dp/1837731837 Articles Referenced: Exclusive Boris Johnson interview (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/10/03/boris-johnson-exclusive-interview-putin-trump-lockdown-echr/1.5 million Ukrainian children at risk of being deported to Russia, ombudsman says (Kyiv Independent): https://kyivindependent.com/1-5-million-ukrainian-children-at-risk-of-being-deported-by-russia-ombudsman-saysStudents can subscribe to our coverage for free:We're giving university students worldwide unlimited access to The Telegraph completely free of charge. Just enter your student email address at telegraph.co.uk/studentsub to enjoy 12 months' free access to our website and app. Better still, you'll get another 12 months each time you re-validate your email address.Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.ukHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russian doomsday cult The Good: Not Declaring to be Christ Let People Get Medical Attention The Bad: The Cave Living With The Dead Rule #1 The Culty (is there anything in this cult worth incorporating into our own?): Excommunication NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna21836019 Cultfacts.org:⁠ https://www.cultfacts.com/cults/ CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian The Nice Cult: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thenicecult.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The fall of the Soviet wall and the opening of the iron curtain presented ample space for hope, optimism and opportunity for westerners eager to share culture, creativity, business and democracy concepts with the citizens of the former Soviet Union. David Junk leapt at the chance to work for Polygram/Universal Records in a country hungry for music and freedom. David's 15 years in Russia were a unique window of time between Gorbachov's Glasnost and Putin's re-consolidation of power. David stepped into a landscape that he called “the wild, wild, east,” teaming with gangsters and corruption and also talented, enterprising Russians, eager to explore new possibilities. David's journey is documented in his book, Rockin' The Kremlin which gives readers an inside look at boots-on-the-ground life and work in Russia from the perspective of a Russian speaking, idealistic American. David and his co-writer Fred Bronson join us for a fascinating dive into David's adventures… Contract negations with Polygram which included kidnapping insurance, Russian kids' obsession with hip hop, discovering and exporting Russian talent including two young girls called t.A.T.u. who kissed on The Tonight Show, wearing “F*** War” tee-shirts which they got past everyone because the words were written in Russian. David says that those tee-shirts are now being worn by kids in Ukraine. This window in time introduced a generation to a complex intersection of culture and politics which was ultimately snuffed by Putin's coalition with the Russian Orthodox Church and a renewed, vehement opposition to LGBTQ rights and individual expression. Ultimately, it was David's deep disappointment in colleagues' support for the invasion of Ukraine and concerns for his family's safety which brought him back to the states. But still, so much was learned and exchanged.All this, plus Fritz and Weezy are recommending The English Teacher on FX (streaming on Hulu) and the making of The Sopranos doc, Wiseguy on HBO Max.Path Points of Interest:Rocking The Kremlin: My Incredible, True Story Of Gangsters, Oligarchs, And Pop Stars In Putin's Russia by David Junk with Fred BronsonDavid Junk on FacebookDavid Junk on InstagramFred Bronson on TwitterArt During Wartime PodcastGift of Democracy The English Teacher FX and Huluhttps://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/english-teacherWiseguy - HBOhttps://www.hbo.com/movies/wise-guy-david-chase-and-the-sopranos

The historian Timothy Snyder is famous for his work on the horrors of the 20th century and his call to arms to fight against tyranny in the 21st. Now, in ‘On Freedom' he explores what liberty really means. He challenges the idea that this is freedom ‘from' state or other obligations, and explores how across the US, Russia and Ukraine, true liberty is the freedom ‘to' thrive and take risks. The Ukrainian poet, Oskana Maksymchuk also considers the question of freedom in her collection, Still City, a book that started as a poetic journal on the eve of the Russian invasion in 2021. The fragmentary poems detail the everyday moments amid the violence and fear and precarity of a country at war. The Russian Orthodox Church has managed to survive the turbulent history of the country, from tsarist demagoguery to Soviet atheism, and is now free to flourish under Vladimir Putin. But in her new book, The Baton and the Cross, the journalist Lucy Ash reveals how the religion has formed an unholy alliance with politics, state security and big money.Producer: Katy Hickman

Timor-Leste prepares for Pope Francis' visit, Orthodox Church through the pandemic, Utah lawmaker posts racist video, teacher sues after being fired, Ukraine bans Russian Orthodox Church, South Dakota school prayer bill, and the Mormon Temple ceremony just got another rewrite.

Vladimir Putin talks of restoring greatness to what he calls the Russian world: an expanse of territory which, as Ukrainians know to their cost, stretches far beyond Russia's current borders. Putin's expansionist nationalism requires military power, but it's harnessed the cultural and spiritual authority of the Russian Orthodox Church too. Stephen Sackur speaks to Andrey Kordochkin, who was a Russian Orthodox priest who spoke out against the Ukraine war and the "Putinisation" of the church. Is he swimming against an unstoppable tide?

Religious diversity at the US ballot box, plus the World Council of Churches faces pressure to expel the Russian Orthodox Church over Ukraine.  

One of the most serious consequences of the Ukraine war has been the split in the global Orthodox church. Pew Research estimates there are 260 million Orthodox Christians. The Russian Orthodox Church has not only supported Vladimir Putin's attack, it's blessed it as a Holy War. The influential World Council of Churches has been under intense pressure to expel or suspend the Russian Orthodox from the organisation. Its general secretary is the Revd. Dr. JERRY PILLAY. has been in Australia to discuss religious freedom. 

absurd beliefs can lead to atrocities. Cult specialist Joe Szimhart is an artist whose journey into the world of cults began with his interest in the paintings of Nicholas Roerich who led Agni Yoga. Roerich believed he was the 'king of the world' and cultivated an influential following - including Henry Wallace, FDR's Secretary of State for Agriculture and FDR's wife Eleanor. Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife were also members, as was Putin's former wife. The Russian Orthodox Church has declared both Theosophy and Agni Yoga satanic. Agni Yoga is a major source of New Age material - Joe tells the story of its use as the secret teaching at the heart of the Church Universal and Triumphant. And some discussion of Nazi beliefs, which were also influenced by Theosophy. Spike's note: For those of us who can't just hop on over to Spain (yes I'm jealous), I highly recommend the Prado Museum's interactive website.

Fred Bodimer reports on a series of recent terror attacks in Russia, where gunmen opened fire at a police traffic stop in Makhachkala, killing officers, and attacked a Russian Orthodox church during services, resulting in the death of a priest. Concurrently, armed assailants targeted a synagogue in Dagestan. At least 15 officers have been confirmed dead across these incidents. While no group has claimed responsibility, the Russian government is labeling it a terrorist incident.

Join Michael Jaco and S.G. ANON on an epic journey through the shadows of history and the corridors of power. In "Operation Disclosure: The Unseen Wars," we delve into Trump's unprecedented protective detail, suggesting a covert military operation targeting war criminals within the US. Our hosts peel back the layers of historical conflicts, questioning the true motivations behind wars and the manipulation of truth by powerful elites. Explore the seismic shift in awareness as Michael Jaco and S.G. ANON bypass traditional media, exposing the insidious patterns of control by Western central banks, geopolitical machinations, and the dark occult elite clashing with the Russian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian conflict is dissected as a battleground for justice against these nefarious forces, rooted in a centuries-old religious struggle. Journey through pivotal events like World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the rise of Zionism, uncovering the hidden hands shaping our world. Discover the chilling influence of the so-called "Kazarian mafia types" and their historical control. The Balfour Agreement, World War II, and the portrayal of Hitler are re-examined, revealing a tangled web of manipulation and obfuscation. Michael Jaco and S.G. ANON present a complex theory intertwining Zionism, the Rothschild family, and world wars, suggesting a long-standing infiltration of religions and cultures. From Rommel's wartime actions to Rothschild connections in Israeli history, they hint at a dark conspiracy involving secret meetings and symbolic imagery. Reflecting on propaganda and truth manipulation during World War II, the speakers spotlight the German invasion of Poland, Soviet atrocities, and the courageous stand of veterans in Athens, Tennessee, 1947. They discuss voting irregularities under Roosevelt, raising questions about political power and deception. Uncover the deep-seated concerns about Zionist movements, language manipulation, and the urgent need for unity against evil ideologies. Michael Jaco and S.G. ANON confront the grim realities of depopulation agendas, vaccine skepticism, and bioweapons like Lyme disease, as discussed by Tucker Carlson. The escalating nuclear threat, AI's potential to overtake civilization, and the desperation of the deep state are examined, with a stark warning about nuclear conflict risks. Despite the bleak outlook, there's a glimmer of hope for avoiding annihilation and reshaping the banking system to eliminate deep state control. Economic manipulation, potential bank collapses, and stock market turmoil are analyzed, revealing ties to historical wealth consolidation and the looming threat of a pre-Third World War scenario. Michael Jaco and S.G. ANON discuss the global shift towards asset-backed financial models and the dismantling of central banking systems. In this gripping podcast, attend the Quantum Summit through our hosts' eyes, gain insights from their online presence, and share their gratitude towards the community. "Operation Disclosure: The Unseen Wars" is more than a podcast; it's a clarion call to uncover the truth and confront the powers that shape our world. Prepare to see beyond the veil and question everything you thought you knew. Join host Michael Jaco, Ex-Navy Seal, who teaches you how to tap into your Intuition and Unleash the Power within, so you can become the Master of your Reality. Connect with Michael Jaco at his website - michaelkjaco.com   The 3 authentic places online where you can find SG Anon and TheQNewsPatriot content are: X(Twitter): @TheQNewsPatriot TruthSocial: @RealSGAnon Rumble.com/user/qnewspatriot

Historically, Ukraine has been home to people of a variety of faiths and religious denominations, and it's been exceptionally “open to receiving a wide spectrum of religious communities” in the years since the collapse of the U.S.S.R, according to expert Catherine Wanner. This laissez-faire approach to religion stands in stark contrast to Russian state policy, which claims to embrace religious pluralism while systematically repressing religious liberty. In Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, experts have documented at least 76 incidents of religious persecution since the full-scale war began in February 2022, including forced conversion, abduction, and murder. This persecution, which some experts say may constitute a “systematic” campaign, has affected Ukrainians of a number of faiths, including Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and Muslims. But members of one group have been especially likely to face repressions: Protestants, despite making up between two and four percent of Ukraine's population, were the victims of 34 percent of cases of religious persecution, as writer Peter Pomerantsev noted in his article “Russia's War Against Evangelicals,” published in Time last month. This includes evangelical Baptists, who were the most likely denomination to face persecution after Ukrainian Orthodox believers. Russia's disproportionate targeting of evangelical Christians in Ukraine is no coincidence. One Ukrainian pastor quoted in Pomerantsev's article summed up the occupation authorities' mindset like this: “You are the American faith, the Americans are our enemies, [and] the enemies must be destroyed.” To learn more about Russia's violent campaign against Ukrainian evangelicals and one organization's efforts to raise awareness about it in the United States, Meduza senior news editor Sam Breazeale spoke to Steven Moore and Anna Shvetsova from the humanitarian aid organization the Ukraine Freedom Project, and Catherine Wanner, a professor of history and religious studies at Penn State University who studies religious life in Ukraine. Timestamps for this episode: (2:30) Exploring Ukraine's religious landscape since 1991 (9:31) The persecution of Protestants in occupied Ukraine (26:14) The Role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the conflict (27:24) Navigating political disinformation and support for Ukraine in the U.S.Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) just released its annual report on freedom of religion in the world. The sections on Central Asia make for grim reading. Constitutionally, people in Central Asia can practice whatever faith they choose. In practice, however, only the state-approved forms of Islam and the Russian Orthodox Church are acceptable to authorities in Central Asia. Other groups face a myriad of problems; discussions of religion posted on social networks that stray from state sanctioned norms can lead to legal repercussions. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss are Mollie Blum, a researcher at USCIRF who helped compile the data on Central Asia for the recent report, and Felix Corley, editor of the Forum 18 News Service that monitors religious freedom in the former Soviet republics and Eastern Europe.

Swiss singer Nemo has won the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden, with their song The Code. The contest in Malmo Sweden has been marred by protests about the Israel Gaza conflict threatened to derail the event. Emily Buchanan gets an update rom BBC reporter Sophie Yardley and Dr Paul Jordan, an expert on Eurovision whose thesis, The Eurovision Song Contest: nation branding and nation building, examined the political changes in the competition.For the fifth time, Vladimir Putin took the oath of office and was sworn in as Russia's president for a new six-year term in the Kremlin Palace before being blessed by Patriarch Kirill in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Where he was likened to Alexander Nevsky - known for fighting off raids of Teuton knights. Patriarch Kirill claimed “God himself entrusted the service of Russia to you". How do these events shape the identity of the Russian Orthodox Church? Sunday programme hears from Katharine Kelaidis, Director of Research and Content at the National Hellenic Museum.Litany is a made to measure clothing small business in New York. Driven by their faith, Co-creators Veronica and Olivia started their business to provide women with garments that are worthy of wearing. Emily Buchanan hears from co-founder Veronica, about how her Christian faith inspires her fashion brand.Presenter: Emily Buchanan Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Linda Walker Production Coordinator: David Baguley Editor: Jonathan Hallewell

On air with Yuri Romanenko, we debunked the myths of "Russian World", which is trying to change the balance of power in the West in its favor: https://youtube.com/live/YatC247GRfk➤ 00:00 Interview of Russian “philosopher” Dugin with American journalist Carlson about understanding conservatism, human nature and Russia's role in all this.➤ 03:20 Definition of conservatism in the West and in Russia. Main Differences.➤ 04:54 Conservatism in Russia, territorial encroachments and "liberation from Western captivity". Dugin's and Shchelin's philosophy: no "special path" or original ideas.➤ 08:05 The oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible laid the foundation for the crisis of the Muscovite kingdom.➤ 09:21 Russia was successful then when it acted like Europe. Orthodoxy is a European idea.➤ 11:23 What does the addition of Ukraine and Belarus mean for Russia.➤ 12:23 Where is the original, non-European culture of Russia?➤ 13:54 Another iteration of struggle within Russia between Asian and European cultures.➤ 14:44 On what soil is Russian Federation going to grow original ideas? The only arguably original idea of Russia is state madness.➤ 17:54 “By their deeds you will know them”: the body of ideas of Shchelin and Dugin is justified with cruel actions from Bible. Shchelin is a good example of the Russian tragedy of an intellectual.➤ 21:30 Mystical gnosticism of Russians.➤ 22:45 Western conservatism versus Russian “conservatism.” Social survey: what Russians celebrate on Easter. Civilization with a twist. Announcement of a conversation about Russian conservatism between Arestovich and Peterson.➤ 30:50 Russia was created so that everyone can see what NOT to do.➤ 33:10 Basic contradiction of the Russian people.➤ 35:40 Enslavement of man: who is truly free in Russia? The state as a perfect idea: the State trumps the Individual.➤ 38:40 Bloodthirstiness of Russian intellectualism.➤ 40:45 Russian culture has mutated from the chthonic swamp civilization based on death cults.➤ 46:48 The aimlessness and “originality” of the Russian state.➤ 52:23 Russian Orthodox Church disease of the brain.➤ 54:45 Statistics of Orthodox Russia.➤ 55:35 Ukraine is the place where the Russian idea breaks down. That's why Russia wants to destroy Ukraine.➤ 58:50 The depth of trauma of the Russian soul.➤ 01:01:11 Fundraising for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.English translation #PrivateerStation. Olexiy Arestovych (Kiev): Former Advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleksiy_Arestovych Official channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/arestovych Social Media: https://lnk.bio/alexey.arestovichYuriy Romanenko, Ukraine Politologist. https://www.youtube.com/ yuriyromanenko_ukraine  

Find me and the show on social media @DrWilmerLeon on X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube Facebook page is www.facebook.com/Drwilmerleonctd   Some articles referenced in the episode: Libertarian article: To End the War in Ukraine, Expose Its Core Lie | The Libertarian Institute Nato Watch article: How Gorbachev was misled over assurances against NATO expansion TruthOut article: The Ukraine Mess That Nuland Made | Truthout   FULL TRANSCRIPT: Announcer (00:06): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge. Wilmer Leon (00:15): Welcome to the Connecting the Dots podcast with Dr. Wilmer Leon. I am Wilmer Leon and this is a special episode. Here's the point. We have a tendency to view current events as though they occur in a vacuum and we're failing to understand the broader historical context in which many of these events occur during each episode. Usually my guests and I have probing, provocative and in-depth discussions that connect the dots between these events and the broader historic context in which they occur, and this enables you to better understand and analyze the events that impact the global village in which we live on today's episode. The issue before us is what's really behind this most recent spate of military spending and is democracy really at risk? My guest for this discussion is me as the brilliant philosopher of the late Maurice White with Earth, wind and Fire said in all about love. (01:23) I want to take this moment to run down a couple of things about things we see every day. So in this episode it's just going to be you and I, president Joe Biden. On Wednesday the 24th of April, he signed into law the So-called Military Aid Package. It's worth $95 billion of your hard earned tax dollars. It includes nearly $61 billion that's going to Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel and $8 billion for the Indio Pacific. After signing the bill, president Biden said quote, it's a good day for America. It's a good day for Ukraine. It's a good day for world peace. The aid package, Biden said is going to make America safer. It's going to make the world safer, and it continues. America's leadership in the world. Is it and does it really well. So these statements by Biden, they're going to be kind of the broad outline of my comments for today. (02:43) What's really behind all of this money to Ukraine, Israel and the Indio Pacific, and is it an investment in safety or is it profit for the military industry? On January 17th, 1961 in his farewell address to the nation president Dwight Eisenhower, a former general and Republican warned the country and the world against the establishment of what he called the military industrial complex. Eisenhower said, and I quote, A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be might ready for instant action so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. He was talking about a defensive military, not an offensive military. He went on to say American makers of plowshares could with time and as required make swords as well, but now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense. We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions and this is really the key, this conjunction, this is Eisenhower of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience, yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications in the councils of government. (04:28) We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought by the military industrial complex, the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. I repeat that the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist and that's what we see today. Eisenhower was incredibly prophetic in his concern of the dangers of American foreign policy becoming the ideological play thing of the arms industry. So coming out of World War II in 1945 coming out of the Korean conflict in 1953 and entering the Vietnam conflict around 1955 or 1956, it's very easy to understand Eisenhower's position on the need for a strong and prepared military. We're not going to debate that point. That could be a whole nother program, but with that, he admonished us not to fail to comprehend the grave implications, the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought by the military industrial complex. (05:57) So again, what's really behind all of this money to Ukraine, all this money to Israel, all this money to the Indio Pacific. Let's start with Ukraine and most of this will center around Ukraine because that's where a bulk of the money is going and that's also where for the most part, the most immediate risk of conflagration exists. There's a great piece that's published in the Libertarian Institute. It's entitled to end the War in Ukraine, expose its core lie to end the war in Ukraine, expose its core lie it's co-authored by Ted Snyder, a regular columnist on US foreign policy at antiwar and history at anti-war dot com as well as the Libertarian Institute and it's also it's co-authored by Professor Nikolai Petro. He's a political scientist at the University of Rhode Island and he's also the author of a number of books and since their piece is so well researched and so well written, I'm just going to quote from it, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, they did a phenomenal job with this piece and I suggest everybody read it anyway. (07:19) They write. The essential argument used to avoid negotiation and continue support for the war in Ukraine is based upon a falsehood. They call it a falsehood. I call it a lie. That falsehood repeated by Joe Biden is that when Russian president Putin decided to invade Ukraine, he intended to conquer all of Ukraine and annihilated its falsity and this is Snyder and Petro its falsity has been exposed multiple times by military experts who have pointed out both before and after the invasion that Russia could not have intended to conquer all of Ukraine because it did not invade with sufficient forces to do so. Indeed, this was the key reason why senior Ukrainian officials and even President Zelensky himself argued just days before the invasion it would not occur. Now, I take issue with their use of the word invasion because it's really a military intervention, but again, that's a discussion for another time. (08:33) Folks, if you just strip away the rhetoric and the lies, and if you just look at the facts, the US started this fight with Russia and is using Ukraine as its proxy to do so. Schneider and Petro also have a piece, it's a shorter version of piece that I just referenced and it's entitled four Myths that Are Preventing Peace in Ukraine. Again, their work is so well researched and written, I'm just going to quote them again, I'm not going to try to reinvent the wheel they write. If diplomacy is to have a chance at settling the bloody conflict, then four persistent myths about Ukraine need to be exposed and refuted. Myth number one, Putin. I'm sorry, myth number one. If Putin is not defeated in Ukraine, he will roll into Europe. You've heard this many times. If Putin takes Ukraine, according to President Biden, he said this in Congress on the 6th of December, 2023, he won't stop there. He's going to keep going. He's made that pretty clear. (09:53) The problem with that statement is no evidence to support it has ever been presented. Petro and Snyder go continue, but Putin has not made that pretty clear. In fact, Putin has consistently said that the Ukraine crisis is not a territorial conflict. The issue is much broader and more fundamental and is about the principles of underlying the new international order. Simply put, it's about President Putin being concerned about Russian territorial security, sovereignty and integrity in the same manner that any other leader in the world is concerned about their territorial security, sovereignty and integrity. He's not doing anything different than what any other world leader would do. There's a piece@natowatch.com, I think.org, nato watch.org entitled How Gorbachev was Misled Over Assurances Against NATO expansion. And this piece that I'm referencing is kind of background to give you some greater context about what Schneider and Petro have written the US was trying to convince. The Soviet Union, this is back in the nineties, was trying to convince the Soviet Union to allow for the reunification of East and West Germany. (11:40) The then US Secretary of State, James Baker, his famous not one inch eastward assurance about NATO expansion while he was meeting within the president of Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. This was on February 9th, 1990 was only a part of a cascade of similar assurances, meaning not only did James Baker say it, but other European leaders said this to Gorbachev as well. In February of 1990, baker assured the Soviet Union, and at the time he was the US Secretary of State under then President George HW Bush, he assured his counterpart Edward Chevron Nazi, that in a post Cold War Europe, NATO would no longer be belligerent, less of a military organization, much more of a political one, and then it would have no need for an independent capability. This is what the United States told the Soviet Union. Nonetheless, baker promised Shepherd Nazi ironclad guarantees that NATO's jurisdiction of forces would not move eastward meaning no closer to the then Soviet Union. (13:12) On the same day in Moscow. He famously told the Secretary General that the alliance would not move one inch to the East The following day, O Cole, the future chancellor of a United Germany repeated the same thought to Gorbachev even though they were disagreeing on other issues. Tillman Cole told Gorbachev not one inch eastward. That's what convinced Gorbachev to agree to the reunification of east and West Germany. I believe France, Britain and possibly one or two other European countries made the same assurances as well. And again, as a result of these insurances assurances, Germany was reunited the West NATO and Western allies or US allies have violated this agreement ever since. That's what's at the crux of the conflict. That's why when President Putin and President Biden met in Geneva, Switzerland before the Russian intervention, Putin told Biden, I'm giving you my security concerns in writing and I expect your response to my concerns to come back to me in writing. (14:46) He demanded the written response because Baker had stated the commitment verbally to Gorbachev. So now Putin wants this in writing and just quickly to those that say, oh, well, because it was just a statement and it was not written, it's not valid. Nene, I say to you, there's a case, I think it's Norway versus Greenland. It's a 19 35, 19 36 international law case that holds statements made by official representatives of states or countries are valid. They are enforceable. So the fact that Baker said it and didn't write it does not mean it's not valid. Again, according to Norway v Greenland, it's a 19 35, 19 36 international case. Okay with that. Now let's go back to Petro myth number two. Russia's invasion of Ukraine was never about nato. That's the myth that this has. The conflict in Ukraine has nothing to do with nato. Western officials insists that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked and that Russia's decision to illegally invade Ukraine was never about NATO expansion and crossing Russia's red lines, but rather it's a senseless war against a sovereign freedom loving nation. (16:29) Petro Snyder continue. On the 7th of September of 2023, NATO's secretary Jens Stoltenberg made the stunning admission that Putin's decision to invade Ukraine was indeed provoked by NATO encroachment on Ukraine. The United States wanted to put missiles into Ukraine too close to the Russian border. Prior to making that decision to go into Ukraine, Stoltenberg said that Putin had sent a draft treaty that they wanted NATO to sign to promise no more NATO enlargement. That was what he sent to us, Stoltenberg said and was a precondition for his not invading Ukraine. And Stoltenberg said, of course, we didn't sign that. Myth number three, the war in Ukraine is a war on democracy versus autocracy. According to this narrative, Russia cannot be allowed to win because this war is not just about Ukraine. It's the first battlefield in a larger war for democracy against autocracy. (17:55) But Russia abandoned the goal of exporting ideology when the Soviet Union collapsed. In fact, the Russian constitution, article 13 of the Russian constitution explicitly prohibits the imposition of a single state ideology and the exportation of such. And for those of you who will say, oh, you all didn't know Russia has a constitution, president Putin is bound by that constitution. Russia has a parliament, they have a democracy. Vladimir Putin, contrary to popular belief and narrative is not an autocrat. He's no more of an autocrat than Joe Biden is an autocrat and some would tell you that Joe Biden is an autocrat. But anyway, this and this is my input. If the US is spending billions of your taxpayer dollars to defend democracy, then why did the United States go in and overthrow the democratically elected government of President Victor Jankovich in Ukraine in 2014? To that point, there is a piece in truth out the Ukraine mess that Newland made. (19:18) You can find this in truth out the Ukraine mess that Newland made assistant Secretary of State at the time, Victorian Newland engineered Ukraine's regime change without weighing its likely consequences. This is by Robert Perry, a RRY, as the Ukrainian army squares off against ultra-right, and neo-Nazi militias in the west and violence against ethnic Russians continues in the East, the obvious folly of the Obama administration's Ukraine policy has come into focus even for many who tried to ignore the facts or what many have called the mess that Victoria Newland made assistant Secretary of state for European affairs. Tor Newland was the mastermind behind the February 22nd, 2014 regime change in Ukraine, plotting the overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Victor Jankovich while convincing the ever gullible us mainstream media that the coup wasn't really a coup but a victory for democracy folks. She worked with Nazis in Ukraine to overthrow the democratically elected Jankovich government in 2014. (20:51) It's called the ma don coup or ma don coup. Look it up, M-A-I-D-O-N. Everything I'm telling you right now, you can verify for yourselves. In fact, I implore you to do so. I'm not just taking this stuff off the top of my head. This is not my opinion. If it is my opinion, I will tell you that it is. This is historic fact. Myth number four, Putin again, this is Snyder and Petro Putin is not interested in negotiating. The West insists that Putin is not interested in negotiating an end to this conflict despite multiple news reports that he has been signaling through intermediaries that he is open to a ceasefire and that he is ready to make a deal. The White House continues to insist that he has shown absolutely no indication he's willing to negotiate. And that's just not true. My opinion, that's just not well, that's a fact. (22:08) He my opinion is not interested in negotiating based upon the usual tactic that the United States uses. The United States usual tactic of negotiation is capitulation. The United States comes to the table and says, here's how it's going to go. And once you agree to how we believe it's going to go, then we can sit down and talk about it. And Putin's saying, no ne nay, I'm not going to do that. You want to negotiate this. We're going to sit down and negotiate this. And that's one of the big problems. My opinion, again, that's one of the big problems that the United States has with dealing with a peer such as Russian president, Putin back to Petro. But the historical record shows that Putin has sought a negotiated settlement since the opening days of conflict. And by all accounts, Russia and Ukraine had even reached a tentative agreement in Istanbul in April of 2022. And that has been confirmed by American reporting by then Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett by former German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder by Turkish Foreign Minister, and Newman Tuus, sorry for that struggle with those names. He's the deputy chairman of Erdogan, Turkish president of Erdogan's party. In fact, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he went to Ukraine and told Zelensky in April of 22, under no circumstance is the West going to allow you to negotiate a settlement with Russia. (24:29) I say that again as the United States says that Russia has no interest in negotiating. They were already negotiating and they had reached an agreement. And there have been some instances, some press conferences where Putin has held up the agreement and said, I got it right here. But Bojo Boris Johnson went and told on behalf of the West, went and told Zelensky, under no circumstances is the West going back that play. So if Putin isn't interested in negotiating, negotiating, why did he participate in the mens agreements, the series of international agreements which sought to end the Donbass conflict that was fought between armed Ukrainian, pro-Russian separatist groups and the armed forces of Ukraine. Folks look up the Minsk accords. And when you look up the Minsk accords, here's the problem. You can find this at the World Socialist website. You can find this a number of places former German chancellor, Angela Merkel Min, that the mins accords or the mins agreement was merely to buy time for Ukraine's arms buildup. The 2024 Minsk agreement was an attempt to give Ukraine time. Merkel told a German newspaper, it was also used. They also used that time to become stronger as you can see today. (26:16) And Angela Merkel was one of the key conveners of the Minsk meetings under the pretext of negotiating a settlement between what were called the ethnic Russians in the Donbass region and the rest of Ukraine. See, once you had the 2014 Midon coup and the Yakovich government was thrown out, then a pro Ukrainian nationalist Western leaning government backed by Nazis in Ukraine was implemented. And they then, because they were Ukrainian nationalists, they started ethnically cleansing what were called ethnic Russians in what's known as the Donbas region of Ukraine. And those folks in the Donbas were begging President Putin to intervene on their behalf. They're Ukrainian citizens with Russian background, Russian families, many of them speak Russian. They are members of the Russian Orthodox Church. They travel back and forth between the Donbass and Russia because they have families in Russia. But the Ukrainian nationalists wanted to ethnically cleanse them from the country. (27:50) And so in order to stop the conflict, they came to what was called the mens accords, which is why if you go back and look at the record, you'll see Putin telling Biden before he went into Ukraine, all you got to do is implement the Minsk agreement and we're good. All you've got to do is implement the Minsk agreement. And I'm not going in. We've already negotiated this. All you have to do is implement it. And the United, he told that to Biden when they were in Sweden in Geneva, you can look it up. The United States ignored it. So folks, this is a cursory view, cursory overview of the situation. You can research this for yourselves. Tony Blinken, Joe Biden, even Malcolm Nance, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, they're all lying to you. This is not about defending democracy, it's not about stopping the further advance of Russia. It's all about selling weapons around the world and they're using your nickel to do it. (29:22) Of the $60.7 billion that's going to Ukraine, $38.8 billion isn't going to Ukraine. It's going to US factories that make missiles, munitions, and other military gear. It's going to replenish the United States military stocks that have been depleted as a result of this fool's errand called Ukraine. It's going to Lockheed Martin, it's going to General Dynamics, it's going to General Electric, it's going to Boeing, it's going to Raytheon, it's going to a whole lot of other American arms manufacturers or as Eisenhower refer to them, the military industrial complex. And I'm not making these numbers up. You can look it up. This came from an Associated Press story and guess where the Associated Press got their numbers? They got their numbers from the Biden administration. So again, not my opinion, it's the facts. There's a great summary at the World Socialist website. (30:48) I referenced the story a little earlier in this piece, but if you're asking yourself, so what's the motivation behind the United States for using Ukraine as its proxy to confront Russia? The summary is as follows, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States has pursued the goal of remaining the sole world power. To this end, Washington has waged numerous criminal wars and expanded NATO into Eastern Europe. Now it wants to integrate Ukraine, Georgia, and other former Soviet republics into NATO and subjugate Russia in order to plunder its resources and isolate China. You may have heard the pivot towards China from the Obama administration. That's what this isolation of China is all about. It's a pivot away from Afghanistan, a pivot away from a conflict with Russia, and the focus is on China. So the 61 billion in aid to Ukraine, the 26 billion for Israel, the $8 billion for the Pacific, those are your tax dollars with infrastructure crumbling in the United States, healthcare, pensions, education, we don't have the money to deal with those things as the rate of suicide is up in the United States as the rate of depression is up in the United States as inflation is ravaging the pocketbooks of the middle class and the working class and the poor in this country, they got 95 billion of your tax dollars that they can send to Ukraine now 26 billion for Israel. (33:09) What a mess that is contrary to the dominant narrative. This conflict did not start on the 7th of October. In fact, there's a piece in the publication in these times entitled History didn't Begin on October 7th. The Israeli military is currently carrying out an attack on the besieged Gaza Strip bombing homes, bombing mosques, bombing hospitals, churches cutting off access to water, assassinating children, assassinating doctors. They're cutting off electricity, they're cutting off food. The Palestinian death toll has risen to over 35,000. 70% of those 35,000 are women and children, 80% of GA's, 2.3 million residents have been displaced GA's and suffer untreated injuries and a continual lack of medical supplies. (34:28) While this collective punishment, which by the way violates international law, has been justified by right wingers. Israeli defense minister Yoav Glan called Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip human animals and US Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican from South Carolina that's never met, a war he didn't like, called for the military to level the place in a sitting American senator has called upon the Israeli government to level Gaza, which by the way is in violation of American law because Israel is using American money and American weapons to ethnically cleanse, to collectively punish, to engage in genocide against the Palestinian people. Look up the Lehe law, thehe Amendment, look it up. Look up the Arms Export Control Act, and you'll see very clearly that the United States is in violation of its own law by providing weapons to Israel. While it's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while it's defense Minister Gallant and others have stated very clearly that they are engaging in genocide. (36:16) Now, as I talk about this and as I talk about what Hamas' response, Hezbollah's response in Lebanon, ansara Allah in Yemen, I'm not saying this to condone violence or to condone killing in no way, shape or form, but you have to understand the context in which these actions and reactions are taking place. Dr. King told us many times that war is an enemy of the poor, and he also talked about the three evils of society are racism, militarism, and poverty about racism. He said, if America does not respond creatively to the challenge to banish racism, some future historian will have to say that a great civilization died because it lacked the soul and commitment to make justice a reality for all men. That not only applies to how the United States government treats Native Americans, that not only applies to how the United States government treats Mexican and other Latino or Hispanic immigrants. That does not only apply to how the United States treats African-Americans, it applies to how the United States spends and spends its money to back fund and organize genocide against the Palestinians. (38:03) The second evil was militarism. And Dr. King said, A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. 95 billion sent of our tax dollars to foreign countries for war, for oppression to maintain this unitary or unilateral hegemony that the United States has become used to since World War II and our bridges are collapsing. You have people in the United States that are having to decide between do they pay their rent, do they pay their mortgage, or do they pay their grocery bill? And that takes us into the third element, the third evil of society that Dr. King talked about poverty where he says the poor black and white are still perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. What happens to a dream deferred? It leads to bewildering frustration and corroding bitterness. (39:29) The people cry for freedom and the Congress attempts to legislate repression. They just voted to send $95 billion of your tax dollars to oppress another people, repress another people, Dr. King, millions. Yes, billions are appropriated for mass murder. That's not me, that's Dr. King for mass murder. But the most meager pittance of foreign aid for international development is crushed in the surge of reaction. Unemployment rages at a major depression level in the black ghettos, but the bipartisan response is an anti-riot bill rather than a serious poverty program. Or you've got Mike Johnson going to Columbia calling for the arrest of protesting students that are protesting what? They're not protesting against Judaism. They're not protesting against Israelis, they're protesting against genocide and they're protesting for the freedom and the rights of Palestinians at the time that he gave this speech, which I think was 1968, right before he died, $26 billion. (40:56) I'm sorry, this is me now, my problem, my mistake, 26 billion of your tax dollars are being invested in the genocide of the Palestinian people. Context, folks. Context is incredibly, incredibly important here. I'm not going to go through the 75 years of apartheid and oppression right now that's going on in pal. I'm not going to go through that right now. Let's just look at some of the most recent incidents. According to Chatham House, the Israeli attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus on the 1st of April. You remember Israel sent missiles into Damascus, Syria and struck the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing an Iranian general and a number of other diplomats. That's unprecedented. That's an unprecedented escalation by Israel against Iran in Syria, an unprecedented escalation. Folks, it's a violation of international law for one country to attack the embassy or the consulate of another country, and they did it on Syrian soil, which means they also violated Syrian sovereignty. (42:37) What did Iran do after consultation with the United States and agreement with the United States? Some say it was Bill Burns from the CIA A with the US and other countries in the region and based upon and consistent with international law. That's a very, very important point here is that after Israel on April 1st illegally struck the Iranian consulate in Syria, Iran did not just react in a knee-jerk manner. They didn't just send a barrage of missiles into Tel Aviv. They sat down and they spoke with the United States and they said, look, we can't allow this to stand. (43:29) We just can't sit I lead by anymore and let them do this to us. So here's what we're going to do Based upon international law, we are allowed to retaliate rarely. When you read about this in the newspaper, does it say that Iran retaliated against Israel? What they usually, how they usually describe it, and this is why context is important, they usually describe it as Iran struck Israel. Iran attacked Israel. No, they retaliated. And under international law, what you are allowed to do is you are allowed to strike military targets that were tied to the offensive strike that you endured, and you're also allowed through international law to strike support targets well such as radar towers, communication facilities. And so Iran sat down, I think it was Bill Burns from the CCIA A and Bill Burns said to Iran, okay, so long as you don't hit civilian targets, we the United States will not respond. So what did Iran do? (45:02) They retaliated as international law allows them to, and when they finished, they even gave the United States and Israel the heads up. They said In five hours, this is what we're going to do. And they used these slow moving drones so that the United States and Israeli radar could track the drones. They even gave them time to get their newly acquired F 35 jet fighter planes that they had just gotten from the United States out of harm's way. They did all of that to make a point, and when they were finished, they said, we now consider the matter closed. You struck us. We retaliated we're good, but Israel wasn't satisfied. (46:10) And what did Israel do? They struck again in violation of international law. Fortunately, president Raisi as well as Supreme Leader, Khomeini and others in the Iranian government, fortunately they are thoughtful. Fortunately, they have a longer view of history than Americans do. Fortunately, they exercised restraint and they have not struck back. Think about that context, folks. Context is very important. President Biden tells us that we're protecting security and democracy in Israel. Here's the newsflash. There's nothing secure about Israel and there's nothing democratic about a colony that oppresses over 30%. Its population. Palestinians do not have the same rights to vote as Israelis do. Palestinians do not have the same right to travel throughout the country as Israelis do. (47:46) Many Palestinians have been relegated to living in an open air concentration camp called the Gaza Strip, where their caloric intake is monitored and managed by the Israeli government. Their access to water, their access to electricity is managed by the Israeli government. That's not democracy. That's not even humanity. It's called genocide. And your tax dollars are being used to fund it. There's nothing democratic about a United States that is arresting students for peacefully protesting against genocide. Now, over 40 colleges and universities are engaged in protests. The University of Southern California in Los Angeles has canceled graduation. They are not allowing, well, the first thing they did was they decided that the valedictorian of the class of 2024, a Palestinian American woman was not going to be allowed to give her valedictorian address and they claim due to security concerns. So instead of protecting her and allowing her to give her speech, they have been held hostage by threat, by innuendo, by social media posts. Think about that. (49:29) Over 40 colleges and universities are now engaged in protests and presidents of these universities are calling out the police. They were arresting students. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the house, just went to Columbia University and threatened or called for the resignation of the President of Columbia because she's not following the script. And to show you how prevalent this has become, there are now high school students, high school students in Washington DC at Jackson Reed High School, the largest high school in the District of Columbia. They have had to file a lawsuit being represented by ACL U. They have filed a lawsuit against their principal saying that the principal has infringed upon their first amendment rights by barring them from holding pro-Palestinian events and distributing information materials. So apparently the First Amendment doesn't apply if your speech is in support of those that the Israeli lobby deems to be offensive. (51:06) And for those of you listening to this that say that this is an anti-Semitic analysis, no, it's not. It's anti-Zionist is what it is. And contrary to what they have now wanted to say from Congress and what many backing the Israeli lobby will tell you, Zionism and Judaism are not the same thing. Look it up. Don't take my word for it. Zionism is a political ideology that is racist, that is white supremacists and is used as the basis for genocide against the Palestinians, whereas Judaism is a religious belief system. Two totally different things. Finally, what the United States loves to call the Indio Pacific, basically what they're doing is trying to start a war with China, and they're using the island of Taiwan as the United States has used Ukraine as its proxy to start a war with Russia. The United States is using the island of Taiwan in a similar manner, and fortunately, president Xi of China is thoughtful, patient, reserved, and is not responding to the provocations as the United States would do if China were trying to do to Puerto Rico or trying to do through Puerto Rico. What the United States is trying to do to China through Taiwan, missiles would be flying and bullets would be shot. (53:17) But G is a wise man and he's not falling for the banana in the trick. He's not going to allow the United States to provoke his country into a conflict. So the United States is engaging in military exercises with South Korea. The United States is engaged in military exercises with Japan. The United States is engaged in military exercises with the Philippines. The United States is building more military bases in along the Pacific Rim. All of this, and heaven knows why, because it's a fight. The US can win. We don't have the technology, we don't have the technology that they have. We don't have the capacity, the capability, the hypersonic missiles. Look, the United States going back to the Iranian, I'm sorry, going back to, yeah, the Gaza conflict, the United States sends in the USS Eisenhower, was it Gerald Ford? I think it was the Gerald Ford. They send in the Gerald Ford carrier Group into the Mediterranean off the coast of Israel. And President Putin says to Biden, he says, why are you doing this? He says, you're not scaring anybody. These people don't scare. He says, oh, and by the way, we Russia can sink your aircraft carrier from here with hypersonic missiles. (55:26) Hypersonic missiles. These things fly at something like nine times, 10 times the speed of sound they have, I think it's the SU 35, which is a fighter jet that Russia has, and they're called Kja. I think it's K-I-N-J-A-L, Ken jal missiles. Look it up. They can sink the carrier from the Black Sea before the carrier even recognizes that the missiles are incoming. That thing is on its way. That carrier is on its way to the bottom of the Mediterranean before they even know that the missiles are incoming, and China has the technology as well. Some say that Iran has the technology. (56:20) So folks, why are your tax dollars being used being wasted when there is such drastic need at home? And this is not a Republican or a Democratic issue. Democratic, this is a NeoCon, and you got Republican and Democratic neocons. This is a NeoCon issue. They are lying to you about the rationales and the so-called logic that they are employing so that it's a money laundering scheme, is what it is. The United States through its proxy, Ukraine starts a conflict with Russia so that the Biden administration can tell you that we have to increase our military spending to stop the fight with Russia to stop the war in Ukraine, to defend the Ukrainians. Well, if you hadn't started the fight in the first place, there wouldn't be a fight. (57:57) Joe Biden tells us we have to defend security and democracy in Israel as the United States Arms funds, trains, provides logistics support to the Israeli government as it engages in genocide against the Palestinians. It's very simple. Joe, if you want to bring a stop to this as you ring your hands and cry, crocodile tears about protecting innocent Palestinian civilians, pick up the phone. Tell Benjamin Netanyahu, you don't get another damn dime. Very simple, very simple. The way you end the fight is don't start the fight in the first place. The United States is trying to provoke a war with China over Taiwan, even though it is clearly stated, articulated by then President Nixon, secretary of State, Kissinger, the one China policy. The United States considers Taiwan to be a part of China. The UN recognizes Taiwan is a part of China. The majority of Taiwanese believe support that they are Chinese citizens. If you don't want to have a fight with China, then don't provoke the fight with China, as they say on the corner. Don't start nothing. Won't be nothing. So folks, here's what you really need to think about. What does this mean? I just went through Ukraine. I just went through Israel. I just went through the conflict with China, and what does this mean? What's at stake? Well, first of all, world War iii. Remember, Russia is a nuclear armed country. China, I believe, has nuclear weapons. Israel, that's the worst kept secret in the world, is a nuclear armed country. So the United States as a nuclear power is trying to start a conflict with other nuclear powers. A nuclear war is unwinnable by anybody. Everybody loses in the course of a nuclear war, (01:01:06) Even if the war doesn't go nuclear. Look at all the resources that have been wasted that could have been used to make America truly safer. When our infrastructure is sound, the country is safer. When our children are better educated, our country is safer. When you have social security, our country is safer. Why can't we have the healthcare, the mental healthcare, the family care that this $95 billion, and that's just the most recent of the So-called aid bills. That's just the most recent of them, 95 billion. Where could that money go, and what could that money do to help you life easier to ensure a better standard of living for you? (01:02:32) What could be done with that money instead of being used to fund a fight that the United States started? Again, don't start. Nothing won't be nothing. But when militarism is all you have, what is the adage? When your only solution is a hammer, every problem is a nail. When militarism is your solution, every problem is a conflict. And oh, by the way, you're starting the conflict. So folks, in all the stuff that I've said over this past hour, if you heard that on M-S-N-B-C, have you heard that on CNN? Have you heard that on Fox News? Probably not. But when you do a little research, you'll find everything I've said to you is true. (01:03:45) The truth is the light. So again, this is on you because this is impacting you, and you've got to start at the local level, starting with your city council, starting with your state and local government and working its way up. You've got to look at what those kids are doing on college campuses and on high school campuses. Now they are getting engaged. Now, I'm not saying you got to pitch a tent on somebody's lawn, and no, there are a myriad of ways that you can reengage in the process, but it starts with reading. So with that, I say to you, I got to thank my guest, who by the way, is me. Thank you all so much for listening to the Connecting the Dots podcast with me, Dr. Wilmer Leon. Stay tuned for new episodes every week. Also, please follow and subscribe. Go to patreon.com/wilmer leon and contribute. Please contribute. It costs to produce this program every week. We could do more programs in the week if we had the funding to do so. So please contribute. Go to patreon.com/wilmer Leon, leave a review, share the show, follow us on social media. You can find all the links below in the show description. And remember that this is where the analysis of politics, culture, history, converge, talk without analysis is just chatter, and we don't chatter here on connecting the dots. See you again next time. Until then, I'm Dr. Wilmer Leon. Have a great one. Peace Announcer (01:06:11): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge.

DW Phillips, a constitutional lawyer and filmmaker, helms Ukraine Story, a non-profit for journalism. His team documents Ukrainian resilience against Russian aggression, including Bucha incidents. He investigates Kremlin disinformation, religious freedom, and KGB ties to the Russian Orthodox Church.Podcast Sponsors:Playcast: https://playcast.io/

In this episode... 0:53 - Combat Update: Kharkiv hit heavily by Russian bombs, Chasiv Yar shaping to be the next big battle 9:05 - Mobilization age lowered to 25 14:05 - Russian citizens in the Ukrainian military 22:00 - Russian military recruitment around the world, the hows and whys 51:22 - Russian Orthodox Church declaration of Holy War...and anti-urbanism Links https://youtu.be/OJBnIRLYLZk?si=dbYgifdM2MEAgyBt Twitter Anthony: @Bartaway Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine Patreon https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype Resources and Charities https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype Music Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

Last week the Russian Orthodox Church approved a document that branded the full-scale invasion of Ukraine a “holy war.”So what role does religion play in the Ukraine war?The BBC's Harry Farley and Lucy Ash, the author of the upcoming book "The Baton and the Cross: Russia's church from Pagans to Putin", try to make sense of it all.We also hear from Father Andriy Zelinskyy, chief military chaplain for the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church about how he offers spiritual guidance and comfort on the frontline.Today's episode is presented by Jamie Coomarasamy and Vitaly Shevchenko.The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Elliot Ryder and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast's Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

He was born in Siberia in 1797 to a clerical family, and became a married parish priest in Irkutsk. A devout explorer, John Kriukov, told him of the great spiritual needs among the Russian and native peoples in Alaska, then Russian territory. Moved to serve Christ in this very difficult environment, he and his family arrived in Alaska in 1824. He quickly learned the Aleut language and worked humbly and tirelessly among the Aleuts. His spiritual classic, An Indication of the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven, was originally written in Aleut and later translated into many languages.   While he was visiting Russia in 1838, his wife died; one year later he was tonsured a monk and given the name of Innocent (he had been Fr John Veniaminov). Almost immediately after his tonsuring he was, without warning, raised to the rank of Bishop of all Eastern Siberia and Russian America, probably the largest diocese in the world at that time. Returning to Alaska, he continued his missionary work with vigor, often traveling among Aleut and Tlingit settlements in his own kayak. Wherever he went, he found the Alaskan people hungry for the faith, and his labors bore rich fruit which is still obvious today: Alaska has more Orthodox churches per capita than any other state.   In old age he was made Metropolitan of Moscow, head of the entire Russian Orthodox Church. His concern for Christian mission was undiminished, and as Metropolitan he created the Orthodox Missionary Society. He reposed on Holy Saturday of 1879.

He was born in Siberia in 1797 to a clerical family, and became a married parish priest in Irkutsk. A devout explorer, John Kriukov, told him of the great spiritual needs among the Russian and native peoples in Alaska, then Russian territory. Moved to serve Christ in this very difficult environment, he and his family arrived in Alaska in 1824. He quickly learned the Aleut language and worked humbly and tirelessly among the Aleuts. His spiritual classic, An Indication of the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven, was originally written in Aleut and later translated into many languages.   While he was visiting Russia in 1838, his wife died; one year later he was tonsured a monk and given the name of Innocent (he had been Fr John Veniaminov). Almost immediately after his tonsuring he was, without warning, raised to the rank of Bishop of all Eastern Siberia and Russian America, probably the largest diocese in the world at that time. Returning to Alaska, he continued his missionary work with vigor, often traveling among Aleut and Tlingit settlements in his own kayak. Wherever he went, he found the Alaskan people hungry for the faith, and his labors bore rich fruit which is still obvious today: Alaska has more Orthodox churches per capita than any other state.   In old age he was made Metropolitan of Moscow, head of the entire Russian Orthodox Church. His concern for Christian mission was undiminished, and as Metropolitan he created the Orthodox Missionary Society. He reposed on Holy Saturday of 1879.

You might want to pour yourself a stiff drink before watching this amazing interview that will make your hair stand up! Mr. Adams was baptized Catholic but grew up Protestant before studying in Russia for a number of years with a pull towards the Russian Orthodox Church. But a very strange and creepy meeting with a demoniac in a pub, with ensuing cat & mouse game on the Interstate revealed the Power of the Crucifix!!!!! Please share this episode with your friends

In 1827 Czar Nicholas I implemented the military draft on the Jewish community of Russia as a means of integrating Jews into Russian society. The Jewish kahal was required to supply the young recruits, who then generally served for 25 years in the Czar's army. The most infamous element of the draft was the cantonists. These were a select group of future draftees who were taken at a younger age to special cantonist brigades, where they underwent paramilitary training, and significant percentages of its ranks converted to the Russian Orthodox Church. The story of the cantonists in Czar Nicholas's army has gone down in Jewish lore as one of the great tragedies of modern Jewish history. Through both fact and legend, the cantonists fate has come to define the troubled relationship between the Czarist government and the Jewish subjects of the Pale, as well as the points of tension and conflict within the Jewish community itself. Though the military reforms of Nicholas's successor Czar Alexander II ended the cantonist draft and shortened the general military draft following the end of the Crimean War in 1856, the saga of the cantonists would haunt Jewish history for decades to come.   Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/   Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at:  yehuda@yehudageberer.com  

Michael Lofton examines the Russian Orthodox Church’s Biblical and Theological commission that recently evaluated Catholicism’s Fiducia Supplicans as departing from traditional Christian morality.

Chapter 1 What's Natasha's Dance Book by Orlando Figes"Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia" is a book written by Orlando Figes, a British historian and author. It was published in 2002 and explores the rich cultural history of Russia through the lens of the arts, particularly focusing on Russian literature, music, ballet, theater, and visual arts. The title "Natasha's Dance" refers to a scene from Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" in which Natasha, a young Russian woman, is enraptured by a folk dance. In the book, Figes examines how these various forms of artistic expression have shaped and reflected the Russian national identity throughout history. The book is known for its in-depth research, engaging narrative, and broad scope, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the cultural development of Russia.Chapter 2 Is Natasha's Dance Book A Good Book"Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia" is a highly acclaimed non-fiction book that explores Russian history, culture, and identity through the lens of music, art, and literature. It covers a wide range of topics including the vibrant artistic expressions in Russia, the social and political changes over centuries, and the country's complex relationship with the West.Orlando Figes, the author, is a renowned historian and scholar of Russian history. He is known for his extensive research and engaging writing style. "Natasha's Dance" has received positive reviews for its depth, comprehensiveness, and the way it presents Russian culture and history in a captivating manner. However, like any book, its suitability for you would depend on your personal interests and preferences.If you are interested in Russian history, culture, or arts, "Natasha's Dance" is generally considered a worthwhile read and a valuable resource.Chapter 3 Natasha's Dance Book by Orlando Figes Summary"Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia" by Orlando Figes is a book that explores the rich cultural history of Russia. The book takes its title from a scene in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace," where the character Natasha Rostova experiences the transformative power of music and dance. Figes begins by delving into the roots of Russian culture, tracing its origins from the pagan rituals and folk traditions of ancient Slavic tribes. He explores how these traditions evolved over time and were influenced by the arrival of Christianity and the Mongol invasions. Figes examines the unique blending of Eastern and Western influences in Russian culture, and how Russia's geographical location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia shaped its identity.The book also focuses on the development of Russian literature, with detailed discussions of renowned writers like Pushkin, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. Figes highlights the significance of literature in Russian society, as it provided a means for Russians to explore their national identity and express their thoughts and emotions during periods of political and social repression.Another important aspect of Russian culture that Figes explores is the role of art, particularly painting and architecture. He discusses the emergence of the icon painting tradition in the Orthodox Church, the influence of Western European art on Russian painters, and the architectural grandeur of Moscow and St. Petersburg.Figes also delves into the world of Russian music, from the folk tunes and choral music of the Russian Orthodox Church to the classical compositions of Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. He explores the connection between music and nationalism in Russian culture, as well as the impact of political events on the development of Russian music.Throughout the book, Figes demonstrates how Russian culture has been...

Traditionalism and Russian Orthodox Converts – Laurie Taylor talks to Mark Sedgwick, Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at Aarhus University, about the radical project for restoring sacred order. Traditionalism is founded on ancient teachings that, its followers argue, have been handed down from time immemorial and which must be defended from modernity. How has this mystical doctrine come to have contemporary sway on the political right, inspiring ex President Trump's former chief strategist, as well as the Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, sometimes dubbed as “Putin's brain”?They're joined by Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, Assistant Professor of Religion and Anthropology at Northeastern University, Boston, who has uncovered an extraordinary story of religious conversion in one corner of Appalachia. Here, a group of American citizens has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church and through it Putin's New Russia. They look to Russian religion and politics for answers to Western secularism and the loss of traditional family values. Producer: Jayne Egerton

When the Russian Orthodox Church set up its own outpost in Africa in late 2021, just months before the invasion of Ukraine, it was considered a blatant challenge to the historic authority of the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa. It sparked a major split in the global Orthodox community. Moscow's move was in response to Alexandria's support for the newly independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine. But it was also an opportunity for Russia to try to extend its influence across the African continent. Lucy Ash hears how priests in Kenya have been lured into joining the Russian Orthodox Church and asks whether President Vladimir Putin's crusade for hearts and minds will succeed.

cripture Notes - https://www.scripturenotes.com Julie Behlling did her Master's Thesis on the underground Christians in the Soviet Union. Are there parallels between the 20 Century Communist movements and certain movements today within the United States? What did the Soviets do to the Christian churches during the revolution and beyond? What was their strategy with the Christians? Julie says that the Soviets went after the fringe Christian groups hardest. The KGB infiltrated the clergy of the mainstream Christian churches to the point that at the time of the Soviet collapse, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church was a KGB agent. Was there Marxist infiltration in American Christianity in the early 20th century? Why is sexual liberation always a part of leftist movements? Julie's Documentary is coming out in January! Beneath Sheep's Clothing - https://www.beneathsheepsclothing.movie/ Beneach Sheep's Clothing Book - https://amzn.to/3RK5YGm Website - www.cwicmedia.com 

It's Wednesday, November 29th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Ukraine targeting Orthodox Church with raids and arrests A human rights division of the United Nations is warning about religious freedom violations in Ukraine. The U.N. has documented 10 cases of violence between different Orthodox communities in the country since last February, noting Ukrainian law enforcement officials have not protected church members. Ukraine is also considering legislation to dissolve religious organizations with ties to countries like Russia. Leaders of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church accuse Ukraine of trying to annihilate it for its previous connection to Russian church bodies. Since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Ukraine has targeted the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with hundreds of raids and investigations as well as house arrests. Russia restricting abortion Speaking of Russia, the country is moving to restrict abortion in recent months.  Two Russian regions now have laws against influencing women to have abortions. Authorities are also restricting the sale of abortion drugs. However, abortion is still broadly legal and accessible in the country.  Calls by the government and the Russian Orthodox Church to curtail abortion come as the country faces demographic decline. Russia, under the Soviet Union, was the first country in the world to legalize abortion in 1920. Pope strips conservative cardinal of salary and housing The Roman Catholic pope continues to crack down on his conservative critics. Last week, Pope Francis announced he is stripping Cardinal Raymond Burke of his Vatican-subsidized housing and salary. Burke was known for opposing sexually perverted lifestyles and abortion. He is the second American clergy member to face removal by the pope recently. Earlier this month, Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland of Texas. Like Burke, Strickland is considered a conservative critic of the pope. Biden's foster care rule targets Christians Eighteen Republican attorneys general in the U.S. are calling out the Biden administration for a new foster care rule that targets Christians. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a rule to prohibit families who oppose sexually perverted lifestyles from participating in the foster care system. The attorneys general sent a letter to the department on Monday. One of them is Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. He said, “Since the first century, Christians across the globe have answered the call to provide a home and a family to children who had neither. Alabama boasts a particularly strong faith-based foster care and adoption community, and I will fight this Administration for them every step of the way.” James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Disney wishes “Wish” wasn't a flop Disney films continue to flop at the box office. The company's latest offering, Wish, brought in only $31.7 million last week. That's well below the $45 to $50 million pre-release expectations. Wish joins other flops this year like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Secret Invasion. Those four releases cost Disney a billion dollars. The losses also come as Disney waded into the cultural wars in support of sexually perverted lifestyles.  Amazon's biggest delivery business Amazon is now the biggest delivery business in the U.S. Last year, the company delivered more parcels than UPS. It had already outpaced FedEx in 2020.  Amazon's edge is only projected to grow this year as it expects to ship a total of 5.9 billion packages. The U.S. Postal Service remains the biggest parcel service which handles packages for all three companies.  Largest iceberg is 1,500 square miles in size And finally, Earth's biggest iceberg is on the move after being stuck to the ocean floor for over 30 years. Known as A23a, the iceberg is about 1,500 square miles in area and over 1,000 feet thick! It split from the Antarctic coast in 1986 before becoming grounded in the Weddell Sea. For years, A23a became what the BBC described as an “ice island.” Scientists aren't sure exactly why it's moving again. But nearby currents will likely send the iceberg into the South Atlantic. Loose icebergs are more than melting chunks of ice. The BBC notes they're also important sources of mineral nutrients for ocean life. God asks in Job 38:29-30, “From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.” Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, November 29th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Full Text of ReadingsThirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 154The Saint of the day is Saint JosaphatSaint Josaphat's Story In 1595, the Orthodox bishop of Brest-Litovsk in present-day Belarus and five other bishops representing millions of Ruthenians, sought reunion with Rome. John Kunsevich—who took the name Josaphat in religious life—was to dedicate his life, and die for the same cause. Born in what is now Ukraine, he went to work in Wilno and was influenced by clergy adhering to the 1596 Union of Brest. He became a Basilian monk, then a priest, and soon was well known as a preacher and an ascetic. At a relatively young age, upon becoming both bishop of Vitebsk and archbishop of Polotsk, Josaphat faced a difficult situation. Most monks, fearing interference in liturgy and customs, did not want union with Rome. By synods, catechetical instruction, reform of the clergy, and personal example, however, Josaphat was successful in winning the greater part of the Orthodox in that area to the union. But the next year a dissident hierarchy was set up, and his opposite number spread the accusation that Josaphat had “gone Latin” and that all his people would have to do the same. He was not enthusiastically supported by the Latin bishops of Poland. Despite warnings, he went to Vitebsk, still a hotbed of trouble. Attempts were made to foment trouble and drive him from the diocese: A priest was sent to shout insults to him from his own courtyard. When Josaphat had him removed and shut up in his house, the opposition rang the town hall bell, and a mob assembled. The priest was released, but members of the mob broke into the bishop's home. Josaphat was struck with a halberd, then shot, and his body thrown into the river. It was later recovered and is now buried in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. He was the first saint of the Eastern Church to be canonized by Rome. Josaphat's death brought a movement toward Catholicism and unity, but the controversy continued, and the dissidents, too, had their martyr. After the partition of Poland, the Russians forced most Ruthenians to join the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1964, newspaper photos of Pope Paul VI embracing Athenagoras I, the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople, marked a significant step toward the healing of a division in Christendom that has spanned more than nine centuries. Reflection The seeds of separation were sown in the fourth century when the Roman Empire was divided into East and West. The actual split came over customs such as using unleavened bread, Saturday fasting, and celibacy. No doubt the political involvement of religious leaders on both sides was a large factor, and doctrinal disagreement was present. But no reason was enough to justify the present tragic division in Christendom, which is 64 percent Roman Catholic, 13 percent Eastern—mostly Orthodox—Churches, and 23 percent Protestant, and this when the 71 percent of the world that is not Christian should be experiencing unity and Christ-like charity from Christians! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Patrick continues his conversation with Steve from the first hour in regards to if statues are idols or not Michael - I am part of the Christo movement and it's a great way for people to come together to learn more about their faith Nora - There is a man who dresses like a woman and goes in the bathroom of where I work. What should I do? Steven - My Youngest daughter was baptized and the words that were said were 'Holy Ghost' instead of 'holy Spirit', is that valid? Joseph - The priest did not say “the Body of Christ” at Mass when giving me communion. Is this a valid communion? Dug - What does the Catholic Church say about people who are really devout Amish? Barbara = I'm 68 and reverted to the Catholic Church from the Russian Orthodox Church. The Dura Reems Bible seems to have different names for people and places than newer bibles, why's that? AND Why do we say 'holy Spirit' instead of 'Holy Ghost'? Jane - My 28-year-old son wants to find a wife and met a woman who is wanting to be a surrogate mom for a gay couple in Australia. What should I do?

Pope Francis expressed his ardent desire to meet with Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow during his travels to Mongolia in August or September. Watch this new podcast episode by clicking here: If the audio player does not show up in your email or browser, please click here to listen. Dr. Taylor Marshall's […] The post 1009: Francis plans to meet Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill [Podcast] appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, July 26th, 2023. PUB MEMBERSHIP PLUG: Summer has been great here at CrossPolitic, and we want you to join us on this ride… First, we’re no longer calling it the Fight Laugh Feast club… it’s now called the Pub! Second, we are launching a new line of content, focused on family entertainment. We will have our new show “This America” and our exciting new “Rowdy Christian Guides” highlighting the practical guides to fun and godly life! Additionally, we will have the live streaming of our conferences, and our past conference talks, all bundled within our new polished Fight Laugh Feast App. Sign up today! Head on over to fightlaughfeast.com, and join the Pub! that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-biden-admin-launches-permanent-pandemic-preparedness-office?utm_campaign=64487 Biden admin launches PERMANENT pandemic preparedness office President Joe Biden has created a permanent office for pandemic response. Called the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the new office within the executive branch replaces the Covid-19 response team that Biden ushered in during his first days in the White House. This new office will ensure that the Biden administration can continue to implement so-called pandemic mitigation strategies for any new communicable disease that comes down the pike. "This will be a permanent office in the Executive Office of the President (EOP)," the White House offers in a briefing, "charged with leading, coordinating, and implementing actions related to preparedness for, and response to, known and unknown biological threats or pathogens that could lead to a pandemic or to significant public health-related disruptions in the United States." This office replaces those set up for both Covid and the oddly named Mpox, so called because its original name, Monkey Pox, was deemed to be racist by Democrats who believe that in some way "monkey" is racist against black people. The new team, led by retired Major General Paul Friedrichs, will "continue to coordinate and develop policies and priorities related to pandemic preparedness and response." This office will be primarily responsible to the executive branch, and will "drive and coordinate federal science and technology efforts related to pandemic preparedness." What this entails in specific is the overseeing of "efforts to develop, manufacture, and procure the next generation of medical countermeasures, including leveraging emerging technologies and working with HHS on next generation vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 and other public health threats." The administration also took the opportunity to tout its efforts during the Covid pandemic, which began when a virus created through gain-of-function research leaked from a Wuhan, China lab that was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. It was also during the Biden administration's pandemic response that Americans were encouraged to not leave their homes, to shut down churches and schools while leaving casinos, liquor stores, and Walmarts open, and to mandate the wearing of face coverings that later studies revealed were steeped with bacteria. Under Biden's watch, newly-created vaccines were mandated both for federal employees and the employees of companies that contracted with the federal government. This is the kind of pandemic response the new Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy will be ready to implement as soon as the next potential pandemic comes along. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/24/greta-thunberg-fined-for-disobeying-swedish-police-at-climate-protest Greta Thunberg fined for disobeying Swedish police at climate protest Greta Thunberg has been fined by a Swedish court after she was found guilty of disobeying a police order to leave a climate protest. The 20-year-old climate activist, who from 2018 became the face of the youth climate movement, had admitted taking part in the protest in Malmö in June, but pleaded not guilty on the grounds she had acted out of necessity. “My actions are justifiable,” Thunberg told the court in Malmö, according to local media. “I believe that we are in an emergency that threatens life, health and property. Countless people and communities are at risk both in the short term and in the long term.” Five years ago, Thunberg, then 15, began skipping school each Friday and staging solo climate protests outside the Swedish parliament in Stockholm, holding up a sign reading: “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (school strike for climate). Her weekly demonstrations snowballed into a global wave of youth climate protest, as she gained fame for her youth and her blunt speaking on the dire future faced by young people staring down the barrel of the climate crisis. Although the school strikes movement lost some of its momentum with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Thunberg has continued to travel the world joining climate protests and speaking at international summits, urging world leaders to act on the climate crisis. It is believed that Monday’s trial is her first conviction for climate protest. Thunberg was part of a group of protesters that blocked the road for oil trucks in Malmö harbour. She was charged for failing to leave when ordered to do so by police. The fine will be based on Thunberg’s reported income and it was not immediately clear how much she would have to pay, Reuters reported. https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2023/07/24/solvency-dies-darkness-washington-post-pace-lose-100-million-year Washington Post On Pace to Lose $100 Million This Year The New York Times buried the lede in a story about Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos owning The Washington Post. It isn't quite profitable, you learn in the eighth paragraph: "The Post is on a pace to lose about $100 million in 2023, according to two people with knowledge of the company’s finances." The headline doesn't include that eye-grabbing detail. It's just this: A Decade Ago, Jeff Bezos Bought a Newspaper. Now He’s Paying Attention to It Again. The Amazon founder, who purchased The Washington Post for $250 million in 2013, has taken a more active role in the paper’s operations this year. Yes, you can imagine he'd take a "more active role" with this nagging problem. Post employees were delighted a liberal billionaire bought the paper, so they didn't have to be too worried about profits. "Prestige journalism" for the liberals isn't working out right now, even as the paper extends its Trump obsession forward. https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/russia-lgbtq-transgender-procedures-banned/2023/07/24/id/1128275/ Russian President Signs Legislation Marking the Final Step Outlawing Gender-affirming Procedures Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation Monday which marked the final step in outlawing gender-affirming procedures, a crippling blow to Russia’s already embattled LGBTQ+ community. The bill, which was approved unanimously by both houses of parliament, bans any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person,” as well as changing one’s gender in official documents and public records. The only exception will be medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies. It also annuls marriages in which one person has “changed gender” and bars transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents. The ban is said to stem from the Kremlin’s crusade to protect what it views as the country’s “traditional values.” Lawmakers say the legislation is to safeguard Russia against “Western anti-family ideology,” with some describing gender transitioning as “pure satanism.” Russia’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ people started a decade ago when Putin first proclaimed a focus on “traditional family values,” supported by the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2013, the Kremlin adopted legislation that banned any public endorsement of “nontraditional sexual relations” among minors. In 2020, Putin pushed through constitutional reform that outlawed same-sex marriage, and last year signed a law banning “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” among adults as well. https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/2023/07/24/brazil-lula-limits-gun-rights-by-decree-hoping-for-disarmed-country/ Brazil: Lula Limits Gun Rights by Decree, Hoping for a ‘Disarmed Country’ Brazilian radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a “Responsible Gun Control” decree this weekend to further restrict civilian access to firearms, rolling back policies implemented by former President Jair Bolsonaro. The executive order, signed on Friday at the presidential Planalto Palace, forbids civilians from having access to certain types of firearms, reduces the total legal number of firearms a citizen may own, greatly reduces the annual amount of ammunition that civilians can legally buy, and imposes restrictions on shooting clubs and firearms for hunters, marksmen, and collectors. The decree also establishes guidelines to transfer authority over the regulation and inspection of civilian firearms from the Brazilian army to the federal police, which will now exercise exclusive power over civilian activities involving weapons and ammunition in cooperation with the nation’s Justice and Public Security Ministry. In a speech announcing the new regulations, Lula said, “we cannot allow there to be arsenals of weapons in the hands of people.” “That is why we will continue to fight for a disarmed country,” Lula said. “It is the Brazilian police who have to be well armed, it is the Brazilian armed forces who have to be well armed. What we need to lower is the prices of books, and the price of access to cultural things that our children do not have access to.” Brazil’s Minister of Justice Flávio Dino said that the new set of rules ends “irresponsible armamentism” as a result of Bolsonaro’s gun rights reforms. Civilians are now only allowed to purchase up to two firearms for self-defense, down from four, and must comply with a series of requirements to demonstrate proof of self-defense use. The total amount of ammunition that Brazilian citizens can buy per year has been reduced from 200 to 50 bullets. The decree rolled back reforms Bolsonaro implemented that allowed civilians to purchase 9mm, .40, and .45 Automatic Colt Pistols (ACP), as well as semi-automatic smoothbore firearms. Brazilian citizens can no longer legally obtain these types of firearms. The decree also reduces the duration of firearm registry permits from ten years to three to five years depending on the firearm’s intended use. Active members of Brazil’s police and other government security officials, meanwhile, no longer have to abide by any time limit on their permits. Lula further imposed restrictions on firearms for hunters, marksmen, and collectors, reducing the total number of firearms and ammunition permitted in each category, introducing new required authorization permits for hunters, establishing new sub-categories for sports shooters, and reducing the number of firearms legally allowed for collectors from five of each model down to one weapon of each model, type, brand, variant, caliber, and origin. While the decree “guarantees” legal possession of these types of firearms if previously obtained and properly registered, the Brazilian government announced that it will implement a buyback program for these firearms this year. The decree also imposes restrictions on sport shooting clubs, prohibiting 24-hour establishments and limiting operating hours from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Shooting clubs and instructional businesses must now be located at least one kilometer away from public or private schools, giving existing locations an 18-month grace period to comply with the new ruling. The new gun control decree is the first part of a broader “Security Action Program” launched by Lula’s administration on Friday. In addition to gun control, the Security Action Program, according to the Brazilian government, seeks to combat school violence, protect the Amazon region, and change regional public fund financing. The program will also greatly increase penalties for crimes “committed against the democratic rule of law,” including longer prison sentences for those who organize, finance, or lead “anti-democratic movements.” It will also reportedly provide for the blocking of bank accounts and seizure of assets of people in whose cases law enforcement finds “sufficient evidence of authorship or financing of crimes against the democratic state of law.” Now, to my favorite topic, sports! https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-lebron-james-18-year-old-son-suffers-heart-attack-on-basketball-court?utm_campaign=64487 Lebron James' 18-year-old son suffers heart attack on basketball court During a basketball workout at the University of Southern California, basketball legend Lebron James’ son, Bronny, was rushed to the hospital after suffering cardiac arrest. A family spokesperson told TMZ Sports, "Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information." "LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes," the spokesperson added. Sources with direct knowledge told the outlet that a 911 call was made at 9:26 am on Monday morning from USC’s Galen Center, where the 18-year-old had fallen unconscious. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Sources said that it was a Code 3, in which first responders use lights and sirens during transport, indicating the seriousness of the incident. Bronny had recently committed to the USC Trojans and is expected to play for the NBA like his father.

In this Episode, we take a brief look at Vladimir Putin, the relationship between the Eastern & Russian Orthodox Church, & how that is impacting the current conflict between Russia & Ukraine. Most importantly, our guests who are both Christians from Ukraine share some of the challenges that come from living in an area with all sorts of theological & geopolitical complexities that are looked over from both sides of western media. Make sure to subscribe to our brand new YouTube channel at https://cultishtv.com

In this episode, Jeremiah Roberts and Andrew Soncrant are joined by two fascinating guests whose unique perspectives add depth to the discussion on the Ukrainian war occurring at this moment. Jacoby Nelson, a dedicated missionary in Ukraine, brings a distinctive lens to the conversation, shedding light on the intersection of faith, geopolitics, and media disinformation. Along with Jacoby is Paul Miles whose experiences in Ukraine and knowledge of the Russian Orthodox Church provides a compelling narrative highlighting the impact of disinformation in the Western World and the importance of seeking truth amidst the chaos. What is Happening in Ukraine? How did the war begin? Tune in to find out!