Patriarch Kirill's explanation of the causes of the Z-invasion given to his flock. Summary:
"...But we know that the current spring is somber because of the dismal events related to the worsened political situation in the Donbas and practically the start of armed hostilities. I’d like to say something on this topic. For eight years there have been attempts to destroy what exists in the Donbas. And in the Donbas there exists nonacceptance, fundamental nonacceptance, of the so-called values offered by those who contend for world power [auth: authority to rule the world]. Nowadays, there is a test of loyalty to this power, a certain pass to that happy world, a world of excessive consumption, a world of seeming freedom. And do you know what that test is? The test is very bad, s-simple, and at the same time terrifying. It is a gay parade. This requirement to the many to hold a gay parade is a test of loyalty to that certain powerful world. And we know that if people or countries reject these demands they don’t become a part [literally “enter”] of that world. They become alien. But we know what this is, this sin that is promoted by the so-called marches of dignity. This sin is condemned by the word of God, the Old and New Testaments. At that, by condemning the sin the Lord does not condemn the sinning man. The Lord [literally “he”] only calls upon the sinning man to repent but does not call for the sin, through the sinning man and his conduct, to become a living standard… in human behavior’s reaction become respectable and admissible. If humanity recognizes that sin is a non-violation of the Lord’s law, if humanity agrees with sin being one of the forms of human behavior, then it will end human civilization. And these gay parades are invoked not only to prove but also to demonstrate that it is one of the variations of human behavior. That’s why to get admitted into the club of those countries it is necessary to hold a gay parade. What is this? Not to say that we are with you politically, not to sign some treaties, but to hold a gay parade. And we know how frequently these exact demands encounter resistance from the people and how this resistance by the people is quelled by force. Thus, we are talking about imposing, by force, a sin condemned by the Lord’s law. And this means imposing on people by force the rejection of God and his truth. That’s why what’s happening today in international relations has not only a political meaning. We are talking about something else, something more important than politics. We are talking about human salvation, where will humanity end, and on what side of God, the Savior, who came to this world as judge and vindicator. On the right or left side? And today many out of weakness, out of foolishness, out of ignorance, and, more frequently, out of unwillingness to resist, go to that left [meaning: wrong] side. And all that’s related to the acquittal of the sin condemned by the Bible, all that is a test of our loyalty to the Lord and of our ability to practice our faith in our Savior.”
This sermon is for the domestic consumer only, and perhaps some Russian minorities living abroad.
Here we see a clash between two worlds, or rather two worldviews. The is a clear delineation between “us” and “them.” “Them” are those “who contend for world power” through a trial by sin. And “us” – the true believers in the Lord and Savior.
A mythos of a biblical struggle between good and evil is propagated by the Patriarch. Why would it matter? Is Russia even religious? Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian Orthodox Church partially replaced an ideological void left by the demise of the USSR.
This spilled into other aspects of life in Russia. And in some cases, not the best of outcomes. Traditionalism and orthodoxy were one of the causes of a major spike in the HIV/AIDS rate in Russia. There is a major AIDS/HIV epidemic.
The epidemic Russia doesn't want to talk about
Anyway, this article is not written to lambast religion(s) but to promote state and church separation. Over the past decades the celebration of victory in the Great Patriotic War, the veneration of the war dead, and the abuse of religion as a political tool created a fascist cult.
Remember, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. But do not let the state decide that for you.