I’ve written some posts opposing US military intervention. This post has almost nothing to do with that topic.
The Eastern European Pro-Life Virus
Here is a story from Macedonia that was published earlier this month:
“A ‘virus’ of restrictive abortion legislation is spreading from Eastern Europe, health experts and rights campaigners have said, amid Church pressure and misguided government attempts to stop falling birth rates. Just weeks ago a new law was introduced in Macedonia tightening up relatively liberal abortion legislation which had been followed for more than 40 years. And last month, Lithuanian lawmakers gave initial approval to some of strictest abortion legislation in the world. Tighter abortion laws are also being considered in Russia and the Ukraine while the Georgian parliament is expected to debate abortion laws after the country’s Orthodox Church made calls in May for it to be banned. Critics say that some governments appear to be moving towards introducing total bans on the procedure. Bojan Jovanovski, executive director of the Health Education and Research Association (HERA) in Macedonia, told IPS: ‘What has happened here is not unique and is happening in a lot of countries, spreading like a virus from Eastern Europe westwards… What this law here will do in the short term is it will make it harder for women to get an abortion, because of the bureaucracy and hurdles they will face. This will possibly lead to them undergoing illegal abortions and the problems that brings with it. But its wider meaning is that it is a step towards more restrictive measures and, ultimately, a ban on abortions.’ In recent years Eastern Europe has witnessed a push, in many cases driven by socially dominant Churches, to reinforce or tighten abortion legislation and deter access to them.”
This is amazing news. If Russia was to truly stop most abortions in that country, it would have immense demographic consequences—arguably extremely positive consequences—for that country. As one via the United Nations as our proxy:
“Amid a surge of anti-gay violence and repression in several countries, the United Nations’ human rights office on Friday launched its first global outreach campaign to promote tolerance and greater equality for lesbians, gays, transgender people and bisexuals. Called Free & Equal, it’s an unprecedented effort by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to change public attitudes around the world on issues that have bitterly divided the U.N.’s own member states. The multi-pronged campaign — announced at a news conference in Cape Town, South Africa — will include videos and public-service announcements distributed through social media, a new website, a series of fact sheets, and engagement by celebrities well-known in different regions of the world. ‘Changing attitudes is never easy… It begins with often difficult conversations,” said Navi Pillay, the high commissioner for human rights. “And that is what we want to do with this campaign. Free & Equal will inspire millions of conversations among people around the world and across the ideological spectrum.’… According to the human rights office, at least 76 countries still criminalize consensual, same-sex relationships, and discrimination against LGBT people is widespread in many other nations. Less than half of the U.N.’s 193 member states have gone on record in support of gay rights and in opposition to laws criminalizing homosexuality. In March 2011, for example, only 85 states signed a joint statement at the Human Rights Council expressing their concern at violence and human rights violations against LGBT people. Radcliffe said funding for Free & Equal is being provided by outside contributors, and is not reliant on U.N. funds, thus skirting any possible opposition from U.N. members who oppose gay-rights activism.”
So, at the same time the so-called US Department of Justice has used its resources to force a California school district to “accommodate” a girl who calls herself a boy—by, among other things, allowing her to use the boy’s restroom—the American elite (perhaps with some Western European help—is financing a propaganda war on what remnants of Biblical sexual ethics exist around the world.
The Russian Resistance
And as far as the US establishment is concerned, Russia is the big “bad guy.”
“Putin has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church, and his government has introduced various social programs to promote young couples having more children. Putin has also pushed through another law banning gay foreign couples from adopting Russian children. All U.S. adoptions of Russian children have since been banned. In response, the U.S. state department issued a travel warning for homosexuals in Russia. ‘Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is widespread in Russia, as harassment, threats, and acts of violence have been targeted at LGBT individuals. Government officials have been known to make derogatory comments about LGBT persons,’ the warning said.”
Americans and others are pushing back however they can. Boycotting vodka (I’d be amazed if local Russian consumers cannot make up for the slack) and threatening to boycott the winter Olympics. Ad Age reported,
“Led by President Vladimir Putin, Russia has taken a host of actions of late, including passing one measure that bans ‘propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.’ The controversy could cause headaches for U.S. corporations linked to the 2014 Winter Olympics that will be hosted in Sochi, Russia. In a column in the New York Times this week, actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein called on the U.S. Olympic Committee to demand retraction of Russia’s laws ‘under the threat of boycott.’”
Who Is The Evil Empire Now?
There are lots of reasons to doubt Putin’s character. It is easy for me to wish death upon him just for the Smolensk Crash, apart from all his other alleged sins or crimes. But it is naive to think that a good person could gain the reins of power in almost any current government, not least that of the United States of America.
As a public figure, Putin is leading Christian resistance to the United State’s ruling class’ hard push for sexual perversity–for a pagan planet. If he improves Russia’s horrible abortion ethic, and does so as part of a general Eastern European revival of a pro-life practice, then speculations about his personal character are beside the point. Russia becomes a new Constantinople working to hold back the hordes of infidels howling to conquer them.
There may be good reason to expect Christendom to revive south of the equator. Perhaps Russia’s prominence will be temporary. But even so, I think that temporary protection would be important and helpful.
American Evangelicals need to pray for it. With Christianity spreading in China, the whole world may change in ways we can’t easily envision. Think of China and Russia giving aid and support to Kenya in resisting Obama’s culture war.
So stop calling Russia Red. Practice a new phrase: Holy Russia.
And whether or not that happens, be sure of one thing. The United States is the Evil Empire. We Christians are the enslaved masses that Sam and Frodo saw as they approached the Dark Tower. Our taxes (which, lest anyone misunderstand me, God says we should pay) are supporting the Eye.
We live in Mordor.<>
