69 Comments

This is scary, inflection point, stuff.

Much thanks for this concise history of/look at what is REALLY behind the invasion of Ukraine....and why Puketin MUST win there if his vison for (and version of) a new new world order is to become reality.

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Feb 24Liked by Diana Butler Bass

Diana thank you for that article and links I am reading in 2024. It is important to remember at the Central and European landscape changes after the fall of Constantinople, and from longtime struggles between Kyiv and Moscow, emerge the Union of Brest (1595) and Union of Uzhhorod (1646). In those statements many Orthodox in the Carpathian Mountains of today's Slovakia, Ukraine and Poland left Orthodox control, retained the Byzantine Rite, and married priests, but became aligned under the Roman Catholic Pope. Following WW II with the rise of Socialist states, Greek Catholics in those areas were forcibly united with the Orthodox, but subsequently in the era of independence from the Soviet Union, many congregations elected to return to their Greek Catholic roots. Pope Francis presided over and celebrated the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in open air to 40,000 in Prešov, Slovakia (where there are Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Cathedrals) in 2021. These "Greek Catholics" are alive and well in the eastern Carpathians in Poland and across the changing borders between Slovakia and Ukraine.

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How sad, but how prophetic, that these people have little knowledge of God’s requirements of his people. Putin’s narcissistic brain simply will lead him into the fiery furnace in the end but he will be alone.

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Interesting background that I was not aware of. Thanks.

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Diana - may we reprint this article in the April Episcopal Journal? Solange De Santis, editor www.episcopaljournal.com

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author

Sorry I didn't see the request until just now! You may reprint as long as you include a link to The Cottage as the original place of publication. Thank you.

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Thanks for this excellent article about Orthodoxy in Ukraine and Moscow. I didn't realize that the US evangelicals and the Trump team were so strongly allied with Putin. For shame!

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Thanks for this powerfully insightful piece! Have a great time at Hyde Park UMC (my former congregation) on Sunday! I'll be tuning in online.

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Excellent piece. It sparked some heated discussion in the Mimetic Theory Facebook group that I admin. How would you respond to the claim (not made by me) that your piece is "conspiracy theory"--i.e. as one very loud commenter has said, "an attempt to use the current crisis as an opportunity to attack certain groups have nothing to do with it but nonetheless happen to be on the author's enemy list, viz., evangelicals and traditional Catholics"?

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Thanks. This is very helpful. I've been to Russia twice. First when it was a part of the USSR and later when it was just Russia. I watched Putin on Easter Eve on TV. He seemed so pleased to be a part of that amazing service.

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Putin, like the little boy left in the room with chocolates on the plate in front of him was told that if he could be patient and not eat the chocolates he would be rewarded with many more, but Putin a mere human with material desires succumbed to his desires and is now eating the chocolates:

Putin shows that he is no Saint.

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Dear Diana, I am the editor of Episcopal Journal (www.episcopaljournal.com), a print/digital publication that serves Episcopalians. May we have permission to re-print this article? Events may well change between now and our March 21 print date, but I wanted to reach out ahead of time. Please contact me at solange@solangedesantis.com or 917 379 2260. Thank you, Solange De Santis.

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author

Yes, you may reprint. Just provide a link to The Cottage (as the original place of publication).

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Religion legitimizing political/social system is necessary and cheaper than force. Buy-in with faith. Male god and male dominance. Male social control.

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Thank you for this important and use-filled article. The excellent book, "UNHOLY," by Sarah Posner, first enlightened me as to the truly unholy alliance between White American "Christians" and Putin and Victor Orban and other autocrats who wish to move to an exclusive and judgmental form of unchristlike faith and power.

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Just saw Charlie Pierce's FB post with excerpts from your article. It's going viral!

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Thank you for this incredible information. This really brings forward the believed "spiritual" forces behind the ugly zeal of Vladimir Putin. I will ponder, share and pray to take in and understand the content of your writing. The idea of Kyiv as Jerusalem never occurred to me. The St. Vladimir connection really blows my mind and my spirit. Blesssings

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