Photos

Russia is an orthodox country - but not because there are Orthodox churches at nearly every corner.
Orthodoxism is in the people's genes.

First of all, some info about the church itself...

This is Church Of Assumption Of Virgin Mary.

This is just next to Red Square... actually, next to a McDonald's ;)
Just walk a bit along one of the lanes away from Tverskaya street - and you are there!

The church was built on 1647 but it was badly destroyed in the war of 1812. Later it was reconstructed in 1857-1860.

In the Workshop you can see an old photo of the church taken approximately in 1881.

Info about the shot:
ISO Speed: 100
Focal Length: 18,0 mm
Image Quality: RAW
AF mode: AI focus AF
Picture Style: Landscape
-------------------------------------------------

Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) - or "The Moscow Patriarchate" (the latter designation being another official name) - is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world and second only to the Roman Catholic Church among Christian churches, numbering over 135 million members world wide and growing numerically since late 1980s. (Wiki)

-------------------------------------------------
ROC has greatly expanded its activities and influence, especially since 1991 (at least these are my personal observations).
The situation with ROC in Russia reminds me of the story of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court".

For the sake of having dominion over all the country ROC does its best to allure people and change their minds by imposing so-called "optional" and (fortunately, so far only in some selected areas of Russia) "compulsory but made to appear as voluntary" Scripture lessons in both elementary and secondary schools without any alternative for children of other confessions.

Well, perhaps ROC's principle is: if you attend a Russian school, you must be Orthodox. As simple as that.

ROC is in the government, and ROC takes part in every important ceremony/event.

When you go into an Orthodox church you have to pay. Pay, pay, pay for everything (who remembers what Christ said about churches and trade inside churches?).

You pay a lot. The more the better. The more you pay, the quicker you'll get indulgence.

They build more and more new churches to get more and more money. The bigger parish they have, the better. The more fanatic, the better.

They talk about "love for neighbour" but they themselves are full of hatred towards those who are different.

Whatever you may tell me, I see the final result of ROC's activities and extremely active propaganda (especially in the last several years): more and more fanatics - both young and old - whose minds ROC has been trying to change by forcing upon them "the only true religion in the world".

In the past it has always amused me each time I heard the phrase pronounced in the Russian mass media: "Catholic Christmas and Christian Christmas". ;-)) No kidding.
By "Christian Christmas" they meant, of course, Orthodox Christmas which is celebrated 2 weeks later.
Fortunately, now they stopped saying this stupid phrase!

So many well-educated people were sure that Catholics are not Christians! and that the only Christians are Orthodox!

Some 10 years ago one of my students cancelled lessons with me after I told her parents that I am not Orthodox but Lutheran! LOL
They got so scared that they quickly cancelled lessons. They didn't even bother that they had paid me for several lessons in advance. Perhaps they thought that a Lutheran means "cannibal" or something like that?

Mixing with very many people of different social layers, due to my profession, for many years, I have made sure that in most cases Russians are very ignorant about religions - mainly thanks to Russian Orthodox church's propaganda, which, with enviable persistence, never ceases to increase its pressure on people's minds - both directly and - mainly - indirectly.

What do you think actually governs Russia? The answer is simple.

Nowadays various barbarous customs and Orthodox church doctrines, legal nihilism and bureaucrats' rudeness, abysmal ignorance and age-old prejudices, hypocrisy and absolute absence of notions about morality have fancifully and chaotically mixed up in the authorities and ordinary people's brains.

What will we see next?...