Russia and Ukraine

[Leonardo17]

(...)

That Zizek's article is interesting, especially how religion plays a role for Russians in that war

Russian clergy have been telling their congregations that they can “become themselves” only through the act of killing. The “special military operation” in Ukraine, they are told, is a struggle for “all of God’s creation.”

“Life is highly overrated. Why fear what is inevitable? Especially when we’re going to heaven. Death is the end of one earthly path and the beginning of another. Don’t let fear of death influence decisions. It’s only worth living for something you can die for, that’s the way it should be ... We are fighting against satanists. This is a holy war, and we have to win.”

Likewise, Magomed Khitanaev, a Chechen theologian and Russian army commander, portrays Ukraine as a latter-day Sodom and Gomorrah: “We’re asking: Oh, Ukrainians, why did you permit gay parades in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odessa? Why did you permit it? Why didn’t you come out against them, against your government that was overtaken by fascists? Without shame before God, people, they are openly, manifestly spreading their filth.”

- Yes, being a deist, this is one of the main issues we have been debating with Grandnudger under the Topic of “Islam”.
   We were talking about (for instance) the IRI of Some “jihadi” groups in West Africa. And we even talked about this very issue. At one point I asked him “Do you believe that Russian soldiers in Ukraine are holy warriors” (Because that’s what Patriarch Kirill has been saying since the starting of the war – Kirill is a former KGB agent + a sauna friend of Vladimir Putin).
   So my non-atheistic point of view on this kind of issues is:
   Religion means to tie-back. Meaning re-establishing a relationship with God (if you happen to believe in God ). So if you let them you will not lack (at any given point in history / in any geography) of people who claim to have “the key” that will allow you to reestablish a connection with God. So these people will want to sell you some “Divine relation reestablishment products” products like holy wars, places in paradise (like real estate on meta verse), Religious looking political doctrine, İdols (like the headscarf for instance), Control over the female body (because most of them see it as some sort of personal property), sectarianism (with leaders who are claiming to be “the servant of God” but who have a huge appetite for money that has to come from their followers + varying types of sexual appetites that may include male bodies or bodies of little children (unfortunately) in some cases, + my favorite: According to them this “Key” is usually ultimately hidden in their group of people (who reportedly are the owners of the ultimate relationship with God) obtaining absolute political power like the Vatican in the Middle Ages, The Clergy in the IRI or in this case the Patriarch of the Russian orthodox Church.
    So my answer was that, whatever you faith, if you are a part of those who want a reestablishment of a relationship with a reality that is higher and beyond ordinary levels of existence, that path is perceived by most of us as a personal / individual path. The reason for this is theological, I can go into details later if I have to. But I can end this post with one element. One of my favorite İslamic theologian called Y.N. Ozturk says that if one does not want to pray in the Mosque he/she has the choice of performing his / her prayers at home. So all I can say is that I have perhaps thousands of Patriarch Kirill’s right here in my city as well. But I don’t need to listen to them. I don’t vote for them. I don’t join their “Jihadi” wars, I turn off their TV channels and most important: I don’t give them any money (I’ve been tricked into this one or two times but I usually don’t give them any money and if they are selling places in meta verse or paradise I don’t have any money for that ) So that’s my approach