METROPOLITAN ILARION IN THE ROLE OF A
FIG LEAF
by
Deacon
Andrei Kuraev, 2 May 2017
The head of the Department of External Church Relations,
Metropolitan of
Volokolamsk Ilarion,
in a
broadcast of the program "The
Church and the World" on Russia-24, said that the
church had not
taken any part in this case, they were not approached for a
consultation.
But just out curiosity, if they had been “approached for
a consultation”,
who would have given it?
A request of that type would be forwarded to the head of
the sect
studies department of the PSTGU [Orthodox St. Tikhon Humanities
University],
president of the St. Irenaeus of Lyon Informational-Consultation
Center (at PSTGU),
president of the Russian Association of Centers for the Study of
Religions and
Sects, and professor of the PSTGU, A. L. Dvorkin.
And who was it who served as the chief apologist,
consultant, and
instigator of the Justice Ministry’s suit? The chairman of the
Expert Council
on the Conduct of State Religious Expert Analyses at the Justice
Ministry, A.
L. Dvorkin.
Yes, the Minister of Justice himself is a graduate of the
PSTGU and a
student of A. L. Dvorkin.
And, well, on top of that the metropolitan
whole-heartedly welcomes this
ban.
The metropolitan did not say what constitutes the crime
of the
Jehovists, but he did say that “their doctrine contains a host
of false
teachings. They do not believe in Jesus Christ as God and
Savior, they do not
recognize the dogma of the Holy Trinity.”
And why should this judgmental, negative, and sweeping
judgment not be
considered extremism? In what respect does it differ from the
condemned quotes
from the Watchtower?
And now I am afraid for Alexander Leonidovich [Dvorkin].
Could his (and
my) criticism of other religions suddenly be declared extremism?
As for Alexander Leonidovich himself, he denies
participating and says
that he did not order an expert opinion on the JW’s. (tr. by
DSC, posted 20 July 2017)
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