This one has me considering this topic from a few different angles.
Russia doesn't exactly have a good record when it comes to government regulation of religious organizations. It seems very unlikely that Putin's government would do a good job of weeding out the bad ones from the good ones, although it is somewhat likely IMO the they may seperate the ones that could afford bribes from the ones that cannot. But who knows, against all odds it could happen that someone in charge of "cult enforcement" could exceed in good sense and decency but still pretty unlikely IMO.
From the teeny bit of history I've read it seems that every time religious liberty has replaced orthodoxy of any type that there has always been abusive and "out there" leaders taking advantage of the gullible. And there also seems to be a regular backlash against liberty from the orthodoxy, whether the orthodoxy is secular or religious. I guess it's just a question to me of wondering who the heck can do a good job of policing in a situation where religious liberty is the norm. Perhaps when folks beliefs aren't policed but there behavior is, let the abusive and/or criminal pay for it now IMO. But as long as folks aren't harmed, what matter what any of us think of what they believe IMO, except if we are trying to help the decieved. Even then liberty to chose seems a most important principle to me.
And one more thing, I know a man who escaped the U.S.S.R. from what is now the Ukraine and he once told me when we were talking about Soviet persecution, "The stars shine brightest during the darkest night." I think it's fair to say that he didn't think to highly of all the screwy groups that have propogated in his homeland and after what he'd been through I thought it wise to just consider his opinion more than shoot my mouth off.
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JeffSjo
Hi Cheranne!
This one has me considering this topic from a few different angles.
Russia doesn't exactly have a good record when it comes to government regulation of religious organizations. It seems very unlikely that Putin's government would do a good job of weeding out the bad ones from the good ones, although it is somewhat likely IMO the they may seperate the ones that could afford bribes from the ones that cannot. But who knows, against all odds it could happen that someone in charge of "cult enforcement" could exceed in good sense and decency but still pretty unlikely IMO.
From the teeny bit of history I've read it seems that every time religious liberty has replaced orthodoxy of any type that there has always been abusive and "out there" leaders taking advantage of the gullible. And there also seems to be a regular backlash against liberty from the orthodoxy, whether the orthodoxy is secular or religious. I guess it's just a question to me of wondering who the heck can do a good job of policing in a situation where religious liberty is the norm. Perhaps when folks beliefs aren't policed but there behavior is, let the abusive and/or criminal pay for it now IMO. But as long as folks aren't harmed, what matter what any of us think of what they believe IMO, except if we are trying to help the decieved. Even then liberty to chose seems a most important principle to me.
And one more thing, I know a man who escaped the U.S.S.R. from what is now the Ukraine and he once told me when we were talking about Soviet persecution, "The stars shine brightest during the darkest night." I think it's fair to say that he didn't think to highly of all the screwy groups that have propogated in his homeland and after what he'd been through I thought it wise to just consider his opinion more than shoot my mouth off.
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cheranne
I don't know ...but it is intresting.
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