Serge Serebro, Vitebsk Popular News / Wikicommons
Head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill denounced as “heresy” those human rights that he said contradicted the Bible, and proclaimed fighting them the goal of his church, the Interfax news agency reported Sunday.
“We are seeing how efforts are being made in many prosperous countries to establish by law the person’s right to any choice, including the most sinful ones, those that contradict god’s word, the concept of holiness, the concept of god,” Patriarch Kirill said after a Sunday service at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, Interfax reported.
He did not specify which human rights he found offensive, but called for Russian Orthodox believers to “defend” their faith, the report said.
“Today we are [dealing with] a global heresy of worshipping the human, the new idolatry that removes god from human life,” Kirill was quoted as saying. “Nothing like that had even happened on a global scale before. It is specifically at overcoming this present day’s heresy, the consequences of which can become apocalyptic, that the church must aim the force of its protection, its word, its thought.”
I expect we could all easily guess those human rights the Patriach considers heresy. Orthodox or Roman, the Catholic church remains one of the most dangerous forces in the world to humanity in general. [Article.]
Maybe he’s upset about the presumed right of men to wear dresses and funny hats? Or to use their power to condemn people they find “icky”?
Nah, didn’t think so.
Gregory:
Now that would be funny. Pity he’d never get the irony.
Given the picture, it’s probably something heretical about idols.
(Is that Gene Hackman? )
Davex:
Gene Hackman stars in…The Catholic Connection!
I’m thinking … wristwatches.
Must be something heretical about them.
Chigau @ 5:
Oh, fuck, the vanishing Rolex. I remember that. So, the heresy can’t be photoshop magic, that’s allowed.
Undies made from two kinds of fibre. Says so in the Bible, an abomination
I could be wrong, but Im going to guess the guy in the picture doesn’t believe in the ten commandments because HOLY MOSES could there be any more graven images in that picture?
The Patriarch will consider opposition to Putin as unbiblical heresy. Christians are supposed to obey Christian rulers unquestioningly. Otherwise god will smite them.
Stoned Ranger
Funny thing’s that particular verse isn’t in all Bibles. It is in Lutheran ones, but not Catholic ones and I guess not Russian Orthodox ones. My dad grew up catholic, including being an altair boy but he never heard of it.
It’s all fun and games until you remember that Kirill is one of the most influential people in the world’s largest dictatorship. You’re looking at Saudi Arabia with nukes asserting its own ideology.
Rest assured that I don’t find this humorous at all.
My mind can’t bend far enough to grok accusations of heresy from the branch who established deep rifts and their own pope over a 12 month solar calendar. The icon overload and all the pagan symbols aren’t convincing me that this dude is anything other than yet another asshole with a scepter and an agenda.
We should get ready for a wave of people imposing their religiously guided preferences upon everyone else through laws and violence. Followed by the assertion that they were just ‘defending’ their faith and that ‘God is on their side’. As an extra added bonus if anyone objects it will be claimed that they are persecuting their faith.
Entirely predictable.
Guilt gilded.
Alexander @ 11:
Which is why I noted that the Catholic church remains one of the most dangerous forces in the world.
lorn @ 13:
Perhaps. Even so, these are not just a few harmless people on the fringe of society. There’s power and money there, on both sides, and a great deal of influence, not just on Catholics, but all people. Look at all those who think Francis is just adorable, and aren’t religious at all. The Catholic church does a fucktonne of real world damage to people every day.
Caine @16: You are right, what might be trivial rhetorical misbehavior by a scant fringe becomes dangerous and painful at a societal level when we are talking about millions of people who might be whipped into a violent mob, and money enough to impose their will and change laws.
I didn’t mean to trivialize. This is entirely predictable the same way that a rumbling, smoking mountain signals a coming eruption that will rain pain and suffering upon the innocent villagers in surrounding countryside.
The differences being that while a exploding mountain may hurt thousands the Catholic and Orthodox churches have killed millions and disrupted the natural development and lives of literal billions.
The other point, and most shameful, is that geology is both natural and entirely indifferent to race, sex, orientation, and religion. Whereas the churches are entirely man made and human controlled. They inflict pain, suffering, patriarchal authoritarian control by design, and through an act of will.
From all the gold this guy’s wearing I’m guessing the heresy is caring for the poor.
Markr1957:
:Snort: I don’t think caring for the poor has ever been high on the Catholic church’s priority list. Hoarding wealth, that’s something they are serious good at, been doing it for centuries.