President Vladimir Putin
Russian Federation
23, Ilyinka Street
Moscow, 103132, Russia
Dear President Putin
I am a dual British/Australian citizen living in Australia. I
am a professional policy analyst working for the Government, and I also teach a
course in civics and international relations: (www.3ptraining.com.au).
I write regarding religious freedom in the Russian
Federation.
My concern is that the current regulatory regime regarding
sects and cults is too restrictive and too subjective when applied to
legitimate congregations that do not happen to be Orthodox. I fully understand
that Russia may not wish to encourage American sects or extremist groups of
various kinds. However the rich 2000 history of the Christian faith,
encompassing as it does the first Celtic Christians, Romans, Orthodox, African,
and many Protestant confessions, when taken as a whole, is greater and deeper
than East/West divisions. It does not lend itself to excessive regulation.
My own local church (http://www.embassychurch.com.au/)
is a Pentecostal congregation of less than 50. We meet in a rented a theatre
space in the local school. The school is in a poor suburb and we raise money
for their uniforms, provide charity for single parents, help provide breakfast
for the children, support charity in Kenya, and work with other organisations
to save young women from sex trafficking and prostitution. We confess the Bible
but are neither Catholic nor Orthodox. We have no presence in Russia but
similar churches do. Many are small but focus on the local people rather than
buildings. My concern is that they not be overly restricted or subjected to the
whims of local officials.
In the bigger context many traditional and conservative
people in the West look to Russia for moral leadership. We have, frankly, been
betrayed by our national leaders. Australia just legalised homosexual marriage
and even speaking critically of this can result in heavy fines. Religious
freedom in the West is dying at the hands of cultural Marxism and the disciples
of the Frankfurt school. We elected Donald Trump on a policy of friendly
relations with Russia. We are not ignorant of the fact that the US supports
terrorists to murder our brothers and sisters overseas, and we welcome Russia’s
leadership in combating extremism. In that context we are concerned that
excessive regulation of Christian groups in Russia is unhelpful.
I myself have never visited Russia but in the late 1950’a
my great uncle Bill Smale was given the ‘keys to Leningrad’ in view of his work
in the Welsh unions. In high school I wrote
on behalf of prisoners of conscience in the USSR. I wrote weekly for a year and
a half without receiving a reply. I don’t know if that person lived or died. I
deeply respect your commitment to the Orthodox faith and hope to visit Russia
in the future.
Yours sincerely
