January 25, 2022

The Orthodox Church Strikes Back


The Orthodox Church Strikes Back
Gotta love a good onion dome. Ludvig14

A high-school biology teacher has come under fire by the Russian Orthodox Church for the content in one of his lessons. Namely, his atheist assertions have met with derision from the realm of bearded priests, incense, and onion domes.

In a lesson at Kurgan's School No. 5 (Russians are so creative with their school names!), the teacher asserted that “There is no God; we believe in him in vain” and “prayers are nonsense.” The lesson, which was posted on VKontakte, shows the teacher getting a little carried away before breaking Article 148 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation by insulting the feelings of believers.

In response, Mikhail Nasonov, spokesman for the Kurgan diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, argued that the teacher should better familiarize himself with Article 48 of the Law on Education in the Russian Federation, which forbids the teaching of propaganda. In the same breath and without a hint of irony, Nasonov argued that the teacher also ought to remember the important role the Church has played in Russia's cultural history.

The school district and local church will be holding an open-forum conversation session about the issue. We can only hope vodka will be served.

You Might Also Like

Sinfully Good Burgers
  • August 13, 2021

Sinfully Good Burgers

A Russian woman is suing McDonald's for producing advertising so effective she gave up on Lent.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955