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.

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