If, as Karl Marx once famously observed, "Religion is the opium of the people," today's Russian Orthodox Church is in danger of turning this habit into a state-sponsored addiction program.
As the authorities' reaction to the "punk prayer" of feminist band Pussy Riot shows, to question the burgeoning ties between Church and State is regarded as "heresy" or even "blasphemy" in some quarters.
Now many Orthodox Christians may be horrified by the idea of a punk band performing in a church, just as working-class Communists are offended by luxury stores for the elite opening in GUM, across the way from Lenin's mauseleum, or democratic-minded Russians are appalled by celebrations for Stalin.
When Pussy Riot staged their first protest, against Vladimir Putin on Red Square, the authorities' response was fairly lenient. But the reaction when they attacked the twin monopolies of power the Kremlin and the Church has been ferocious, threatening to jail non-violent protesters for up to seven years.
It is arguable whether personalizing the issue - attacking Putin himself, rather than systemic problems such as the Church's close links with the state, business and military elites was the best way to put forward their case.
But the official, completely unjustifiable reaction to the Christ the Savior protest has highlighted the virtual monopoly relationship that exists between Church and State.
The Church's role in the recent election campaigns, discouraging believers from going to opposition rallies and de facto backing Putin's candidacy, shows how close we have come to an official state religion.
This was underlined recently when the Patriarch was granted an official residence inside the Kremlin.
But it is not just ordinary citizens who should fear this Stalinist-style state orthodoxy. It's the authorities who should beware, too.
It only takes a quick look at the fate of other theocracies, such as Charles I's in Britain in 1649 to Russia itself in 1917, to see what happens when religions stop playing the role of honest mediator between the state and society.
History shows us that they often fail to protect unpopular governments from the people's wrath and they also tend to share their fate.
Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russia, Religion - Russian News - Russia
If, as Karl Marx once famously observed, "Religion is the opium of the people," today's Russian Orthodox Church is in danger of turning this habit into a state-sponsored addiction program.
As the authorities' reaction to the "punk prayer" of feminist band Pussy Riot shows, to question the burgeoning ties between Church and State is regarded as "heresy" or even "blasphemy" in some quarters.
Now many Orthodox Christians may be horrified by the idea of a punk band performing in a church, just as working-class Communists are offended by luxury stores for the elite opening in GUM, across the way from Lenin's mauseleum, or democratic-minded Russians are appalled by celebrations for Stalin.
When Pussy Riot staged their first protest, against Vladimir Putin on Red Square, the authorities' response was fairly lenient. But the reaction when they attacked the twin monopolies of power the Kremlin and the Church has been ferocious, threatening to jail non-violent protesters for up to seven years.
It is arguable whether personalizing the issue - attacking Putin himself, rather than systemic problems such as the Church's close links with the state, business and military elites was the best way to put forward their case.
But the official, completely unjustifiable reaction to the Christ the Savior protest has highlighted the virtual monopoly relationship that exists between Church and State.
The Church's role in the recent election campaigns, discouraging believers from going to opposition rallies and de facto backing Putin's candidacy, shows how close we have come to an official state religion.
This was underlined recently when the Patriarch was granted an official residence inside the Kremlin.
But it is not just ordinary citizens who should fear this Stalinist-style state orthodoxy. It's the authorities who should beware, too.
It only takes a quick look at the fate of other theocracies, such as Charles I's in Britain in 1649 to Russia itself in 1917, to see what happens when religions stop playing the role of honest mediator between the state and society.
History shows us that they often fail to protect unpopular governments from the people's wrath and they also tend to share their fate.