The Russian Church

[ArmyMatt]

Thank you for directing me away from your area.

nobody’s trying to direct you away from here, only to follow the rules of this subforum.

 

[prodromos]

If scripture is teaching. Then I am really in the wrong place.

No one ever posts "just scripture". It always comes with an implicit, or explicit, interpretation which is often shaped by the faith tradition the person is coming from. You identify as Protestant, which indicates your interpretation of Scripture will have been influenced by any number of relatively modern theologians. Eastern Orthodoxy is ancient by comparison.

Thank you for directing me away from your area.

An odd thing to say as I did nothing of the sort.

 

[TPop]

I would encourage perusing some of Rus’ posts not to criticize you in any way. His situation is unfortunate and he is bearing it well. I wish he and his family never experienced what they have but what he has posted is from someone who has “been there.” Please pray for him & his family.

I will absolutely pray for him and his family. I would be very happy to.

 

[TPop]

No one ever posts "just scripture". It always comes with an implicit, or explicit, interpretation which is often shaped by the faith tradition the person is coming from. You identify as Protestant, which indicates your interpretation of Scripture will have been influenced by any number of relatively modern theologians. Eastern Orthodoxy is ancient by comparison.

An odd thing to say as I did nothing of the sort.

Never and Always are big words.

Eastern Orthodoxy is ancient. However, time is not a determiner of truth.
I probably align with 'protestant' theology well enough. And I believe this site pushes or requires a selection?

What I identify with is scripture, the traditions Jesus taught and set straight, and the apostles taught, along with early church fathers.
But it does become curtailed ~325 AD when 'Men' started to appoint 'Men' above other previous equals, where it was never previously so. Then political power became as much a desire as spiritual truth.

Peace and Blessings

 

[TPop]

nobody’s trying to direct you away from here, only to follow the rules of this subforum.

Yes. That is something new for me. Seeing interesting posts. Finding out they are in some subforum with different rules from some other subforum. I admit. I can be lazy.

Peace and Blessings

 

[ArmyMatt]

Yes. That is something new for me. Seeing interesting posts. Finding out they are in some subforum with different rules from some other subforum. I admit. I can be lazy.

Peace and Blessings

you’re good, no worries

 

[prodromos]

I can be lazy.

You're the same age as me, I can totally relate

 

[rusmeister]

Uminsky has been summoned to an ecclesiastical court at the main cathedral in Moscow as part of the process of removing him. Our own priest, the one who humbly played 2nd fiddle for the nearly two decades that I knew him while our archpriest was still alive, has also been summoned to a local, lesser court.

If they had been teaching heresy, I’d be less sympathetic, but their main crime has been to express opposition to the war and to pray for peace, rather than victory over the perceived secular foe.

 

[rusmeister]

Uminsky has fled the country and been defrocked in absentia. A man who worked with the sick, in hospices, ran a film club for teens to engage them in the Church (including my own kids) and much more. Defrocked for praying for peace. That’s it.

But it gets worse. Our old 2nd priest is being transferred away to serve under the eye of pro-war priests, and is being replaced by the man that threatened me, a Stalinist who our old priest denied blessing to be ordained, who told me that if there was a war and he heard that one of their nukes struck the East Coast, that he would thank God. We now have no parish to return to, even if we could return. Members held an emergency meeting, trying to decide what to do. It went on for hours, but was inconclusive. It really burns that a man who made himself my enemy, that I have to struggle to forgive, and who stands for things that are hateful, now effectively runs the Church in the greater urban area of our old city.

 

[JSRG]

Uminsky actually got brought up in the News & Current Events forum:

Russia: Orthodox priest faces expulsion for not asking God for Russian victory

Orthodox priest faces expulsion for not asking God for Russian victory. The Russian priest Alexei Uminsky is also known for his liberal position in wartime. He refused to read a prayer invoking a Russian victory in Ukraine. This now has consequences. The 63-year-old had encouraged believers to...

www.christianforums.com

 

[ArmyMatt]

Uminsky has fled the country and been defrocked in absentia. A man who worked with the sick, in hospices, ran a film club for teens to engage them in the Church (including my own kids) and much more. Defrocked for praying for peace. That’s it.

But it gets worse. Our old 2nd priest is being transferred away to serve under the eye of pro-war priests, and is being replaced by the man that threatened me, a Stalinist who our old priest denied blessing to be ordained, who told me that if there was a war and he heard that one of their nukes struck the East Coast, that he would thank God. We now have no parish to return to, even if we could return. Members held an emergency meeting, trying to decide what to do. It went on for hours, but was inconclusive. It really burns that a man who made himself my enemy, that I have to struggle to forgive, and who stands for things that are hateful, now effectively runs the Church in the greater urban area of our old city.

ugh, Lord have mercy

 

[rusmeister]

It is sinking in that we have nowhere to return to, that we literally can’t go home. Indefinite exile. We are not going to be able to take this for long. It was hope of returning that kept us going. We’ve lost our legal basis to stay where we are, counting on fines and bribes to survive.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Lord have mercy!

 

[prodromos]

It is sinking in that we have nowhere to return to, that we literally can’t go home. Indefinite exile. We are not going to be able to take this for long. It was hope of returning that kept us going. We’ve lost our legal basis to stay where we are, counting on fines and bribes to survive.

I wish I had some way of getting your family here to Australia. You would definitely find a welcoming home in our little ROCOR parish.

 

[rusmeister]

I wish I had some way of getting your family here to Australia. You would definitely find a welcoming home in our little ROCOR parish.

One of the issues is that my wife has a support group of friends here and it functions as a kind of central hub which people can fairly easily get to from Russia, from Europe, and even from America. Since her brothers are in the US, she has a couple of friends, and two of our young adult non-independent children in Europe, and a million friends in Russia, some of whom come to visit us, that makes where we are super attractive to her. Plus, there is the fact that mother-in-law has only a Russian passport, and is extremely limited into where she can easily go, never mind the fact that she will be 87 in a week or so. Personally, I could move anywhere. The men here tend to be at least 20 years younger than me, mostly Russian men that fled the draft, and I have nothing in particular tying me to this place, except my kids in Germany. Another issue is my profession, which is teaching English as a foreign language. My experience in the United States was that it is not a profession that is very much in demand, in the private sector is hardly paid at all, and only the public sector, the schools mainly offering paying positions. I was in California, which is the most insane anti-Christian state in the union, and it was its anti-Christianness that drove me back to faith, ironically enough. My extensive knowledge of Russians makes me especially effective in teaching them, though I do all ages, and am especially good with beginning, school-age children, and zero level adults that don’t know anything, which I think require the most skill and knowledge to teach effectively. The last issue might be resolvable, the other one make it unlikely that Australia would work for us, although I would be very happy to try if it were practical. I seem to have nothing left to lose, personally. But I have a family with needs and desires that are different from mine. I really appreciate your intent, though!

 

[ArmyMatt]

Another issue is my profession, which is teaching English as a foreign language. My experience in the United States was that it is not a profession that is very much in demand

what about the American Southern border or a territory where English might not be the primary language in certain areas?

 

[rusmeister]

what about the American Southern border or a territory where English might not be the primary language in certain areas?

Florida or Texas? I think the main problem I mentioned probably still holds true - the private sector, where I could teach as I think best, doesn’t pay beans. The public schools are high turnover jobs, with bureaucracy attached. I don’t really want to go through that again. I’m an old dog, and used to running my courses as I see fit. Still, if I had a solid offer, I’d really consider it. But my wife really doesn’t want to. She was very lonely in the US, and as long as her mother is alive, she doesn’t want to go back. It was so hard trying to make her happy that I decided that I am the one who can better take the stresses of being the lone foreigner. The fact of being at a “centralized hub” is very big for her. She doesn’t even care about legal status, it’s so important to her to be able to see her friends periodically. And what we would do about our kids in Germany I have no idea.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Florida or Texas? I think the main problem I mentioned probably still holds true - the private sector, where I could teach as I think best, doesn’t pay beans. The public schools are high turnover jobs, with bureaucracy attached. I don’t really want to go through that again. I’m an old dog, and used to running my courses as I see fit. Still, if I had a solid offer, I’d really consider it. But my wife really doesn’t want to. She was very lonely in the US, and as long as her mother is alive, she doesn’t want to go back. It was so hard trying to make her happy that I decided that I am the one who can better take the stresses of being the lone foreigner. The fact of being at a “centralized hub” is very big for her. She doesn’t even care about legal status, it’s so important to her to be able to see her friends periodically. And what we would do about our kids in Germany I have no idea.

I am not sure what kind of offer you would get, but maybe it’s something to look in to.

prayers for you, rus.

 

[Nick1000]

Florida or Texas? I think the main problem I mentioned probably still holds true - the private sector, where I could teach as I think best, doesn’t pay beans. The public schools are high turnover jobs, with bureaucracy attached. I don’t really want to go through that again. I’m an old dog, and used to running my courses as I see fit. Still, if I had a solid offer, I’d really consider it. But my wife really doesn’t want to. She was very lonely in the US, and as long as her mother is alive, she doesn’t want to go back. It was so hard trying to make her happy that I decided that I am the one who can better take the stresses of being the lone foreigner. The fact of being at a “centralized hub” is very big for her. She doesn’t even care about legal status, it’s so important to her to be able to see her friends periodically. And what we would do about our kids in Germany I have no idea.

Don't overlook the possibility of Canada.

Canada has special immigrant programs for the Ukrainian and Russian refugee and, unlike the U.S. their immigration system is skill-based. (I mean they take asylum seekers too but ultimately they are still looking for specific education and skills too so they are predisposed toward valuing that along with the asylum seeking).

There is/are a rather large number of communities in Canada that have a sudden need to teach and assimilate Russian and Ukrainian speakers so I would imagine that being a teacher of English and speaking Russian might pop you into a "needed-skill" category in their immigration process, or for consideration for at least an extended stay visa or whatever. Maybe teach for a couple years and then regroup after the war, type of thing.

Worth giving it a thought anyway. I would think.