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Interesting to see how the American Christian right has apparently turned against Russia. Aren't these the same people who stood cheering when someone called Valdemar Plutin 'probably a good guy'? But let's call the glass half full. And of course, once believers decide to take a critical stance, they can only do so with the maximum amount of pathos and exaggeration. Gog and Magog, Antichrist..

According to Russian religious diehards, Russia is the very force on earth which keeps the Antichrist at bay. This is one of the reasons why Russians like to call themselves morally and spiritually superior, and insist on being referred to as a Global Power no matter what: because their mission is indeed global. To save humankind from perdition, and the Universe with it. The idea arose with the fall of the Byzantine Empire, which had already set in long before Constantinople was captured by the Turks, and left the Christian world, or the Eastern Christian Christian world at least, with the question: who shall now serve as the final bastion of true faith? Guess who presented themselves to serve humanity in such a humble role. To take on the burden for the greater good of all (except the infidels of course). And even if it hasn't always expressed itself in overtly religious terms, according to some historians it has been running as a thread throughout the history of Russian consciousness, even - or especially - during the Communist Expansion. Note how all this does indeed make Russia a key End-Times player. And a proud one too.

So we're dealing here with two opposing forces, each with apocalyptic and messianic claims of their own. Luckily for us they aren't directly involved in operational decision-making. So far at least.

Description
Interesting to see how the American Christian right has apparently turned against Russia. Aren't these the same people who stood cheering when someone called Valdemar Plutin 'probably a good guy'? But let's call the glass half full. And of course, once believers decide to take a critical stance, they can only do so with the maximum amount of pathos and exaggeration. Gog and Magog, Antichrist..

According to Russian religious diehards, Russia is the very force on earth which keeps the Antichrist at bay. This is one of the reasons why Russians like to call themselves morally and spiritually superior, and insist on being referred to as a Global Power no matter what: because their mission is indeed global. To save humankind from perdition, and the Universe with it. The idea arose with the fall of the Byzantine Empire, which had already set in long before Constantinople was captured by the Turks, and left the Christian world, or the Eastern Christian Christian world at least, with the question: who shall now serve as the final bastion of true faith? Guess who presented themselves to serve humanity in such a humble role. To take on the burden for the greater good of all (except the infidels of course). And even if it hasn't always expressed itself in overtly religious terms, according to some historians it has been running as a thread throughout the history of Russian consciousness, even - or especially - during the Communist Expansion. Note how all this does indeed make Russia a key End-Times player. And a proud one too.

So we're dealing here with two opposing forces, each with apocalyptic and messianic claims of their own. Luckily for us they aren't directly involved in operational decision-making. So far at least.