Dear Criostoir you said:
"Satan�s successes are the greatest when he appears with the name of God on his lips."
I say:
I tend to agree with you there, but I take it to mean a religious leader who is also a political leader. Although I have very little knowledge of the events, I have no doubt that Arch. Makarios of Cyprus, who was also the President of Cyprus, helped lead that nation to it's downfall.
We could also say that 'satan' works well when he finds someone that wears the cloth (rassa), that he can work through. Rasputin was a perfect candidate...and he did cure the Czarvich, if only temporarity.
On the other hand, a political leader who is truly a pious Christian, should have a moral and ethical integrity above and beyond that found in leaders far from God. That circumstances allow them to be decieved, can only be seen as God's providence in removing His discernment at that time and place.
You said:
Do I mistrust many of those with political authority? yes I do. Forgive me please, I am a sinner. I agree with the passing of time biases are usually removed and truth is revealed to all.
I say:
An absolute monarch is not a political figure. In the case of Czar Nicholas II, he gave in his resignation because he believed it was the best for his people. He stated later that had he known that Russia would be overcome by the Bolsheviks, he would never have resigned. He was born into that position, he didn't seek it.
You quoted:
"But as for nationalism being some kind of limitation or even vice - that is quite the crock of nonsense, sir!"
I say:
I think we have to differentiate between patriotism and nationalism. I believe a statement was made by the Patriarch of Constantinople in the 19th century stating that nationalism was a sin.
You said:
Tsar Nicholas II may not have been a nationalist but I assure you some who are nationalists adopt him as a hero.
I say:
I don't doubt that some nationalists will adopt him as their hero. As for Tsar Nicholas II being a nationalist, I really doubt that. His wife was Queen Victoria's grandaughter, and he himself was closely related to almost all the crown heads. Why he even looks like his first cousin, (or so I believe), King George of England.
The Czar did have though an obligation and responsibility towards his people and felt obligated to protect the Orthodox people in Serbia. That is what brought him into a war he was ill prepared for, and to his and Russia's destruction.
The Kaisar on the other hand, did not realize this obligation the Czar felt towards the Serbs. He really never thought his cousin would go to war. He was Queen Victoria's grandson, first cousin to the Czaritsa Alexandra.
You said:
Skinheads in Moscow might celebrate passion-bearer Nikola II while murdering an immigrant.
I say:
People will find any excuse to commit their dastardly deeds, but we must also realize that even though all Jews were not Bolsheviks, most Bolsheviks were Jews. Since the Jews were persecuted in whichever European country they lived in, they lacked a strong allegiance to that country and it's Christian monarch... preferring of course, a more secular and international political system.
What the Jews didn't realize is that without that Christian leader and the morality that comes with it, their persecutions would become greater.
Zenovia
