Putin Plays the God Card

Beliefnet

Home

Faiths & Prayer

posted by bfeiler | 11:59am Tuesday November 20, 2007

I know lots of people are saying the Vladimir Putin considers himself God, but it seems he’s willing to teach Russians about alternatives. In a fascinating development that’s sure to rile the debate over teaching religion in American schools (I’m for it, as I’ve written about here), Putin has responded to a fury over a new cult in Russia by proposing that schools teach religion in schools. Here’s the money quote.

“Various forms of teaching religion are needed in the school system. This refers not only to the study of one religion. In municipal schools now, there is a practice of teaching the fundamentals of confessional cultures – Orthodox, Muslim and others. I believe all these forms have a right to exist. However, the study of religious subjects must be voluntary.”

For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, this development is fascinating, and surely would have been front-page news. Why not now?

most popular

beliefnet

Goodbye!
Dear Friends and Readers, After a wonderful relationship with Beliefnet, I've moved my blog to brucefeiler.com. Please join me there, or check out my new site, councilofdads.com, where I talk regularly about faith, family, and health. Thanks for your interest. Bruce Feiler

posted 2:12:51pm Apr. 21, 2010 | read full post »

The Man Who Started It All
In WALKING THE BIBLE, he's still sitting there forever, behind a cloud of smoke, saying, "People like me don't have time to talk to people like you," then calling me at home that night to introduce me to Avner. Now, nearing 100, he has finally passed.Avraham Biran, an archaeologist of biblical site

posted 10:32:33pm Oct. 06, 2008 | read full post »

Feiler Faster in Denver -- Final Thoughts
The last of my brother's blogs. * * * I was on the floor the other day and came across a man of about forty who wore on his left breast what looked like a military medal. A small ribbon pinned to his chest with a medallion hanging from it. It was the credential that his grandfather wore at the 196

posted 9:16:57pm Aug. 30, 2008 | read full post »

Feiler Faster in Denver -- Day 3
My brother's dailiy blog from inside the hall. * * * President Carter addressed the Georgia delegation this morning. Recently, he said, he'd been interviewed by the editor of the British newspaper "The Guardian" and had been asked whether a President Obama could change America's reputation in the

posted 12:25:22pm Aug. 28, 2008 | read full post »

Feiler Faster in Denver -- Day 2
My brother's latest blog. He's the official photographer of the Georgia Delegation. * * * Considering I described myself yesterday as a pop culture moron, the funniest response I've gotten so far was, "Who's Angela Bassett?" In the wake of opening night there's been a lot of play about Carville and

posted 10:28:13am Aug. 27, 2008 | read full post »

read all»