The Council of Nicea was conducted for the purpose of determining whether or not Christ was homoousios or homoiusios, either “the same substance” or “of similar substance” to God. The doctrine that emerged followed after the former, and it was here that the Nicene Creed of Christians came into being. There was a man behind much of it, and that man was the Roman Emperor Constantine. Years earlier, Constantine had experienced a vision at the battle of Milvian Bridge.
A light appeared to him in the heavens, with a sign of the crucifix, and a voice that told him “IN HOC SIGNO VINCES,” Latin for “in this sign shall you conquer.” It was shortly afterward that Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. At the time, the Empire was in a shambles, and Constantine admitted upon his death-bed that while not believing in all of Christianity’s tenets (he himself followed Mithraism), he knew it to be a congealing force to dispel the fragmentation and postpone the fall of the Roman Empire.
Fast-forward to today. Vladimir Putin was quoted by TASS in Moscow on Saturday as he met with a delegation from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He said the following:
“Rising neo-Fascism in Ukraine is like the infectious Gangrene which can spread across the European continent, and we, the people of the Russian Federation and descendants of the Soviet Union, we are determined to stop this plague.
Should Turkey not stop supporting al-Qaeda’s Syria branch, I am indeed eager to end the job the late Tsar Nicholas II left unfinished. During World War I, he sought to restore Constantinople (Istanbul) to Christendom and protect Russian maritime security by liberating Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits but fate prevented him.”
Moscow, TASS Russian News Agency, Saturday, April 23, 2016.
There is an excellent work entitled The Colder War, by Marin Katusa, that details much of the current “face off” between the U.S./NATO and Russia that we see today. The title is somewhat “smaller” than the content, however, because it gives the history of oil and oil exploration, the Petrodollar, and other natural (and strategic) resources and commodities. In addition to all of this, it presents a stunning history of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin: his youth and rise to power, along with his mindset.
That latter item is comprised within his statement to TASS. In a nutshell, Putin feels charged with restoring Russia to her former greatness under Peter the Great, Putin’s personal hero. He also feels that it is his destiny to lead the Russian people and obtain the glory (without the failures) of the former Soviet Union. This, too, is indicated in his statement.
Putin realizes that Christianity (specifically the Russian Orthodox Church) is a cohesive factor that can not only bond the people of Russia but also add to such a group of supporters the Russian-speaking peoples of the lands bordering Russia. In this instance, Ukrainian church leaders are being brought into play.
The historical lesson that this type of factor is so productive in terms of garnering support of the masses is not lost on Putin. He grew up “old school,” a hard-line Communist, and he did not forget the tenet that “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” Of course, in addition, he is blending nationalistic pride along with many successes economically that Russia did not enjoy during the era of the USSR.
Just as Constantine, Putin has a sizeable landmass for a nation, vast in resources with a need to keep his economy growing and his citizens focused. Perhaps the Russian Orthodox Church is just that vehicle he needs to foster continued support and patriotism among the Russian people. The “descendants of the Soviet Union” phrase also bears noteworthy consideration, in terms of a call to restore the people to glory by being “determined to stop this plague” of neo-Fascism in Ukraine. He referred to Russians today, not in the time of the USSR.
From a pragmatic perspective, he has spoken of possible intentions if not an outright desire to “liberate the straits” from Turkey. Those comments are direct and unveiled. The U.S. and NATO may provide him with the final justification he needs to fulfill his ambitions. Ukraine is a flashpoint, and Russia is not going to back down or capitulate on it or on the straits of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, Russia’s gateway for her Black Sea Fleet to enter the Mediterranean.
Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne). Mr. Johnson is also a Gunsmith, a Certified Master Herbalist, a Montana Master Food Preserver, and a graduate of the U.S. Army’s SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape). He lives in a cabin in the mountains of Western Montana with his wife and three cats. You can follow Jeremiah’s regular writings at SHTFplan.com or contact him here.
This article may be republished or excerpted with proper attribution to the author and a link to www.SHTFplan.com.
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Vlad playing Chess while Obama is still trying to figure out where the pieces go on the checker board.
Obama changed all the squares on the checker board to black.
’cause black squares matter.
PO’d, Great come back! LOL
hahahahahahah. that was good!+
Exactly. I have been saying that for years.
Don’t get me started in on O’knuckles……But your assessment is accurate.
To be fair: Obama has far more pawns than Vlad.
If blacks were brought to this country to work…
why won’t they work?
Haha that shit had me laughing, i agree eith your question and often ask that myself. Followed with usless retorts or mindless fingerpointing. Lol
Had to pay a speeding ticket aka highwayman’s fare today.
I pissed all over the $1 bills and let them dry before I handed them into the court clerk folded multiple times.
Fuck you, pigs.
Payback a birch, eh?
Damn a.c. I meant: paybacks a bitch, eh?
Putin may end up being not only a hero to his own people but also a hero to the silent majority in Europe. Erdogan is an Islamic supremacist that has blackmailed Europe. Brussels needs to pay him billions or he will flood Europe with more refugees. Even if Europe does pay Turkey those promised billions the Turks will have visa-free access to Europe starting in June. Either way there will be an ongoing Islamic flood, aka invasion, of Europe by Muslims.
Putin imploding the Turkish Caliphate would mean an end to Erdogan and his plans to destroy Europe and an end to the Islamic invasion of Europe. Many Europeans would cheer such an event.
For those talking about a grand chessboard, the pieces are in play and the game is live.
It’s sad when you can’t keep affirmative action away from even a CHECKERBOARD. [SARCASM]
I guess this rules out any gay Russian military troops.
“Putin has a sizeable landmass for a nation, vast in resources with a need to keep his economy growing and his citizens focused. ”
Should Putin be chastised for looking out for Russia and using what is available to do so? Thats what a nations leadership should be doing. We’re upset in the US because our leadership has been looking out for everyone and anyone except us and its often at our expense.
Trump: “Politicians are bought and paid for by the special interests. The politicians need the money to get re-elected, they are not going to do what’s right for you.”
That’s what makes Putin really different. He is probably the only national leader of a superpower not bound by or accountable to “special interests”. His actions not just words prove that. That’s the reasong for his unwaning popularity over years back home. Russin led by Putin will play a pivotal role in the world reshaping that is under way.
Constantine oppressed Christians before his conversion. Afterwards he became a Christian and demanded that all others join in this conversion which led to his success.
Contrary to all US propaganda, Hitler was trying to live in peace as a Christian Catholic. It was Churchill who was the warmonger. Hitler made over a dozen offers of peace. All were rejected. Stalin and his vicious campaign of terror was the real threat to humanity not Hitler. In Gobbels words “Hitler’s kindness puts us to shame”. The lies and vilification of this kind and good man will someday be recognized as one of the greatest suppressions of truth in the history of the world.
Modern facism has nothing to do with the National Socialist movement of the 1930’s and 40’s. Modern facism is the United States and Israel and the Global interdependence of Government and Corporate Power. If Putin is fighting this bully, who can blame him?
Hitler sued for peace several times prior to 9/1/39, the official starting date of WW2. It’s all documented. I tell most ignoramuses that Hitler had no intention of either starting another war or the biggest lie of all, taking over the world! There was too much at risk. Besides, he just turned Germany around. It was an economic basket case & moral cesspool under the Weimer Republic In five years, Germany had the second largest economy in the world without having to re-arm. Meanwhile in the good old USA, most people were still standing in line at the soup kitchen. Over at the Soviet Union, Stalin’s majestic five year plan was failing big time. Millions of people actually starved to death as a result. Why destroy it with another armed conflict? As Hitler said, “The Victor will never be asked if he told the truth.”
i knew i like Putin.
If Putin wants to restore christiandom and grab some territory along the way, i’m all for it !
the only way to get rid of the jihad threat is to beat it down, it’s been this way for centuries. if the usa has given up the fight because its too busy figuring out which bathroom to use; then it needs to stay out of the way and let russia handle it. if it doesn’t, your children may be submitting to islam at the rate things are going.
Putin is a nationalist, not a Communist and he is not an enemy of the American people, religion, or truth. Please see http://gatetoliberty.blogspot.com/2015/10/an-open-letter-to-secretary-of-defense.html for more. Putin may potentially be the best hope for peace and all that remains of American liberty.
Frank Brady
LENA
I hope you are correct. On Putin. My problem is that there have been a lot of past leaders that have used religion to start and to fight wars.
You are correct the only way to stop islamo-terrorist. Is to kill them. The reason is because if we don’t kill them, they will kill us, rape our women and children then kill them. This is a shame. There are more than likely good folks, but how do you tell them apart???? The only answer is kill them all and let God sort them out! I pray I never have to kill someone. But if I have to I know I can. I will probably PUKE my guts out, but to save my family I will kill!
Religion is anything that tells us where we came from, we are here, and where we are going. By that definition, secular humanism, communism (which MURDERE 100mm last century, per the Black Book of Communism, Oxford Univ. Press, Stephane Courtois, et al) and yes, even the radical gay Nazi Brownshirts are a religion, in that we came from the slime, we are here for personal pleasure and self actualization, and we go to extinction.
Problem is, as Fyodor Dostoyevski so perspicaciously wrote, “If there is no God, **everything** is permissible.” And you see the results of that today.
Incidentally, Dostoyevski DID say that. David Cortesi notes, as native Russian speaker, that A Google search produces a number of hits for this Russian phrase, and Google’s search box suggests another variant, “Без бога всё дозволено.” The second clause—всё дозволено—is a variant of the phrase “everything is permitted,” which appears several times in Dostoevsky’s novel, along with всё позволено.
I never knew that he was the one who said that. It is a logically true but frightening quote, but not quite accurate. I personally would restate it as “If there is no God nothing can be moral or immoral, just legal or illegal.” And yes, we are most certainly seeing the fruits of this philosophy today.
(For the record, I am a Born Again Christian and so this is not how I see the world. However, I can enjoy discussing alternative philosophical points of view.)
Putin Knows Religion Is The Opiate Of The Masses
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. – BUDDHA
FTW, great points! I think the masses are addicted to Hopeium or something, they just believe what they want to believe.
Hopeium…. I love it. Nice.
First Mom the Prep and now Genius, I think HCKS is starting to rub off. Trekker Out. But Then Hopeium Is A Word!
FTW,
Do you even know what the fourfold noble truths of Buddhism are, are the eightfold noble path? Have you read the Pali Canon? Maybe even Zen’s DT Suzuki? Please answer me. I find there are so many rhinestone Buddhists out there who are one just because they think it is “cool.” As a matter of fact, Buddhism really isn’t even a religion, it is more a psychology, and know one really knows if Buddha even believed in God or not. Are you Big Wheel, Little Wheel, or Zen Buddhist? Or do you know the difference.
You see, I have read the Buddhist sacred text.. and the Bhagavad Gita, much of the Upanishad, Lao Tzu, the Qu’ran (twice), but here is the key: all of the above are MAN’S attempts to reach God in his own power (religion); in contrast, the faith that Jesus taught says we are finally powerless, and God reached down to meet us in our powerlessness. In that sense, Christian faith is not even a religion, per se.
Either Christ was a liar, a legend, a lunatic, or the truth. Moreover, there is a point of falsification in Christian faith (point of falsification means something can’t be proven true, unless there is a point where it can be proven false): and that is this: the resurrection. I trust you have the intellectual honesty to research if this happened or not. Interestingly,
Simon Greeleaf, who basically was the main architect of what constitutes the rules of legal evidence (in the 1800s), was a Jew. Someone challenged him to apply the rules of evidence to the resurrection, which he did. The main author of what we call legal evidence, after his research, became a Christian. Lee Strobel is a more modern writer with a similar story
Hopefully, you have the same intellectual honesty as these men…
TEST –
How exactly do you want me to respond to you?
You, as much as the regulars here, should know by now how I feel about Religion.
In a nutshell – All Religions to me, are man-made, indoctrinated/control methods.
If my previous post Author said “Jesus” – would you have still responded to me? (rhetorical question)
It matters not to me who the author is or it’s affiliations it may have with – only thing that matters is the message …
Which you did not get or fully understand its context.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
JESUS CHRIST
Putin is treating the US and its allied perps like punks. Who else is standing in the way of complete global aggressive domination?
Certainly NOT the military or police or alpha agencies!
Sorry, I don’t see Putin as being a ‘good guy’. His past association with the Soviet KGB is well-known, so there’s no telling how much blood is on his hands. That interview he had with TASS is nothing but propaganda to cover up his crimes in Ukraine. BTW, you won’t get the true story from Western MSM or even Russian MSM sources. But there are some Ukrainian sources which you’ll find interesting. Links to follow.
what do you really know about Ukraine? Did you here anything of the bloody massacre arranged by the neo-fascists in the city of Odessa where I live on 2, May, 2014. http://nsnbc.me/2014/05/10/odessa-massacre-detail-investigation/ More than one hundred pro-russian people were shot, strangled or hacked to death on that day. THe criminal neo-fascits backed by Kiev regime were brought from all Ukraine to participate in the false flag slaughter that triggered a full scale onslought on any pro-russin sentiments in the area populated by russian descendants. Did you here anything of the genocide committed by the Kiev regime after 2014 in the resurgent Donbass areas populated by pro-russian s. Elderly people and children alike are being murdered in cold blood to stem pto-russian moods in this ex-russian territory. Cities and villages like are being shelled day and night there and there is no coverage of that in the western presstitude Media. Putin is 100% correct and justified in everything he is doing because he is the only person on earth today who has openly confronted the NWO
Guy from Ukraine, welcome, and I take it that you’re either pro-Russian or an ethnic Russian. I have heard about the incidents you mentioned, although a different version. I posted some links in a previous post for some Ukrainian sites that definitely have a different take on the situation over there. I also have a native Ukrainian in my company who is now a naturalized US citizen who lost her entire family in the conflict. They weren’t killed by Ukrainians but by RUSSIANS. Your post sounds just like an article from Russia Today or Sputnik. Interesting that the fighting broke out only after the pro-Kremlin President Yanukovich was overthrown. BTW, he was overthrown for COMMITTING ACTS OF TREASON AGAINST UKRAINE AND THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE. The people you call fascists are Ukrainian patriots standing up in defense of their nation. The so-called separatists are the ones who commit all the violence and even war crimes WITH THE HELP OF THE RUSSIAN MILITARY AND THIS HAS BEEN VERIFIED. You did know your beloved Putin was a member of the KGB at the time the USSR went out of existence, don’t you? You do know that it was the Soviet system responsible for the disaster at Chernobyl which took almost a million lives, don’t you? If you and the other pro-Russian people there believe in Russia so much, why not just relocate there? What do you have against the Ukrainian people? I have yet to see any legitimate basis for Russia’s undeclared war against Ukraine. If Donbass and Luhansk are historically Russian territory, then why didn’t Russia just claim those regions when the Soviet Union broke up? Historically, Ukraine has suffered at the hands of Russia, especially during the Soviet era. Your beloved Bolsheviks, a majority of them belonged to a certain ‘tribe’ who murdered many millions of White Russian Christians. Your beloved Stalin starved to death millions of Ukrainians in the 1930s who resisted collectivization. Your beloved Soviet system was responsible for the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl which killed over a million people in Ukraine, Belarus, and even Russia itself. I also recognize that not all people in Russia support Putin and his support is gradually dwindling. Putin will get your beloved Mother Russia destroyed unless he changes course. He needs to withdraw his army from Ukraine and stop all support for the separatists there. He should offer to let them relocate to Russia instead. He also needs to withdraw from Crimea and stop the oppression against the Crimean Tatars. As I said if you’re not happy in Ukraine, I don’t think they’ll stop you from leaving. GLORY TO UKRAINE!
Braveheart I agree, that Punk Putin will push things to the Limit, and we don’t have a Commander-in-Chief that knows when to really take a stand. I was in the Navy in the mid60’s and once when steaming in a convoy in the Atlantic we had a Russian Cruiser steam right into the middle of our convoy, and we asked them to depart and they refused and in short order We had a Heavy Cruiser bear down on them at flank speed on a collision course, needless to say the Russkies broke away. It did make the hair standup on the back of my neck. But this bullshit of letting these Russian plan make mock straffing attacks on our ship should never be tolerated. Trekker Out.
Try the following sites for REAL information about the situation in Ukraine: http://www.informnapalm.org/en, http://www.euromaidanpress.com/#arvlbdata, http://www.russiakills.com/en, http://www.psb4ukr.org, http://www.en.censor.net.ua. All of the sites have English-language versions and are well worth your time. Russian media sources are just as much propaganda as our own MSM sources.
A culture that doesn’t have a prevalent ideology that keeps the masses happy while exploited is doomed. Farewell to the American dream, farewell to America.
It was Marx who said, “religion is the opiate of the people”. What they didn’t tell us in school was the end of the quote, “for it is easily tinged with socialism”. What the old commie was saying is that religion can be subverted and used as a weapon against the religious. May the truth set you free.
If Religion is the opiate of the masses, then lib-turd Marxism is the crack cocaine of the academic intelligentsia..
And he also knows that his soldiers are in Houston phucking with people like me, so fuck Putin.
HCKS