Putin and the Ghost of Alexander I
The Anglican Archbishop of York
(the English church’s second-in-command, third if you count the Queen), made recent
headlines attending investiture of Uganda’s newest anti-gay bishop (one wonders
when such things became a priority?). In
the United States, American Evangelicals and Roman Catholics tire of being
compared to the Klan and to Uganda, while Uganda continues to publicly thank
them for their essential financial support.
Now Putin has come out against the gays as well, but he might just be
playing an old Russian game.
The Russian DUMA is
considering legislation to counter the so-called gay agenda (sound familiar?)… that would impose fines of $16,000
for organizing public pro-gay events or disseminating information on the LGBTQ
identity and lifestyle to children.
Putin is an intelligent and
a capable politician. I am often
comforted that he is in control, but the game he has been playing of late is
merely a rerun that Russia has seen before.
Spymaster turned democrat, turned nationalist, Putin’s latest persona is
hauntingly reminiscent of Alexander I, Tsar of Russia, Modernist Reformer, mentee-turned-foe
of Napoleon, and finally, God’s ordained defender of Christendom and tradition, turned repressor of civil rights.
The 19th Century
Russian Empire struggled with change to adapt to Modern social, economic and
faith trends infiltrating from the West (especially republican France). Alexander’s reign encompassed periods of
intense nationalism, religious conservatism and the repression of freedom and
civil rights. Perhaps Putin is being
tempted to emulate Alexander I in attempting to co-opt the Russian church and “tradition”
in a struggle to overcome and supplant the indigenous spirituality, economy and
culture of a great and modernizing people.
Alexander I stylized himself
the restorer of the Christian church and champion of Christian values (including
the divine right of kings) against the forces of liberalism and republicanism
as represented by progressive France. He
led a conservative coalition of oft bemused emperors seeking to suppress
freedom and civil rights in all of Europe – the so-called Holy Alliance
(1815-1848). Wikipedia sums up the
coalition’s intent “… to instill the
divine right of kings and Christian values in European political life …
promis[ing] to act on the basis of ‘justice, love and peace’ … in order to ‘perpetuate
the [traditional] mundane institutions and adjust their imperfection.’”
The London
Guardian indicates much the same language and tone in current opposition against
Russia’s gays, “[the anti-gay
legislation] has been hailed by public figures and Russia’s dominant Orthodox
church. It is widely seen as part of an
official drive to promote traditional Russian values as opposed to western
liberalism, which the Kremlin and church see as corrupting youth and by extension
contributing to a wave of protest against Putin’s rule.”
