Bobby. wrote on Aug 25^th, 2024 at 10:11pm:


Okay.

Let this be one of the possible interpretations of Biblical prophecies.

chimera wrote on Aug 26^th, 2024 at 2:56am:


I still don't understand where 80% of the believers of the banned church are? What are they doing? Have they decided to become atheists?

I have an indiscreet question for you, have you read the text of this agreement? Do you think it was manna from heaven for Ukraine?

Opening statement of Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov during Government's meeting on January 15, 2014

".....
Today I will focus only on some aspects of the problem.

First of all, it is necessary to resolve the situation about agricultural products. Agricultural production is dynamically developing and, figuratively speaking, "to chip" it we can not.

Ukraine reduces fees from average 9.24% to about 1% (ie, more than in 6 times). Ukrainian agrarian producers will not be able to immediately experience the benefits of reduction of duties in connection with the incompatibility of their products to EU standards on quality and safety. Particularly sensitive areas are the production of meat and meat by-products, milk and dairy products, fruit and vegetable production, food product groups.

That is, the first thing to determine: where to get the resources and support for the rapid modernization of production capacities.

The second, there is asymmetry in the volumes of state support for agriculture between the EU and Ukraine. Subsidies to farmers in the EU are much higher that is about 10 times larger. Thus, the subsidies per 1 hectare for the EU countries are 316 euros per hectare in Poland or 200 euros per hectare in Romania. And on average - more than 300-400 euros.

What does it mean if to compared with that state support that agricultural production in Ukraine has - about 43.6 euros per hectare?

This means that the funds, which actually go to reduce the cost of production of Ukrainian agriculture, have to be increased by about 10 times to Ukrainian products compete with European. This, by the way, is the salary of million people.

Ukrainian producers simply can not compete with cheap products through grants from the European Union. A striking example of this - Bulgaria, which has been recognized as a leader in the production of tomatoes and peppers, and after joining the EU completely lost this industry.

So, we must reach an understanding of how to use additional protective measures and the terms of trade, for example, the use of input prices, that stipulated in the contract as the right of Ukraine. Does it compensate for this gap in competitiveness?

More, even zero rates from the EU, duty-free export of grain, pork, beef, poultry, etc. is possible only within quotas. Given the significant potential of Ukraine in increasing crop production and livestock products, these quotas are actual barrier to export to the EU and a direct constraint to the development of relevant domestic industries.

Reduction of Ukraine export duties on sunflower seeds, raw hides definitely reduce the export of finished goods and increase exports of agricultural products. Domestic processing industry may lose some of the manufacturers and the leading positions on the world market. And it may be completely destroyed. We need protection from such a scenario.

With regard to steel production and manufacture of fabricated metal products. Apart from the fact that the majority of duties between Ukraine and the EU were almost zero as a result of Ukraine's accession to the WTO, free trade area provides a further reduction of duties.

Given the low value-added of Ukrainian exports of steel products, it could lead to further loss of competitiveness.

In addition, steelmakers may face a sharp increase in production costs due to higher raw material costs and environmental activities. Thus, the rate of export duty on scrap of ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals and semi-finished using them, as well as stainless steel will drop from 15% to 0% after the transition period and implementation of the environmental conditions of the agreement will require significant investment.
Simply to say, if we do not foresee conditions for the protection of our industry in a few years it will be advantageous to cut all the metal in Ukraine and sell it for recasting than invest in jobs in Ukraine. This is an unacceptable way for us, as it comes to a key set of our industry, which employs hundreds of thousands of workers in coal and mining industries, energy, transport and so on. SMEs live by incomes of these workers and so on.

Therefore, we must find conditions favorable for Ukraine in implementation of this part of the agreement with the EU.

Machinery engineering. According to statistics, Machinery engineering brought Ukraine about 19% of export earnings in 2013.

But almost all engineering "can go under the knife" of unfavorable terms of trade for literally 4-5 years.
........ "
https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/246976860

'I still don't understand where 80% of the believers of the banned church are?'
Yes you do. You wrote:

Post by RussiAnVetEraN       Aug 15th, 2024 at 4:44am:
'However, now Ukrainians are taking away churches from this Orthodox Church and transferring them to the newly created (the tomos of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in 2019) schismatic structure.'

So the simplified black and white picture of the conflict on global scale is traditionalists (men are  men and women are not) vs WOKE queers (72 genders).

Russians are in traditionalists team while russophobes are WOKE queers team

freediver wrote on Aug 26^th, 2024 at 9:49am:


The USSR had a reason to persecute religions, it was Marxism, now Russia has no such reason and religions are not persecuted except for destructive sects.


Meeting with representatives of religious associations

By tradition, the President met with representatives of religious confessions on National Unity Day. This year the meeting was held via videoconference.

November 4, 2020 - 16:10 - The Kremlin, Moscow

The meeting was attended by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia Pandito Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev, Chairman of the North Caucasus Muslim Coordinating Centre Ismail Berdiyev, Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia Dietrich Brauer, Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Chairman of Religious Board of Muslims of Russia Ravil Gaynutdin, First Deputy Chairman of the Euro-Asian Division of the General Conference of the Church of Christians of Seventh Day Adventists Oleg Goncharov, Head of the Russian and Novo-Nakhichevan Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Ezras, Metropolitan Kornily of Moscow and All Russia of the Old-Rite Russian Orthodox Church, Chief Rabbi of Russia, Chairman of the Centralised Religious Organisation of the Orthodox Judaism Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia Berel Lazar, Chief Bishop of Russia's Union of Evangelical Faith Christians (Pentecostals) Sergei Ryakhovsky, and Chairman of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, friends,

I am pleased to welcome you to our meeting; greetings to all representatives of traditional religions of Russia!

And first of all, I would like to congratulate you and all citizens of Russia, our big, multinational country, on National Unity Day!
............
The traditions of kind, respectful attitude between people of different ethnicities and religious beliefs have been left to us by our ancestors. But being proud of this living spiritual heritage, experiencing the creation of a unique civilization is not enough. Of course, we have the right to be proud and we should be. But this is not enough. These values need to be protected, strengthened and nurtured. This is our common duty, for this generation and future generations.

It is important to understand that the world is going through deep changes. Traditional values face serious challenges. Unfortunately, many difficult and sensitive issues in interethnic and interreligious relations become the subject of speculation and unscrupulous geopolitical games. Extremists and radicals grab onto this and incite mutual hatred and animosity.

I would like to repeat that interethnic and interreligious peace is the keystone for our huge country. It needs constant attention from the authorities, from society, and from the media. The work here needs to be delicate, meticulous and comprehensive. And this is how we are trying to act – in the most delicate and constructive manner.
.........
The spiritual leaders of Russia have a special role to harmonise interethnic and interreligious relations and prevent extremism and terrorism. People listen to your opinions, your words, and when you voice your position of solidarity, your clear commitment to the values of peace, kindness and mercy – this is extremely important.

I would like to point out the great potential of religious organisations in community service.
........
Friends, once again, I would like to congratulate you on National Unity Day. It is highly symbolic that this holiday was constituted on the initiative of Russia’s Interreligious Council. This is further evidence that Russia’s historical path as a great power has been defined by peaceful, fruitful cooperation between different peoples and religions.

I would like to wish you success on the path of a spiritual service.
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/64336

chimera wrote on Aug 27^th, 2024 at 3:47am:


Here is the opinion of the Russian Orthodox Church on this.

Statement by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church concerning the bill adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with the aim of liquidating the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

On 20th August 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed in the second reading the Bill “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Activity of Religious Organizations” that allows, through judicial proceedings, to ban activities of any religious community in the territory of Ukraine if it is “affiliated” with a religious organization in Russia. For the court to give such a ruling, conclusions of a “religious expertise” will suffice, which amid the ongoing witch hunt may and will be falsified.

Those who initiated and endorsed this bill in Ukraine – highest-ranking public officials, the Verkhovna Rada deputies, radical politicians and public figures, representatives of schismatic organisations and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church – do not conceal that the law directly targets the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, that it is aimed at liquidating it and all its communities or at forcibly transferring them to other religious organizations. Hundreds of monasteries, thousands of communities and millions of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine will find themselves outside the legal framework and lose their property and places of worship.

During 2014-2023, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church pointed out on many occasions that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church came under pressure which was undoubtedly part of the government anti-religious policy. The adoption of the law today indicates powerlessness of the regime that throughout its political existence has been systematically, step by step trying to weaken, split and destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
...........

For many years, the policy of persecution against the Church has been carried out against a backdrop of the slanderous anti-church campaign in the Ukrainian mass media aimed at defaming the canonical Orthodoxy, as well as instigating and justifying mass seizures of churches called “voluntary transfers.” The seizures are orchestrated by the schism proponents and radical nationalists with support from the local authorities, security services and law enforcement bodies, and usually entail violence, including mass beatings of the clergy and the faithful. Attempts are being made, and some have succeeded, to seize the largest monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and forcibly evict their coenobites.

The Ukrainian security services continue to put outright pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, its episcopate and clergy. Apart from threats and blackmail, the pressure has manifested itself in dozens of trumped-up criminal cases and unlawful verdicts on political grounds. Many archpastors and pastors of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been arrested, taken into custody or received unjust sentences.
...........

The adopted bill is incompatible with the rule of law principles; it is a political declaration aimed at legalizing the destruction of the religious community of the majority of the population. The law lays down criteria enabling to determine a group of people connected by their affiliation with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and carry out targeted political repressions against them.

It embitters us to note the negative role of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the hierarchs who hold the same views. Through their unilateral and hasty actions inconsistent with the spirit of the sacred canons, they have only exacerbated the church schism in Ukraine, having failed to heal it. The leaders of the schismatics recognized by the Phanar have been particularly rampant in demanding the adoption of the law that practically bans the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. And Patriarch Bartholomew, who earlier publicly expressed approval for the criminal prosecution against and arrests of the UOC hierarchs and clergymen, now, like high priests Annas and Caiaphas, has openly supported the government’s actions aimed at crucifying and destroying the canonical Church in Ukraine. Therefore, the Patriarch of Constantinople is personally responsible for orchestrating the persecutions against the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
.........

We call upon the plenitude of the world Orthodoxy to pray ever more fervently for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which is abiding in afflictions on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Rev 1:9).

We appeal to international human rights organizations to give an immediate and unbiased response to the flagrant oppression of the faithful in Ukraine.
https://mospat.ru/en/news/92123/

chimera wrote on Aug 27^th, 2024 at 9:18am:


Zelensky baptized his children in the Orthodox Church.

Neither the Russian authorities nor the Russian Orthodox Church have ever called for the killing of Orthodox people.

(And the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church called on everyone to pray for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.)

But all those who stand up to the Russian army with weapons in their hands will be considered as accomplices of the enemy at least.