Russia’s Vladimir Putin crosses himself while bathing in the icy water in -4 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures during an Epiphany celebration near Moscow, Jan. 19, 2021. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is believed to have special powers of protection and healing. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
What does Russian President Vladimir Putin believe about God? That’s a fascinating question the world can’t answer “with any certainty,” according to Mark Tooley, president of The Institute on Religion and Democracy.
After all, there’s a difference between what Putin says and what he does — and there’s strangely a great deal of uncertainty and confusion intermingled with both.
“He had a devoutly Christian mother and has worn a crucifix around his neck for most of his life,” Tooley told Faithwire. “Certainly, he has embraced the patronage of the Russian Orthodox Church and used it to advance his own political purposes domestically and internationally, but that is a centuries-long tradition for Russia.”
Tooley explained that Russian Orthodoxy, to the outside world, might seem to position Putin’s country to be in perfect alignment with Western religious ideals, though fundamental differences between the cultures reveal stark incompatibilities.
Rather than spiritual compatriots, the Christian faith seen in many Western countries is radically different from the Russian rendition of self-described, government-aligned religiosity.
–Courtesy CBN News