The Practical Parson

 President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently signed into law a complete ban on the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.   While that may seem and sound like a commendable action from the outside, banning a church that has a patriarch in Russia while there is an ongoing war with Russia; the reality of what the law invites is actually quite sinister, and I would dare say, diabolical.  Let's start with the foundational issue: banning Russian Orthodox anything in Ukraine.  While it might sound like they're just cutting off the Patriarch of Moscow, what is truly happening is the Ukrainian government is seizing church properties: monasteries, cathedrals, convents, churches, shelters for the poor and homeless- all being seized by the state.  However it doesn't end at seizing church property, oh no.  The government has now enabled themselves to seize the personal and private property of private citizens who are Russian Orthodox as well.  This level of land-g...

This month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and is also sanctioned by the state as "Pride Month".    Years ago as a younger man, it seemed as though the concept of this Pride thing was something benign; something wherein a group of people simply came together in order to celebrate who they were as individuals.  I have always believed that people should have the (civil) right to express their own individual identity; as it is one of the rights afforded to citizens under the Constitution.   However, in the past 10 years especially, Pride has become less a celebration of who a group of people are; and more of a year-round cudgel with which a group of people will beat you if you do not agree with them 100% regardless of the topic.  It seems like there isn't a month or a week that goes by wherein there isn't some form of pride festival, event, or protest; and the Alphabet community still proclaims that it isn't nearly enough.  They scream ...