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The Church of God in Vorkuta declares: “We do not want to be told what to believe or how to pray.”
6 June 2009
“We do not want to be told what to believe or how
to pray.” This declaration was made in a
petition directed to the Russia-wide Perpetual
Action “No to Inquisitors!” against the presence of
radical sectologists in the Council over the
Conduction of State Theological Expertise under the
Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation by
Maksim Potapov, pastor of the Society of Christians
of the Evangelical Faith of the “Church of God” of
the city of Vorkuta of the Republic of Komi.
The
letter of Pastor Maksim Potapov reads as
follow states:
“The Local Religious Organization
“The Church of God”
The Republic of Komi
City
Vorkuta
To the Institute of Religion and Justice
Slavic Center for Law and Justice
Greetings!
Salutations from the Church of God of the City of
Vorkuta, Republic of Komi and its pastor, Maksim
Potapov.
We have been watching with anxiety how
the understanding of secular government in Russia is
disappearing. In this government, every person
is given the right to choose that faith which
answers his/her spiritual needs. We cannot
understand why such a direct infringement of the
constitution of our country is happening, why people
who are unqualified with regard to these questions
or negatively biased toward one or another
confession are beginning to receive authority in a
free, and, as written in the chief law of our
country –“SECULAR” – government, and dictate their
own laws and their own opinions. We do not
want to be told what to believe or how to pray.
And, therefore, we hereby support the Action “No to
inquisitors!” by our own voices (see enclosed).
With respect,
Pastor of the Church of God, Maksim
Potapov.” "Included in the letter were 29
signatures of members who have come out in support
of the Action “No to Inquisitors!” and of the
preservation of secular government in Russia, on two
subscription sheets.
On April 22, 2009, a
Russia-wide Perpetual Action – “No to Inquisitors!”
– was started in protest against the presence of
radical “sectologists” in the new membership of the
Council of Conduction of Government Theological
Expertise under the Ministry of Justice of the
Russian Federation. The Action is being
conducted under the initiative of the Institute of
Religion and Justice. The foundation of the
Action has been the collection of signatures for an
Open Petition to Aleksandr Konovalov, Minister of
Justice of the Russian Federation. Copies will
also be sent to the President of the Russian
Federation, Dmitry Medvedyev, and to Prime Minister,
Vladimir Putin.
We invite both scholarly and
religious societies from all countries as well as
public figures, lawyers and activists to contribute
to and participate in this Action. Your voices
and opinions will be published on our web site.
An open petition to Aleksandr Konovalov, Minister of
Justice of the Russian Federation, is necessary and
can be directly sent from both religious
organizations and scholarly centers, as well as
ordinary citizens of Russia who do not agree with
their activities being judged by “inquisitors” such
as Dvorkin and his colleagues. Furthermore,
the membership of the Council under the Ministry of
Justice of the Russian Federation has already been
used and will continue to be used by “sectologists”
to influence officials and law-enforcement agencies
and to spread propaganda of their own “anti-sect”
demands – on unjust grounds to limit the activity of
“non-traditional” religious organizations in Russia.
The Action “No to Inquisitors!” is an opportunity to
openly and clearly declare your own protest against
the “inquisitors’” efforts to forcefully save our
souls, without regard for our wishes and against the
discredit of secular science, even theological
expert evaluations, and also to protest against the
clericalization of society and the destruction of
the foundations of a just and secular government in
Russia.
By order of the Ministry if Justice of
Russia on March 3, 2009, No. 61, a Council of
Conduction of Government Theological Expertise under
the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation
was to be created; and that Council would have
authority to counsel concerning religious affairs.
Included in the council membership along with
recognized scholars and experts were the following:
Aleksandr Dvorkin, leader of the Sectological Center
of Saint Iriney Lionsky; Aleksandr Kuz’min, leader
of the Saratov Department of Dvorkin’s Sectological
Center, author of material on which is based
anti-sect which has been admitted as extremist by a
court; Evgeny Mukhtarov, a Yaroslavl’
journalist-sectologist; Lev Semyonov, a priest of
the Russian Orthodox Church, collaborator with
Dvorkin’s Center, and also Andrey Vasil’chenko, a
Yaroslavl’ sectologist and specialist on
German fascism, author of an entire series of
popular books on the history of the Third Reich and
one of the founders of an organization of
nationalistic doctrine, “The League of Patriotic
Youth,” along with Evgeny Mukhatorov in the 1990’s.
The Social Action “No to Inquisitors!” will be
maintained until the scholars, lawyers, and
religious people achieve their goal. Support
the Open Petition to Minister of Justice of the
Russian Federation, A. V. Konovalov, to show that
Russia is made up of a civil society.
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