Don’t Lie – to People and to Yourself!

The information blockade and constant escalation of anti-church hysteria in the media mask, in fact, quite an interesting picture: it can be compared with the way a dam built in a rough-and-ready manner is constantly eroding the basin land. What causes such a dreadful situation is unclear: either inefficiency of pseudo-engineers or a bad bargain with the material, the elements hasn’t been conquered and it still hits back – or a combination of all the factors.

The truth always, makes its way sooner or later. All that church reformers are pulling over on people cannot stand the test of time. While the newly formed units of church “patriots” are subjected to legal proceedings against the Orthodox communities, people silently "vote with their feet", shaking off anti-church psychosis and regaining common sense. After all, no matter how many lies your ears hear, your eyes see something that can’t be masked under a well -organized PR campaign or false slogans.

People are tired of judicial red tape and lie. Moreover, churches seized during the persecution of priests and believers, are difficult to maintain and look after. Noisy Filaret adherents, who before the attack on the UOC community never went church, continue to live as they used to. Neither the administrative resources nor encouragement from influential players keep people forever. Let’s see how it looks on the example of individual parishes?

• Despite the incredible administrative pressure, people do not want to go the seized church in Uhryniv, Volyn region. Before the arrival of journalists in the village people were urgently brought on a bus, which had to make three or four trips, according to eyewitnesses, who were watching the action with real aesthetic pleasure. To the credit of the organizers of the "extras”  the last bus was festively decorated with a state flag. But all in vain – even single sincere supporters of the Kyiv Patriarchate have started wondering whether the division of the church community was worth the effort if, for example, at the Presentation of Vigion Mary into the Temple there were 23 people in the seized church, and in the house of the UOC priest  – about 30? If at Epiphany there were more water bottles than attending congregation? The villagers, watching the entire "circus" with dragging people to the UOC-KP,  "vote with money": the unsatisfactory income of the captured church is of concern to even those who initiated confessional conflict in the village.

• What will happen next? The structure of Uhryniv village council includes a small village of Dubova Korchma. A few years ago a brand new church of the Kiev Patriarchate was pompously opened here. Before the UOC-KP was granted land for the church construction, a survey on the community affiliation was also held among the residents of the village. Obviously, the preference was given to the Kyiv Patriarchate. However, on one of the last Sundays a few years later, only two old women came to the service. People are beginning to assume that in the survey, as it is customary with church "patriots", the title pages of the documents with the results in favor of the UOC or UOC-KP were just changed. How else can it be accounted? Therefore, regardless of whether the UOC community will survive in Ugryniv or not, the outcome of scandals and lawsuits in the village will be the same: an empty church and zero church box office. They got what they fought for.

• It is also true for church raiders in Hrybovytsia village not far from Novovolynsk. The sensational but inadequate article by Lesia Hanzha, an “expert” from Kyiv, on Hrybovytsia church "revolution" has been reposted and referred not once. The pathetic text goes how the villagers allegedly protested against the priest, who by himself was trying to overcome people's righteous anger, getting locals with complaints and lawsuits. The picture was good, but it could not stand a few months. The UOC community, which is still not allowed to the church by the UOC-KP guards, is experiencing threats and pressure like their fellow believers in Uhryniv. However, the priests of the UOC-KP, for some reason brought here from Novovolynsk, are not willing so much to come here or move for good. Therefore, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church priest, who the Kyiv journalist accused of all sins known, is asked again to hold alternate serve in the church (someone has to pay for the maintenance of the building), or transfer to the Kyiv Patriarchate. It is unclear why so much cry and little wood. However, people far from church life do not really understand why the priest and the congregation stand their ground and continue to seek truth in a legal way.

• The loud statements on "the transition of the believers of the UOC to the UAOC"  in Transcarpathia, which the site of the Carpathian UAOC Diocese boasted of, turned out a bubble. The funny thing is that even if the UAOC officials  just reported about the register of their two statutes in the two localities, it would not be such a resounding failure. However, people are really digging themselves a deeper hole: not only you can hardly find a tiny UAOC community of vlg.Storozhnytsa, somehow formed with several relatives and colleagues of Victor Bedia,  in the Unified State Register. The faithful of this village are outraged at falsifications that their Orthodox community allegedly went into schism. For what it was done is unclear. In Storozhnytsa, as in many Transcarpathian villages, there coexist side by side three churches used by communities of different denominations, and to deceive people and draw them into sectarian strife is simply unrealistic.

Trying to imitate their dubious social significance, religious groups, aimed at anything but not pastorship, forget about the main thing. The point's not even in the commandment, which forbids lying. The point is in the lost common sense, which shows every time that the man always lies, above all, to himself. Finally, nobody cares that "the king is naked". This creates an awkward situation, especially for the "king" himself – figuratively because there is no king without a kingdom, but “kingdom" in this case is people: parishioners who develop and improve church life. Without them, the administrative resource with metropolitan media stars, as well as the patriotic church with pompous names and dioceses on paper will break under the first gust of wind, like a house of cards.

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