What will “spiritual independence” be like tomorrow?
Almost simultaneously in the media appeared two reports concerning the demographic situation in Ukraine:
1. A CIA report stating that Ukraine ranks first in the world in terms of mortality rate and last in birth rate (18.6 deaths and 6 births per 1,000 people, respectively).
2. A statement from Ukrainian MP Mykola Kniazhytsky claiming that hundreds of thousands of applications for renouncing Ukrainian citizenship are pending in consulates worldwide.
The exact population of Ukraine is uncertain. According to last year's statement by U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, the population stands at 28 million, while analysts using the number of active SIM cards estimate a much lower figure. With such dire birth and death rates, Ukraine's population is expected to continue declining.
Even before Russia's invasion, the Ukrainian Institute of Demography predicted a large influx of migrants with different mentalities, cultures and religions. This trend will likely intensify after the war, as central European territories with rich resources will not remain unpopulated.
Why are we writing all this?
The point is that the denominations that talk about “Ukrainian faith” and “spiritual independence”, that try to fit into the framework of the state and nationalist system of coordinates, may very soon fade into history. They simply will not be interesting to the new part of the Ukrainian population.
And then someone will have to rediscover the Holy Scriptures and remember that there is not and cannot be Ukrainian, Russian, French or any other faith in the Church. That in Christ there is neither Hellene nor Jew. You either confess Christ or you don't.
But when you are always engaged in “freeing spiritual space”, it can be so freed that you will not find yourself in this space...
