To destroy a myth: the Church will fight with spread of neo-paganism

Representatives of the Church are set to combat the enthusiasm for neo-pagant ideas in a sport and youth environment, writes Interfax.

One of the goals of such an initiative is to destroy the myths which "most often baptized people have absorbed from the Internet, from skillfully created colorful websites telling them that the thousand-year history of our country was a mistake and needs correction and return to the ephemeral faith of our ancestors," affirms priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Mark Kravchenko, chaplain of the Central Cossack Host.

According to him, the Russian Orthodox Church is concerned about the spread of such a destructive phenomenon as neo-paganism, and "decided not to alienate people who fell under the influence of various pagan trends, but to seek common ground and carry out missionary activity in their circles."

As explained by the priest, the decision was made following the results of the conference that took place on the eve of the Moscow Presidential Cadet School named after M. Sholokhov and which was organized by the Synodal Committee for Interaction with the Cossacks with the participation of the Moscow Regional Eparchy and the Central Cossack Army.

The event was attended by Vladimir Nosov, Russian boxing champion and coordinator of the “Forty by Forty” social movement, which has long been involved in the prevention of neo-paganism in the sports and youth environment.

"The conference was held against the backdrop of a criminal case brought after protest actions in Moscow on March 26, when Stanislav Zimovets, one of the defendants in the case of the attack on policemen, was portrayed with photographs of social networks and in the courtroom with the neo-pagan symbol" ", said V.Nosov to the agency.

He noted that the participants of the "Forty by Forty" were witnesses to the events on the Maidan in Kiev "and saw people marching with the kolovrats and " Perun axes”, and they formed a military wing on the Maidan barricades."

"Then we met face to face with them in the park "Torfianka" and in other places where they are trying to counteract the construction of Orthodox churches. And again the same signs, the same ideology of destruction." Now we saw them already in the ranks of those who organized the attacks on policemen on March 26. We are working with young people, football fans, in sports environment, we deal with many fellows from the law enforcement agencies, where neo-paganism has also penetrated, unfortunately, and given a way to metastases," V. Nosov said.