Tsar Vladimir taking shirtlessness to a new level

[BanzaiCat]

Seriously, Vlad doing the whole Christian thing, does anybody know if he really belongs to a ligit church? I mean he was a Communist, so how does he combine the two? Is it all just for PR or his Russian Street Cred? Or does this guy think destroying his enemies is what Jesus would do? Anybody got any for sure facts?

[airboy]

Seriously, Vlad doing the whole Christian thing, does anybody know if he really belongs to a ligit church? I mean he was a Communist, so how does he combine the two? Is it all just for PR or his Russian Street Cred? Or does this guy think destroying his enemies is what Jesus would do? Anybody got any for sure facts?

He has associated himself strongly with the Russian Orthodox Church as head of Russia.  As a commie, he would have been kicked out of the commie party for merely being baptized.  I've visited Russia under Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church is getting a lot of State money to restore Churches and Monasteries that Lenin and Stalin torched.

I've never heard of a "renewal of Baptism" by ice lake as an adult - but that is not saying it is not a thing.

[Airborne Rifles]

Seriously, Vlad doing the whole Christian thing, does anybody know if he really belongs to a ligit church? I mean he was a Communist, so how does he combine the two? Is it all just for PR or his Russian Street Cred? Or does this guy think destroying his enemies is what Jesus would do? Anybody got any for sure facts?

He has associated himself strongly with the Russian Orthodox Church as head of Russia.  As a commie, he would have been kicked out of the commie party for merely being baptized.  I've visited Russia under Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church is getting a lot of State money to restore Churches and Monasteries that Lenin and Stalin torched.

I've never heard of a "renewal of Baptism" by ice lake as an adult - but that is not saying it is not a thing.

Slash, you might be surprised to hear that when hard-line communists launched the August Coup against Gorbachev in 1991, Vladimir Putin (then a KGB lieutenant colonel) resigned from his position in the KGB in opposition to the hard-liners.

Putin's a bad dude, but he's not he communist. He's a Russian nationalist (and an oligarch), more hard right than hard left. The Russian Orthodox Church is deeply enmeshed in the fabric of Russian identity (even at the height of Soviet power in the 1970 more than half of Russians were still opting for religious weddings, funerals, and christenings), and so Putin has embraced the Orthodox church. The Tsars always had to balance power with the patriarchs of the church, and Putin is doing the same.

[BanzaiCat]

I get the feeling Russian nationalists are far more worrisome than communists.

[Airborne Rifles]

I get the feeling Russian nationalists are far more worrisome than communists.

Yep.

[Sir Slash]

"These are 'Nationalist Nipples' Comrades"!

[Airborne Rifles]

Anyhoo, the whole point of the OP was to gather some chuckles at the expense of the Bond villain who's running Russia right now. Wasn't particularly concerned if it was newsworthy or not.

[airboy]

Seriously, Vlad doing the whole Christian thing, does anybody know if he really belongs to a ligit church? I mean he was a Communist, so how does he combine the two? Is it all just for PR or his Russian Street Cred? Or does this guy think destroying his enemies is what Jesus would do? Anybody got any for sure facts?

He has associated himself strongly with the Russian Orthodox Church as head of Russia.  As a commie, he would have been kicked out of the commie party for merely being baptized.  I've visited Russia under Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church is getting a lot of State money to restore Churches and Monasteries that Lenin and Stalin torched.

I've never heard of a "renewal of Baptism" by ice lake as an adult - but that is not saying it is not a thing.

Slash, you might be surprised to hear that when hard-line communists launched the August Coup against Gorbachev in 1991, Vladimir Putin (then a KGB lieutenant colonel) resigned from his position in the KGB in opposition to the hard-liners.

Putin's a bad dude, but he's not he communist. He's a Russian nationalist (and an oligarch), more hard right than hard left. The Russian Orthodox Church is deeply enmeshed in the fabric of Russian identity (even at the height of Soviet power in the 1970 more than half of Russians were still opting for religious weddings, funerals, and christenings), and so Putin has embraced the Orthodox church. The Tsars always had to balance power with the patriarchs of the church, and Putin is doing the same.

Agree with AR except I think he is a Commie Russian Nationalist who now thinks that being an Oligarch who accepts the Russian Orthodox Church yields a more stable power base than being a straight-up commie.  He is also on record as saying the fall of the USSR was one of the greatest tragedies in history. 

Unlike some (but like many here), I don't see a lot of difference between the extreme central power right vs the extreme central power left except for persecution of the established church.

[Gusington]

^Putin has used the Russian Orthodox Church to advance his power and agenda.

[Nefaro]

^Putin has used the Russian Orthodox Church to advance his power and agenda.

Is that how he gained control of so many peoples' brains from afar?

This often shirtless guy is a wizard!

:))

[OJsDad]

Rasputin lives!!!!    <:-)

[Sir Slash]

Oh, I don't know. Get a couple of beers in him and I bet he'd loosen-up. Probably a lot of fun at parties and sings really bad in the shower. I don't think he would put a dead horse's head in your bed at night. He'd probably deliver it in person. 

[BanzaiCat]

Hopefully we can start up the GrogCast again soon and have another discussion about Russia, AB, if you're interested.

[Airborne Rifles]

I always like to talk about Russia  :). Whether I have anything worthwhile to say, on the other hand...

[Gusington]

In Soviet Russia, Soviet Russia enjoy talking about you.