Christian Family moves to Russia to escape LGBTQ, and now they're living in a nightmare
There are times when the ignorance that comes to the surface in the mix of pseudo-Christianity that often passes for the real thing in North American culture, particularly in the more conservative sects of Christianity, is just absolutely unbelievable. It really has become virtually impossible to practice the kind of Christian faith that is actually described by the apostles and other authors of the New Testament, and gives a theological and doctrinal foundation to the practice of the Christian gospel without being accused of being weak, or liberal, or of misinterpreting some already misinterpreted passage of Christ's recorded teaching. Most Christians rest on their own definition of God, their own theology and doctrine and their own personal preferences, twisting what they call their faith into shapes that fit their ideology, with no resemblance at all to the life that Christ called his followers to live.
Christians have been living, successfully, in full freedom to practice their faith as they feel led by the Spirit of God to do, in openly secular cultures around the world, for twenty centuries. In Canada, which has guarantees of basic human freedom similar to the United States, no one is forced to accept any moral position they deem unsuitable, by religious conviction, for their family. There are secular influences everywhere, all around, but Jesus and the Apostles did an outstanding job, in their written work and the record of Christ's spoken word, in preparing and equipping their early church for existing, living, and surviving in a pagan world surrounded by immorality and worldliness without having to compromise anything. That is, in fact, the very foundational essence of Christianity, spiritual freedom.
Apparently, Arend Feenstra and his wife found the atmosphere in Canada, favorable to lifestyles that they do not agree with, too oppressive for raising their nine children. I see nothing in this story to indicate that they were being persecuted by persons of LGBTQ lifestyles, or that they were being forced by the government to expose their children to any of this.
"There's a lot of left-wing ideology, LGBTQ, trans, just a lot of things that we don't agree with that they teach there now, and we wanted to get away from that for our children."
And so, to get away from it, instead of just taking charge of their family, being intentional parents and dealing with adversarial ideology in the same way everyone else deals with it, they decided to find a place in the world where they wouldn't be exposed to these kind of ideas, and move there. So they sold their farm and they moved.
To Russia.
That's the first sign that not all of the brain synapses are connecting, in either parent. Thinking that Russia would be a more ideal place to raise your children than Canada, where no one is forcing anyone to accept lifestyles or ideologies or immorality that they choose not to accept, is inexcusable ignorance. These parents have now moved eight of their nine children into an oppressive trap from which they might not ever be able to escape, because they have believed the lies that have been circulating around because of political stupidity, probably originating in the gool ole US of A. Did they not pay any attention in school? Clearly, what they thought they knew about Russia was pure poppycock.
In Canada, they were free to be critical of the left wing ideology that they claimed was forcing them to move. In Russia, well, apparently they're not free to be critical of anything. And after the experience they endured when Anneesa Feenstra expressed criticism of the Russian officials after their money disappeared into a Russian bank, I wonder if they think their children are safer in Canada, where there is freedom of conscience for people to express their liberal ideology or extremist Christian views, or in Russia, where there is no freedom of conscience at all and where expressing one's opinion can be mortally dangerous?
I guess there are Canadians who are as susceptible to the kind of mindless ignorance and blatant stupidity to which some Americans have fallen victim, as a result of our extremist right wing politics.
Through work, I've met a couple of Ukrainian families who emigrated to the United States before the war broke out. Even then, their fear of living so close to Russia under Vladimir Putin drove them to sacrifice everything, a restaurant business in one case, a medical career in the other, to bring their children to the United States to get them as far away from the reach of Russia as possible. They've just been absolutely stunned to find Americans who think of Russia as some sort of Christian Nationalist paradise, full of white people and under the dictatorial thumb of a ruler enforcing Orthodox Christian principles.
"Anyone who believes that lie," said my friend, whom I'll call Mikola, "has never been to Russia, or anywhere near it."
I'm wondering where it was, in Canada, that this family encountered this ridiculousness anywhere in Christianity. They missed the whole point of the Christian gospel and the New Testament. Christ taught, and his words were recorded, and the apostles taught and wrote what conservative Christians believe is sacred, inerrant, infallible scripture with the main point being the instruction of followers of Christ in Christian living, how to live out your Christian faith in a world that was full of all kinds of pagan influences. If they couldn't figure out how to protect their children from ideology they don't agree with, then they haven't learned anything about the faith they claim to practice, either.
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