DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Russia Now: The Russian Orthodox Church's emerging role

**jeaccatty** · 11-23-2009, 11:59 PM

The point is that those dear to my heart “shuffling old women” and “eccentric zealots” are being constantly replaced now by post-Soviet fraudulent gas and oil businessmen. If it goes like this the world will soon be running short on the Salt Of The Earth (i.e. Russian old women and Russian eccentric to the West zealots).

It is my experience that many of the future salt of the earth "shuffling old women" of the Russian Church are now being found in the Russian diaspora. The now young "internet brides" who are coming from Russia to marry American (or other nationalities) men find that they are without roots, until they find those roots often in the Russian Orthodox Church. Previously "fashionable" or "heritage" Orthodox Christians in Russia, they soon find a depth of the Church in their new homes and become pious and faithful daughters of the Church. Some will stay here and inhabit their new parishes as the "shuffling old women" in years to come, others will eventually go home with a new found love of the Church and become the next generation of "shuffling old women" in their homeland.

I agree with Oleg that these "shuffling old women" and "eccentric zealots" are very much the heart and soul of the Church and God forbid we should ever run short of them. These are the true builders of the Churches for without the people who pray, the temple is but an empty building.

Fr David Moser

11-23-2009, 11:59 PM	#5
jeaccatty Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 587 Senior Member	The point is that those dear to my heart “shuffling old women” and “eccentric zealots” are being constantly replaced now by post-Soviet fraudulent gas and oil businessmen. If it goes like this the world will soon be running short on the Salt Of The Earth (i.e. Russian old women and Russian eccentric to the West zealots). It is my experience that many of the future salt of the earth "shuffling old women" of the Russian Church are now being found in the Russian diaspora. The now young "internet brides" who are coming from Russia to marry American (or other nationalities) men find that they are without roots, until they find those roots often in the Russian Orthodox Church. Previously "fashionable" or "heritage" Orthodox Christians in Russia, they soon find a depth of the Church in their new homes and become pious and faithful daughters of the Church. Some will stay here and inhabit their new parishes as the "shuffling old women" in years to come, others will eventually go home with a new found love of the Church and become the next generation of "shuffling old women" in their homeland. I agree with Oleg that these "shuffling old women" and "eccentric zealots" are very much the heart and soul of the Church and God forbid we should ever run short of them. These are the true builders of the Churches for without the people who pray, the temple is but an empty building. Fr David Moser
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