[alexbookhyip]

Andreas,

Sorry, I should have elaborated a bit on that.
It bothers me because its the sort of broad, agenda driven statement that Ive seen seen so often in the media lately, which focuses completely on the negatives of modern Russian while ignoring the many, many remarkable things in relation to the spiritual side of things that have been taking place since the end of the Soviet era.
Im not implying in any way of course though that there is anything behind the statements youve made.
While Ive never been to Russia, and therefore cannot provide any firsthand accounts myself, what Ive heard from Russians that do have first hand knowledge actually sounds very similar to what you've heard.
These are I feel(at least in most cases) very narrow views of a much greater picture.
I follow a number of Russian news sites(un official and official) and blogs,many of which tend to focus not so much on the grumbings of individuals, but on matters which are more relevant overall to Russian society as a whole.
We living here in the west, arent told about the miraculous sightings of crosses in the sky(witnessed by tens of thousands of people),the thousands of recent cases of Icons spontaneously renewing themselves, gushing mir, weeping, or healing afflictions.
I heard an account just the other day of an instance where a store which sells Icons(reproductions) and other church related items had 200 Icons simultaneously begin streaming mir, each having its own distintive smell. And that was just one such remarkable occurance.
That so many Churches and Monasteries are receiving an abundance of contributions would also seem to contradict the statement that:
"Corruption is not limited to the government; it permeates every aspect of life, private and public, down to the bottom."

Historically speaking, a society which is corrupt from top to bottom, is not typically one that puts much of a priority in maintaining its Churches.
I do understand where your coming from with this statement though. I have a sister who was adopted from Russia, and some of the stories Ive heard from her would certainly seem to back many of your statements.

"'that went on' - the past tense is inapt. What do you mean, 'has to had to adapt'?"

I meant this in the same sense that America has, for better or worse, had to adapt since 911. Theres always been(and always will be)corruption in high places,that is a given.
Russia now,unlike much of the 90's has a funtional governent, unlike the chaotic few years of near anarchy that followed the fall of communism. During those years elements of organized crime and corrupt officials took advantage of the power vacuum, and were able to go about their business without much or any goverment interferance. This is just not the case anymore. While these elements are still very much in existance, they no longer hold the same influence they did. Russia has been also dealing with the problem of interferance from western powers attempting to influence the media,elections and public opinion(usually all at once). We hear all about it every time a journalist or politician is censored or arrested in Russia, what we DONT hear are the actual reasons why(or if we do its stated in a dismissive way).
To acheive the level of control(however small)the government now has, it has had to resort to what most of us here in the west see as "totalitarian measures".

"It's certainly better than having atheists in charge but Russians don't see that this makes much difference to the way Russia is run. Yes, the Church now occupies a prominent position in the state but it is seen as being at a formal, official level rather as it was before the Revolution. Orthodoxy makes little difference to the majority of Russians."
I
f it is indeed the case that Orthodoxy makes little difference to the majority of Russians, Im guessing 70 years of persecution has played a bit more of a role in this than the post-Soviet government.
While the Orthodox Church actually became the official state church during the reign of Peter the Great, it was during these 70 or so years of communism that the church became such a formal, officially controlled department of the state, and not after. The issue of formality may still be somewhat the case, but based on what Ive heard and read about in Russia, the State no longer interfers in matters of the Church and vice versa. In fact the Church and State have been working closely together for years now to improve the moral and spiritual stadards of society(public schools now teach classes in Orthodox education).



"In the late 80s and early 90s, there was a fresh atmosphere in the churches and monasteries and they and the clergy and monastics in them engaged with people. Now, with so much money having been put into them, they have acquired an air of, again, formality and 'officilism' which makes them feel more remote from the people."
Once again, the church of Russia was an official church, dependant upon the government, both during, and long before the Soviet era.
If what you said above is actually a reality, I would think this would be more symptomatic of an oppressed population unaccustomed to living without fear.
However, I tend to think this is not the case, or at least not as prevailant as many would lead us to believe.
The fact that even Hollywood stlye big budget movies made in Russia are starting to include strong elements of Orthodoxy(watch "Admiral" for of good example of this), is in my opinion, a sign of the opposite occuring.

Ive written all this not to try to impose my will or opinions on anyone, and certainly not to offend. And while I may be unrealistically optimistic, there are(along with what Ive already mentioned) many other remarkable things going on in Russia recently that if put into proper prospective, seem to indicate the beginings of a spiritual rebirth.
Even though Dostoyevski, Gogol, and other great Russian writters forsaw the revolution and so many of it terrible consequences, they all seemed to have had the firm belief that Russia would one day awaken again to reveal the truth of Orthodoxy to the rest of the world.
I cant help but hope we may be seeing the first signs of this.