Politologist: Those who use the topic of religion in war aren’t Christians

Political scientist Ruslan Bortnik. Photo: 24 Channel

A true priest should remain outside of the political context, said Ruslan Bortnik, the director of the Ukrainian Institute of Politics, in an interview with journalist and blogger Oleksandr Shelest.

Commenting on the transfers of UOC churches to the OCU, the political scientist stated that those initiating them are driven not by religious but by political motives. According to him, to create a unified Church, "we must first create consensus within Ukrainian society. Initially, society must share these goals and strive for them." He noted that currently, the opposite trend is observed.

At the same time, in his words, "those who try to use the religious factor in the war – they are absolutely not Orthodox and not even Christians at all."

"Open the Bible and read how Christ Himself treated this matter. He called to love your enemies. Christianity is not about war, not about mobilization. Christianity is about something else. Throughout history, there have been numerous attempts to use Christianity for mobilization: crusades and the like. But in general, a true Christian is completely outside of the political context. A real priest should be beyond the political context. And if he speaks differently, and calls someone to politics – he's not quite a priest anymore; he deviates far from the key principles of Christianity laid down by Christ and His disciples. Open the Bible and read – how Christ called to treat one's enemies," Ruslan Bortnik said.

As earlier reported, according to "Metropolitan" Mykhailo Zinkevych, OCU members love "only those who love us, the rest – if we don't shoot them".

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