Patriarch Kirill: Despiritualization invites moral permissiveness

Ignoring a spiritual dimension of life and moral values leads to the loss of the ability to distinguish between good and evil and opens up the path to violence. It was said by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in his speech at the session of the Presidium of Interreligious Council of Russia, where he drew particular attention to the apprehension of revolutionary turmoil back in 1917, reports Pravoslaviye.ru

«There are a lot who wonder why the strive to fair world order, which was declared by revolutionists, turned into atrocities, infighting and tremendous human toll? I believe the best answer to this question can be given by Fedor Dostoyevsky: “If there is no God, everything is permitted then.” However, as prophet David warns us, «Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build it (Ps. 126:1)», remarked the ROC Primate.

«The main lesson to be inferred form the XX century's experience consists in the idea of impossibility to build a fair and wealthy society, having rejected God and discarded religious fundamentals of our human reality. Ignoring a spiritual dimension of our life, moral values being passed down from one generation to another, leads inevitably to the loss of the ability to distinguish between good and evil, evokes moral permissiveness and gives a carte blanche to proponents of an ideology, according to which the choice of the end covers the choice of any means,» underscored Patriarch Kirill.