Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Identification Declaration

Greetings and good health towards everyone.

My last secular job was in 2005, since then I have taken many steps to distance myself from this temporary society. It is amazing I can still manage to make this posting here. I gladly destroyed my government identifications, like drivers licenses, social security card, birth certificate. I have not talked on a phone for many years, nor sent or received snail mail, parcel post, or other such items. I quit banks and get no check, no cards. I live by faith. 

But the local constabulary frequently harass and detained me, there are these hyper-militant homeless task forces nowadays. Nowhere is safe from them. I get lectures on how society demands that people have identification insisting, at the very least, that I get something printed at a print shop. Lord have mercy, the world is swiftly approaching its end. I do not think that the following single page paper is what they want, but it is a sensible effort to answer their questions of me. I fold it up to the size of an ID card, so the title shows, then put it in a little wallet with nothing else. So the following PDF file is what they shall find in any ongoing interrogation. 

This is a pretty liberating idea for anyone, if we think about it.

forgive

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Rift

From Russian TV we have a series of 20 dramatic historical shows from the year 2011. This is really an epic presentation of the Raskol (Раскол) or in English “Rift” which has a total runtime of 960 minutes. It is about the reformer Nikon and Czar Aleksij Michailovich, his son Fyodor, the Morozov brothers, and the ardent opponents led by Protopope Habakkuk with many others including Boyarina Feodosia Morozova. Even though it has no subtitles and is not in English, English speakers can glean a lot by viewing, if they are careful. Those who are interested in this topic will find it the best film production about the Rift, many of the details are very realistic. However, some scenes are not historically accurate and should be removed. Still, the videos do capture a weighty and little-known period of Russian history, the split of Russian Orthodox Church in the XVII century, specifically covering the period from 1644 thru 1684. It was filmed in the great Russian medieval town of Rostov. Here is a link to the videos.

Below is a painting showing the
burning of Protopope Habakkuk.