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Russia Shuts Down Popular Atheist Site For “Insulting The Feelings of the Faithful”

220px-philipandnikonWe have previously discussed the crackdown on free speech in Russia, including examples of quasi-blasphemy prosecutions by the country. While we often see such prosecutions in Muslim countries, there is a growing trend in the West against free speech, particularly when deemed anti-religious or insulting to particular groups. The unholy alliance of Vladimir Putin with the Russian Orthodox Church has accelerated this trend as shown in the move to shutdown a popular atheist social networking page of “There is no God” on VKontakte. The site’s 26,000 followers woke up to notice that the site was shutdown after a ruling from a count in the Muslim North Caucasus region of Chechnya under the control of strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, a key Putin ally.

The Russian court ruled that the site was deemed to be publishing materials that can “insult the feelings of Orthodox Christians.” That would seem obvious from the face that it is an atheist site but the court cited a cartoon showing Jesus telling a surgeon during an operation: “I created this cancer, how dare you remove it?,” with the surgeon replying “Shut up Jesus.”

That was enough to denying thousands of atheists free speech in Russia.

The prosecutors in Chechnya said the decision was obvious since it “uncovered materials during monitoring of the Internet which insult the feelings of the faithful.”

225px-Vladimir_Putin_official_portraitThat would cover most anything posted on an atheist site, of course. There appears no crimes to cover “insult to the free speech of the public” in Russia. The case reminds one of the irony of Putin standing proudly as the great Russia writers in history were celebrated in the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Not only were some of those writers threatened and abused by the Russian government, Putin himself worked at the KGB while such writers were jailed for exercising free speech. Putin and other authoritarian figures are particularly worried about the Internet as a powerful vehicle for free speech. After all, if you can question God, it is only a matter of time before someone has the gall to question Putin.

Source: Daily Star

32 thoughts on “Russia Shuts Down Popular Atheist Site For “Insulting The Feelings of the Faithful””

  1. Threats Force Satan Statue Unveiling to Secret Detroit Venue
    http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/group-plans-unveil-statue-depicting-satan-detroit-32421508

    The 1½-ton Baphomet, which is backed by an inverted pentagram and flanked by statues of two young children gazing up at the creature, shows Satan with horns, hooves, wings and a beard.

    The Satanic Temple, a group that advocates for the separation of church and state, will release the location of the unveiling on the day of the event, and details will be sent to ticketholders only, the group’s co-founder Lucien Greaves told The Associated Press Monday.

    “Tickets are going to be pre-ordered to cut down on harassment … people threatening to burn the venue down,” Greaves said. “We’ve gotten those kinds of messages.”

    “If people don’t want to come, they don’t need to come,” he added.

    Greaves said he reported the threats to authorities. The AP left a message Monday seeking comment from Detroit police.

    … And then there’s that.

    1. davidm2575: “I was rather libertarian and did not want government involved in anything as private and intimate as sexuality. However, after seeing the courts destroy marriage. . . .What I failed to see previously is that if the law allows too much liberty and is lax on moral issues, not clearly defining right and wrong, a slippery slope is created to justify judges making decisions based upon feelings rather than rational sound judgment.”

      So, what is more irrational than invading someone’s privacy in the bedroom? Outlawing it?!!

      The one and (dare I say) only thing this country has that others don’t is a written Bill of Rights. Protect it!

      David, your morals and mine differ, so don’t tread on me!

  2. Practicing Religious Liberty one fanatic at a time…
    … Except this is in a Communist country so there’s that.

  3. How could anyone accept a ruling from Chechnya regarding religion since most of the residents of this miserable little province are Muslims who worship an ignorant pedophile and who would kill anyone who dares to insult the the Koran

  4. Obama is an atheist. It’s one of the many reasons I like him. I just wish he’d come out of the Jesus closet and confess his reasonableness. Which is not to say that I want him to stop singing those gospel hymns. That was awesome!

  5. It’s easy to critique Russia for it’s stance on atheists. Someone might choose to look up the states here in the good old U. S. of A. where atheists are barred from holding public office, and no, it didn’t start with Obama, Neo. It’s nice to feel all smug and superior in this “Christian” nation and not see how the “other” fares here as well. Ta ta folks. I don’t need to stick around for the rationalizations, which, as always, will come. I already know you’re all better than everyone else.

    1. maxcat07 – there was a time when priests were banned from public office. It is only fair that atheists be banned for the same amount of time. Social Justice For All.

          1. Paul: “They are, but they aren’t.” Perfectly put. ‘Bout sums it up. Lots of laws are “on the books,” but they are unenforceable.

            For instance, Georgia’s sodomy law is still in effect, even though the SCOTUS struck it (and 13 other sodomy laws) down as violative of due process in one’s consensual sexual conduct under the 14th Amendment (in Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003)).

            Here’s the Georgia criminal statute still on the books:

            “16-6-2(a)(1) A person commits the offense of sodomy when he or she performs or submits to any sexual act involving the sex organs of one person and the mouth or anus of another.”

            Apparently, the Georgia Legislature is waiting for the SCOTUS to deviate from its own precedent and overrule Lawrence v. Texas.

            What I don’t get is why people make the time to be so interested in what others are doing in their bedrooms.

            1. stevegroen wrote: “What I don’t get is why people make the time to be so interested in what others are doing in their bedrooms.”

              Before Obergefell, I used to wonder the same thing. I was rather libertarian and did not want government involved in anything as private and intimate as sexuality. However, after seeing the courts destroy marriage and give active approval and praise to the philosophy of hedonism, I now think sodomy should be illegal. If sodomy was established as criminal in legal jurisprudence, the high court could not have made such an irrational decision in Obergefell and destroyed the foundation of civilized society, marriage. What I failed to see previously is that if the law allows too much liberty and is lax on moral issues, not clearly defining right and wrong, a slippery slope is created to justify judges making decisions based upon feelings rather than rational sound judgment.

  6. It seems Russia has come full circle between the Soviet era’s official position on atheism and that expressed today.

    1. When I drove around the Soviet Union in 1984, there were plenty of churches and religious folks practicing it. The Soviet Union had ceased surpressing religion, especially after Stalin’s death. They did have rules and regs for religious orders and churches but if you wanted to worship any God you could find plenty of places to do so It was not like the US to be sure, but it was a relatively free place to worship.

      In the early Soviet Union churches were free of govenment pressure and were free in the US sense. Stalin changed all that and started persecuting religion. Trotsky, who was the head and founder of the League of the Godless, a non-govenmental organization dedicated to anti-religious propoganda, protested the forcible closing and persecution of churches and religion. We all know what Stalin’s response to that was.

    1. Inga – I looked at his eyes and thought “Damn. This guy is a former serial killer.”

  8. I have never trusted Putin and I do not understand why Bush though he understood Putin His every action makes him more dangerous.

  11. As far as labeling people relative to whether or not they are religious, the two best labels to use are religionist and normal. We don’t label people aschizophrenics or aalcoholics or aaddicts or adelusional.

    We also don’t allow cartoons which insult people who happen to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, addicted, or delusional. We treat them with respect and try to help them insofar as possible.

  12. I used to have some respect for Prof Turley’s views on world affairs, but i am having to revise that when he runs such articles as this WITHOUT publicizing similar acts and rulings in the Ukraine where the US DOES have influence. Covering up such murders of nearly 30 independent journalists and refusing to note the new Ministry of Information under the right wing leaders, is simply lying by omission. Turley has an opportunity to actually influence the Ukrainian government which was installed by a US backed coup. Journalists without borders, the International Ass. of Journalists have all been denouncing the dictatorship and censorship of the press and the murders of many jounalists by the Kiev regime.

    Turley has been critical of Obama for many of his executive orders, yet he is silent on the fact that he has banned any persons from the US who are critical of the Ukrainian regime from entering the US. How about some defense of free speech HERE? He also neglects to mention the fact that US military figures have called for outright murder of Russians per se in the Ukraine. Another commentator has urged the Ukraine to specifically shoot and kill journalists who have press on their helmets. It is time to defend freedom of the press and speech HERE and in the Ukraine as well as Russia.

  13. Russia, and those Stan countries are not The West as the article infers. The best way around such free speech barriers is to interpose alternate words. For Jesus it is Hey Zeus.

  15. Our very own American Taliban will love this……..Now I can sit back and watch “FOX NEWS” tell me what a great man Putin is respecting religious freedom.

  16. Claiming there is no god is a foolish endeavor, it’s just as bad as claiming there is a god.

  17. A little touch up

    Questioning Putin Obama is worse than questioning God. Questioning or challenging Putin Obama gets you murdered. He is the most dangerous man in the world.

  18. Are they also going to shut down all of the religious sites that “insult the feelings of the non-faithful” too, or shut down all the christian sites that insult muslims, or vice versa? There must be something to this atheism thing if such a small number can instill this kind of fear into what is claimed as the vast majority of people. Maybe they need to practice what they tell us atheists, “If you don’t like it, just ignore it. You don’t need to look at it or listen to it if you don’t want to.”

  20. Questioning Putin is worse than questioning God. Questioning or challenging Putin gets you murdered. He is the most dangerous man in the world. He investigated people for NOT being atheists when he was KGB, now in his Machiavellian mode, he has flipped 180 degrees.

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