01 March 2022
Original YT playout date: 23 September 2010
Duration: 1:20:45
A response to militant atheists who think it’s ok to fight religion by any means
The Amazing Atheist, an extreme anti-religious commentator on You Tube at the time this was originally
posted, says that violence is sometimes the answer. Well, the recording in this video I’m appending is of Vladimir Khailo, a leader of the Independent (ie. unregistered with the state) Baptist Church in the Ukrainian SSR during the 1980s. Someone who knows all about what happened when the atheist regime of the Soviet Union decided to try to “heal” belief by the use of neuroleptic drugs and other psychological “treatments” – he was one of the more famous of their guinea pigs among the leaders of the persecuted Baptist Church. What happened to him and thousands more was violence perpetrated by a savagely zealous atheist state disguised and dressed up as medicine and social intervention.
A harrowing account
This is his harrowing story, well worth the listening. The guy in the high pitched voice translating for him was me. Thirty four years ago, I was his translator when he got out of the Soviet Union. This he obtained at the personal request to Gorbachev by Sakharov. One of the first things he did when he was freed was to come to Britain and thank the British churches for sticking up for him and remembering him when he was going through that hell. I had the great privilege of spending ten days in the company of this strong Christian leader who had faced the nastiest, cruellest things that communism had threatened believers with. Witness in his own skin to some of the worst systematic abuses perpetrated outside of wartime by a country on faultless citizens.
Everything changes, but anything can happen again
OK, in Russia, this tribulation pretty much stopped 34 years ago and the prayers of the church were answered. These days it is going strong in other parts of the world. And as long as atheists in America and other parts of the free world believe that violence is the answer, we can never be sure that it won’t be us in Vladimir’s position 34 years from now. Once again is it likely to be violence done to us in the guise of a moral State healing and having an ethical explanation for every piece of violence it will do to the believers.
Here we go again?
I am preparing this post on the day when Russia invaded Khailo’s country again, so we simply do not know what sorts of things now lie ahead for Ukrainians, including the believers of that country. It looks like it is set to be a long conflict. And while this time it is not specifically Christians who are on the receiving end of the persecution, there are going to be the usual horrible effects that always happen when people place their political ideas above the Gospel truths of God.
Church details here: http://www.wembaptistchurch.co.uk/howtofindus.htm”
Statistics and Credits
Views at the time added to HTV: 1,196
Likes at the time added to HTV: 11
Dislikes at time added to HTV: 6
Comments at time added: 22
Music used: “Ya napomnyu Vam khrest Khrista” performed by Vladimir and Maria Khailo.
Languages used: English, Russian,
Animals/plants featured: None
Concerning Vladimir Khailo at Wem Baptist Church
It seems that all despotic (soulless & humourless) regimes before and since the time of the Roman empire use the name of religion one of the pretexts for furthering their own evil, mistaken and brutal manifestos. I would like to say that essentially their are two broad classes of homo sapiens : 1. those who are unthinking but convinced of their infallibility and the correctnesss of their particular world view and respond to counter-views with violence 2. Those who have the ability to empathise with views different from their own but still disagree with all or some of the counter views. They can accommodate differing opinions without feeling threatened or the need to react violently and oppressively. They are also willing to modify their views when they think they might have been previously mistaken.
I see atheists who belong to one or other of those categories. I don’t consider myself a believer in any religious orthodoxy nor am I a dogmatic atheist. I believe we are mere mortals and part of an evolutionary chain. Does that mean that I am intolerant to those who do not agree with the particular brand of truth that I happen to see as likely. Of course not. Everybody has the right to try to justify their own views (be they religious or other other) and perhaps try to persuade others to follow their particular beliefs. This is part of healthy human discussion and debate. On the other hand nobody has the right to abuse and threaten others into following a belief system that is alien to them. Despotic leaders act from power lust, greed and the psychological need to dominate. Using anti-religious propaganda is just part of their mechanism as a “justification” for taking control. I think the Christian / Atheist argument in this context is too simplistic and risks branding all atheistic views as the precursor to despotism, violence and immorality which is simply not the case.
There have been and probably alway will be many examples of monstrous behaviour perpetrated by both individuals and regimes calling themselves Christians, Atheists, Muslims Hindus or any other religious grouping. Similarly, religious individuals and organisations have been responsible for many loving and altruistic historic and present actions likely to be repeated in the future also. The same can be said of individuals and organisations who profess no religion.
Venom does not need a category (religious or non-religious) from which to geminate it springs from the inability of some humans to empathise with and really listen to other viewpoints. What happened to Vladimir Khailo and his response to it shows humanity at its worst and best and, of course, should never have happened. But I do believe that if his persecutors had not latched onto his Christian belief they would have found some other pretext for brutality, deprivation of freedom and violence. Let’s not add to the problem by seeing his mistreatment stemming from a regime that likes to profess atheism. The evil they represent is present whatever terms and labels they like to abuse. Those people do a grave disservice to the human race not because they choose, for political propaganda reasons, to classify themselves as atheist but because they completely lack all of the qualities needed to be considered moral members of the human race. I will not be aggrieved by anybody disagreeing with my observations but I do feel pain at the mistreatment of Vladimir Khailo and the brave and worthy Ukranian people suffering at the hands of a monster.
Alan.
I know that you mean to be fair and nice, but the fact remains that many atheists like to identify religion and faith in God as the root of suffering, and completely ignore the biggest genocides directly related to despots refusing faith in God.