[annatar1914]

The origin of the word ''Atheist'' comes from the Greek; ''atheos'', or ''without god(s)''. Not ''against'', or ''in denial of'' necessarily, but ''without''...

Now, we know from Scripture as Christians that the knowledge of the True God is impossible without the gift or grace of 'faith'. Heretics and Schismatics and Infidels don't have the grace of faith, so they are ''without god'', or ''Atheists'', themselves. Fortunately, God is good and loves mankind, so people are moving towards faith in Him all the time, and everywhere. It's a mystery known only to God Himself, who He draws to Him.

This is really a complicated issue in a number of aspects, but the fact remains that being without God is being without God, even if one thinks they have God, perhaps they do not and only adore an Idol which is a reflection of their errors about reality and those of others as well. This may not be easy for some to accept or hear, and all too easy for one to just dismiss.

Certainly, the worst position seems to be that of those who don't care one way or another, but definitely live life as if there was not a God. They are in the condition of what Kirkegaard called ''Despair'', or the ''sickness unto death'', but are not aware of it consciously. This is because these people are barely aware of being a self at all, and go through life in a most superficial way, either only dealing with life in terms of what is agreeable or disagreeable to them, what pleases or displeases them. Or they are of the sort who builds those Idols I was speaking of earlier, who generates abstract Ideas and believes those ideas have a life of their own independently of their own minds, and can never liberate themselves from those ideas that are after all, only in their head. If they awaken to their situation, these people, they may see what trouble they're in.

No, only ''Atheists'' who consciously understand what is at stake and are actively in the search for truth that will put an end to their very conscious despair, these perhaps will be granted faith to continue on their journey, and not sink back into the previous state of apathetic unconscious despair.

[annatar1914]

In moments of what I could best term ''political depression'', I come to the point where I think political evolution in the Modern Age is probably limited to Capitalism, which itself is a step above Feudalism and Slavery, with Socialism coming forth in brief moments and then being brought back into the Capitalist sphere. Oh yes, in these moments I can see Capitalism's collapse, but with a return to Feudalism or even Slavery as a result after a long period of decline and decay. In a way, like the life cycle of a living organism, or the change of seasons.

Nothing necessarily to be depressed over, anymore than the human condition as a whole no more or less. People survive and adapt. Fall in love and ''marry and are given into marriage'' right up to the Last Day. And in a way, there's nothing wrong with that in itself I guess. Wars, diseases, earthquakes and floods and fires, people live, and can even have a measure of happiness. What previous generations had that they will not, they will not fuss too much about, being to busy working and surviving and living under the conditions they will live.

Long periods of inability to repair old technology or build new... the lights will go out, the factories will grind to a halt, planes sit un-flown for lack of trained pilots or repairs or fuel. the roads will turn back to dirt paths. Cities will have only 10% of the people if that, everybody else will be back on the farm. But lovers will still hold hands, fishermen still fish, and here and there the bell will toll for prayer, maybe deep in the woods far from the World.

[annatar1914]

All of which is to say that the answers I have received from the Fathers are a rejection of the West and it's Satanism. An affirmation of freedom and of love, of the human person over the atomized or collectivized individual. As Dostyoevsky once wrote;

''Not only should one not lose his individual personality, one must precisely become a personality to a higher degree than that which is now defined in the West. Understand me well. Voluntary, absolutely conscious, and unforced sacrifice of the self for the benefit of all is in my opinion a sign of the highest development of the personality – of its supreme power; its supreme self-mastery; the supreme freedom of the individual will. Love one another and the rest will be added unto you.''

There are no contradictions here, this is the Russian truth, the Orthodox truth, both particular and unversal. It's why I can be a Monarchist and a Communitarian; ''Tsar and Soviets'', or perhaps ''Libertarian'' and ''Socialist'' in clunky ill-fitting Western terms. The only real development is organic development, proceeding from the People in their very real wisdom. Force it down and it will come out in some fashion no matter what...

[annatar1914]

Persons who talk as if their attempted Revolutions wouldn't require blood and fire and combat, self-sacrifice and a number of other heroic virtues and military organization of them and others of their ilk, they sicken me to the point of nausea. Hypocrites! Because it's never their blood or sacrifice or obedience to a military-style command for sure. They throw verbal and written incindiary weapons out there, and are horrified when it leaves the realm of the Idea and someone's head is kicked in or people shot...

[Wellsy]

Persons who talk as if their attempted Revolutions wouldn't require blood and fire and combat, self-sacrifice and a number of other heroic virtues and military organization of them and others of their ilk, they sicken me to the point of nausea. Hypocrites! Because it's never their blood or sacrifice or obedience to a military-style command for sure. They throw verbal and written incindiary weapons out there, and are horrified when it leaves the realm of the Idea and someone's head is kicked in or people shot...

https://www.lacan.com/zizrobes.htm

Robespierre's speech "On war" is of special importance today: it shows him as a true pacifist who ruthlessly denounces the patriotic call to war, even if the war is formulated as the defense of the Revolution, as the attempt of those who want "revolution without revolution" to divert the radicalization of the revolutionary process.

[Rancid]

I'm raising the white flag.

[annatar1914]

https://www.lacan.com/zizrobes.htm

Indicates a profound understanding of democracy, proletarian dictatorship, authoritarianism, and the revolutionary mind. In a very real way, it is a Divine Act.

[Wellsy]

Indicates a profound understanding of democracy, proletarian dictatorship, authoritarianism, and the revolutionary mind. In a very real way, it is a Divine Act.

Heres some more wonderful quotes collected by another poster.
[url]https://www.politicsforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1415341#p1415341[/url

It is one of the essential marks of a revolutionary rather than a reformer, to not be so delicate over the methods and really dive into the conflict. Its quite a commitment even for those who would agree with such ends. It takes courage greater than the average person to dive into such unknown territory at such great risk. Whilst they are often framed as power hungry elites, it doesn’t capture the qualities tested through the crucible of such struggle and conflict. How many of us could ever hope to be as brave as even a John Brown, to really and whole heartedly accept principles which we all apparently hold dear and say that it should be made a reality now, not later and not partially.

I also like a quote from Don Pedro Albizu Campos.

“Courage is the only thing which permits a man to pass firmly and serenely over the shadows of death and when man passes serenely over the shadows of death, he enters into immortality.”

[annatar1914]

Heres some more wonderful quotes collected by another poster.
[url]https://www.politicsforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1415341#p1415341[/url

It is one of the essential marks of a revolutionary rather than a reformer, to not be so delicate over the methods and really dive into the conflict. Its quite a commitment even for those who would agree with such ends. It takes courage greater than the average person to dive into such unknown territory at such great risk. Whilst they are often framed as power hungry elites, it doesn’t capture the qualities tested through the crucible of such struggle and conflict. How many of us could ever hope to be as brave as even a John Brown, to really and whole heartedly accept principles which we all apparently hold dear and say that it should be made a reality now, not later and not partially.

I also like a quote from Don Pedro Albizu Campos.

“Courage is the only thing which permits a man to pass firmly and serenely over the shadows of death and when man passes serenely over the shadows of death, he enters into immortality.”

Hard to say then that it isn't a more than human thing which seizes hold of such people, for good and for evil, to do the great and terrible and wonderful things which they do or have done, is it not? Not to excuse evil acts, oh no, but to frame them perhaps in an Apocalyptic and Eschatological frame which by no means drains these revolutionary figures of either their glory in some cases, or their infernal grandeur in others.

[annatar1914]

https://www.lacan.com/zizrobes.htm

@Wellsy ;

I might add too that there is much in this article to reflect on and unpack, chiefly as I relate it to the specific lodestones of my own thought as expressed in concrete history...

Is the King really a usurper by definition as radical egalitarian Leftism suggests, or is the King ideally the concentration of the popular will, as with the Committee of Public Safety and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat? Is there then validity in the slogan; ''Tsar and the Soviets' expressed in some Russian circles after the Revolution, or is that merely some curious one-off fossil of a political idea, a bourgeoisie wedding of contrary ideas in an effort to have peace where there can be none? Perhaps so.

For the desire on the part of Orthodox Christians to have Christian rulers by no means renders that desire to be forever frozen into the forms peculiar to previous ages formed within societies when they were ignorant of the Gospel and thus of love for one's fellow man as a spiritual principle. Best way then to actuate that desire that is integral to a Christian community then, is self-government, representative democracy, a republic. As historical models of this reality whenever Christians are unimpeded in political self development, we see the Cossack democracies and the self-governing freedom within Old Believer communities even in the midst of persecutions.

Perhaps that is partly why the Tsar Nicholas abdicated in 1917, the abdication itself being a highly revolutionary act on his part by virtue of resigning a claim to sovereignty that he did not rightfully possess, the abdication strictly speaking being impossible legally in terms of the ideology of the Tsardom itself, and in the immediate context of a war in which he was not suited to command. The Russian Revolution then truly devoured it's own, later, as surely as the French Revolution devoured Robespierre... Tsar Nicholas closed out a cycle of secular Bourgeoisie Revolution in Russia, and began a cycle of People's Revolution up to our very times.

[annatar1914]

Perhaps that is partly why the Tsar Nicholas abdicated in 1917, the abdication itself being a highly revolutionary act on his part by virtue of resigning a claim to sovereignty that he did not rightfully possess, the abdication strictly speaking being impossible legally in terms of the ideology of the Tsardom itself, and in the immediate context of a war in which he was not suited to command. The Russian Revolution then truly devoured it's own, later, as surely as the French Revolution devoured Robespierre... Tsar Nicholas closed out a cycle of secular Bourgeoisie Revolution in Russia, and began a cycle of People's Revolution up to our very times.

Knowing that this was quite the singular event, I felt that a look at the Abdication document might be revealing;

In the days of the great struggle against the foreign enemies, who for nearly three years have tried to enslave our fatherland, the Lord God has been pleased to send down on Russia a new heavy trial. Internal popular disturbances threaten to have a disastrous effect on the future conduct of this persistent war. The destiny of Russia, the honor of our heroic army, the welfare of the people and the whole future of our dear fatherland demand that the war should be brought to a victorious conclusion whatever the cost. The cruel enemy is making his last efforts, and already the hour approaches when our glorious army together with our gallant allies will crush him. In these decisive days in the life of Russia, We thought it Our duty of conscience to facilitate for Our people the closest union possible and a consolidation of all national forces for the speedy attainment of victory. In agreement with the Imperial Duma We have thought it well to renounce the Throne of the Russian Empire and to lay down the supreme power. As We do not wish to part from Our beloved son, We transmit the succession to Our brother, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, and give Him Our blessing to mount the Throne of the Russian Empire. We direct Our brother to conduct the affairs of state in full and inviolable union with the representatives of the people in the legislative bodies on those principles which will be established by them, and on which He will take an inviolable oath. In the name of Our dearly beloved homeland, We call on Our faithful sons of the fatherland to fulfill their sacred duty to the fatherland, to obey the Tsar in the heavy moment of national trials, and to help Him, together with the representatives of the people, to guide the Russian Empire on the road to victory, welfare, and glory. May the Lord God help Russia!

But i'll break it down;


''In the days of the great struggle against the foreign enemies, who for nearly three years have tried to enslave our fatherland, the Lord God has been pleased to send down on Russia a new heavy trial.''

True enough, which was born out by the Brest-Litovsk treaty and the intentions of General Ludendorf and others regarding Russia.

''Internal popular disturbances threaten to have a disastrous effect on the future conduct of this persistent war.''

The People wanted peace and victory, neither was granted fully until 1945.

''The destiny of Russia, the honor of our heroic army, the welfare of the people and the whole future of our dear fatherland demand that the war should be brought to a victorious conclusion whatever the cost. The cruel enemy is making his last efforts, and already the hour approaches when our glorious army together with our gallant allies will crush him.''

So why abdicate?

'' In these decisive days in the life of Russia, We thought it Our duty of conscience to facilitate for Our people the closest union possible and a consolidation of all national forces for the speedy attainment of victory.''

Once he abdicated, it didn't matter afterwards what he wanted to facilitate or not facilitate at all.

''In agreement with the Imperial Duma We have thought it well to renounce the Throne of the Russian Empire and to lay down the supreme power. ''

Strictly speaking, this is a revolutionary act, illegal under the basic law of the Russian Empire, and there was no consultation with any possible candidate for the throne, even his son, to make provision for the future.

''As We do not wish to part from Our beloved son, We transmit the succession to Our brother, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, and give Him Our blessing to mount the Throne of the Russian Empire.''

And Grand Duke Michael Romanov promptly refused to become Tsar, Nicholas and his blessing to become Tsar being irrelevant in any case.


''We direct Our brother to conduct the affairs of state in full and inviolable union with the representatives of the people in the legislative bodies on those principles which will be established by them, and on which He will take an inviolable oath.''

So he 'wanted' his brother to become a figurehead, a constitutional monarch as the face of a regime otherwise much like the old one. But someone who abdicates has no power and can direct nobody to do anything...

''In the name of Our dearly beloved homeland, We call on Our faithful sons of the fatherland to fulfill their sacred duty to the fatherland, to obey the Tsar in the heavy moment of national trials, and to help Him, together with the representatives of the people, to guide the Russian Empire on the road to victory, welfare, and glory.''

But no longer being Tsar Nicholas and making no provision for any of this to happen, how could this wish of his possibly be?


''May the Lord God help Russia!''

Save Russia from such rulers...

But he knew that there was nothing that he could do, and no real authority to do beyond what he had already done to unleash misfortunes upon his realm. He was the first Tsarist to give up Tsarism, but after he did so, nobody was really a Tsarist anymore, if even he could no longer defend it much less his own Empire.

Here is the Bolshevik who overthrew the Tsar, the Romanov Dynasty and Tsarist Monarchy in Russia for all time;

[annatar1914]

Fact is, my friends, I am no longer ''raising the black flag'' like some bitter renegade and misanthrope, and unlike Marshal Blucher at Waterloo I do have pity for my ''enemies'' for I wish to have none. And I have come to the point where I have such a horror of certain things which lead to sin and also a horror of providing an opportunity for others to perish perhaps eternally, that I can no longer be here on PoFo as a poster. Where I have been wrong forgive me, where I have been right perhaps but presented truths in a manner which might repel one from the truth also, forgive.

And this is at the point in our time where politics has become apocalypse, katehon has given way and eschaton is on the horizon. I in my naivete and childish trust do believe things exactly as the Fathers presented them and Scripture teaches, and if this is foolishness and madness to some then let me foolish and mad.

I will not try to rule over others even in their thoughts, it's not my place to compel others or be compelled by them. I'm not about power but about love and living a simple life. May God bless you all and keep you and yours from all physical and spiritual pestilences. Goodbye.

[annatar1914]

Fact is, my friends, I am no longer ''raising the black flag'' like some bitter renegade and misanthrope, and unlike Marshal Blucher at Waterloo I do have pity for my ''enemies'' for I wish to have none. And I have come to the point where I have such a horror of certain things which lead to sin and also a horror of providing an opportunity for others to perish perhaps eternally, that I can no longer be here on PoFo as a poster. Where I have been wrong forgive me, where I have been right perhaps but presented truths in a manner which might repel one from the truth also, forgive.

And this is at the point in our time where politics has become apocalypse, katehon has given way and eschaton is on the horizon. I in my naivete and childish trust do believe things exactly as the Fathers presented them and Scripture teaches, and if this is foolishness and madness to some then let me foolish and mad.

I will not try to rule over others even in their thoughts, it's not my place to compel others or be compelled by them. I'm not about power but about love and living a simple life. May God bless you all and keep you and yours from all physical and spiritual pestilences. Goodbye.

Everyone has their moments of pain and frustration and desire to not be the occasion of the ruin of others, at least if they are trying to love their fellow human beings. I am of a mind to stay here.

[annatar1914]

The problem with adhering to Communism/Socialism as an Ideology (and all man-made ideologies have problems and are imperfect) is that as a Christian Socialist you find yourself in solidarity apparently with the worst of mankind, immoral degenerates, enemies of the human race, God-Fighters. This is a problem both not easily explained nor dismissed as right-wing baloney. They are rebels, and rebels are condemned by God.

Part of the answer, if Socialism is actually correct and also if these people are not so much the fruit of Socialism rather the 'mulch' or 'nightsoil of that tree, if you will... Is that those people dis-satisfied with society are likely to be dis-satisfied with pretty much the whole order of the world... And blame God, indulge in sin, etc...

Revolution is above all human agency, apparently, as Joseph de Maistre suspected, and as has been discussed here recently. A Revolution can be like the Flood, or the destruction of the cities of the Plain, it's leaders like Pharoah or Nebuchadnezzer or Haman.

So to gain some insight, the end results of Revolution are what it is important to see, not so much the Revolution itself nor the Revolutionaries who carry it out. Problem is, with any historical example of Revolution out there, it's still too early to tell perhaps, what the outcome has truly been.

[annatar1914]

When looking at the crisis within Western civilization, it's important I think to use meaningful terms to help elucidate the nature of the crisis and it's prognosis. Revolution cannot really be discussed in relation to this because as I've discovered Revolution is entirely an Act of God.

Spengler calls all would-be world Improvers in the West; ''Socialists''. iT seems to fit somewhat, and answers to what today we would call Progressives or Liberals, regardless of whether they are ''progressive'' or ''Liberal'' at all, or even ''Socialist''. It's a worldview and a mindset entirely peculiar to certain people of white European and Western Christian descent. Nobody else in the world is really a Liberal or a Socialist or Progressive outside this group of people, beyond a superficial camouflage. ''Conservatives'' of this same descent are merely Liberals who have stopped at a particular stage in the development of the doctrines of the would be world-improvers.

What we're talking about then is a pathology. When this disease burns itself out and then a permanent reactionary order sets in, as I've said before America will rule the entire West as an Empire, and the ruling Ideology of that Empire will be that of a religion, Mormonism, and will be un-selfconciously Fascist and Racialist. America is the center of the Western Faustian Civilization, and Mormonism worships America, and when America enters into her Empire with no apologies, the West will have use, even need, of this religion.

I don't usually use audio visual aids in illustrating my thoughts on Mormonism, but here are a couple;

And this religion will rise up to fill the spiritual void because Liberalism before it's own demise will have destroyed every other Faustian spiritual organization previously in existence.

[annatar1914]

What I have said concerning Mormonism in my last post, of course remains to be seen. And it's entirely possible that the Roman Church will sufficiently revive to fulfill the role indicated by the historical logic of the ''Second Religiousness'' of Spengler and other thinkers. That is, we would have to look beyond the era of Liberalism in the future while still recognizing the marks of that era which is drawing to a close upon Western institutions.

That being said, most of those 'marks' I predict would be on a superficial level, if anything an increased reactionary mindset will prevail. But one area would remain as always full of innovation, and be the main outlet for desire for novelty; in theological dogma. Specifically, in Marian Dogma most of all. For example it's an absolute certainty that the Vatican will establish in the future that the Blessed Virgin Mary is ''Mediatrix'' and ''Co-redemptorix'' and ''Advocate''.

If i'm wrong about Mormonism and thus right about Roman Catholicism instead, we can expect pretty much the same politically in any case, only more so...

[annatar1914]

...But he knew that there was nothing that he could do, and no real authority to do beyond what he had already done to unleash misfortunes upon his realm. He was the first Tsarist to give up Tsarism, but after he did so, nobody was really a Tsarist anymore, if even he could no longer defend it much less his own Empire.

Here is the Bolshevik who overthrew the Tsar, the Romanov Dynasty and Tsarist Monarchy in Russia for all time;

@Potemkin , @Wellsy , and others;

It's strange how things turn out, earlier today having posted about the Western Church of the ''Second Religiousness'' and the role of the Roman Catholic Church in that if it revives, and the theological exaggeration of the role of the B.V.M. the Mother of God, that i'd find something to support a solution to the theological problem of Monarchy among Orthodox Christians.

I found this WIKI article on ''Our Lady Dezhavnaya'' Icon;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_Derzhavnaya

And the inference is that the Mother of God in the opinion of Heaven, is and always has been the true ruler by right of the Russias, of the Orthodox people in the Third and Final Rome, that the finding of the Icon in 1917 on the day the Tsar abdicated indicated that Sovereignty had been taken from the Romanovs. Now, Russian Monarchists believe that the Sovereignty will be restored to the Romanovs or some other Tsarist candidate, I believe that no such inference can be drawn from the symbolic Icon at least;






But regardless of all this, a definitive new age has dawned in the life of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, of the Orthodox Christian Faith, Where the Tsar of Tsars rules all things from Heaven, and will render an account to each person according to their works someday... But that this was always the case in reality, and feeble attempts to do ''Thy will on Earth as it is in Heaven'' now have to be done without the full help of the temporal powers in much of the world necessarily speaking. My brothers and sisters waiting for a Tsar will literally have to wait until the End of the World for Him to Rule in all hearts destined for glory, until then reigning in the hearts of Saints.

Otherwise, of Tsars and Monarchs we have had enough, and will rule ourselves via our representatives.

[annatar1914]

The calculation is very simple. One must look at the 1000 year existence of Russia as a whole and factor in the fact that during that time, Nazi Germany was the single existential threat to the very notion of Russia and an Russian people. The second factor to figure in this calculation is that only the Soviet regime that ruled Russia had the ideological and material resources capable of preserving Russia's existence and beating back the deadly threat. The third factor is nuclear war after the Great Patriotic War, and the necessity of not allowing future Fascist regimes like Nazi Germany to exist to threaten Russia and especially not to gain and/or use nuclear weapons. The fourth factor in this calculation is that nuclear war is eventually inevitable.

Only God can change this calculation.

[Donna]

It's a worldview and a mindset entirely peculiar to certain people of white European and Western Christian descent. Nobody else in the world is really a Liberal or a Socialist or Progressive outside this group of people, beyond a superficial camouflage.

That's definitely not true and even a bit "orientalist".

[annatar1914]

That's definitely not true and even a bit "orientalist".

I stand by the cultural peculiarity of Liberalism as a feature of the Western Civilization; Spengler's ''Socialists'' or ''would-be world inprovers''. However, genuine Socialists can be found outside as well as in western civilization, because the implications of real Socialism (the collective ownership of the means of production in a society by the laboring classes) are universal. If my words seemed to indicate otherwise I would be incorrect in that.