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Published by
The National Herald,
September 3, 2005
Why Should
The Archons Give The Athenagoras Award To
Mr. Gorbachev? |
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To the Editor,
I am at a loss
as to why the Order of St. Andrew, an Orthodox
organization, would go out of its way to present
their prestigious Athenagoras Human Rights award
to Mikhail Gorbachev. The story in last week’s
edition gave two reasons for this:
First,
Gorbachev is being credited for ending communism
in the Soviet Union. In fact, this was not his
intention, at all. He wanted to keep the USSR
intact while reforming the way communism was
being implemented. China has had to modify its
form of communism in recent decades, as well,
but it is still communist. If Gorbachev had had
his way, the USSR would still exist and would be
just like present-day China: allowing for
"openness," but still oppressing its people and
denying human rights. Gorbachev did not end
communism; rather, his reforms got away from him
until he was finally ousted. To say he ended
Communism would be like saying George III of
England deserves credit for founding the USA,
since his actions were key. When Russia had its
first free elections, Gorbachev received only 1
percent of the vote. Many outside of Russia fail
to understand how unpopular he has always been
among his own people.
Second, as for his having been baptized
Orthodox, this is a disingenuous attempt to
justify giving an Orthodox award to an avowed
atheist. After all, Stalin was baptized
Orthodox, too. In interviews in recent years,
Gorbachev has been asked about his religious
views, and he is always evasive. He has
identified himself in the past as an atheist,
and has never done or said anything to disown
this.
I can not
understand what purpose it serves for the
Orthodox community to give an award to such a
man. Does this promote the Orthodox Faith? I do
not see how. I believe it only results in the
world seeing the Church promoting secular values
rather than Christian ones. Why not give
Orthodox awards to Orthodox Christians who
actually advance Orthodox causes?
Respectfully
submitted,
Rev. Peter Jackson
St. Theodore Russian Orthodox Church
Williamsville, New York |
