# "Russian Church mulls stop to practice of blessing nukes"



## The Bread Guy (4 Feb 2020)

This from France's wire service ...


> The Russian Orthodox Church has proposed a stop to the practice of having priests bless weapons of mass destruction, though sprinkling holy water on planes and ships is still deemed appropriate.
> 
> The Church on Monday published a draft document outlining its role in blessing Orthodox Christians who "protect the Fatherland" and "carry out their military duty", inviting internet users to discuss the proposal online.
> 
> ...


... with more details in the attached church documents (in Google English and in Russian), and in this story from last summer:


> ... Weapons systems, including Topol-class intercontinental ballistic missiles, are frequently blessed by members of the Russian Orthodox clergy during military parades and other events. These blessings are seen as a way of spiritually protecting the country.
> 
> In 2007, Russia’s nuclear weapons were consecrated in a service at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. In Russian Orthodoxy, the patron saint of Russia’s nuclear weapons is St. Seraphim.
> 
> ...


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## garb811 (4 Feb 2020)

And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, "O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that, with it, Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits in Thy mercy."

And the Lord did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and large chu--


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## OldSolduer (4 Feb 2020)

garb811 said:
			
		

> And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, "O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that, with it, Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits in Thy mercy."
> 
> And the Lord did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and large chu--



Three shall be the count, the count shall be three......


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## FJAG (4 Feb 2020)

Oh Lord! I can see this catching on amongst Southern fundamentalists. There'll be a whole new online ministry asking for tithes so that they can send missionaries out to bless gear. H'mmmm. Maybe there's an opportunity here to make a stinking great big pile of money out of this. Maybe a cult with eighteen-year old disciples?

 :stirpot:


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## OldSolduer (4 Feb 2020)

FJAG said:
			
		

> Oh Lord! I can see this catching on amongst Southern fundamentalists. There'll be a whole new online ministry asking for tithes so that they can send missionaries out to bless gear. H'mmmm. Maybe there's an opportunity here to make a stinking great big pile of money out of this. Maybe a cult with eighteen-year old disciples?
> 
> :stirpot:



Needs a catchy title - The Church of the Holy Apocalypse or maybe the Church of the Holy Annihilator


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## brihard (4 Feb 2020)

Hamish Seggie said:
			
		

> Three shall be the count, the count shall be three......



Thou shalt not counst to four, and neither shalt thou counst to two, except for then proceeding unto three. Five is right out!


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## dimsum (5 Feb 2020)

Hamish Seggie said:
			
		

> Needs a catchy title - The Church of the Holy Apocalypse or maybe the Church of the Holy Annihilator



Church of the Afterlife Assistant if the others seem too "fire and brimstone-y"?  You know, for the cross-cultural recruiting  :nod:


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