The separatists think that there is no place for these beliefs “in Orthodox Russia.”
It is reported in Germany that Protestant Christians feel threatened on part of the pro-Russian mercenaries. Protestant Christians in the East of Ukraine, according to German missionary organization “Light in the East,” are subject to persecution on part of the pro-Russian separatists. Many Baptists are forced to leave their homes, their churches have been occupied, their mass banned. This was reported by the head of the missionary mission Joachim Lange on Sunday, August 10, reports epd.
According to him, there are victims among the protestants. In Donetsk the separatists have occupied a Christian university. Besides, the representatives of armed formations destroyed a chapel earlier. Such actions on part of the separatists may be motivated by the wide-spread opinion among Russians that the Protestant faith is “an instance of the West’s influence.” Therefore, to their mind, this belief has no place in Orthodox Russia. There are over 2000 Protestant religious communities with 120 thousand believers in Ukraine.
The conflict in Donbas, according to Lange, has led to misunderstandings in clerical circles as well. Representatives of Ukrainian and Russian Baptists were unable to agree on a common position regarding the events in Ukraine at the recent international conference in Jerusalem.
Source: FaceNews
Translated by Mariya Shcherbinina
