Multiculturalism - Our strength or our weakness > Russian Orthodox Patriarch blasts multiculturalism

 

Western countries have adopted the slogan 'Diversity is our strength!'  I'm not sure who invented that term or on what basis it was established, but one could easily argue that the opposite is true. 

Here, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church explains what is wrong with multiculturalism.

Christian leader blasts multiculturalism

The traditional spiritual values of the Russian people are being “crossed out,” Patriarch Kirill has said

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia speaks during the opening of the 33rd International Christmas Educational Readings in Moscow. © Sputnik / Stanislav Krasilnikov

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has warned about attempts to use multiculturalism to turn the country into a “nationless and faithless” society.

The traditional spiritual values of the Russian people are sometimes being “not just trampled upon, but literally crossed out,” Kirill said during a speech in Moscow on Tuesday, as cited by the official website of the church.

It happens despite the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022 signed a decree clearly stating that “Orthodoxy plays a special role in the formation and strengthening of traditional values,” he reminded churchgoers.

“Crosses on pictures with churches and even in state symbols are being shamefully rubbed out. Although, one should not be ashamed of the cross, but of one’s own rootlessness and forgetfulness,” the patriarch stressed.

READ MORE: Russian army needs more priests – Church

He sounded the alarm over the alleged persecution of Christian humanities faculty lecturers at the country’s universities, saying “it turns out that even in the teaching of Russia’s history there can be ‘too much religion.’”

“They are repeating the idea that Russia is a ‘multinational and multi-confessional’ country like a mantra. Nobody would have argued with this if in practice this formula did not turn into an attempt to reformat our Fatherland into a nationless and faithless society,” Kirill stressed.

Russia is home to 195 peoples, who speak between 277 and 295 dialects, according to the country’s Ministry of Science.

A study carried out by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTSIOM) last year suggested that the vast majority of Russians considered themselves Orthodox Christians (66%), followed by Muslims (6%), Buddhists (1%), Protestants (1%), Jews and Catholics (both less than 1%). Another 13% said that they were non-believers.

If you dig deep into the universities, you are likely to find many of that 13% of non-believers. You might also stumble across some hint of George Soros since every Western country where Soros is active is becoming more and more antiChristian and antisemitic.

======================================================================

Religious Insanity > The most crushing religions of the world - Hinduism and Islam

 

Worshippers killed, injured in stampede at India's Kumbh Mela religious festival

By Sheri Walsh

Hindu devotees gather ahead of the second sacred bathing ritual, or 'Shahi Snan', during the Kumbh Mela festival at Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, in Prayagraj, northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, dozens of worshippers were feared dead following a crush or stampede that also left others injured. Photo by Prabhat Kumar Verma/EPA-EFE

Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Dozens of worshippers are feared dead and many more injured following a stampede or crush Wednesday at the massive Kumbh Mela religious festival in northern India, according to officials.

Local officials in the city of Prayagraj, where the world's largest religious event was taking place, reported 38 worshippers killed, as the government has yet to release an official death toll.

According to a paramilitary officer at the scene, "There were multiple stampedes. There were at least 200 injured and I'd say around 50 dead." A doctor in Prayagraj claimed, "At least 15 people have died for now. Others are being treated."

A record 100 million people were expected to take a holy dip at the Sangam, the holy confluence of three rivers, as officials warned worshippers to take baths at other points along the Ganga river.

Wednesday's crowds during the six-week festival were larger as all 13 sects of holy people took their holy baths in the Ganges on a day that also coincided with the celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter for the Maha or grand Kumbh Mela, which only takes place every 144 years.

"I appeal to all the devotees that because a large crowd has gathered in Prayagraj today, they should not insist on taking a holy dip only at the Sangam Ghat," Hindu religious leader Jagatguru Rambhadracharya warned before the stampede, according to Times of India.

Wednesday's bathing ritual at Kumbh Mela was canceled "due to the heavy rush of devotees."

The Hindu festival began two weeks ago, with nearly 148 million attending. The festival is scheduled to continue until Feb. 26. Kumbh Mela is considered the "festival of festivals" in the Hindu religious calendar in India, since it takes place every 12 years.

Earlier this month, some journalists called the Maha Kumbh Mela festival a "disaster waiting to happen," as 400 million pilgrims were expected to bathe in the rivers. To manage the crowds, officials said they planned to employ artificial intelligence and underwater drones.

"We want everyone to go back home happily after having fulfilled their spiritual duties," said Amit Kumar, a senior police officer heading tech operations for the festival.

"AI is helping us avoid reaching that critical mass in sensitive places," he said last week. "We are using AI to track people flow, crowd density at various inlets, adding them up and then interpolating from there."

"The personal bubble of an individual is quite big in the West," said Kumar, as he explained crowd density that would trigger alarms. "The standard there is three people per square foot. But we can afford to go several times higher than that."

According to authorities, nearly 70% of India's deadly crowd disasters have occurred during religious mass gatherings.

In 1954, more than 400 people were trampled to death or drowned on one day at Kumbh Mela.

In 1986, 53 worshippers were killed and 39 injured as hundreds of Hindu pilgrims rushed to cleanse their sins in the holy Ganges River. Police had mistakenly directed the crowd onto a dead-end street where many were trampled.

At least 40 pilgrims were killed and more than 60 were injured in a stampede at the Kumbh Mela in western India's Nasik town in August 2003.

Ten years later, more than 36 people -- mostly women and children -- were killed in another stampede, before the head of the Kumbh Mela festival organizing committee resigned "on moral grounds."

Following the deaths of 10 people at the Ganges River in 2015, organizers of the Kumbh Mela festival imposed a selfie ban to prevent future stampedes during the ritual bathing.

A survey of volunteers and local administrators participated in a "human behavior study," which found people who took selfies slowed the flow of worshippers through the river, leading to pushing and panicking.

Islamic madness is even worse

Islam is also noted for crushing worshippers to death at the annual Hajj as hundreds of thousands of Muslims come from all over the world to walk around a black rock. 

1990 Incident](https://x.com/i/grok?text=0%2[520Incident))](https://x.com/i/grok?text=5[20Incident)))](https://x.com/i/grok?text=20Incident)))): A stampede in a pedestrian tunnel near Mecca resulted in approximately 1,400 deaths.

2015 Incident](https://x.com/i/grok?text=5%2[520Incident))](https://x.com/i/grok?text=5[20Incident)))](https://x.com/i/grok?text=20Incident)))): The deadliest hajj disaster occurred on September 24, 2015, in Mina, near Mecca. Various sources and unofficial counts suggested that over 2,000 pilgrims died, with an Associated Press count suggesting at least 2,411 deaths, though the official Saudi count was significantly lower at 769.

Other Incidents: There have been several other incidents over the years, including a 2006 stampede that killed 363 pilgrims

1. Frequency and Causes:
   • Crowd Crushes and Stampedes: These have been among the most deadly incidents during Hajj, with significant events in 1990 (1,426 deaths), 2004 (251 deaths), and the most tragic in 2015 (over 2,400 deaths according to some counts, though officially reported lower).
   • Heat-related Illnesses: Extreme temperatures, especially during the summer months when Hajj often falls, contribute to numerous deaths each year. In 2024, over 1,300 deaths were reported, with many attributed to the heat, particularly among unauthorized pilgrims who lacked access to proper facilities.

     

     

     
   • Medical Emergencies: Pilgrims, many of whom are elderly or have pre-existing health conditions, can succumb to various health issues exacerbated by the physical demands and environmental conditions of Hajj.

     
2. Annual Variation:
   • The number of deaths can range from tens to thousands, depending on the year. For instance, in 2023, there were reports of over 200 deaths, while 2024 saw a significant spike to over 1,300 due to extreme heat.

     

     
   • The scale of the pilgrimage, which can attract over 2 million people, inherently increases the risk of accidents and health emergencies.

Islam and Hinduism are the second and third most popular religions behind Christianity. Yet, one never hears of Christians being crushed to death in a mad race for the Ganges or because there were a hundred thousand people in constant motion and 100+ degrees F. 

I can't imagine how Hindus would think that bathing in the waters of a river with a couple million others could possibly be a holy or cleansing experience. I'll take the cleansing of sins from Jesus Christ Who did all that suffering for me. 

1.