Moscow
May 23, 2011
First day in the Moscow office and all went well. Colleagues took me to an Uzbek restaurant. While I tucked into Karam Shurva (cabbage soup) and yummy cheese pie (sort of a large sopapilla), I bored my companions with how I loved Uzbekistan because it was one of the answers to my favorite geographical trivia question.[1]
Speaking of food, after work I found my Russian Mexican food. I high-tailed it to Ла Кантина, which is La Cantina to you and me. I had a very servicable chicken quesadilla and a lovely ear of asado corn.
To get there, I took a nice long walk through the neighborhoods between where the Firm’s office is and the Kremlin area. I was happy that my sense of navigation was working properly (though to be honest, the Kremlin is kind of hard to miss). It was the first real time I’d strolled through a real “neighborhood, ” rather than a large busy main thoroughfare, and I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed the architecture, the bustle of city life, and also the gorgeous Russians themselves. I may have to revise my list of Cities With the Most Attractive People.
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Okay, more on those Orthodox icons. It turns out that people really DO worship the icons themselves. From all the stories I’ve heard about Moscow’s history (“And in this battle the famous Awesome Icon of Weeping Mary was credited for winning the battle against the Tatars!”) it’s clear that the “veneration” of icons leads people into thinking they have magical powers. I have to conclude that the theological criticism from Western Christianity regarding idol worship are fair. Sorry, Russia.
Russian churches are weird. They tend to be very small, and they never have seats of any kind. You always stand in a Russian church. Also, the incense in them is absolutely stifling. It’s thicker than the thickest patchouli I’ve ever experienced at the hippiest Austin party. It’s so think even when holding your nose you can feel it hammering against the back of your throat. I don’t get how the faithful can tolerate it.
They also seem to have little choirs going all the time, singing the most beautiful music. I’d stand and listen to it longer if I wan’t having to hold my breath.
Theological Advantages of Protestantism Over Catholicism and Orthdox Christianity
- No intercession necessary – hey, you get to pray to God directly!
- Religious professionals can marry, a practice with many diverse benefits
- Church authority much less vertical and authoritative
- You get to actually read the Bible yourself , instead of having it interpreted for you
- Fewer gods (only four: God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Satan), compared to Catholicism which is those four plus all the saints plus Mary, and Orthodox, which is all the Catholic gods plus magic icons
(Of course, the fact that I was encouraged to read the Bible on my own was the beginning of the process that led me to abandoning religion altogether, but the points of my list are still valid.)
[1] “What are the world’s only two double-landlocked countries?”
