Current Russian Law is that there are five approved religions. I believe that these are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. I could be wrong. However, the significant thing is that all other religions are illegal - in gathering, publicising, or just manifesting. So the Pastafarian parade was illegal in the first instance, so far as Russian law is concerned. It’s the same in Greece. Paganism is outlawed in the same way - which means the resurgence of interest in the shamanic practices of the First Peoples of the sub-arctic is also illegal. The First Peoples cannot reclaim their religion - at least, not as things stand.
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I also remembered the Israeli volunteer group ZAKA. After the March 11, 2011 earthquake here in Japan, they flew in on their own expense to help look for bodies (or parts) up in the Tsunami affected parts of Fukushima. It wasnt like the Japanese govt invited them, they just came because they knew their experience would help people finding the bodies of their loved ones.
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Of course if you follow the logic of this situation you get to a point where security forces will knee-jerk arrest everyone on the spot if you are part of a non-ascociated group of people when a slightly larger than average percentage of that group happen to make a similar gesture or movement.
Initially protests, then flash-mobbing, then any kind of group based identification at all.
ZOMG Trr’rrsts hvr’whrrrr!
What is the Russian translation of “Pastafarian”?
I believe that these are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism.
So even though Japan is right next door, they don’t recognize Shinto? Are they still angry over Manchuria?
I’m not sure I would call it “ironic,” but it sure is something that people accept the concept of passing Earthly laws controlling what religions can exist. I mean, if a religion is real in the sense that it’s handed down from $DEITY, then how could you possibly legislate for or against it?
Пастафари?
Sorry for the hugeness. Otherwise, the forum thingy displays it really small:
Пастафари?
Edit: apparently the preview displays it way bigger.
Btw, what I wrote is pronounced “Pastafari,” but with a thick Russian accent, lol
the only english language stuff about just regular day to day life or political stuffi’ve seen much of comes from metalheads and/or anarchist antifascists. the red and anarchist black metal blog’s political posts talk mainly about things going on in russia, as well as central asia/former soviet satellites.
https://avtonom.org/en is pretty good too. it’s russian antifascists and they have a lot of english language stuff. there are a lot of nazis and fascists in russia that kill “undesirables” pretty often.
http://anarchistnews.org/taxonomy/term/285 some more explicitly anarchist stuff. be prepared for heavy trolling/chan culture in the comments section.
i was reading the comments on an article about the Russian athlete that spoke up for the gay laws there and there were numerous comments about how sad they were that Russia was the moral authority in the fight against sodomites and such. I really got down on it. Personally I think a lot of the athletes going to the Olympics next year are missing a chance to make a statement…by wearing a yellow star. Now that would get press.
Actually russian are highly concerned about gay people. Some think being gay is a disease that can be spread even by breath the same air as a gay person.
Hm. Knew it was unsafe for me in Russia presently. I felt I could probably get by in Greece despite Golden Dawn and all their shenanigans but it sounds like dedicating some offerings to Eris and a few of my other favorites would probably get me in deep shit.
She doesn’t like being disinvited to parties so I’ll have to bring it up. 
[quote=“pm_roanhouse, post:30, topic:7673, full:true”]
Actually russian are highly concerned about gay people. Some think being gay is a disease that can be spread even by breath the same air as a gay person.[/quote]
When someone tells me this, my first thought is usually “this guy is in the closet.” They think that they caught some sort of disease when it was really them all along. IMHO, this is why so many ardent anti-gay politicians get found in airport bathrooms and the like.
To someone who is naturally straight, gay people are not inherently threatening, but to someone with latent homosexual tendencies that they feel the need to suppress for social or political reasons, the mere existence of other gay people is a crisis.
This can go pretty high up too. Vladimir Putin sure likes taking pictures of himself with his shirt off.
There isn’t one. Its Macaronian, in cyrillic. 
The Russians have no sense of humor.
That explains why their foreign AND internal politics are so fucking dour.
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