Why does the new President of Ukraine have to be sworn in on the Bible? What’s with the stupid parroting of the Americans? The Bible means something to many Americans, which is why there is at least a logic to having it at the inauguration. In Ukraine, the Bible has meant nothing to the overwhelming majority for almost 100 years.
Nothing disgusts me more that this ridiculous need to fake an interest in religion among the post-Soviet people. Whenever I see Putin make the sign of the cross, I just feel creeped out. Do Ukrainians have to follow down this path of complete idiocy (and sacrilegious profanation, by the way)?
Clarissa's Blog 
Whilst personally in agreement that this is very archaic, from my short time in Ukraine I noticed how very religious in observance were so many across the generations and this will go down well with the electorate, indeed President Poroshenko is known for his pro-religious views.
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Nobody is religious in Ukraine, nobody. This is all completely fake, like a silly fad. Everybody was raised as an atheist, there is literally no place for religion to come from. In Russia 2% of people are practicing religion, and in Ukraine the percentage cannot be higher. I think it might be lower, actually.
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The operative words I deliberately chose “how very religious in observance”, but for me yet another brainwashing cult, and I use cult in the pejorative.
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I agree about the brainwashing cult completely. But even in terms of observance, Orthodox Christianity is extremely hard to practice. The 40+ days fast, for instance, when you are supposed to be on a very severe diet and have no sex, is not something I can imagine Ukrainians really doing en masse. Some isolated, individuals, maybe, but that’s it.
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About 20 years ago in Russia there was a public opinion sdurvey that showed that people trusted the church more than any other institution in the country, including the military, business etc. Politicians were the least trusted of all. So politicians eagerly sought photo-ops of themselves with church leaders, in churches etc. Even the leader of the Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, went to church, and someone took a photo of him lighting a candle — with a cigarette lighter.
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I rest my case. 🙂
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You might not have seen this before:
Tom Lehrer — “The Vatican Rag”:
You can do the steps you want if you have cleared ’em with the Pontiff …
Obviously these politicans are doin’ the Vatican Rag. 🙂
NB. Tom Lehrer was also an academic — I believe he was a maths professor at UC Santa Cruz.
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