Photo Credit: [Euro-Asia Division]
Russia | Department of Public Relations and Religious Freedom, Euro-Asia Division

On February 7, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation hosted a public examination of the Draft Decree of the President of the Russian Federation: “Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values”. The event was organized by the Commission for Harmonization of Interethnic and Interreligious Relations of the Public Chamber. It was attended by deputies of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, members of the Public Chamber, and experts from public and religious associations. 

Pastor Pavel Gonchar, head of the Department of Public Relations of the Moscow Association of the Western Russian Union, was invited from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He conducted a short interview with Oleg Goncharov, director of the Department of Public Relations and Religious Freedom of the Euro-Asian Division.

“Please tell us about how we believers can influence the society around us to become better?”

“I think that I will not be mistaken if I say that we are not always satisfied with the content of those legislative acts that are adopted in our country, and we would like to take part in the discussion in the preparation of these laws, decrees, or resolutions to one degree or another. In fact, we have such an instrument available to everyone for participation in the management of state affairs as public discussions of draft laws adopted at various levels of state power and local self-government. For example, you can submit your proposals on a particular bill on the website of the Public Chamber.”

“What does the document that you discussed in the Public Chamber say? What kind of values ​​are we talking about? How do they resonate with our values, ​​and how did the discussion of the Draft Presidential Decree go?

“The very name of the Draft Decree of the President indicates that it directly concerns us believers because, following God's commandments, we try to embody these values ​​in our lives and preach them to others.

“The project includes, among the traditional values, ‘life, dignity, human rights and freedoms, patriotism, citizenship, service to the Fatherland and responsibility for its destiny, high moral ideals, a strong family, creative work, the priority of the spiritual over the material, humanism, mercy, justice, collectivism, mutual assistance and mutual respect, historical memory and continuity of generations, the unity of the peoples of Russia’ [the document itself can be found on the website of the Public Chamber].

The draft expresses concern about the global value crisis, which leads to the loss of traditional, spiritual, and moral guidelines and moral principles by mankind. This crisis does not bypass our society either: the weakening of friendly and family ties, the massive distribution of destructive content, the spread of an immoral lifestyle, the growth of alcohol and drug use, the creation of conditions for interethnic and interfaith conflicts, and more.

“As participants in the discussion noted, the moral crisis in our society calls into question our future: ‘We build icebreakers, the best aircraft in the world, we have the best weapons, but for whom are we doing all this? Who will come after us?’

“According to Doctor Oleg Apolikhin, the problem of demography in our country is not in medicine, but in morality, at school, in the family, in upbringing: ‘According to some data, 20 percent of girls aged 12–14 already [engage in] sexual [activity], [and many] are sick with AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis of the genitourinary organs.’”

“What can we, as believers, do to strengthen spiritual and moral values ​​in our society?”

“The very raising of the question of the need to make the protection of spiritual and moral values ​​a national priority encourages us, as believers, to more actively carry these values ​​to people around. What can we give to this world, which has achieved so much in its technological progress? We don't have silver and gold. As Vladimir Legoyda, deputy chairman of the RF OP Commission on Harmonization of Interethnic and Interreligious Relations, said, the idea of ​​traditional values, national self-consciousness is directly related to religious traditions.

“This is what we can give to the world: genuine spiritual and moral values, which are so lacking for people living around us.”

This article was originally published on the Euro-Asia Division’s news site

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