Russian Orthodox Church Urges Putin to Criminalize Homosexuality

If one wants to see where Vladimir Putin got the motivation to launch an anti-gay jihad in Russia one need look no farther than the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church which, other than perhaps bringing reading and writing with it when it first arose in Kiev before the year 1000 AD after the importation of Byzantine practices from Constantinople, has for most of its history supported autocrats, resisted science and new knowledge and been a consistent force of reaction and anti-modernity.  Somethings haven't changed whatsoever in over a thousand years.  As if gays in Russia do not face enough hatred and threats of violence, the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church want Putin to hold a referendum to approve a total ban of gay sex - and by definition, gays in Russia.  Yahoo News looks at this foul batshitery:

Russia's powerful Orthodox Church proposed Friday a referendum on banning gay relations in the face of Western pressure over human rights ahead of next month's Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The Church's abrupt intervention came amid a growing debate over whether the Kremlin should mount a firmer defence of traditional values that many in the overwhelmingly conservative country view as coming under attack from Europe and the United States.

Church spokesman Vsevolod Chaplin pointed to polls showing more than half of Russians viewing homosexuality as either an illness or a crime as a sign that the country was ready to revert to a Soviet-era homosexual ban.

"There is no question that society should discuss this issue since we live in a democracy," Chaplin told the online edition of the pro-government Izvestia daily.

"For this reason, it is precisely the majority of our people and not some outside powers that should decide what should be a criminal offence and what should not," he said.

High-profile global celebrities and sports stars have already urged athletes attending the February 7-23 Olympic Games on the Black Sea coast to show their support for Russia's lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) community by flashing protest signs.

Chaplin -- an outspoken but also influential Church figure who airs weekly shows on state TV -- claimed that most countries viewed homosexuality as a crime.

"I am convinced that such sexual contacts should be completely excluded from the life of our society," said the Church spokesman.

"If we manage to do this through moral pressure, all the better. But if we need to revert to assistance from the law, then let us ask the people if they are ready for this."

A study conducted by the independent Levada centre a month after the "homosexual propoganda" ban's adoption showed only one in five Russians believe that people were actually born gay.

More than a third said homosexuality should be treated medically and 13 percent backed the idea of making it a crime -- results suggesting that Chaplin's proposal would pass easily if ever put to a vote.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to the Chaplin's suggestion. But a prominent member of Putin's ruling party who oversees parliament's legislative committee said international treaties adopted by Russia made passage of such a ban unlikely.

Once again, religion proves to be the principal fount of hate and bigotry.  A world devoid of religion - or at least fundamentalist religion - would be a better place.