26.01.2009
January 21, 20009 (the date of publication in Russian)
Alexander Rudakov
THE DECALOGUE XXI INITIATIVE: RUSSIAN VERSION
Issues of moral revival of Russia were raised at the joint session of Russian Entrepreneur Foundation and United Russia Party's Patriotic Club
On January 19, the Russky Predprinimatel (Russian Entrepreneur) Foundation presented the second part of the Decalogue XXI Initiative, based on the socio-philosophic and socio-cultural interpretation of the Bible's Ten Commandments. As the first part of the initiative was devoted to the principles of modern international politics, the second part subsequently deals with the issue of the principles regarding Russian inner policy and affairs of state. The discussion was organized in the framework of a joint session of the Foundation and the Patriotic Club of United Russia Party.
The audience was acquainted with the following theses, related to particular Commandments of the Holy Scripture.
1. The ethical principles, emerging from the spiritual values of Russia's traditional religions, constitute the moral groundwork of the Russian society. Abandonment of those principles would lead the Russian civilization into a deadlock and rouse a devastating moral and political crisis.
2. Protection of traditional spiritual and ethnic values should become the highest priority of the Russian state, the subject of selfless service of its civil society institutions, as well as state-owned mass media. These ideals cannot be replaced with any other objectives.
3. The religious traditions and sacramentals of the peoples of Russia represent a most significant element of the nation's cultural heritage, and should be protected by the state and respected by mass media and public associations.
4. The multi-confessional composition of the Russian society does not contradict to recognition of universality of ethical principles proclaimed by Russia's traditional confessions. Broad propagation of these principles, serving to the nation's moral revival, is a major condition of inter-confessional concord and inter-ethnic peace in Russia.
5. Respect towards the elder generation, with its unprecedented merits for the nation, should be expressed not only in a material but also in a spiritual form. The continuity of cultural standards in the length of the new Russian history serves as a precondition for moral tenacity and social stability of the country.
6. Humanism and rejection of cruelty in everyday life and culture should become the moral landmarks for the healthy forces of the society. It is essential to undertake special efforts to prevent dissemination of the cult of cruelty, glorification of criminality, and propaganda of violence in mass media, fiction, and the Internet. Protection of human life and prevention of violence should become an unconditioned priority of state policy. The legislation should restrict personal responsibility for crimes, committed against the most insecure members of the society, such as children, aged and disabled individuals.
7. Protection of the family should become a supreme priority of the state's social policy. The state that pursues integrity of the society and continuity of its culture should undertake all possible measures for preventing the destruction of the traditional family as a most significant social institute.
8. Extermination of phenomena like corruption, power abuse, predatory exploitation of natural resources, cannot become efficient only through punitive measures. These maladies could be overcome only by a substantial improvement of moral climate in the community, and formulation of distinct ethical standards of social and spiritual responsibility by the political and business establishment.
9. Rejection of lie and slander should become the major priority of mass media. Traditional spiritual and moral values require especially strong protection from informational aggression, unleashed by the industry of vice that parasitizes on the human's primitive instincts.
10. Respect towards proprietary and other personal rights of another individual should become the base of the citizens' legal awareness.
The audience was especially impressed with the greeting received from Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Locum Tenens of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchal See. In his address, recited by the Universal Russian Popular Assembly's Executive Secretary Oleg Yefimov, the Metropolitan indicated: "It is gratifying to know that political and public activists have assembled here today to conceive the Divine Law's Ten Commandments and their role in the current socio-philosophic and cultural context. The efforts of all those who seek to contribute to the nation's moral revival should be especially encouraged today, when the duty of every Russian is to prevent the society's moral degradation and to combine efforts on the field of the people's moral education.
"The Ten Commandments constitute the ethical groundwork of the global civilization and amoral ideal consolidation the majority of Russians that generally shares universal ethical views – not only Orthodox Christians but other believers as well; not only believers but also those who are still on the path towards belief. The address to the Biblical Decalogue is especially significant in the period of the currently unfolding global economic crisis when the power, the people, and a particular individual strongly require clear and distinct moral landmarks.
It is especially essential to perceive the Ten Commandments wholly, in the whole of their universality, and not just select some of them that are convenient or quoted by particular persons and groups. We have to remember the commandment of the Savior: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another" (Jn 13:34).
I appreciate the fruitful intellectual and spiritual collaboration of the leading political party, United Russia, and the civil society represented by the Russian Entrepreneur Foundation. I wish good health, peace, and Divine assistance to the organizers in their labor for the sake of the Fatherland".
United Russia Party's representatives encouraged the further development of the Decalogue XXI initiative. Grigory Ivliyev, Chair of the State Duma's Culture Committee, emphasized that the ideals impregnated in the Ten Commandments open the path for the spiritual and moral development of an individual. Irina Yarovaya, executive chair of the Patriotic Club and member of United Russia's General Council, expressed confidence that the country's economic difficulties can be overcome only under the condition of the nation's moral and spiritual unity.
Many speakers emphasized that the Decalogue XXI initiative is designed for consolidation of Russia's traditional confessions. This view was shared by Rinat Karimov, head of "Musulmane- Mirotovortsy" (Moslem Peacemakers) Association, who recited the analogues of the Biblical Ten Commandments contained in various suras of the Quran. In his turn, Kantemir Khurtayev, head of department of the Russian Congress of Caucasus Peoples, urged the audience to study the tradition of filial piety that the culture of the Caucasus communities is based upon.
The participants of the joint session agreed that the Decalogue XXI initiative creates essential preconditions for building up a platform of cooperation of public institutions seeking moral revival of the Russian nation.
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