Why won't Lenin rot? The Bolsheviks wouldn't let him.
Russians Divided on Lenin Burial — Poll
Part of Russia's "dual faith" (the syncretic survivals of paganism in the Russian Orthodox Church) has been belief in the uncorruptibility of the relics of saints. In other words, the remains of truly holy people can't rot.
The Bolsheviki pickled Lenin by some still secret techniques, put his corpse on display, then ordered Russians to file slowly past his remains. This would convince Russians that Lenin was in fact the most holy of holy men that Holy Mother Russia had ever produced. So much for scientific socialism!
Isn't it time for everyone to admit that Lenin was neither saint nor devil incarnate, but simply another human being, who had his faults and his virtues, who shuffled off this mortal coil as we all have or will? He is not here in the flesh anymore. Maybe he has ceased to exist, maybe he is in a place of reward or punishment, but the conspicuous display of his pickled corpse does not serve any purpose, useful or not, in the 21st century.
At the very least, the Communist Party should stop trying to exploit ignorant superstitious Russians. As education spreads there should be fewer and fewer of them in the future.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment