Not Christian After All?

In this published report, Gorbachev denies he's converted to Christianity and remains an atheist. I like the quote at the end from the Russian Orthodox spokesman, "He is still on his way to Christianity. If he arrives, we will welcome him." Sometimes our paths to Christ follow some crooked ways indeed.

Comments

[Rev. Mike]

Rats. That's pretty disappointing. It shouldn't be any more so than anyone else, but it is.

[Jim Howard]

My reaction to this was the opposite of Rev. Mike's. How encouraging that Gorby has his own moral code and was able to advance human freedom and dignity, irrespective of the dictates of the Soviet state or the Christian church. Not to say that his regime always took the high moral ground, because it certainly didn't, but that ultimately, he was able to see the writing on the wall and knock the wall down--not because it was the Christian thing to do, but because it was the right thing to do.

I know I'm probably alone on this blog in agreeing with Ani diFranco that "God's work isn't done by God, it's done by people." And some of those people don't believe in God.

In any case, I take it as a sign of hope that the worldview of an atheist can be aligned with a theistic worldview in ways that matter, and that it's possible for the world to improve with or without the influence of religion.