Russian Philosophers

Sweden
16 November, 2008

I got so excited that someone wanted to read my sermon, so I forgot to mention that it is in Swedish...However, I will try below to make a very brief summary of what I said. Anyhow, the sermon about those Russian philosophers was quite well received and it was very inspiring to give.

I am especially fascinated by Vladimir Solovjov, who was certainly a John the
Baptist figure. Unfortunately, none of those bearded guys was able to influence
Russian society sufficiently, so in the end the Satanic forces were victorious, which resulted in the Soviet Union. Dostojevskij, Solovjov and Berdjajev were all convinced that Mother Russia had a divine mission to fulfill, but the problem is, of course, that this hasn?t yet been realized. So this prophecy  about a purified Russia making a decisive contribution to the world waits to be materialized.

In his amazing novel "Evil Spirits" (or "the Devils") Dostojevskij describes how a band of fanatic anarchists/nihilists lays the foundation for the destruction of traditional Russia with their violence and atheism. The motto of this book was a chapter from the Gospel of St. Luke (8:25-39), telling the story how the demons from a possessed man move into a herd of swines, which thereafter plunges into a lake and perishs. Hence, the possessed man comes to his sense and takes place at Jesus feet. From Dostojevskij?s point of view, the demons represented the revolutionaries and the man who became sane Russia, thus cleansed frm evil influences.

Thus, Dostojevskij prophesied not just the rise of Communism, but also its downfall. Dostojevskij, who was 33 years older than Solovjov, was much influenced by the younger man towards the end of his life. Solovjov?s main vision - he was a complex man and a complex philosopher - was a trinity of goodness, truth, and beauty with the mission of uniting the world. He also made some efforts to unite Eastern and Western Christianity - without success, though. He was also obviously drawn to the female side of God, writing about "the eternal female friend" in a very inspired way. He died in the year of 1900, only 47 years old. It is said that his last words were: "We must pray for
the Jews"; the Jews, of course, being harshly repressed in Czarist Russia.

Berdjajev was strongly influenced by Solovjov and very clear-sighted concerning Communism. He believed there was some truth in the Communist/Socialist critique of contemporary society, but that the Communist lie - that man is void of spirit and is mere matter in motion - is so gigantic that it overshadows everything else. Berdjajev also believed history has a meaning. Well, he had some strange notions regarding family and sexuality - he detested both - but his spiritual insights are otherwise impressing.