So what did they actually do?
I see various upholders of moral rectitude like Madonna, and Paul McCartney (Yeah, right.) are up in arms about a three member Russian punk band called Pussy Riot being jailed for ‘desecrating’ a Russian Orthodox church. Oo, aren’t those Russians bad people, well because they’re Russians and ex-communists, and, and well bad, aren’t they? Jailing those poor harmless pretty girls. Isn’t that nasty ‘Vlad the Impaler’ a really bad man, den? Cos it was all about protesting Putin right?
Call me an old stickler if you will, but let’s see the bands own video of what actually happened shall we?
Okay, a bad song. Let’s face it, all punk rock is pretty bad. This particular performance makes thrash metal look cool and intellectual. A poorly choreographed dance routine, and lots of inflammatory gestures in a house of worship. The denomination is not important. Church, Temple, Synagogue, Mosque. Do that sort of thing in any place where people come to talk to their version of God and you deserve all you get. Invade the space of others and insult them and their version of worship to sing (this is debatable) a bad song, dance badly, make insulting gestures and essentially wound the silence of a church with pointless noise.
Two years? Siberian exile for ten might be more appropriate. Or just confiscate their guitar strings. On the other hand, ‘musicians’ that atrocious probably wouldn’t notice.
I understand that a large mosque is to be built in Moscow. I hope that this “edgy” group goes on to “push the envelope” of comedic protest there .
The sentence on “Pussy Riot” is disproportionate and I hope that the Russian Orthodox Church’s plea for leniency is heeded. But we should not forget that this Church, rebuilt by public subscription, is a memorial to the millions of New Martyrs of communism. So the protest was a peculiarly and IMHO deliberately desecrating, offensive and provocative act.
I look at it this way; you spend a lot of time and trouble rebuilding a place, and some thoughtless little gits come and metaphorically smear shit all over the walls because they don’t like your version of worship? It was a childish publicity stunt by a crap band.
The sentence may be ‘disproportionate’, but then so was the act that occasioned it. Although it generally speaks to the nature or existence of God as far as houses of worship are concerned. Any deity worth his temple would have slung a few thunderbolts up their wossnames and no mistake. Must ask God about it next time he’s over for a barbecue.