Column from Belarus: That is why talk about traditional values ​​is just a diversionary tactic

Are you tired of the culture war in the West? Then Belarus could be an oasis for you.

Many Westerners are like weary travelers in the desert: exhausted by controversial discussions and unjustified accusations, they deviate from the conservative political line and seek shade, shelter and drinking water. Often, in such conditions, the traveler’s head overheats and the brain passes off the most magnificent illusions as reality. Unscrupulous politicians from our country often take advantage of this.

We “care” about traditional values. This is how political regimes in Eastern Europe justify their existence. Don’t you have the right to vote and freedom of speech? That’s okay! It’s just that destructive Western values ​​don’t blow your immature minds. Even Lukashenko, President of Belarus, shouted more than once: “It’s better to be a dictator than gay.”

In addition, LGBT propaganda is prohibited by law in our country. However, other forms of propaganda exist and thrive quietly. Large families can apply for a soft loan for a three-room apartment. In Belarus, for most people, this is the limit of their dreams, and they are unlikely to earn that much throughout their lives.

Moreover, the basic laws of the state clearly state that the family is a union between a man and a woman. Is it not a haven of traditional values? For this reason, even many evangelical churches believe that thousands of political prisoners and a ruthless police regime and lack of enforcement of the law are justified.

After a long trek through the desert without water or hope, it appears like a mirage or fata morgana. However, such visions are dangerous and can lead to the death of a deceived, weary traveler.

Because how “traditional” are the “traditional values” in Belarus?

When I was a child, my parents took me to the local market in Minsk to buy my first real sneakers. I was excited, as I had only worn boots or sandals before. The reality of life in our country in the 1980s and 1990s was not easy.

I remember how happy I was when someone bought me a pair of shoes with three stripes. But it turned out that they were not Adidas, but Abibos, a similar imitation. Unlike the neighbors who wore Belarusian or Chinese sneakers, I was so frustrated that the brand new sneakers cracked and fell apart after a few months.

This is very similar to the cocktail of contradictory statements that we put forward against “Western values” and call traditional for advertising purposes. The label is not wrong, but it seems fake and questionable.

Imagine that in the category of “traditional” abortions are also legal. It is scary to imagine, but over the past 30 years in our so-called traditional country there have been over a million abortions (with a total population of 9.5 million). By the way, this practice has been legal in our country since the Soviet Union – in 1955.

Unfortunately, we also have the most “free” abortion legislation. Someone somewhere would say, “very modern and progressive.”

Belarus also leads Eastern Europe in divorce rates. Most marriages break up between the first and third year of starting a family. According to official statistics, in 2023 alone there were 34,000 separations compared to 56,000 marriages. In 2022 the figures were comparable. So there are three divorces for every five marriages.

All this is happening in an oasis of traditional values. Even a brief glance at the situation of “traditionalism” in Belarus indicates a deep crisis and a huge problem that we remain silent about and do not shy away from calling by name, hiding it under the guise of fighting the West and preserving “traditional values”.

This is followed by other issues such as alcoholism and suicide. Here too, our traditional country is leading the way.

It should be noted that the definition of “traditional values” in Belarus is difficult to interpret. Do these values ​​exist in our country or are they just a mirage that the bloodthirsty political regime is trying to support in every possible way?

The facts say that the Belarusian version of “traditional values” is a symbiosis of Marxist materialistic views and Orthodox ideas. In our country, such cocktails are called “Orthodox atheism.” The concept itself is used solely for propaganda purposes.

It is a pity that this view is often repeated in the Protestant churches, namely that without injustice and lack of freedom it is impossible to maintain “values” in the modern world.

It is fascinating that we do not see such a contrast in the Bible. Instead, the opposite is true. Sin, depravity and bondage always go hand in hand. As in the story of the totalitarian cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, whose laws led to the negligence of a certain group of people. However, in the numerous prophecies that God addressed to his covenant people, there was a call to “know” him and restore righteous judgment and the works of truth and mercy.

I hope that Christians in Belarus will stop drawing a line between sin that manifests itself in the sexual sphere and sin that manifests itself in social life, and that our Western brothers and sisters will take a closer look at where the propaganda is coming from.