Lukashenko revealed how he was imbued with Baptists’ kindness and Old Believers’ diligence
At today’s meeting with representatives of Belarus’ religious denominations, President Aleksandr Lukashenko showed how much he has been influenced by the kindness of Baptists and the diligence of Old Believers, BelTA reports
The President said that in his life he had encountered representatives of various denominations, including Baptists. Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned one of the cases that took place back in the Soviet years, “There were several villages on the territory of our agricultural enterprise that were almost purely Baptist. As a party committee secretary, I decided to visit them. I went there and talked to many people. I was imbued with a strong sense of respect for these people. They were kind people, mostly elderly. As soon as I was told something about Baptists, I always stood up for them: I have these people on our farm, and I have visited them – they are the kindest people and very decent.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko had similar relations with Old Believers. He got acquainted with them closer already during his Presidential years.
“These old people then worked at our facility. They told me to come to their village, as they were ready to marry me to their girl. I replied that they marry only their own. But they said they were ready. I kept promising to go there, but I never made it to that village. And now [last year or the year before last] I remembered that. It turns out that there are no old or young people in the village: they have all left. Maybe one or two people live, but this is no longer a village of Old Believers,” the Head of State said.
“But what hard workers they were. It’s hard to imagine. They were such hardworking people. They were building a facility there, and when I go there, I immediately think of Old Believers, because I have never seen such hardworking people before or since. It was Old Believers who built the facility where our people have holidays, I sometimes visit it in the Vitebsk Region,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “I have had such specific cases with our Evangelical Christians, Baptists, Old Believers, and they have remained in my heart after decades.”
During the meeting, it was noted that Evangelical Baptist Christians have been practicing their faith on the Belarusian land for 150 years. “The situation has not always been favourable for Evangelical believers, but we are glad that our predecessors, having gone through persecution, preserved their faith and passed it on to us. I want to express my gratitude to you for the fact that since the very beginning of the existence of independent Belarus, we have been able to freely worship, practice our faith, teach our children and youth. We are grateful for peace in the country and for good relations between religions,” Chairman of the Union of Evangelical Baptist Christians in Belarus Leonid Mikhovich emphasised.
“We have the opportunity to communicate with our co-religionists from other countries. They come to visit us. Recently, not so often, but there are visitors from Europe and America. They are usually surprised at the opportunities we have. They are surprised, of course, at the order, security, living conditions here, because they come with different ideas. We are grateful for the possibility of visa-free entry and hope that such conditions will be preserved, enabling people to come and see with their own eyes what is happening in Belarus,” Mr. Mikhovich added.
According to him, relations between the church and the state overlap in two areas: support for family values and social service and charity.
“Family values have always had an important place in our churches. And we are grateful that the state takes care of the family from its very inception: moral and financial assistance, solving housing issues. We have a lot of families with many children, and many families got a flat or built a house thanks to the assistance from the state. I think that this focus on the family is more than justified,” the head of the religious association underlined.
