Religious Right Hero Vladimir Putin's Forces Persecute Christians In Ukraine and Russia

The same Religious Right activists who accuse President Obama of persecuting Christians by supporting gay rights, have over the last few years hailed Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a hero and global leader of conservative Christians.

Religious Right leaders such as Franklin Graham, Phyllis Schlafly, William Murray, Pat Buchanan, Bryan Fischer, Brian Brown, Don Feder and Scott Lively, among others, have lionized Putin as a fearless Christian leader who is bravely cracking down on gay rights. The World Congress of Families even decided to hold its annual summit in the Kremlin this year (the group officially cancelled the event after Russia began its conflict with Ukraine, but its Russian partners are quietly going ahead with it).

We have previously noted that evangelicals in Russia, including Baptists and Pentecostals, are facing discrimination as a result of Putin’s drive to push minority denominations underground while growing the clout of the Russian Orthodox Church, which considers evangelical Protestants to be heretics.

While inventing never-ending conspiracy theories about Obama’s supposed crackdown on Christianity, Religious Right leaders don’t appear to mind the real attacks on Christians happening in Russia, under the watch of a leader who they see as an ally in the fight to turn back gay rights and reproductive freedom.

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/religious-right-hero-vladimir-putin-s-forces-persecute-christians-ukraine