It is well worth reading Aleksei Navalny’s closing remarks in court. But I’ll highly this particularly moving section as it highlights an essential spiritual truth (which I’ll draw out after the quote):
The fact is that I am a Christian, which usually rather sets me up as an example for constant ridicule in the Anti-Corruption Foundation, because mostly our people are atheists and I was once quite a militant atheist myself. But now I am a believer . . . .
. . . Without question, this whole Biblical passage– ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied’ – comes across as overly theatrical to modern ears. It is assumed that people who say such things are crazy, not to put too fine a point on it – crazy oddbods who sit there alone in their rooms with dishevelled hair, attempting to cheer themselves up by any means possible, because they are lonely and not needed by anyone. This is the key point. Our authorities and the system as a whole try to tell these people that they are pathetic loners.
The first priority is to intimidate people, and then to prove to them that they are loners, and to imply that no normal or sane person would adhere to teachings of this kind. This attempt to make people believe that they are loners is highly significant, since it represents one of the goals pursued by the authorities. Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter books was a remarkable philosopher who said something very wise about this topic. You might remember her saying to Harry Potter, in an attempt to give him courage in the face of adversity; ‘Well, if I were You-Know-Who [Lord Voldemort]… I’d want you to feel cut off from everyone else…’. There can be no doubt that our own You-Know-Who [Putin] in his palace would also want that.
What spiritual truth do Navalny’s words illustrate?
From the beginning, Satan (and his operatives) have sought to kill, steal, and destroy by deceiving people. A tactic common among antichrists, tyrants, abusers, and wolves (even those dressed in sheep’s clothing) is to make their victims believe they are isolated and insane, urging others to view them as such.
But the Kingdom of Christ is not like the tyranny of the devil. Rather, from the beginning, God offers life to his people with his presence—and the help of his people. The Messiah (and his followers) give life by expressing this assurance: “I love you. I’ll suffer with you and for you. I’m on your side, I’m for you, and I’m here to stay.” (More on that here.)