Christian Fanaticism’s False Witness Testimony Against Ukraine

When I was brainstorming this article, I was originally going to write something about Christian fanatics bearing false witness against LGBTQ+ individuals. The idea transformed after I stumbled across the Christian fanatic propaganda on LifeSite, an ultraconservative Canadian Catholic news site. I found this article published by them about how the “pro-LGBT agenda” is partly responsible for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and, well, it turned into a slippery slope.

Yet Another Conspiracy Theory

It’s exhausting that we’re dealing with another insane round of conspiracy theories that aren’t being fact-checked. I’m seeing people make excuses for/justify what Putin is doing in Ukraine over supposed “facts” on things such as the Azov Battalion. While Snopes does identify the Azov Battalion as a far-right extremist group, it points out that the group has nothing to do with Ukraine’s so-called “Kyiv Regime”.

At the same time, because Snopes did point this all out objectively, it’s still important to call out the Azov Battalion’s racism. Snopes found that the group had recorded themselves greasing rifles with pig fat to be used against Muslim Chechen soldiers fighting for Russia in Ukraine. That’s inexcusable.

But to use an extremely small (in comparison to the 200,000 members of Ukraine’s armed forces) group as propaganda and an excuse for the violence in Ukraine is even more inexcusable.

Putin has opted to justify his invasion of Ukraine under the guise of “denazifying” the nation. This is a horrible accusation when President Zelenskyy is Jewish, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor. It’s frightening that we have everyday people buying into this lie, as seen in the comments section of this YouTube video:

Folks, these lies and conspiracies we’re seeing count as bearing false witness against President Zelenskyy.

Bearing False Witness

There are many Bible verses warning against bearing false witness against somebody, such as this (non-exhaustive) list:

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)

“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.” (Proverbs 19:5)

“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.” (Exodus 23:1)

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)

I found this informational video breaking down what it means to bear false witness:

President Zelenskyy, Ukraine, and the Russian people have become victims of false witness testimonies about what’s happening in this conflict. As PBS reported, Russian media outlets are no longer allowed to even refer to what’s happening in Ukraine as “war”. Putin and his supporters are desperate to stop the Russian people from knowing the truth of his atrocities in Ukraine.

The Threat of Christian Nationalism

If you thought that America is immune to these falsehoods, then my friend, I regret to inform you that our country has already been infected. Behold this atrocious clip of Lauren Witzke, a former Senate candidate and QAnon aspirant spouting, dangerous drivel about Putin “protecting his people”:

“You know also, you know Russia is a Christian Nationalist nation, actually Orthodox Christian and Russian Orthodox. So you know I actually support Putin’s right to put his people and always put his people first, but also protect their Christian values. I identify more with Russian, with Putin’s Christian values than I do with Joe Biden.

…You know that Christian Nationalist countries also are a threat to the global regime, like the Luciferian Regime it wants to mash everything together…

…I can respect the fact that Putin does everything he can to protect his people.”

Good golly.

In what universe does Russia destroying lives in Ukraine, a much smaller nation, count as Putin “protecting his people”? Against what threat?

Oh, how silly of me, I forgot. President Zelenskyy is Jewish, is inspired by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and is, therefore, “inspired by the opposite of human reason”. Well, according to this article (the same one mentioned above) from LifeSite suggesting that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has something to do with a “pro-LGBT agenda”.

Why do we have a “Catholic” news site promoting this nonsense, this false witness testimony against a Jewish hero willing to lay down his life for the people he cares for?

Yes, I see parallels between President Zelenskyy’s heroism and what Jesus did for all of us, even those of us who spit on His sacrifice. Have we forgotten that He was a member of a Jewish family and Jewish society? That His Jewish blood paid the sacrifice our all of our sins? That He was falsely accused by many despite being wholly innocent, something that even Pontius Pilate could see?

Zelenskyy has withstood countless character attacks (and assassination attempts) and is doing everything he can to protect his people. These are facts that shouldn’t be disputed, yet have become the source of conspiracies that QAnon would surely be proud of. It doesn’t bode well that we’re seeing religious groups join in on these lies.

Do these fanatics seriously believe that Jesus approves of the lies they’re purporting? They’re acting eerily similar to the Pharisees that pushed for His death.

Holding Onto Lies

We have “Christian” organizations, members of Congress, and other false prophets actively slandering President Zelenskyy for whatever foul reasons they’ve concocted. North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn called Zelenskyy a “thug”, trying to later clarify that he made the remark because of his contempt towards the Ukrainian President supposedly “manipulating” the West into helping his country.

There are several analogies to be drawn here. We have a ton of willfully-delusional individuals holding fast to the lie that they’re somehow righteous enough to pass judgments on the people they deem “beneath them”. They sound just like Judge Claude Frollo from Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Frollo sees himself as “so much purer than the common vulgar, weak, licentious crowd”, speaking so much like the Pharisee Jesus mentions in this Bible passage:

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

Back when Pray Away came out, I stumbled across LifeSite‘s rebuttal of it, mocking the speakers in it as “whining ex-ex-gays”. This was a heartless (not to mention, Godless) remark that screams of gaslighting. Julie Rodgers, one of the 3 main speakers in the documentary, suffered sexual violence while at college and had to deal with her mentor pressuring her to use it for the fallacy of sexual abuse fueling homosexuality. But her refusing to stay in that toxic place counts as “whining”?

LifeSite had the nerve to accuse one of the other speakers, Yvette Cantu Schneider, of being a “sin movement activist” for walking away from the “ex-gay” movement. That’s a bold accusation, especially when they’re constantly working as false prophets purporting dangerous lies and accusations. Such hypocrisy.

Accountability Against Lies

I went searching for Bible verses about those who are against sound doctrine, and I found these delicious passages from both books of Timothy:

“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Bingo!

These verses are a dead ringer for Christian fanatics who have chosen to obsess over a Godless lie, rather than the truth that God provides. I guarantee that God didn’t tell any of these people that President Zelenskyy deserves to be slandered.

I’ve read about some of the January 6th insurrectionists invoking Jesus’ name in the Senate chamber. Talk about self-righteousness in action. All of this reminds me of this scene from the Silent Hill film:

Isn’t it ironic that we’re seeing self-professed Christians “exchanging the truth for a lie” (Romans 1:25), when these are the same people who constantly lambast everyone else as “sinners”? Truly, they’ve become modern Pharisees.

Ultimately, these Christian fanatics are the First Order of not just Christianity, but also America. The lies they’re obsessed with could harm people, especially themselves. They’re a deranged threat that needs to be taken seriously.