There is a hard rationalist edge to politics in the United States owing to the multiple generations that have been consciously and unconsciously shaped by the religious skepticism of the (secular and false) Enlightenment of the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  Though this worldview is beginning to crumble, it still makes more than a few people in government roll their eyes when political analysts like Jeff LeJeune make remarks like these, believing such things to be irrelevant to statecraft:

‘KNOWING THAT EVIL is more than just a twentieth century psychological or societal “condition” is one enormous step toward exposing it, driving us far away from it, and as a result leading us right into the arms of God.

‘Remember, he can do anything with a hot or even a cold soul, but he vomits out a lukewarm one. Some of us need the shock of crazy possibilities to rattle us awake to the true nature and real presence of evil in play in the world right now.

‘…a darkness that will, or should, jettison us with the quickness toward the light. Understanding this concept–understanding our place in relation to a Creator who loves us and who will do anything to win our hearts back to him–is crucial at this juncture of our lives.

‘Read that one more time: He is willing to do ANYTHING to win our souls to him for eternity. And yes, as we see in the Bible and in life experiences, that often means he allows suffering. It is why Christ warned against riches and luxury. We become lazy. We become complacent. We become blind.

‘We traipse right into the Evil One’s lap.’

Yet he is exactly right:  The spiritual battle between Good and evil, God and satan, are at the center of all the conflict and tension and problems in the world today.  That includes political problems.

We have the unfortunate tendency in the US to view the government as some kind of spiritually neutral territory, but that is not true.  As the Lord Jesus Christ says Himself, ‘He who is not with Me is against Me’ (St Matthew’s Gospel 12:30); and ‘He is not against us is for us’ (St Mark’s Gospel 9:40).

There has been a notable testimony of the truth of the Lord’s statements from Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, who has openly spoken about the demonic presence in the gangs that have ravaged his country:

‘In a candid and deeply unsettling interview with Tucker Carlson, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador revealed horrifying details about the notorious MS-13 gang, exposing their involvement in satanic child sacrifice rituals.

‘This stark revelation comes on the heels of Bukele’s determined campaign to free his country from the gang’s deadly grip, casting a sobering light on the spiritual warfare against such malevolent forces.

‘“There is a spiritual war and there is a physical war,” Bukele told Carlson. “If you win the spiritual war, it will reflect in the physical war,” he said. “Our impressive victory is because we won the spiritual war.” Under his leadership, MS-13 has largely been defeated and the homicide rate in the country rivals Canada’s.

‘ . . . He credited his administration’s success in improving El Salvador’s security to winning this spiritual war’ (Mark Ellis, ‘El Salvador’s President: MS-13 gang involved in satanic child sacrifice’, godreports.com).

President Bukele is also wise enough to apply those insights to other areas of government: ‘He also told Carlson that the first priority of his plan for reviving the economy was “seeking God’s wisdom”’ (Ibid.).

On the negative side of that coin is Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, who made a blasphemous video mocking the reception of Holy Communion by feeding a Dorito chip to a kneeling woman (Caroline Vakil, ‘Catholic League blasts Whitmer for mocking Eucharist’, thehill.com), an act that without a doubt strengthened the powers of the demons in Michigan.

The States may also take a very important lesson from the pre-Communist Revolution era of Russian history.  When people become lazy and complacent about religion, to use some of Jeff’s words, when they fall into the trap of religious relativism and universalism (‘all roads lead to god’), then they are opening the door for evil to infiltrate the government and other bodies and to overthrow whatever is good.  That is precisely what is related to us in the life of a good and zealous priest in 19^th-century Russia, Father Photius Spassky:

‘In the first quarter of the nineteenth century, due to the spread of Freemasonry in Russia, Freemasons were threatening to seize power in the country. Russia had never been so close to the brink of destruction as in 1817–1822. At that time, in the long-suffering lands from Warsaw to Irkutsk there were over 100 masonic lodges, which had over 5,500 members, almost the entire cream of Russian aristocracy. Up to twenty Masonic lodges were active in St. Petersburg, whose activities, according to Spassky, were aimed against “the faith of Christ, against Christian piety, against any Government and civil order.” All this was encouraged by Emperor Alexander I, who at that time was inclined towards mysticism. Freemasons influenced the State machinery and took over the media. These were people devoid of national consciousness, and were often openly anti-Russian. It is no wonder that this period is called the “golden age of Freemasonry.”

‘ . . . Monk Photius fearlessly set about struggling against Freemasonry, whose representatives were the most influential figures of the Empire. Physically weak, in chains and a hairshirt, with festering wounds on his body, Fr. Photius had a “willing spirit” (cf. Mt. 26:41), ardent faith, and an iron will. His Guardian Angel strengthened him in his service to the Church and the Fatherland. . . . Fr. Photius saw Freemasons as servants of satan who were undermining the monarchy and the Church in Russia. The Emperor’s friend Prince A.N. Golitsyn, who promoted the ideas of Christian universalism, was surrounded by Freemasons. He saw nothing bad in spiritualistic seances and participated in them for most of his life. He was also engaged in the demonic business of animal magnetism’ (Maria Tobolova, ‘Archimandrite Photius (1792–1838), Fearless Fighter Against Freemasons, Part 1’, orthochristian.com).

But there is no fatalism here; mankind can choose to turn away from evil.  That is what happened in Russia at the time thanks to Fr Photius:

‘While entering the palace, Fr. Photius made the sign of the cross in front of all the entrances and exits, “supposing that a whole host of evil spirits dwelled and were active there.” At the entrance to the hall where Alexander I was waiting for him, and without approaching the Tsar, he hoped to see an icon in order to make the sign of the cross before greeting him. Seeing a small icon of the Savior in an inconspicuous corner, the archimandrite crossed himself, fell on his knees in front of the icon, prayed, and only then approached the Emperor. His conversation with the monarch about the dangers of secret societies and their preparation for a coup d’etat lasted three hours, and the sovereign realized the abyss to which their subversive activities were leading the country. Archimandrite Photius reported to the Tsar about “the danger hanging over the Church from its enemies, both visible and secret.” The monarch bowed at Fr. Photius’ feet and subsequently called him an angel sent from Heaven. After that conversation, on August 1/14, 1822, the Emperor issued a “Decree on the closure of Masonic lodges and all secret societies on the territory of the Russian Empire,” and dismissed high-ranking Masons. It was the first victory of the Russian Opposition. On the day the decree was issued, Fr. Photius received a pectoral cross and a jeweled panagia from His Majesty’s office’ (Maria Tobolova, ‘Archimandrite Photius (1792–1838), Fearless Fighter Against Freemasons, Part 2’, orthochristian.com).

Because of the fervent labors of one man, catastrophe was averted:

‘ . . . thanks to his efforts, a royal decree was issued banning Masonic lodges, and thus the events of 1825 did not incite all of society to revolution and violence. (Let us recall that 120 Decembrists were Freemasons.) However, the conspirators’ provocation on Senate Square caused the deaths of 1,270 people in the capital, mostly from among deceived common folk. Archimandrite Photius, together with his followers, saved Russia from destruction— December 1825 could have become February 1917’ (Ibid.).

The sad tragedy is that the spiritual correction and healing initiated by Fr Photius didn’t last.  Like the Israelites in the Old Testament, the Russians again fell away from God and experienced all the evils and cruelties of the atheistic communists from 1917 until 1991.

The experience of Russia is of intense relevance to the United States.  Many will probably be asking why that is so.  A holy Russian elder, Ignatius of Harbin (+1958), who lived through the mass murder of Christians by the Soviet communists, made a stunning prophecy about the States:  ‘What started in Russia will end in America’ (Fr Alexander Shargunov, ‘Now is the Time for Preparation, Part 2’ orthochristian.com).  A North American saint, Seraphim Rose of California (+1982), made a similar prophecy in the opening of his book Russia’s Catacomb Saints:  ‘Today in Russia, tomorrow in America.’

Once again, nothing is fated.  All prophecies are contingent on the repentance, or lack of repentance, of the people to whom they are given.  But this much is certain:  Religion must be taken deadly seriously by government officials in the US, from school board members and sheriffs, to judges, governors, and senators.  The least little bit of relaxation in those matters allows evil to run rampant.

The very existence of such prophecies (as well as the rest of the foregoing) should galvanize all of us here in the States, should make us all drop every bit of flippant nonsense in our lives and beg God to forgive us and have mercy on us that we may escape the scourge of such horrible events.  And leading that effort ought to be, amongst others, our government leaders.

Thanks be to God, there are many good examples of Christians in government in Church history.  May the Lord grant our officials here in the US the wisdom and bravery to imitate them – men like the holy King Edwin of Northumbria, England (+633), who renounced the paganism of his birth and embraced the Crucified, Risen, Ascended, and Glorified Christ:

‘Saint Paulinus addressed the gathering, and when he had finished, Coifi told the king that the altars and temples of their false gods should be burned. The king asked him who should be the first to profane them. Coifi replied that he should be the first, since he had been foremost in leading their worship. The chief priest of the pagans was not permitted to bear arms or to ride a horse. It was customary that he ride a mare. Coifi, however, asked for a horse and for arms. Mounted on the king’s own horse, Coifi threw a spear into their temple, commanding the others to pull it down and set it afire. This place was not far from York, and today it is known as Godmanham.

‘In 627, the eleventh year of his reign, Saint Edwin was baptized by Saint Paulinus of York in the wooden church of Saint Peter’ (‘Saint Edwin, King and Martyr’, oca.org).  ‘Many in Edwin’s court and subjects in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire also came to faith’ (‘St. Edwin, King and Martyr (Aeduini)’, celticsaints.org).