I found Lenin's mausoleum fascinating. It was incredible to me, as an historian, to see such a famous (or infamous) figure lying there, as if merely asleep. I was amazed, too, to see that Lenin had red hair and a red beard. I had only seen black-and-white photos of him before.
When I lived in Moscow, my wife and I walked through Red Square practically every day. I remember commenting to her that Red Square is the perfect symbol of the Russian soul: there stands one of the most beautiful churches in all of Christendom (St. Basil's - now a museum) and nearby the tomb of one of Satan's most devoted servants.
My wife, a Russian native, remarked that many Russians believe that their land will never be blessed and prosperous until Lenin's body is removed from Red Square and buried somewhere else.
I love Red Square. It is a place of fairy tale-like beauty, power, and mystery.
It is also a tourist Mecca. I think I heard as much Italian, German, Japanese, and English spoken there as I did Russian.
Lenin's body is a definite draw. All those vendors in the little mobile shops selling beer, Otvortka, and kolbasa might be upset if it is removed and their trade declines.
Tikon wrote:I realize as Orthodox we don't believe in cremation, but...he was an atheist, so in his case, they could make an exception.
No honorable burial for regicides who had their God-Anointed Tsar killed!
That would be wrong. As Orthodox, if we were to perform an act against another that we KNOW is wrong, we will be held accountable.
----------------------------------------------------
They say that I am bad news. They say "Stay Away."
A burial by Christians is not the same thing as a Christian burial. Regardless, he is dead and the dead belong in the ground and out of the way of the living. (Saints' relics excepted, for they have something of the source of all life still in them!) Let Lenin live on in history books, but let's have done with his corpse now.
Sincerely:
Joseph
there's a very good article on Lenin's tomb in the current issue of the "Atlantic" monthly.
it describes that all of his organs had to be removed to prevent them from contributing to deterioration of his skin, and that maintaining his externals in a quasi-good appearance requires tremendous resources and time, and money that could probably be best spent elsewhere in modern russia.
as i've never been to Russia, i've never seen the tomb first-hand.
