In the modern Russian society Christianity is still considered to be a religion of love that opposes violence in any form and accordingly doesn't accept war and any military actions. Due to this position any Christian can't participate in war, the priests that bless the soldiers going to battle aren't the expression of the moral tragedy of war but of the Church subdued by the State. The history of the Christian philosophy doesn't give a simple answer to this problem. Non-resistance to evil through violence matches the religious and moral theories of Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi more then the Christian or particularly the Orthodox philosophy. Christianity that has a goal to save and renovate a person don't intend to fight the consequences of evil (external aggression) but its reason (spoiled nature of a man). To the Christian point of view war isn't an absolute evil and the non-participation in it doesn't guarantee salvation for a man as the participation doesn't ruin him.

The relations between the Army and the Church have a long tradition in the history of the Russian culture. This tradition includes active cooperation between the Church and the Army in order to educate the soldiers in the spirit of the Christ-loving army. Warrior-liberator, warrior-defender has always been an ideal for the Russian soldier. The most famous Russian military commanders A.Suvorov and M.Kutuzov were the deeply faithful people.

In the Soviet era the relation between the Army and the Church was absolutely impossible. The former traditions have been almost absolutely lost. Now our Army commanders often turn to the Church as to the spiritual and moral authority. The efforts are taken to revive the former traditions. In 1994 and 1997 the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ministry of Defense signed the agreements on cooperation in order to strengthen the moral spirit of the troops.

The Army chiefs should, however, realize that the modern relations with the Church are quite different from the ones existed before the Revolution because modern Russia isn't an Orthodox state, the Church is separated from the State and the Army isn't mono-confessional. That's why the military officials that turned to the Church for assistance should clearly understand its position and the tasks for the priests which come to the Army.