Collectivism 137, Part 3: That Time Satan Became a Man and Controlled Russia

Written 1981, Revised 1998

Hey, and welcome back to Safe White Space!

This is Part 3 of my review for Collectivism 137, a PACE in the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum (ACE). If you don’t know what PACEs are, and need context for the scope of these reviews, check out Collectivism 133, Part 1 posted below:

In Part 1 of Collectivism 137, we ran through a number of empirical errors, and deconstructed some egregious contextual problems. In Part 2, we ran through the PACE’s erroneous and extremely callous coverage of Bloody Sunday (1905). This time, the author of the PACEs, Donald Howard, is going to make the case that today’s subject was a direct agent of the Devil, whom he blessed with literal supernatural powers. To do this, Scripture gets pillaged of any meaning at all, and history gets rewritten. This passage comes with quite a bit of sexism attached.

Trigger warning: The following text teaches students that a person from recent history used the literal powers of Satan to control Russia. That the “activating force” in his life was demonic power. It’s pretty creepy.

In the context of academics, this isn’t education, but the rantings of a lunatic.

Revisiting this material, now that I’m 12 years older and no longer believe in such things, has been a trip. On the one had, I busted out laughing at the grotesque absurdity of this section. On the other, I remember what it was like to work through this PACE as a teen. After completing the previous four PACEs, and the History PACE courses, I had become fully invested in the narrative that our battle wasn’t against “flesh and blood,” but against the “powers of this dark world.” Trust me, after doing these PACEs, believing that your average “liberal” has been possessed or directly manipulated by Satan is less of a jump, and more like a baby step away.

This “education” is child abuse.

Today, the subject of this discussion is Grigori Yefimovich Novykh. Better known as Ra-Ra Rasputin:

Exhibit 226

The Word of God is absolutely timeless. That which God proclaims in the Bible is valid for all time. The truths and admonitions of Scripture are as legitimate for the twentieth century as they were for the first century, when the final books of the Canon were written and assembled. In Romans 1:28-32, the Apostle Paul characterized a particularly abominable class of sinners in his own day.

Again and again in the history of the humanistic collectivist movement, we encounter men who are unbelievably given over to evil, as described in the above portion of God’s Word. Adam Weishaupt, Maximillien Robespierre, and “Gracchus” Babeouf are three prime examples. Another such utterly evil individual is the man known as Grigori Rasputin!

Collectivism 137, page 28

Rasputin was such a weird and fascinating person. He had an air of mystique, despite his very gregarious and open personality. The eclectic range of things he knew and experienced has to be one of the most unique in history. He went from being a poor rural peasant and con man, all the way to advising the Russian Monarchy. He was an unkempt, uncouth character who lived in a royal setting, and hijinks ensued!

He was also an awful person. We’ll get to the legitimate reasons why, but let’s see what the PACE has to say:

Exhibit 227

He was the son of a provincial Russian peasant family. It was rumored that the abilities to hypnotize their fellowman and to foresee the future had been passed down through several generations of the Novikh lineage. As a scion of those forebears, young Grigori supposedly delivered his first prophetic utterance when he was a twelve-year-old child. From his sickbed, the fever-ridden boy is said to have correctly identified a horse thief. As he grew into adulthood, at Pokrovskoe, in addition to his acclaim as a soothsayer [“And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:” (Micah 5:12)] and an hypnotist[sic] [“Thus saith the LORD GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought.” (Ezekiel 38:10)]

Collectivism 137, page 28

“It was rumored,” → goes on to support and spread said rumor as if it’s fact...

Also, these Scripture verses do not support the text. If Micah 5:12 says there are “no more soothsayers,” how can Rasputin be one? What is the connective element here?

There are a lot of ways Rasputin could have known about the horse thief that didn’t involve the Devil’s magical powers. Importantly, he didn’t do this from his sickbed, as the PACE claims. There was a group of 4-6 men who were discussing the horse theft in Rasputin’s house, presumably within earshot of Rasputin. Rasputin got out of bed and, after a beat, accused one of them. No one believed Rasputin at the moment, but the man accused was later caught trying to move the stolen horse.

As opposed to the powers of “witchcraft,” and “soothsaying,” rational explanations include:

1. He could have seen the horse thief commit the act, and only then have had the opportunity to tell someone

2. Maybe he needed to hear their conversation to put the pieces together

3. The man’s body language could have given him away

4. Maybe Rasputin was just guessing - he had between a 17% chance and 25% of getting it right, depending

5. The thief could have even been framed by Rasputin

6. The thief could have been framed by one of the other men after the accusation

7. Someone could have told Rasputin what they saw

8. An infinite number of other things

Most importantly, this story was likely made up by Rasputin. No one knows for certain. Rasputin was considered a liar and a con-man in his hometown, later leaving after being accused of stealing horses. So yea, I don’t really trust the personal, unverifiable anecdotes of a liar.

Whatever the case, he most definitely wasn’t using Satan’s supernatural powers.

That said, Rasputin wasn’t a great dude. I think the PACE misses a good opportunity here to explain exactly why Rasputin was an immoral person in Biblical terms. You have con artistry, theft, lying, drunkenness, and sexual misconduct (which potentially includes assault), at the least.

Instead, notice what little time is spent discussing Rasputin’s immorality, and how vague the accusation is:

Exhibit 228

Grigori also developed a reputation for living a totally immoral life [“For God hath not called us unto uncleanliness, but unto holiness.” (I Thessalonians 4:7)]. Because of his thoroughly iniquitous behavior, Grigori Efimovich Novikh was given the epithet “Rasputin” by his neighbors (“Rasputin” comes from the Russian word, “rasputni,” meaning dissolute, profligate, libertine, licentious, and debauchee). Strangely enough, he would voluntarily and even proudly wear that sobriquet for the remainder of his life.

Collectivism 137, page 28

While I agree with the summary here, lacking specifics, the student is left to assume that Rasputin is immoral because he’s an agent of the Devil. Not for sexual misconduct, or anything tangible. If you remove the Scripture verse in brackets, the explanation of the word “Rasputin,” and the “Strangely enough” observation, you have essentially one generalized accusation. That he lived a “totally immoral life,” full of “iniquitous behavior.” What is any of that mean suppose to mean to the student?

Check out how specific the PACE is when lambasting Rasputin for his hygiene:

Exhibit 229

Rasputin himself was as unsavory as his lifestyle and his philosophy. Rarely changing his garments and virtually never bathing, Rasputin’s person was disgustingly unclean and his long fingernails were encrusted with dirt. His beard and shoulder-length hair were tangled, greasy, and impregnated with filth. Due to that lack of personal hygiene, Rasputin quite naturally emanated a foul odor.

Collectivism 137, page 28, 29

“impregnated with filth”? Sheeesh….

And then we get right back into the supernatural:

Exhibit 230

Nearly everyone who came in contact with Rasputin seemed almost mesmerized with the Russian “Elmer Gantry’s” piercing eyes and hypnotic personality… The bored Russian aristocrats of that day were amusing themselves with every manner of mysticism and occultism. To those dabblers of Satanic things, the filthy heretic from Pokrovskoe proved to be a fascinating diversion [“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:” (2 Thessalonians 2:11)].

Collectivism 137, page 29

Another Scripture verse that makes no sense in context. So God sent Rasputin to deliver a “strong delusion” to the Russians? Am I missing something?

Whatever, let’s all just blame the woman already:

Exhibit 231

Within a remarkably short time, the false man of God gained an incredible influence over the Czar and Czarina. That domination was based upon the Czarina’s false, but firm conviction that Rasputin was able to exercise curative powers over the hemophilia-stricken Czarevich Alexis. The degree to which Rasputin’s evil personality affected the disturbed mind of the Czarina Alexandra is amply demonstrated by her blasphemous reference to him as “almost a Christ.”

Collectivism 137, page 29

This narrative will run the same sexist gambit as in Collectivism 133, Part 3. In that PACE, Donald claimed Eve had secretly wanted the Devil to seduce her, based on where she was standing in the garden [Ex. 75, Ex. 76]. He went on to absolve both Adam and the DEVIL of any wrong doing on account of Eve winning half Satan’s battle for him (no, seriously, it’s rancid pigshit):

This time, it’s not the man’s fault, but the woman’s “disturbed mind” that gave Rasputin so much power. Despite men being the heads of their own family government [Ex. 81], they are constantly getting a free pass from ACE:

Exhibit 232

As he thus gained more and more control over the Romanov family, Rasputin likewise extended his authority into the Russian government… Eventually, in all matters of government policy, Czar Nicholas Alexandrovich allowed himself to be guided by Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna, who in turn was wholly led by “starets” Grigori Rasputin. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, it was Rasputin—not the Czar— who ruled Russia! Realizing that the rasputni turned “starets” was destroying Russia, saner minds began to protest… The nearly hysterical Czarina, however, refused to believe the truth, and the Czar simply closed his eyes [“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts... (2 Timothy 3:6)]

Collectivism 137, page 29

As is always, context changes the entire story.

The Czar/Czarina’s son, Alexei, had an excruciatingly painful condition called hemophilia. Today, we know that hemophilia is a blood clotting disorder. It’s caused when someone “doesn't have enough blood-clotting proteins.” Untended, very modest injuries can quickly lead to life-threatening and painful situations that last for days or weeks. It was especially distressful for a small child like Alexei.

Alexei was the baby of the family, and the Czar and Czarina both loved their children in an very modern way. They loved their children fiercely, as opposed to just ‘caring’ for them. Alexei spent whole nights screaming in agony, with his voice echoing down the halls of the palace. His constant pain was more acutely taxing on the Czar/Czarina than commanding the whole first World War. The shrieks were so intense that they kept other palace inhabitants awake at night. The doctors in the palace couldn’t figure out how to save or protect him. But then, for example, a letter would come from Rasputin, instructing the Czar/Czarina to dismiss the doctors.

Quickly, almost like magic, Alexei would recover

Modern historians think one rational explanation is that the doctors were giving Alexei something like Ibuprofen, which would have thinned his blood further, exacerbating the problem. When Rasputin would dismiss the doctors, and the next day Alexei was on the mend, of course his parents concluded they should keep Rasputin around. Further, they were superstitious Christians (just like Donald), so naturally they entertained the idea that he might have been sent by God with healing powers. That doesn’t mean they were hypnotized by the Devil.

Getting back to the point, it wasn’t like the Czar “closed his eyes.” The Czar clung to Rasputin just as much as she did. I find it cruel that Donald would condemn either of these parents for hanging onto Rasputin, but it’s telling that the Czarina gets the bulk of the blame. Particularly the type of blame she receives, too. “Hysterical, silly, laden with sins, disturbed mind.” This is cartoonishly sexist.

When do men have to take responsibility? This is just a sniveling little boy covering for a man at the expense of accurate, quality education.

Next, the PACE tries to backpedal from granting Rasputin Satanic powers. It’s implied to the student that Rasputin wasn’t a prophet, but that he did have the power of prediction.

I guess that’s different…:

Exhibit 233

[It is interesting to note that the self-proclaimed “prophet” Rasputin predicted (1) Stolypin’s death (on the day of his murder by Bogrov), (2) the demise of the Romanov Dynasty, and (3) his own assassination (within two weeks of the event). The question has been raised whether Rasputin was a deliberate and conscious conspirator in either of the first two crimes or merely an ignorant tool of Satan. As Russian became embroiled in World War I, the situation steadily worsened. The odious Rasputin scandal had utterly destroyed the confidence of the Russian people in their government in general, and their Czar in particular.

Collectivism 137, page 29

Most of that is an exaggerated urban legend. Importantly, you can’t call someone a “self-proclaimed “prophet”,” and then go on to proclaim his fulfilled prophesies. “The question” hadn’t “been raised,” until you raised it, which is super weird, because the student was already told conclusively that Rasputin was a direct extension of Satan. Why, after all this text, is it still a question? Don’t you know the answer?

This is so fucking dumb.

Next, the PACE passes along another urban legend as if it’s fact. The PACE takes ages to explain the myth, so I’ll summarize: this legend has Rasputin (in order) getting poisoned with cyanide, shot, then shot several more times, stabbed, beaten, and then, after being weighted down, dumped into a small body of water. The myth goes on to claim that Rasputin had water in his lungs when he was dredged up, implying that he was still alive when he went in. The story is fun, but it’s been thoroughly debunked, and has been since before this PACE was written.

Based on the evidence (to include pictures of his dead body), he was beat up and was shot in the forehead. The beatings could have occurred before or after the execution, but no one survives a lobotomy like that.

Best part of all? This myth is told in service of making the case that Rasputin’s “activating force” was not “flesh and blood”…:

Exhibit 234

Three days later when the corpse was found, his lungs were full of water [**FALSE**]. Grigori Efimovich Rasputin had survived the poisoning, shooting, stabbing, and beating, and had died from drowning! It would appear that the activating force in Rasputin’s life was more than human [“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)].

Collectivism 137, page 30

Well, that’s fucking stupid. Fuck this company.

As always, when the text is wrong, the problem trickles outward:

Exhibit 235

(26) What was the true cause of Rasputin’s death? ______

[Answer: drowning]

Collectivism 137, page 30

Welp. I don’t know what else there is to say, other than, this education suuuuuucks.

Thanks for reading!

But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 18:6