Tag: Belarus

According to thereligionfaqs, Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, and the majority of its population identifies as either Orthodox Christian or Catholic. The Belarusian Orthodox Church is the largest religious institution in the country and is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Other denominations present in Belarus include Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventists, Methodists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Greek Catholics, Armenian Apostolic Christians and Jews. The government of Belarus provides freedom for its citizens to practice their faith without fear of persecution or discrimination. The government also provides financial support for religious institutions such as churches and synagogues. This includes providing funds for building churches or synagogues in areas where there are no existing facilities. The government also sponsors festivals to celebrate religious holidays such as Easter and Hanukkah. Additionally, Belarus has a number of Christian educational institutions that offer courses on Christian studies ranging from beginner to advanced levels. These institutions provide students with an understanding of Christian teachings that can be applied to their daily lives. Furthermore, the government offers scholarships for those who wish to pursue higher education in Christian studies at international universities abroad. Belarus in 2011 was a nation in transition. After its emergence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country had seen a period of economic and political turmoil as it struggled to transition to a free market economy. The transition had been difficult, with much of the population living in poverty and facing high levels of unemployment. This difficult transition period was compounded by a series of authoritarian regimes which had been imposed on Belarus by its President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. In 2011, Belarus was still very much a centralized state with President Lukashenko ruling with an iron fist and suppressing any form of dissent or opposition. The government controlled the media and censored any information deemed to be critical or contrary to their interests. Political parties were banned and elections were not considered free or fair as opposition candidates were routinely denied access to the ballot box or intimidated into withdrawing from elections. Economically, Belarus was still largely dependent on Russia for oil and other resources which it used for both domestic consumption as well as export purposes. This reliance on Russia meant that Belarus was vulnerable to fluctuations in global oil prices which could have dramatic effects on its already fragile economy. As such, the country’s GDP per capita remained one of the lowest in Europe at US$5,500 whilst unemployment remained at around 10%. Despite these difficulties, there were signs of progress in some areas such as education where literacy rates had improved significantly since 1991 and health care where infant mortality rates had dropped significantly since 2000 due largely due to government investment into public health projects such as immunization campaigns. In addition, there had also been some progress made in terms of economic reform with some efforts made towards liberalizing prices and introducing private ownership rights although these reforms had yet to have any real impact on living standards for most citizens at that time. Overall, life for most citizens in Belarus remained relatively difficult with many struggling to make ends meet due largely to low wages and high unemployment rates whilst those who did manage to find work often faced poor working conditions characterized by long hours and low pay without any meaningful job security or safety protections from their employers. The country also continued to face numerous human rights abuses including restrictions placed on freedom of speech, assembly, association and movement as well restrictions placed on independent media outlets which sought to report critically about the government’s policies or actions. Check philosophynearby for Belarus in 2019.