THEIST_WATCH
  Msg  : 63                                         Written : 08/05/94 06:19pm
  From : ROBIN MURRAY-O'HAIR                        Status  :
  To   : ALL
  Subj : Selling Blessings

    Capitalism and religion have some to Russia. For a fee, you can have
anything blessed there by a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Casinos, bars, apartments, cars, businesses -- all of these can be
blessed for a small fee. Though some priests stick to spinkling mineral
water on the blessed item, others go whole hog with holy water *and*
incense.

    The fee to have your car blessed? The going rate is 30,000-50,000
rubles. In American bucks, that's just $15-25 for the official blessing
of one of god's representatives.


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