Irina Tuchinskaya

 Irina Tuchinskaya

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described the absurdities and incongruencies of Soviet socialism that attempted to prevent individuals from learning about the truth in Scripture. Soviet Bolsheviks attempted to prevent individuals from learning the importance of worshiping GOD Almighty. There were individuals that stated that parents were forbidden from instructing the commandments of Moses and Scripture under the Soviet Union. This was with the intention to prevent individuals from growing in the faith.

A faithful woman named, Tanya Khodkevich,  described how individuals were allowed to have faith but could not speak about their faith for the worship of GOD Almighty in the Soviet Union. This was with the intention to prevent individuals from realizing the truth. We learn that despite the adversities caused by socialism, there were individuals that converted to Christianity seen in stories of the Gulag Archipelago. We read about how different individuals converted even in gulag because they realized that socialism was based on lies and envy while Christianity speaks truth.

"Irina Tuchinskaya was arrested while leaving church. And she was charged with having 'prayed in church for the death of Stalin.'"- (page 241)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described the story of Irina Tuchinskaya who was a righteous woman who attended church. The Soviet Bolsheviks decided to falsely accuse Irina Tuchinskaya with praying in church for the destruction of Stalin. To this Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn questioned how the Soviet Bolsheviks were able to deduce that since individual prayer was private and from the previous story, we learned that individuals were not allowed to state their belief. Therefore, through reason we can understand that the Soviet Bolsheviks were envious of Irina Tuchinskaya for being righteous and falsely accused her.

This is another story of how the Soviet Bolsheviks practiced envy and told temporary lies. After Irina Tuchinskaya had left church, the Soviet Bolsheviks looked to arrest Irina and her family. We know that Christianity preaches against hate and envy, so we know that the Soviet Bolsheviks were lying and falsely accusing because they had envy or resentments. Despite the envy, we are able to read in the Gulag Archipelago about righteous individuals that persevered in their zealous faith despite obstacles, circumstances, or persecution.