Zhenya Khloponina

 Zhenya Khloponina

“Instead of going to the cinema or dances, I used to read the Bible and say my prayers-and just for that you are taking my freedom from me. Yes, to be free is a great happiness, but to be free from sin is a greater still.”- (page 466)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described the story of Bazbei, a father of nine children. Bazbei was a miner and had raised his children in the Christian faith. The Soviet Bolsheviks resented that children could be brought up in the faith and attempted to take the children from Bazbei. Bazbei had never obtained help from the Union committee being self-sufficient and a hard worker. The Soviet Bolsheviks had decided to bribe one of his daughters with fifty rubles so that she could speak lies against her father.

The Bolsheviks promised Nina, the daughter who was in the eight-grade, that she would be accepted to a higher institution if she gave false testimony against her father. They told her to say that her father attempted to poison her. All of these statements were obviously lies of the Bolshevik socialists who either envied or resented Bazbei. The daughter, Nina, would later regret speaking lies and would confess to having spoken lies against her father. The Soviet Bolshevik judge ommited her statements about having spoken lies.

Zhenya was one of the righteous daughters who did not speak lies against her father and told the truth. Zhenya Khloponina described how she preferred being free from sin even if it meant being persecuted. This is interesting because despite the envy and resentments of the Soviet Bolsheviks, there were zealous children who never doubted GOD Almighty nor their faith in GOD Almighty. Zhenya did not speak lies and was loyal to her family. The Soviet Bolshevik judge cut Zhenya's testimony off short because of her integrity and zeal.

Despite the persecution, Bazbei and the righteous children persevered trusting in their faith in GOD Almighty. Despite being envied, they did not renounce their faith. Two of the children got five years in camps, two got four years, and Bazbei who was the father got three years. They persevered in the faith and it was noted that the Soviet Bolsheviks were quite displeased. The story of Zhenya describes how freedom is amazing, yet freedom from sin and idolatry is even better.