Orthodox Church Decries ID System
The Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church has denounced a new national ID system as “the mark of the Antichrist.”
The system introduced last fall is similar to U.S. Social Security numbers and has become more widespread in recent weeks.
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine appealed to President Leonid Kuchma, the government and Parliament to change it.
According to the appeal, many Orthodox Christians regard the system “as the fulfillment of the apocalyptic prophecy about the mark of the Antichrist and regard the identification numbers as . . . ‘the number of the beast.’ ”
The Bible’s Book of Revelation cites 666 as the number of the Antichrist, but some Christians believe it could be any identifying number required to transact business.
Ukrainian banks now require the numbers before paying out wages, pensions and other benefits.
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