Putin Putin

Putin has endorsed the Russian Orthodox Church as the official religion of Russia.
Is there something inherently suppressive about Russian culture that insists on a unified religious front? You really have to wonder how they went from the Marxist approach of allowing no religions to practice to creating a constitution that touts religious freedom, to persecuting Protestants. I understand that Evangelical Protestantism (an American creation) poses a cultural threat to many groups, especially in Brazil and the Caribbean, and I see how this move, in some ways, preserves Russian identity. However, this is a scary move for the large Slavic land and I believe it will only foster anti-American sentiment worldwide.
Read more about it in the NY Times.