Rumors and speculations in the crypto space are extremely common. What is even more common is fusing religion with finances. Examples of this were seen last year across the Islamic world. Now the Russian Orthodox Church is at the forefront of controversy. However, the controversy did not ensue from anything that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow said. Instead, it stemmed from an edited and morphed video that has been circulating widely. In the video, the Patriarch could be seen talking about the virtues of digital assets. The video also claims that Patriarch Kirill would bless all investors in a special sermon in the orthodox church of Moscow. As soon as the video surfaced, people started reading suspicion. Putting all speculations to rest, Vakhtang Kipshidze from the Eastern Orthodox Church declared the video fake. He added that the video is evidently fake and anyone with a sensible mind could make that out.
Finances are an integral part of religious systems. In the Islamic world, various sects have conflicting opinions on cryptocurrencies. While the UAE has embraced digital assets, the Islamic Council of Indonesia has declared it haraam, or forbidden. At the same time, clerics in Malaysia have given Muslims permission to engage in the crypto space. Some exchanges in the Middle East have also marketed themselves as halaal, or permissible crypto exchanges. While religion does not have any direct effect on finances, its hold on human consciousness is unmatched. Any religious association of crypto can be both a blessing and a curse for the ecosystem.
