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Rasputin Essay

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Gregory Efimovich Rasputin is one of the most debated characters of the 20th Century. Thousands have discussed whether Rasputin was a holy man who came to the aide of the royal family or more simply, a cheat who thrived in womanising and in truth, a man who had a debauched sexual appetite. After all the word "Rasputin" in Russian mean "the debauched one". But in the following pages, I will try to explore a better side of Rasputin; I will attempt to give an accurate analysis of Rasputin and let the facts prove who Rasputin was.

On 10 January 1869, in the midst of a harsh winter, Gregory Efimovich Rasputin was born in the Siberian village of Pokrovskoye. Little is known of his background. His father, …show more content…

But the two girls, Varvara and Maria, grew up normally and eventually went to live with their father in St. Petersburg.

One day, while working in the fields, Rasputin claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary. According to his version, she instructed him to become a pilgrim. He decides to bid his family farewell and sets off on a staggering journey on foot that would take him to the Orthodox monastery at Mount Ethos in Greece, two thousand miles away. When he returned to his village, his semi-religious aura seemed even more impressive. He attracted large crowds when he preached, although his version of the Gospel, sprinkled with half-learnt truths about sin and salvation, was decidedly un-Orthodox. Rasputin also allegedly began to practice what he preached, bedding as many of his female disciples as would allow him. According to Rasputin, such sexual unions, far from being wrong, were simply a way to true penance, which in turn would lead to salvation. It is one of the greatest contradictions in Rasputin's story, and he was never able to reconcile his physical desires with his spiritual goals. Shortly after the turn of the century, Rasputin left Pokrovskoe on another pilgrimage which would take him to Kazan and finally to St. Petersburg. Here he attracted much attention among the local Orthodox hierarchy for his seemingly genuine desire for salvation coupled with his undoubted gift for speaking and persuasion. He

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