The world view of the traditional Old Believer is understandably strongly influenced by religious dogma. Many of them to this day profess to believe in the existence of the Anti-Christ. Previous incarnations of the Anti-Christ have been said to be Peter the Great, Lenin and Stalin. Some believe that Brezhnev is the current bearer of the Anti-Christ, and that Soviet rule and the persecution of the Orthodoxy in that country was sent by God as punishment for what the post-Nikonian Orthodoxy did to the Old Believers and other conservative schismatics. According to writings of the original Old Believers such as the Denisov brothers, the world was felt by them to be in its last days during the mid-1600s. This orientation and its consequent emphasis on the hereafter and salvation has carried over to some extent in present-day Old Believer society. The spirit world of the Old Believer is an active one, populated with angels and demons which constantly engage themselves in an every-day tug-of-war for the souls of people on earth. Demons are said to be particularly sneaky and insidious; they can turn up anywhere. There are specific practices which the individual is supposed to use for his/her protection against invasion or temptation at the hands of demons. For example, all open dishes should be dovered so that a demon cannot hide there and be eaten by the next person to take a meal from that dish. Likewise, most Old Believers cross themselves before taking a drink from a glass, particularly if the drink has been made with water from an unblessed source (such as tap water), and this is to prevent water demons from entering the body. Illnesses and personal misfortunes are traditionally laid to the influence of demons, while good fortunes are said to be the rewards of the Lord for steadfast devotion and worship. Some say that if the person does bad things, then a demon comes to perch on his shoulder and offer temptations to further sins by whispering in the person's ears. Likewise, if the person is good, then an angel may come to ward off temptation from the devil. If the individual thinks good thoughts or prays a lot, then they will be inclined to hear the angels and not the demons, but if they forget to pray or think evil thoughts, then they are more likely to hear and be swayed by the demons.