HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS TOLERATION IN THE RUSSIAN NORTH: RESEARCH ASPECTS

Abstract

The formation of religious toleration in the Russian context had a complex and long history. But history of religious toleration in different regions had its own features. The idea of the Russian North as a special example of a multicultural and multi-confessional space has always existed. However, this topic has not received complex studying in the framework of regional studies. The aim of this research is to systematize and analyze the scientific works devoted to the development of the religious situation in the Russian North for identifying traditions of religious toleration and tolerance in this territory. The systematization of the sources is based on the chronological principle up to the beginning of the XX century, and takes into account the three main models of religious life in the region. The analysis showed that the formation of religious toleration in the Russian North was related to the emergence of new religious cultures in the region, which led to their coexistence, and not to the displacement. The official policy of the Orthodox Church and the Russian state towards non-Orthodox and non-Christian people was not always supported by the local community. Moreover, there is evidence for the existence of not only a “passive” form of toleration in the Russian North, but also an “active” form of toleration that was manifested towards non-Orthodox and non-Christian people.