On Criteria for Determining Religious Commitment

Abstract

Quite often over the last ten to fifteen years surveys have been conducted to determine the character of the Russian religious worldview. The surveys that are accompanied by an analysis of the findings are the most interesting. The number of respondents who call themselves religious believers, including Orthodox believers, is rather large. It is only natural that sociologists are not inclined to trust the respondents' self-identification, so they try to determine the actual number of believers using various methods that are, at times, controversial. The sociological instruments used make it possible to identify between 0 percent and 6 percent of the respondents as "true Orthodox believers" (versus up to 60 percent of the respondents on the basis of self-identification and up to 80 percent if defined as a positive attitude toward Orthodox Christianity) [1-4]. The findings are then given a great deal of publicity, without a hint of doubt but as fact: they are published in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals and on the Internet; and they figure in analytical notes. The interpretation of these data is used to draw sweeping conclusions—for example, is there a religious revival in our country? As a rule, scholars are inclined to believe that a time of religious eclecticism is setting in. Political conclusions are also drawn: what claims can the Orthodox Church make, given such numbers of Orthodox believers?