Religion In Russia Research Articles

New University Course “History of Religions in Russia": Not Only a General Educational Discipline, But Also an Element of Cultural, Educational and Scientific Diplomacy” (Analyzing First Results of Teaching the Course in English to Foreign Students)

New University Course “History of Religions in Russia": Not Only a General Educational Discipline, But Also an Element of Cultural, Educational and Scientific Diplomacy” (Analyzing First Results of Teaching the Course in English to Foreign Students)

Об исламских религионимах и специфике их функционирования в СМИ и социальных сетях

The article examines some Islamic religious names that are actively used in the lan-guage of mass media and social networks. The problem is that most lexical units naming Islamic concepts are not recorded In Russian dictionaries with a complete and correct interpretation of their meaning, which leads to the situation when people professing other religions in Russia get certain ideas about Islam from the press and social networks where Islamic vocabulary is often used in contexts that distort the meaning of these words, which leads to incorrect understanding of Islam. The research methods applied in this study allow to establish that Islamic religious names are used in the Russian language both in their sacred and figurative meanings and perform various functions in the investigated texts.

ПОНЯТИЕ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННО-КОНФЕССИОНАЛЬНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЙ: СРАВНИТЕЛЬНОЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ВЬЕТНАМА И РОССИИ

The article provides an overview of the definition of relations between state and religion in Russia and Vietnam. The views of Russian and Vietnamese scholars have been analyzed, synthesized, and compared. The research results indicate that Russian and Vietnamese scholars have many similarities when defining the concept and choosing terms for this relationship, typically clarifying two components of the relationship – state and religion. At the same time, the definitions preferred by Russian and Vietnamese scholars to be used with the same purpose – to satisfy the requirement of respect for religious diversity in Russia and Vietnam. The term “state-confessional relations”, which is popular in Russia, needs to be used when studying the history of state and law in Vietnam because of its many advantages that the one in Vietnam today (the term “relations between the state and religious organizations”) has not yet possessed.

Criminotheology - Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Putin’s Russia

Following their ban in 2017, the state targeted Jehovah’s Witnesses as harmful sectarians in the context of a ‘conservative twist’ in Russian politics grounded in late-Soviet anti-sectarian models and narratives. The active use of religious instruments in the political setup has led to a growing securitization of religion in Russia, where ‘non-traditional’ religiosity and religious non-conformism have been criminalised and blended with terrorism and extremism. The article focuses on forensic expertise in religion used in trials against believers and discusses how the forensic analysis of religious teachings for criminal evidence (criminotheology) have construed Jehovah’s Witnesses as dangerous extremists.

REVISITING FAITH-BASED DIPLOMACY’S EFFECTIVENESS: EASTERN EUROPEAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE 2022 RUSSO-UKRAINIAN CONFLICT

This paper aims to address the possible role of the Eastern European Orthodox Church as an alternative channel to ensure fruitful negotiations to end the Russo-Ukrainian war that has still ongoing since 2022. As the majority religion in Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe as a whole, the Orthodox branch of Christianity has a transnational influence on its followers, including prominent political figures in the aforementioned territories. Utilizing qualitative research methods, this paper is written to provide arguments about whether the Orthodox Church, with its immense presence in the belligerents’ spiritual beliefs, will be able to be employed as a channel to end the Russo-Ukrainian war. In this paper, analysis is conducted through the usage of J. W. McDonald’s “The Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy” (2012) journal article about multi-track diplomacy and D. Johnston’s Faith-Based Diplomacy: Trumping Realpolitik (2003) book about faith-based diplomacy to gauge the Orthodox Church’s potential as a channel of diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine. This paper finds that overall, the Orthodox Church fails to fulfil the criteria that Johnston (2003) posits; one of the most fatal is the organization’s inability to reconcile the belligerents’ deep historical wounds. Due to the Orthodox Church's traditional role that has always been closely tied to the Russian government, its capability to build an acceptable negotiation channel is severely impeded.

Governing religion in Russia and Bulgaria: Between religious diversity and religious nationalism

After the collapse of Communism, a major overhaul of the systems of religious governance took place in Bulgaria and Russia. Policies of liberalisation were pursued in both states which created conditions for the revival of religion and growth of religious diversity. This research article analyses the state approaches and policy orientations characterising the governance of religious diversity in Russia and Bulgaria in the post-Communist years as well as challenges to the fulfilment of religious freedom and religious equality. Using the lens of religious nationalism, it demonstrates that religious nationalistic tendencies are significant in both states when it comes to the governance of religious diversity. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that such tendencies are inscribed in a contradiction between constitutionally-established principles and nationalism-tainted practices when it comes to the treatment of some minority religions or/and groups.

Features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the Imperial period of its history (Ending)

The article deals with the features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the imperial period of its history. The national sociological tradition of studying religion as a socio-cultural phenomenon and a social institution, which was developed during this period, had its own unique and peculiar appearance and was just begun to revive again in post-Soviet Russia, contrasts with the tradition that took place in the West. In this context, the appeal to unfortunately undeservedly forgotten works of classics of Russian religious and socio-political though is very promising area of modern sociological research.When studying this problem, the author emphasizes the study of the works of representatives of three ideological areas of Russian religious and socio-political thought: conservatism, liberalism and socialism, as well as the peculiarities of the historical development of Russian society and the state and those events that had a significant impact on the formation and development of scientific understanding of religion in Russia. Among such features, the author, in particular, refers to the formation of an “antisystem” (systemic integrity of people who take a dim view of their homeland, hate their own nation, its values and culture, history, traditional religious, political and social systems) among the Russian intelligentsia, bureaucracy and part of the elite of Russian society, under a certain influence of Westernism, as a consequence of the spiritual schism of the 18th century, which occurred in the educated strata and elite of Russian society.The author of the article pays special attention to the analysis of “Christian sociology”. In his opinion, it is a collective name for the peculiar and original Russian sociological tradition of studying religion as a sociocultural phenomenon and social institute. “Christian Sociology” combines the theoretical developments of representatives of the Russian Slavophile, moderately liberal and conservative camps, secular and religious socio-political thought, striving to formulate and reveal the Christian view and approach to the knowledge and understanding of the life of society and social space.

The Secularism of Putin’s Russia and Patriarch Kirill’s Church: The Russian Model of State–Church Relations and Its Social Reception

The Russian Federation is a secular state, and the church is separate from the state. Nonetheless, during Putin’s rule, a seemingly desecularising transition has taken place in Russia. This transition can be observed on legal, ideological, and social levels. This article presents the characteristics of a new secular-state model that has developed in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. We claim that the evolution of the public role of religion in Russia and the state’s attitude towards religion cannot be considered in any way a symptom of the post-secularisation tendencies observed in some Western societies. Desecularisation in Russia takes place only at the verbal level. However, this façade desecularisation conceals a profound secularisation of religious institutions and organisations, understood as their total subordination to state policy objectives and, thus, their becoming elements of the state structure.

Социальное учение конфессиональных организаций России

The modern social practice of confessional organizations in Russia is characterized by multifunctionality, here you can get various types of services: spiritual help, material, psychological, socio-pedagogical, labor, etc. The following processes are intensively taking place: 1) the formation of the activities of certain religious groups and organizations specializing in the performance of confessional social work; 2) legitimation of the system of norms and rules on which the territorial social practice of various confessions is based. In this article, the author analyzes the social teachings of traditional religions in Russia. The author examines the social program documents prepared by the traditional religions of Russia (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism) over the past few decades. This comparative analysis allows us to identify not only the specifics of the social doctrine of a particular confession, but also the general / special in the goal-setting and direction of social practice. The goals and motives of social service in confessions differ, and the main directions of social practice of helping the population also differ. However, there are no differences in understanding the role and place of a religious organization in contemporary Russian social service.

The Role of Religion in Russia’s Ukraine War. Part 1: A Map of the Situation

The Role of Religion in Russia’s Ukraine War. Part 1: A Map of the Situation

Women, religion and the war

Religion has played a key role in Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The various Orthodox Churches present on the territory of Ukraine have taken opposite stands on the war. While the Russian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarch have openly and fervently supported the aggression, although their jurisdiction extends to some Ukrainian faithful, the other Ukrainian Orthodox Churches have generally opposed and condemned it, sometimes in the harshest tones. These political divisions have been noticed among church leaders, clergy members, and laypeople. This article discusses the role of religion in Russia's war against Ukraine, the religion of Ukrainian women refugees in Romania, and the ways in which religious practices have adapted to fit these women's new migration reality. The article reports data collected in personal interviews conducted in select Romanian cities in July–August 2022.

Features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the Imperial period of it’s history (Continued)

The article deals with the features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the imperial period of its history. The national sociological tradition of studying religion as a socio-cultural phenomenon and a social institution, which was developed during this period, had its own unique and peculiar appearance and was just begun to revive again in post-Soviet Russia, contrasts with the tradition that took place in the West. In this context, the appeal to unfortunately undeservedly forgotten works of classics of Russian religious and socio-political though is very promising area of modern sociological research.When studying this problem, the author emphasizes the study of the works of representatives of three ideological areas of Russian religious and socio-political thought: conservatism, liberalism and socialism, as well as the peculiarities of the historical development of Russian society and the state and those events that had a significant impact on the formation and development of scientific understanding of religion in Russia. Among such features, the author, in particular, refers to the formation of an "antisystem" (systemic integrity of people who take a dim view of their homeland, hate their own nation, its values and culture, history, traditional religious, political and social systems) among the Russian intelligentsia, bureaucracy and part of the elite of Russian society, under a certain influence of Westernism, as a consequence of the spiritual schism of the 18th century, which occurred in the educated strata and elite of Russian society.When studying the features of understanding religious issues by representatives of Russian conservatism, the author of the article analyzes the views of N.Ya. Danilevsky, K.N. Leontiev, F.M. Dostoevsky, M.N. Katkov, K.P. Pobedonostsev, L.A. Tikhomirov.He notes the fact that judgment of this perspective was carried out by these authors from "Slavophile", traditionalist (pochvennichesky and guarding) positions, in the context of judgment of features and an originality of a way of development of Russia as the center of east Christian (orthodox) culture and also empires successors of orthodox Byzantium - defenders Pravoslaviya, Orthodox church and belief, the orthodox people, values and the culture of Christianity "keeping" the world from approach of the evil and arrival of the power of Antichrist.

Features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the imperial period of its history (continued)

The article deals with the features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the imperial period of its history. The national sociological tradition of studying religion as a socio-cultural phenomenon and a social institution, which was developed during this period, had its own unique and peculiar appearance and was just begun to revive again in post-Soviet Russia, contrasts with the tradition that took place in the West. In this context, the appeal to unfortunately undeservedly forgotten works of classics of Russian religious and socio-political though is very promising area of modern sociological research.When studying this problem, the author emphasizes the study of the works of representatives of three ideological areas of Russian religious and socio-political thought: conservatism, liberalism and socialism, as well as the peculiarities of the historical development of Russian society and the state and those events that had a significant impact on the formation and development of scientific understanding of religion in Russia. Among such features, the author, in particular, refers to the formation of an “antisystem” (systemic integrity of people who take a dim view of their homeland, hate their own nation, its values and culture, history, traditional religious, political and social systems) among the Russian intelligentsia, bureaucracy and part of the elite of Russian society, under a certain influence of Westernism, as a consequence of the spiritual schism of the 18th century, which occurred in the educated strata and elite of Russian society.When studying the features of understanding religious issues by representatives of Russian conservatism, the author of the article analyzes the views of N.Ya. Danilevsky, K.N. Leontiev, F.M. Dostoevsky, M.N. Katkov, K.P. Pobedonostsev, L.A. Tikhomirov. He notes the fact that judgment of this perspective was carried out by these authors from “Slavophile”, traditionalist (pochvennichesky and guarding) positions, in the context of judgment of features and an originality of a way of development of Russia as the center of east Christian (orthodox) culture and also empires successors of orthodox Byzantium – defenders Pravoslaviya, Orthodox church and belief, the orthodox people, values and the culture of Christianity “keeping” the world from approach of the evil and arrival of the power of Antichrist.

Features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the imperial period of its history (Continued)

The article deals with the features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the imperial period of its history. The national sociological tradition of studying religion as a socio-cultural phenomenon and a social institution, which was developed during this period, had its own unique and peculiar appearance and was just begun to revive again in post-Soviet Russia, contrasts with the tradition that took place in the West. In this context, the appeal to unfortunately undeservedly forgotten works of classics of Russian religious and socio-political though is very promising area of modern sociological research.When studying this problem, the author emphasizes the study of the works of representatives of three ideological areas of Russian religious and socio-political thought: conservatism, liberalism and socialism, as well as the peculiarities of the historical development of Russian society and the state and those events that had a significant impact on the formation and development of scientific understanding of religion in Russia. Among such features, the author, in particular, refers to the formation of an “antisystem” (systemic integrity of people who take a dim view of their homeland, hate their own nation, its values and culture, history, traditional religious, political and social systems) among the Russian intelligentsia, bureaucracy and part of the elite of Russian society, under a certain influence of Westernism, as a consequence of the spiritual schism of the 18th century, which occurred in the educated strata and elite of Russian society.When studying the features of understanding religious issues by representatives of Russian liberalism, the author of the article analyzes the views of representatives of both radical and moderate (classical) liberalism: M.M. Kovalevsky, N.I. Kareev, P.N. Milyukov, V.S. Solovyov, B.N. Chicherin, P.B. Struve. He notes that the understanding of this issue was carried out by these authors from a “Westernist” position. Liberal thinkers generally negatively assessed the religious situation, as well as state-confessional relations in imperial Russia. They proposed a number of reforms in this area and, in particular, spoke of the need to separate the church from the state.

УЧАСТИЕ РЕЛИГИОЗНЫХ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЙ В ПРАЗДНОВАНИИ ДНЯ ПОБЕДЫ КАК ЭЛЕМЕНТ ГРАЖДАНСКОЙ РЕЛИГИИ В РОССИИ

The study focuses on the interaction between the state and religious associations in the Russian Federation at the present stage. The subject of the study is “civil religion” / “civil cult” as a special set of practices and ideas that serve to reinforce and justify the existing socio-political order. The article raises the question of the presence of civil religion in Russia and the degree of integration of traditional religious denominations into its established practices. The main objectives are to consider the main characteristics of “civil religion” and “celebration” as key categories of research, to give a historical overview of the institutionalization of Victory Day celebration, to investigate the degree of integration of traditional religions in Victory Day celebrations. The article considers some events organized and held as part of the Victory Day celebrations at the Victory Park memorial complex on Poklonnaya Hill in May 2022.

Постсекулярное в русском православии: «Бедная вера»

Introduction. The article examines the problems of contemporary religiosity in the post-Soviet space, namely, the religious consciousness of Orthodox Christians who reject the external manifestation of the religious. In order to identify the differences between religious consciousness in traditional Russian Orthodoxy and modern syncretic faith, the article offers a brief historical sketch of the transition from the traditional to the secular society, and also explores the phenomenon of contemporary religiosity using examples from theological texts and online publications of Western and Russian thinkers. The article is problematic in nature, posing questions and laying the groundwork for future research. Methods. The comparative textual analysis and the phenomenological approach to religious and social phenomena (Rudolf Otto, Peter Berger, and Max Weber) are the main methodological principles of this work. Results and its discussion. The article reveals the problematic points of contemporary religious thinking in the Orthodox environment, and also indicates the need to study contemporary religiosity among representatives of traditional religions. Modern religion in Russia has gone a difficult way through persecution, murder, destruction of spiritual education, and entered a new post-secular, informational, non-traditional society, thus facing new, unprecedented challenges.

Антиклерикальный дискурс в современной российской науке

One can often read about the religious revival that came about in Russia after the collapse of Soviet power, both in the media and in scientific literature. According to opinion polls, the majority of Russians are believers, mostly orthodox Christians. The Russian state clearly patronizes religion, at least some specific ("traditional") religions. In socio-political discourse, the prevailing view is that religion is a good thing, and if sometimes religion is a source of problems, it is associated with some deviations from the norm, a perversion of the very essence of religion. This point of view can easily be found in Russian scientific periodicals. However, a critical attitude towards the growing role of religion in Russia is also often expressed in Russian science. The article highlights the main reasons for the dissatisfaction of scholars with the current state of affairs. It is also shown that such works have no influence on the religious situation in Russia. Although anti-clerical sentiments are quite clearly expressed in Russian science, they do not fall into the socio-political discourse, since there is simply no such force in Russia that could consistently promote the principle of secularism. In search of an additional electoral resource and a replacement for the Soviet ideology, the authorities did everything to enhance the importance of religion and strengthen the authority of religious leaders. As a result, today, despite the fact that the real level of religiosity of the population is apparently much lower than is commonly believed, politicians (even opposition ones) are not ready to openly doubt the positive role of religion, fearing PR problems.

BUDDHISM: AN OVERVIEW OF ITS PHILOSOPHY AND DEVELOPMENT IN RUSSIA

It is a positivist philosophy that assumed a religious character, and it appeared in India after the Hindu Brahmin religion in the fifth century B.C. In the beginning, it was opposed to Hinduism and tended to take care of the human being. It also included a call to mysticism and harshness, and the rejection of luxury, and the call for love, tolerance, and doing good. After the death of its founder, it turned into false beliefs of a pagan nature, and its followers exaggerated its founder until he worshipped him. We conducted a literature study by reviewing various sources and using a descriptive analysis approach and a historical approach in presenting this article. It is considered an ethical system and a philosophical doctrine based on philosophical theories, and its teachings are not revelations but rather opinions and beliefs within a religious framework. Old Buddhism differs from New Buddhism in that the former is ethical, while New Buddhism is Buddha's teachings mixed with philosophical views and mental measurements about the universe and life. Buddhism has spread to all corners of the world, including Russia. Buddhism is considered one of the traditional religions in Russia, which is legally part of Russia's historical heritage. In addition to the historical monastic traditions of Buryatia, Kalmykia, and Tuva, Buddhism is now spreading throughout Russia, with some ethnic Russians converting to it. The main form of Buddhism in Russia is the Gelukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, with other Tibetan traditions in the minority. Although Tibetan Buddhism is most often associated with Tibet, the religion spread to Mongolia, and via Mongolia, it was brought to Russia.

Features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the imperial period of its history

The article deals with the features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the imperial period of its history. The national sociological tradition of study of religion as a socio-cultural phenomenon and a social institution, which was developed during this period, had its own unique and peculiar appearance and was just begun to revive again in post-Soviet Russia, is sharply different from the tradition that took place in the West. In this context, the appeal to the works of classics of Russian religious, socio-political thought, unfortunately undeservedly forgotten, is a very promising area of modern sociological research.When studying this problem, the author emphasizes the study of the works of representatives of three ideological areas of Russian religious and socio-political thought: conservatism, liberalism and socialism, as well as the peculiarities of the historical development of Russian society and the state and those events that had a significant impact on the formation and development of scientific understanding of religion in Russia. Among such features, the author, in particular, refers to the formation of an “antisystem” (systemic integrity of people who are negative about their homeland, hate their own nation, its values and culture, history, traditional religious, political and social systems) among the Russian intelligentsia, bureaucracy and part of the elite of Russian society, under a certain influence of Westernism, as a consequence of the spiritual schism of the 18th century, which occurred in the educated strata and elite of Russian society.The author of the article analyzing the views of A.I. Herzen, P.L. Lavrov, M.A. Bakunin, P.A. Kropotkin, G.V. Plekhanov, V.I. Lenin, emphasizes the understanding of religious issues by representatives, primarily the socialist camp, who dreamed of carrying out a socialist revolution in Russia and who were extremely negative about religion, religious institutions and the traditional life of society. He notes the fact that the authors mentioned above were more concerned with introducing various ideological stamps into science, as well as using political technologies to discredit in a destructive way for society and the State, this traditionally important sphere of life for any society and an influential social institution. Against this background, a peculiar exception to the rules was the balanced, scientifically based approach to sociological analysis of religion in society developed by P.A. Sorokin, with an emphasis on the study of the integrating role of religion in social stratification.

Features of sociological analysis of religion of Russia during the imperial period of its history

The article deals with the features of sociological analysis of religion in Russia during the imperial period of its history. The national sociological tradition of study of religion as a socio-cultural phenomenon and a social institution, which was developed during this period, had its own unique and peculiar appearance and was just begun to revive again in post-Soviet Russia, is sharply different from the tradition that took place in the West. In this context, the appeal to the works of classics of Russian religious, socio-political thought, unfortunately undeservedly forgotten, is a very promising area of modern sociological research. When studying this issue, the author emphasizes the peculiarities of the historical development of Russian society and the state and the events that had a significant impact on the formation and development of scientific understanding of religion in Russia: reforms of Peter I, the elimination of patriarchy, the independence of the Russian Orthodox Church, its transformation into part of the bureaucratic state system created by Peter I, the beginning of a large-scale process of secularization of Russian society, the emergence of Westernism (the direction of the Russian social thought and political ideology focused on values of the Western European culture, which is negative to the idea of originality, an originality, uniqueness of ways of development of the Russian culture, combined with the aspiration of representatives of this trend to impose to the Russian nation of a form of the western culture, social practice and political system, rejecting the system of values and traditional foundations of activity of the Russian society), the imperial nature of the Russian statehood and official imperial ideology. The author analyzes the content of the Uvarov’s triad formula, which underlies the official imperial ideology, as well as the discussions that took place between representatives of Slavophilism and Westernism about understanding the historical path and fate of Russia, the historical role of Orthodoxy, the Russian Orthodox Church in the fate of the Russian people, Russian society and the state, as well as the whole world. In his opinion, this problem has remained relevant to the present, including in the framework of a sociological analysis of religion in post-Soviet Russia.