According to the Constitution, the Russian Federation is a secular state. However, the paradox is that more than a third of Russians believe that the country has a state religion - Orthodoxy.
Constitution of the Russian Federation on religion
The Constitution states that people have the right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, can “profess, individually or in community with others, any religion or not profess any, freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them.”
How many believers are there in Russia?
The majority of believers in Russia are Christians (mostly Orthodox, to a lesser extent Catholics and Protestants), Muslims and Buddhists. It is not possible to determine the exact number of people professing a particular religion, since official statistics are not kept, and all data is based solely on sociological surveys, the results of which depend on who conducts them.
Thus, the Russian Orthodox Church, based on its data, claims that approximately 80-82 percent of the country’s population is in its fold. Muslims believe that about 10-25 percent of Russians belong to their faith.
At the same time, according to a 2010 VTsIOM survey, 75 percent of the Russian Orthodox population is Orthodox (with half of all respondents admitting that they have never read the Holy Scriptures), only 5 percent are Muslims, and 8 percent of people consider themselves atheists.
In 2012, an attempt was made to compile an Atlas of Religions and Nationalities Russian Federation. According to basic research For him, only 41 percent were Orthodox believers in Russia, about 6.5 percent professed Islam, less than half a percent were Buddhists, and about 14 percent declared themselves non-believers.
It can be assumed that these figures are the most accurate and the number of believers in Russia is indeed much less than stated by representatives of confessions. for example, since 2013, the program for grades 4–5 high school introduced the course "Fundamentals religious cultures and secular ethics", in which parents of students can choose one of six program options: the fundamentals of Orthodox, Islamic, Buddhist, Jewish, world religious cultures or secular ethics. According to the Ministry of Education, the majority of Russians (43 percent) prefer that their children study secular module, and 31 percent were in favor of the Orthodox one.
A more or less objective idea of the spread of faith is also given by statistics on the number religious organizations. According to the Russian Orthodox Church, there are more than 30 thousand Orthodox parishes in the country, the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia unites more than 2,500 communities (and their number is constantly growing).
Spread of religions in Russia
According to the Atlas of Religions and Nationalities of the Russian Federation, Orthodox believers live throughout the country (the highest percentage is in Middle lane Russia), the majority of Muslims are in the Caucasus, in the republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, and Buddhists are concentrated in the republics of Tyva, Kalmykia and Buryatia. In the republics of Sakha, Altai and North Ossetia, pagan cults are still practiced (1.2 percent of the population), and the most atheistic regions of the state turned out to be Primorsky and Altai region, Novosibirsk and Amur regions and the same Republic of Sakha.
The influence of the church on life in Russia
Despite the officially proclaimed secular nature of the state, the latest VTsIOM poll conducted in 2013 showed that 44 percent of Russians consider Orthodoxy to be the state religion of the country, and 56 percent confirmed that Orthodoxy influences various areas of their lives.
At the same time, the question remains controversial of what people mean when they recognize themselves as believers. For example, only 4 percent admitted that they fully comply with all the rules of fasting, 16 percent observe fasting fully or partially, and different ways 83 percent of respondents planned to celebrate Easter. Many religious people are not able to name the day of their name day (and even fewer are those who actually celebrate it).
Superstitions
Although traditional religions are the most widespread and approximately 1.2 percent of people officially recognize themselves as pagans, superstitions are still strong in Russia: people do not like it when a black cat crosses their path when important events fall on the 13th day of the month, they try not to spill salt (it is believed that this will lead to a quarrel) and not to whistle in the room (there will be no money), and many do not celebrate their 40th birthday.
There are many representatives of other faiths on the territory of Russia. Of course, the number of religious associations is not proportional to the number of adherents of a particular faith.
Spread of Christianity. Of the five directions of modern Christianity (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism, Nestorianism and Monophysitism), the absolute majority of Russian Christians profess Orthodoxy). Which became the state religion from the end of the 10th century, after the baptism of Rus'.
Of the indigenous Russians in the North of the European part and the Northern Urals, the bulk of the believing Karelians, Vepsians, Komi, Komi-Permyaks, and Udmurts adhere to Orthodoxy; in the Volga basin - the majority of believers are Mari, Mordovians and Chuvash; in Siberia - most of the believing Khakass, Shors and Yakuts; in the North Caucasus - more than half of the Ossetian believers. In addition, Orthodoxy is practiced by some Altaians, Buryats, Nenets, Khanty, Mansi, Evenks, Evenks, Chukchi, Koryaks and other believers from among the small peoples of the European North, Siberia and the Far East.
Mixed in with adherents of various forms of Orthodoxy live followers of various sects of spiritual Christians.
Catholicism is practiced by Poles, Lithuanians, Hungarians and some Germans living in Russia. The majority of German believers are Protestants. Lutheranism is also practiced by some of the Latvians, Estonians and Finns living in Russia.
Spread of Islam. The process of religious and cultural revival is also taking place in Muslim Russia. Originating in the 7th century AD. in Arabia (youngest world religion), Islam has spread widely throughout the world.
Adherents of Islam in the Russian Federation are believing Tatars (Volga region, Western Siberia and other regions), Bashkirs (Ural), Kabardians, Adygeis, Circassians, Abazas, Balkars, Karachais, part of the Ossetians (North Caucasus), as well as a few Udmurts, Maris and Chuvashs. Some of the Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Karakalpaks, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Turkmens, Uighurs, Dungans, Abkhazians, Adjarians, etc., who live in the Russian Federation are also Sunni-Hanifi.
In 1991, an Islamic center was opened in Moscow on the basis of the cathedral mosque, which operates a madrasah (IMC). In Dagestan there is an Islamic Institute named after Imam Al-Shafii.
Inclusion in due course Russian Empire Muslim peoples were never accompanied by the eradication of Islam and the introduction of Orthodoxy. “Conqueror of the Caucasus” General Ermolov built a mosque with his personal money. Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Buddhists sometimes lived side by side in peace and good neighborliness for centuries.
Spread of Buddhism. In comparison with adherents of Christianity and Islam, there are fewer supporters of Buddhism - the earliest of the world's religions (VI-V centuries BC) - in the Russian Federation.
Buddhism appeared in our country in the 16th century, and the first lamas were from Mongolia and Tibet. Officially, Buddhism is recognized by the corresponding decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. In the Russian Federation, believers predominantly profess Lamaism. In Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva, also in the Irkutsk and Chita regions and in a number major cities(St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Kemerovo, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, etc.) there are Buddhist communities. The Central Spiritual Administration of Buddhists of the Russian Federation is located in Ulan-Ude.
Other religions. Orthodox Judaism, which is not a world religion, has become well known in Russia. It is professed only by representatives of one nation. Since 1990, the All-Russian Council of Jewish Religious Communities has existed in Russia, which carries out coordinating and representative functions. Synagogues are located in many major cities. In Moscow there is a choral synagogue, which has a cultural center, a charity service, and a matzo bakery.
Early forms of religion in the territory modern Russia left a little. In the Far North, in Tyva, in Altai you can meet representatives of animism, totemism, the cult of ancestors, and shamanism. People here have been spiritualizing nature for centuries. They believed that every natural phenomenon was alive, they believed that the whole world was inhabited by good and evil spirits.
3.6. The movement of nations towards self-determination and the desire to form supernations.
In the Soviet scientific literature the meaning of the concepts “national interest” and “state interest” usually coincided. By drawing an analogy, they tried to show the internal unity of the population of the state, the homogeneity of its living conditions and interests. However, as we have already seen, the identity of the concepts “nation” and “state” is far from indisputable.
The difference between these concepts is especially acute when it comes to foreign policy interests and motives. Often the idea of a “national” tendency is referred to as the desire of a state to expand its spheres of influence or the intention to include related population groups living in the territory of other states. Which is often a pretext for expanding influence, territory, i.e. in reality, we are talking about expansionist efforts under nationalist slogans.
It is obvious that the mechanical transfer of the concepts of “national interest”, “state interest” to the phrase “state borders” - “national borders” can only lead to interethnic conflicts. Not all representatives of each ethnic group live within the same state, and not every state is mono-ethnic.
There are now about 5,000 nations around the world, and more than 90% of them are part of multinational states. On territory 32 European countries more than 100 national minorities. Moreover, many of them are dispersed “sprayed”. Thus, Germans outside Germany live in Belgium, Denmark, France, Poland, Russia, Romania, Italy, the Czech Republic, Serbia, etc. Bulgarians live in Yugoslavia, Romania, Greece, and Ukraine; Greeks - in Cyprus, Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, Russia, Ukraine; every sixth Pole lives outside of Poland, etc.
A similar picture is observed within the Russian Federation. About 143 million people live in Russia. Of these, 80 percent are Russians, almost 4 percent are Tatars, and more than 2 percent are Ukrainians. In total, in Russia there are representatives of about 160 peoples and nationalities. Sometimes their settlement is quite compact, and sometimes they are dispersed throughout the territory of the Russian Federation, living among representatives of other ethnic groups.
It is impossible to imagine what tragic consequences an attempt by individual peoples to implement in practice the principle of identity of national and state borders would lead to. Meanwhile this is happening in real life. For example, the collapse of the former Yugoslavia and the bloody conflict in Bosnia clearly illustrate the implementation of the principle of identity of state and national borders and the emergence of interethnic conflicts.
The national question arises in the confrontation between two general trends. First, the movement of nations towards self-determination. Secondly, the desire for the formation of large multi-ethnic communities, for the formation of powerful supernations, where ethnic groups would be organically united, different traditions and culture. Both of these trends have the same goal: overcoming all forms of national-ethnic inequality and democratization of interethnic relations.
On the other hand, neither the independent development of ethnic groups nor their cooperation within the framework of “super-ethnic groups” in themselves does not ensure success. In any case, the triumph of one people can turn into the humiliation of another, the infringement of the rights of national and ethnic minorities. Long time The image of the United States was compared to a giant cauldron, where representatives of hundreds of nations were “melted” into Americans. However, the process of “remelting” means the loss of peoples’ specific features. Therefore, the image of a “cauldron” in the United States has given way to the image of a huge “patchwork quilt.” The mechanism of neither one nor the other option provides sufficient guarantees for either the democratic or economic development of society.
The implementation of the right to self-determination in any conditions should not affect the same rights to sovereignty of other peoples of the state. Strictly speaking, the right of nations to self-determination contradicts another principle of international law - the right to the territorial integrity of a state. Therefore, the principle of the right of peoples to self-determination has never been implemented anywhere as a purely legal principle, but has always been oriented towards political and economic expediency.
There are two complex processes in Europe at the same time - economic and political rapprochement in Western Europe and the sovereignization of the East. However, these processes are by no means absolute. At the same time, there is a rise national movements in France, attempts to separate the French-speaking province of Quebec from Canada, and the north of Italy from other territories, etc.
Thus, it can be noted that ethnic processes They are often of an opposite nature: dividing processes through national development and demarcation are combined with unification processes, in which there is a consolidation or even merging of ethnic groups that are close in language and culture into one.
In any case, the national question is a continuation of the social conditions for the development of an ethnic group. It is closely related to the interaction and conditions of their free development in multinational state. Therefore, the state must create maximum conditions for the free development of ethnic groups and the formation of national tolerance, using systems of influence by means mass media, legislative acts, etc.
State-legal forms of resolving the national issue exist and are widely used (Spain, Great Britain, Denmark) - the creation of autonomies, etc.
Established in Europe in the XYIII-XIX centuries. states acted primarily as factors of nation-building. The state created an external framework in which the processes of cultural, linguistic and economic integration proceeded much faster and more efficiently. It contributed to the emergence of a common historical destinies, in particular in relations with other peoples and common ideology, reflecting national problems. Contributing to the creation of a superethnos (nation), and in many cases it initiated the separation of a national religion.
Options for uniting different ethnic groups within one state without infringing on the interests of individual ethnic groups exist and are quite well implemented within the framework of a federal or confederal state - an association of independent states that have their own constitution, supreme authorities, legislation and citizenship. Moreover, all these signs are transferred to the federal level. Given the existence of a single territory, monetary unit, and armed forces, the powers of the federation and its subjects are strictly delimited. The powers of federal bodies include defense, border protection, formation higher authorities authorities and decisions controversial issues between members of the federation, as well as between them and the center.
Russia is a federal state – the Russian Federation. In accordance with the new Constitution of the Russian Federation, the territories and regions received as many new rights and powers as the republics did not receive during the 70 years of Soviet power.
However, it is far from ideal. It is necessary to strengthen the form of national-cultural autonomy. This is especially true for peoples living within the indigenous population (the creation of national schools, theaters, cultural centers). The future of Russia can only be connected with the voluntary unification of these ethnic groups, but not into a single homogeneous ethnic group, but a superethnic group with the preservation and development of the culture of individual subethnic groups.
Attempts to ignore national entities in general, as well as attempts to assert the concepts of “indigenous nation” and subordinate all interests to national interest in its narrow sense, can lead to disaster for both the country and the nation.
Formally, there is no state religion in Russia. But in fact, it’s more likely that there is. Clericalism in Russia is the norm, and this is most often associated with the so-called. traditions, while ignoring the basic law according to which the state is separated from religion.
So why does the state need the Russian Orthodox Church? Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) answered this question in a secret conversation with the American Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle. It is important to note that the secret report was leaked online by hackers from the well-known organization WikiLeaks.
It is important to note that in fact we are talking about state secrets, for which some informants are now in prison. Naturally, we are talking not only about the Russian Orthodox Church. In the USA this was called “disclosure of state secrets”.
It is clear that US officials want to know the real situation, whatever it may be. In general, the ambassador spoke frankly to the priest, and naturally, the priest told him that:
“The main role of the Russian Orthodox Church is to provide propaganda for the official policies of the government”
Actually, there can be no other motives. The state actively promotes the Russian Orthodox Church wherever possible. The Russian Orthodox Church is already promoting religious worship in schools, concluding agreements with the Ministry of Health, and the patriarch also speaks in the State Duma, where he proposes to introduce “Fundamentals Orthodox culture» in all school grades, make theology a science major and ban free abortions. By the way, almost immediately after the speech of the chief priest of the Russian Federation, theology really became a scientific specialty.
Obviously, the church is used by the government in the same sense as state television channels, various " social movements"like "Nashi", NOD, ONF, etc.
If they do not spare money on some paid provocateurs, then one should not be surprised that officials are ready to invest in the Russian Orthodox Church, although the effectiveness of the Russian Orthodox Church is very doubtful, despite popular opinions. And the main goal of officials today is to increase this very efficiency.
If the number of sincere supporters of the Russian Orthodox Church grows, then there will be more “loyal” ones. Alas, the history of officials teaches nothing. Yes and this is in Once again confirms famous saying Engels:
“Every religion is nothing more than a fantastic reflection in the heads of people of those external forces that dominate them in their everyday life - a reflection, in which earthly forces take the form of unearthly ones"
Ambassador Beyrle also noted that the Russian Orthodox Church will expand its activities as much as possible. Moreover Special attention The Metropolitan devotes particular attention to children's education. And this is primarily due to the weak influence on society, which is recognized in the church. On daily life Among Russians, the church has virtually no influence.
Therefore, we have to use administrative measures to push the church there. To schools, hospitals, etc. social institutions. Hilarion said:
"We must overcome the cultural and psychological barriers that separate religious and social life in Russia"
Here is the situation as it was in 1992:
“In the article “The Orthodox Church in Russia: the recent past and possible future,” Abbot Innokenty, citing data from VTsIOM, noted that in 1992, 47% of the population called themselves Orthodox. Of these, only about 10% more or less regularly attend church services (the author, as a practicing clergyman, believes that this figure is overestimated). If we talk not only about these Orthodox Christians, but also those who strive in life to conform to the standards of Christian morality, then their number even 10 years later is from 2 to 3% of the population. For the majority, this is not about religiosity, but about national self-identification: for these people, considering themselves Orthodox is a sign of their “Russianness”” (Garaja. Sociology of Religion)
The main religious denominations on the territory of Russia and their role in the spiritual education of defenders of the Fatherland
QUESTIONS:
1. The main religious denominations on the territory of Russia.
2. The role of religion in the spiritual education of military personnel of the RF Armed Forces.
“If the Rosses will always fight for the faith of their ancestors and the honor of the people, then Glory will be their eternal companion, and woe to the villain who encroached on holy Rus', preserved by God.”
Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov
Religion in modern world remains a constantly operating significant factor of social development, covering all spheres of life of society and, in particular, its armed part. Moreover, by the beginning of the third millennium, world and some national religious confessions increased their influence on the politics of both individual states and the world political process as a whole.
In the world, according to data provided by Colonel General V.A. Azarov, there are 1 billion 890 million Christians (1 billion 132 million Catholics, 558 million Protestants, 200 million Orthodox); 1 billion 200 million Muslims; 359 million Buddhists. If we take into account the quantitative composition of the Chinese, Hindus and Jews, we get a huge number of adherents, respectively, of such national religions (philosophical systems) as Confucianism, Taoism (at least 500 million people), Hinduism (859 million) and Judaism (20 million). .
The ratio of believers in Russia by confessional adherence (based on the same data) is presented as follows. Orthodox Christians - 67 percent; Muslims - 19 percent; Orthodox Old Believers - 2 percent; Buddhists - 2 percent; Protestants - 2 percent; Jews - 2 percent; adherents of other traditional religious denominations - 1 percent; non-traditional - 5 percent.
Thus, the main - numerous, traditional Russian religious confessions that have persisted for a long time on the territory of our country are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism.
If we talk about the most numerous religious denominations of our country - Orthodoxy and Islam (which is traditionally professed, for example, by the peoples of the Volga region and North Caucasus), then the experience of centuries of peaceful coexistence allows us to continue to hope for the elimination of conflicts on religious grounds between Russian Orthodox Christians and Muslims, and for the fact that in case of danger everyone will stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of Russia.
The “Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church,” adopted in 2000, states: “Recognizing war as evil, the Church still does not prohibit its children from participating in hostilities if it comes to protecting their neighbors and restoring trampled justice... Orthodoxy in At all times, we have treated with the deepest respect the soldiers who, at the cost of their own lives, preserved the life and safety of their neighbors. The Holy Church canonized many warriors as saints, taking into account their Christian virtues and referring to them the words of Christ: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
“The main provisions of the social program of Russian Muslims” read: “Defending the Fatherland, the interests of the state, caring for its security is one of the most important duties of a person before Allah, a noble cause and worthy of a real man... Muslim organizations are ready to assist government agencies in preparing young people for service in the ranks of the Armed Forces, considering it the duty and responsibility of a citizen of the Russian Federation.” The spiritual basis of these social positions for Russian Muslims are the words of the Prophet Muhammad: “Love for the Motherland is part of your faith.”
The Russian Orthodox Church had a strong influence on the formation and strengthening state power, especially in the first centuries of Christianity in Rus'. Thus, historian V.O. Klyuchevsky wrote that the church of that period “was a collaborator and often even the leader of secular state power in organizing society and maintaining state order.”
The Russian Orthodox Church turned into a state institution at the beginning of the 18th century by the will of Emperor Peter I. This form of state-church relations, with minor changes, existed until 1917. The church at that time also played the role of a state educational structure in the Russian Army and the Russian Imperial Navy. Peter I himself, admonishing Russian soldiers before the Battle of Poltava, said: “You should not think that you are fighting for Peter, but for the state entrusted to Peter, for your family, for our Orthodox faith and church.”
After October revolution 1917 relations between the Soviet state and the church began to be formed on the basis of the Decree on freedom of conscience, church and religious societies adopted on January 20, 1918 by the Council of People's Commissars, which is usually called “On the separation of the church from the state and the school from the church.” The decree of the Council of People's Commissars completely changed the essence of state-church relations, complicated the position of the church to the extreme, and deprived it of its rights legal entity and the right to own property.
At the end of the 30s of the last century, some changes began to occur in state-church relations. As follows from the minutes of the meeting of the Politburo of the central committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) dated November 11, 1939, the surviving priests began to be released from places of imprisonment even before the start of the Great Patriotic War. One of the paragraphs of this document reads: “Instructions of Comrade Ulyanov (Lenin) dated May 1, 1919 No. 13666-2 “On the fight against priests and religion,” addressed to Pred. Cheka to Comrade Dzerzhinsky, and all relevant instructions of the Cheka - OGPU - NKVD regarding the persecution of servants of the Russian Orthodox Church and Orthodox believers - cancel."
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the authorities represented by I.V. Stalin actually turned her face to the church. Temples, monasteries, and theological seminaries opened; the greatest Orthodox shrines, icons of the Mother of God, flew around the main Russian cities on airplanes; The Patriarchate, abolished by Emperor Peter I, was restored...
From the first days of the war, I.V. Stalin and his inner circle took the path of spiritual unity of society. In the Statement of the Soviet Government dated June 22, 1941, it was said that the war that had begun was “a Patriotic War for the Motherland, for honor, for freedom...”, that it was necessary to mobilize all the forces of the people for the sake of victory. It was a call to forget the grievances of the past and bring together all citizens of the country, regardless of their views, including in relation to religion. Personally I.V. Stalin used religious terminology in his radio address to the citizens of the USSR on July 3, 1941. He turned to to the Soviet people with the words “brothers and sisters”, addressed the memory of the great Orthodox ancestors - Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Minin and Pozharsky..., and concluded the speech with the statement “Our cause is just - victory will be ours!” Speaking these words, the Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was not afraid of being misunderstood by all progressive humanity and the multi-confessional, as they say now, population of our country. With this speech he showed that persecution was ending and the time of cooperation with believers had begun.
On June 22, 1941, anti-religious works ceased to be published (before the war, there were about a hundred periodical publications alone, and in total until 1940, about 2 thousand titles of anti-religious literature were published annually in the Soviet Union with a circulation of more than 2.5 million copies). The Union of Militant Atheists ceased its activities.
During the Great Patriotic War, religious leaders of various denominations of the USSR called on believers to unite and mobilize all forces for the sake of victory. Examples include the appeals to the flock of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius in the message “To the Pastors and Flocks of Christ’s Orthodox Church”, the appeal to the Ummah - the Muslim community - by the Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims, Mufti Abdurakhman Hazrat ibn Sheikh Zainullah Rasuli (Rasulev), leaders of other faiths. These appeals are imbued with the spirit of patriotism, the desire to convey to believers the pain for the fate of the country and mobilize them to defend the Fatherland.
During the war, the Russian Orthodox Church could not provide comprehensive spiritual and religious support for major military operations. But its activities were multifaceted and carried out in the following main areas:
Justification for the defense of the Fatherland and Faith, the need to wage war against the aggressor, the righteousness of its goals;
Spiritual defense of the policy of one’s Fatherland and exposure of the state policy of the enemy, the godless misanthropic ideology of fascism;
Strengthening faith in God's mercy, which grants victory, and in God's will, which dooms the enemy, to whom, as an enemy of God, the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” does not apply, to defeat;
Appeal to the religious-spiritual and national-cultural sources of the traditions of patriotism, loyalty to Christian and military duty.
In May 1942, a Muslim congress met in Ufa, at which the “Appeal of representatives of the Muslim clergy to believers regarding the Nazi aggression” was adopted. In this document, Muslims were given tasks during the war: all possible assistance to soldiers and peaceful work in the name of victory were equated with participation in battle. It was explained to believers that victory over fascism would save the entire Muslim civilization, the entire world, from destruction and enslavement.
The Church prepared and carried out external actions to find ways to unite allies, sympathizers and consolidate with them in the fight against the enemy.
In September 1943, Metropolitans Sergius, Alexander and Nicholas were received by I.V. Stalin, and already on November 7 of the same year, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy served a solemn liturgy on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the October Revolution, said prayer of thanksgiving“About our God-protected country and its government, headed by a God-given leader.”
The patriotic position of the Russian Orthodox Church and other religious denominations was expressed in significant material assistance to the warring army. In December 1942, Metropolitan Sergius appealed to believers to raise funds for the construction of a tank column named after Dmitry Donskoy. IN short term More than 8 million rubles and many gold and silver items came from the parishes. Total for 1941 - 1945 parishes collected more than 200 million rubles for the needs of the front (the average monthly salary of a worker at that time was 700 rubles). In addition to money, believers also collected warm clothes for the soldiers.
“The patriotic activity of the Church,” noted the report at the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, held in January 1945, “has been and is expressed not only in material sacrifices. This is, perhaps, the smallest share in the overall cause of assistance that the Church has provided and continues to provide during the time of military trial. Concern for our incomparable, valiant, great Red Army is manifested most importantly in constant prayer not only of individuals, but also of the Church as a whole, for the Lord to grant our defenders strength and victory over the enemy.”
On March 3, 1943, the Izvestia newspaper published a telegram from the head of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims, Mufti Abdurakhman Hazrat ibn Sheikh Zainulla Rasuli (Rasulev) I.V. Stalin. He reported that he personally contributed 50 thousand rubles for the construction of a tank column and called on Muslims to donate to it. In 1943, the TsDUM collected 10 million rubles for the construction of a tank column. Many Muslims contributed large sums for the construction of military equipment. In a short period of time, significant funds were collected in the regions where Islam traditionally spread: in Turkmenistan - 243 million rubles, in Uzbekistan - 365 million, in Kazakhstan - 470 million rubles. For example, Uzbek families of evacuated children left without parents received them as relatives. Their nationality and religion did not matter to the adoptive parents.
Great assistance was provided to wounded and sick soldiers. Thus, Archbishop Luka (Voino-Yasenetsky) of Krasnoyarsk, being a leading specialist in the field of purulent surgery, headed a military hospital in Krasnoyarsk.
From the first days of the war, the Church clearly defined its position towards traitors, both living on the territory of the USSR and those in exile. White Guard General Krasnov, who was hanged after the end of the Great Patriotic War, admitted before his death: “The prevailing opinion among us was, even with the devil, but against the Bolsheviks...” The hierarchs of the Orthodox Church believed that by subordinating themselves to the devil, the devil, Satan, they took the path of Judas and on June 22, 1941, they crossed that line that a believer must never cross under any circumstances.
After the death of I.V. Stalin's persecution of the church began again, although it was not as large-scale as in the 20s and early 30s of the 20th century.
Today we can state a revival of the spiritual and religious consciousness of people living in Russia. This was facilitated by certain steps on the part of the state. And in particular, the example of Russian President V.V. Putin, who, without hiding his commitment to Orthodoxy, can serve as a model of religious tolerance and mutual understanding with representatives of various religious faiths.
The word “religion” itself (from Latin - reli-gio) means “conscientiousness, piety, reverence, holiness, worship.” The Western Christian thinker Lactantius, who lived in the 4th century, considering the definition of “religion”, concluded that the word comes from the Latin religio, -are (to bind, to unite) and, accordingly, religion is the union of human piety with God. It is believed that this definition reveals the most essential thing in religion: a living connection human spirit with the Creator, the desire of the human soul for God, the moral union with Him, the feeling of the existence of the Supreme Being.
The ideas of ecumenism, that is, the unification of religious confessions and the creation of a single world religion, as practice has shown, can hardly be realized on our planet. But, nevertheless, adherents of different religious faiths have to communicate closely. For example, in conditions military service in the Russian Armed Forces. And here mutual respect, mutual understanding and religious tolerance are simply necessary.
The results of studies conducted by military sociologists and psychologists have shown that it is currently impossible to ignore the religious factor in military education. According to their observations, in a combat situation, the religiosity of military personnel increases. As they say, there are no atheists in war.
Many modern military personnel are characterized by a low degree of expression of religious feelings, superficial knowledge of the foundations of a particular religious doctrine, and low cult activity. When organizing and conducting educational work in military teams, it is necessary to take care of such rudiments of spirituality, and if the officer-educator does not have enough religious knowledge and his own spiritual and religious experience, then there is no need to engage in theological discussions.
Among the spiritual foundations of military education, an important place belongs to the subject of faith of military personnel. We are not talking only about religious faith, although it plays a large role in the spiritual life of society, but about the conviction in the historical correctness of the existence and development of the Fatherland. “Woe to those countries,” wrote the French military theorist G. Jomini, “in which the luxury of a tax farmer and the wallet of a stock exchange businessman will be preferred to the uniform of a brave warrior who dedicated his life, his health or his property to the defense of the Motherland.” Faith is what is accepted as the main and essential thing in life, what is truly the most important for people, what they value and what they serve; what constitutes the object of their desires and the object of their actions.
Faith in Russia, in one’s people, in the truth of the spiritual values and ideas being defended is the basis of military education. By the way, these ideas are expressed in the words of the National Anthem of the Russian Federation: “Russia is our sacred power... God-protected native land!”
The religious factor interacts with other factors of social life, and it is especially closely connected with the national factor. Its influence is not always positive. The main manifestations of the negative impact of the religious factor on the military security of Russia are the emergence of contradictions on religious grounds in military groups; penetration into the structure military organization ideas of mysticism and occultism; dissemination of ideas of religious pacifism among military personnel. However, the problem of evading military service on the basis of religious pacifist beliefs has actually been resolved: current legislation allows members of various religious associations that literally follow the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” to undergo alternative civilian service. As expected by specialists not involved in speculation on this problem, there were few “alternatives”.
Religious differences, if they are not taken into account when organizing and conducting educational work with military personnel, can become a reason for confrontation between groups of believers of different confessional affiliations. For example, over 20 percent of believers say that the religious affiliation of their co-workers is important to them. A worrying factor is the contradiction between the demands that the religious situation in military groups places on the religious knowledge of educational officers and the lack of such knowledge among most of them. What is required, in particular, is knowledge of the foundations of a particular religious doctrine, its cult, the peculiarities of the psychology of supporters of a certain denomination, and the requirements that religion makes of religious military personnel in relation to military service. Incompetence in these matters can cause actual insult to the religious feelings of believing military personnel, cause conflicts on religious grounds, and evasion of believers from performing official duties. We also have to state the following fact: at present, the possibility of realizing the rights of religious military personnel still seriously depends on the spiritual views of a particular commander or superior.
The rapidly developing process of relations between the armed organization of society and religious confessions is in conflict with the lack of development of the corresponding regulatory framework. There is an urgent need to determine the responsibilities of commanders to implement the rights of religious military personnel and the procedure for their implementation.
In this regard, we can turn to the experience of appropriate regulation in the Russian Army and the Russian Imperial Navy. By the way, considering that they were equipped not only Orthodox people, but also representatives of other faiths in the headquarters of military districts and in the fleets, as a rule, there were a Muslim mullah, a Catholic priest, and a Jewish rabbi. Problems of interfaith were also resolved due to the fact that the activities of the military clergy were based on the principles of monotheism, respect for other faiths and the religious rights of their representatives, religious tolerance, and missionary work.
In the recommendations to military priests published in the “Bulletin of the Military Clergy” (1892), it was explained: “... All of us, Christians, Mohammedans, Jews, together at the same time pray to our God - therefore the Lord Almighty, who created heaven, earth and everything, that on earth there is one true God for all of us.”
Military regulations served as the legal basis for attitude towards foreign soldiers. Thus, the charter of 1898 in the article “On worship on a ship” prescribed: “Infidels of Christian denominations perform public prayers according to the rules of their faith, with the permission of the commander, in a designated place, and, if possible, simultaneously with Orthodox worship. During long voyages, they retire, if possible, to their church for prayer and fasting.” The same charter allowed Muslims or Jews on board the ship to “read public prayers according to the rules of their faith: Muslims on Fridays, Jews on Saturdays.” On major holidays, non-Christians, as a rule, were released from service and went ashore.
The issue of interfaith relations was also regulated by circulars of the protopresbyter (chief military priest). One of them suggested: “Avoid, if possible, all religious disputes and denunciations of other confessions” and ensure that regimental and hospital libraries do not receive literature “with harsh expressions addressed to Catholicism, Protestantism and other faiths, since such literary works can offend the religious feelings of those belonging to these confessions and embitter them against the Orthodox Church and sow hostility in military units that is detrimental to the cause.” Military priests were recommended to support the greatness of Orthodoxy “not through words of denunciation of those who believe differently, but through the work of Christian selfless service to both the Orthodox and those of other faiths, remembering that the latter also shed blood for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland.”
By the way, imperial permission to build the first mosque in Moscow was given after the victory over Napoleon in Patriotic War 1812. Precisely for the loyalty and blood shed by Russian Muslims for the Fatherland on the battlefield.
The development of the religious situation in the country and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation objectively requires the speedy and in-depth development by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation of a well-thought-out policy in relation to all religious organizations of the country. Continuing the development and deepening of productive cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church, it is necessary to cooperate in the spiritual education of military personnel of the RF Armed Forces and with other religious denominations traditional for our country, which recognize the defense of the Motherland - Russia as a sacred duty and an honorable duty for their adherents.
When preparing for a lesson, you should, as far as possible, study spiritual sources, commentaries on them, and work with religious literature.
In opening remarks it is necessary to dwell on the historical role of religion in the life of our country and its people, to emphasize the importance of traditional Russian spiritual and religious values in achieving military victories. During the lesson, it is worth giving examples of the views of great Russian commanders, naval commanders, and military leaders on the phenomenon of religious spirituality, and talking about manifestations of the heroism of soldiers who fought for the Faith and the Fatherland.
It is advisable to tell students about the fundamentals of faith of traditional Russian religious denominations, especially emphasizing the common, unifying principles and attitude towards the defense of the Fatherland. Speaking about the inherent religious tolerance of our people, it is important to pay attention to the problems of spiritual security of Russian society, to focus the attention of students on the danger of religious expansion from non-traditional religious and pseudo-religious associations for Russia, and the replacement of traditional spiritual and religious values with alien spirituality of our people.
Using methods of systematization, historical comparison, historical-philosophical and socio-philosophical analysis, it is necessary to show students using specific examples and conclusions that the revival of traditional spirituality can become the key to the invincibility of our people, the basis of the vitality of Russia.
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2. Ivashko M., KurylevIN.,Chugunov A.The Lord is my Banner.- M.,2005.
3. Hegumen Savvaty (Perepelkin).Christmas in Grozny. Notes of an Orthodox Pastor. // Reference point. - 2004. - No. 9.
4. Ponchaev Zh.For the revival of Russia, faith and morality are needed. // Reference point. - 2005. - No. 10.£M
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Captain 2nd rank
Mikhail SEVASTYANOV
The modern Constitution defines Russia as a secular state, however, despite this, religion in Russia plays a very important role. There is no single state religion in Russia, because Russian legislation affirms the human right to freedom of religion, as well as the equality of citizens before the law, regardless of their beliefs and religions.
Surveys on the religions of modern Russia have shown that 85-90% of the country's residents consider themselves believers. However, no more than 15% of Russians regularly visit religious buildings.
The most widespread religion in Russia today is Orthodoxy, which is professed by about 75% of the country's residents. In second place in popularity is Islam, widespread among the peoples of the North Caucasus, as well as among visitors from countries Central Asia and Azerbaijan. The share of adherents of this denomination in Russia is about 5%. Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Buddhism and other religions in the country account for approximately 1% each.
History of religion in Russia: how it all began
The history of religion in Russia goes back centuries and begins approximately at the same time as the history of Russia as a whole. Already in Ancient Rus' Various cults and beliefs played a large role in the life of society. In the Slavic pantheon there were deities of fertility, sun, fire, wind, etc. In a word, everything that surrounded the inhabitants of Ancient Rus' and on which their well-being directly depended.
In 988, under the reign of Prince Vladimir, the baptism of Rus' took place, after which the folk traditional religions of Russia faded into the background. With the support of the authorities, Orthodoxy began to quickly spread throughout the country and gradually turned into official religion in Russia.
For many centuries, public and political life countries were inextricably linked with religion. During the Soviet era, Orthodoxy was banned, but it was not possible to replace religiosity with party power. Now religion in Russia is gaining popularity again.
Orthodoxy: the main religion of Russia
So, at present Orthodoxy is the main religion of Russia. Everyone confesses him Slavic peoples, living in the country, as well as part of large non-Slavic ethnic groups (for example, Chuvash, Mordovians, Komi, Georgians, Ossetians, Armenians, etc.). Other religions of the peoples of Russia include Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, as well as some traditional beliefs that are still common in some ethnic groups.
Despite the fact that the Constitution of the Russian Federation provides for freedom of religion, as well as the equality of all religions, Orthodoxy still occupies a special place in the life of the country and society. Many even call it the national religion of Russia.
Sociological surveys on the topic of religion in Russia show that about 76% of Russians who call themselves Orthodox adhere to church traditions. True, almost every second person admitted that religion for him is more of a tradition of his ancestors than a conscious choice.