Russian Christian Orthodoxy
Still not truly impartial freedom: Most sources say it’s now no problem for the elderly and the lower-class workers to attend the elaborate Russian Orthodox Church services, such as this one. but for any young person with a good job, it can still easily mean the end of a career. The struggle goes on.
But in the background, local persecutions against Christians still go on. In the last few months, the militia has broken up services of unregistered churches in no fewer than 13 towns. The owners of the homes where the services were conducted were fined 100 rubles, or about half a month’s pay. One Christian, within a recent two-year period, was fined 3,000 rubles, or 15 months’ full pay.
The legal bases for these persecutions are statutes enacted by Josef Stalin in 1929. These statutes outlaw all religious activities except Sunday worship services in registered churches. Though the Soviet government now practices selective non-enforcement of these laws, it is significant that they are still on the books. There has been talk of repealing the 1929 legislation, but thus far that talk has not been backed up by any definitive actions.
Under these laws, it is illegal to teach minors about God. Sunday schools are against the law, children cannot legally attend church, and parents cannot legally teach their children about God even in their own homes. Under the new atmosphere in the Soviet Union, many children and young people now attend church. But it is still illegal, and it is uncertain when or if the Soviet government will stop turning the blind eye to these activities and start enforcing the laws again.
The millennium has brought about many positive changes in the atmosphere of the Soviet Union. But only time will tell if these opportunities are to be permanent, or if they will be taken away when the excitement about the millennium dies down and the eyes of the West look away from Soviet religion.
“The Soviet Union’s Religious Situation.” Christian History Magazine-Issue 18: How Christianity Came to Russia 1988 : n. pag. Print.
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