Between Orthodoxy and Eclecticism: on the Religious Transformations of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine

Abstract

Dissolution of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism brought a radical change in the position of religion in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The legal position of the Churches changed to a model recognizing freedom of religion as a basic human right. Under these conditions in Eastern Europe, where the dominant religion was Orthodoxy, people moved towards that religion. The number of those who declared their belief in God and their adherence to the Orthodox tradition rose as dramatically as the number of atheists under communist persecution of religion. However, the nature of this religious revival, and the meaning of the “return” to Orthodoxy and being Orthodox, are unclear because the religiosity of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarussians also includes elements of New Age spirituality. Commitment to the Church, and the level of religious practice, are as low as in the most secularized Western European societies. Thus the author claims that, paradoxically, the picture of religiosity in countries where atheism was imposed for so many years is quite similar to that in countries where secularization has developed spontaneously.

Religious Change among Cohorts in Eastern Europe: A Longitudinal Analysis of Religious Practice and Belief in Formerly Communist Countries

“…Kaariainen (1999) also reports that, since 1991, numbers of churches and clergy members have notably increased, but neither of these factors seems to have had any influence on attendance at church services. This new religiosity, Borowik (2002) says, could be characterised by the avoidance of any duties towards religious institutions.…”

“…This interpretation is similar to the weak version of "believing without belonging" (Voas and Crockett 2005, 12), which also considers God in a non-Christian manner: not as a personal God but as some kind of spirit or life force (Kaariainen 1999). In this way, postcommunist countries' beliefs can "accumulate", such that people who declare their belief in God also believe in other phenomena such as reincarnation, astrology, magic, occultism, and elements of Eastern religions (Borowik 2002;Kaariainen 1999;Tomka 2010).…”

“…The third possible explanation involves what might be termed a "burning of the bridges" factor (Borowik 2002). It is widely known that, until 1981, it was necessary to belong to the Communist Party to make advances in one's career or to be accepted in society; thus, at the present time, being a Christian is essentially associated with being an honourable person.…”

Religious Architecture : Anthropological Perspectives

“…Despite religious competition in contemporary European Russia, up to 82 of ethnic Russians claim identification with the Orthodox Christian Church (Filatov & Lunkin 2006: 35). The actual meaning of this identification, however, is diverse: it ranges from committed religious believers who follow the roc's prescriptions strictly to people who understand Orthodoxy as one possible ethnic marker of their Russianness (Borowik 2002;Filatov & Lunkin 2006; see also Hann & Goltz 2010 for notions of syncretism in Orthodoxy).…”

“…Although the level of religious participation and church attendance remains low (Borowik 2002;Filatov & Lunkin 2006;Kääriäinen & Furman 2000;Sokolova 2005), respect for religious practices such as the Eucharist (prichastie), penance and the confession (ispoved) is high. Therefore, the construction of existing church buildings and the erection of new ones are important as works of penance and for the establishment of new parishes.…”