The “disappearance” of the Soviet regime and its characteristic system of ideological ideas, which in one way or another integrate Soviet society, led to a deep crisis in the social identification of the population. According to polls conducted by VTsIOM from 1993 to 2003, it was social values that suffered (during the collapse of Soviet society) the greatest damage. Until now, the main values of the inhabitants of Russia are such as: family, material well-being, the well-being of loved ones. They account for more than 73% of the respondents' answers. More distant values (territorial community, country, political values, etc.) lag significantly behind. They represent less than 13% of all responses.
After President Gorbachev lifted all restrictions on religiosity, yesterday's Soviet people rushed to various sects and spiritual centers. The collapse of jointly shared ideas that occurred in the 90s. in our country, led to a catastrophic drop in the level of trust between social agents, the disappearance of trust between the state and society. It is in this situation that religious movements and groups flourish. Until now, none of the universal religions has been able to completely replace the disappeared Soviet ideology, restore the social and ontological identity of the individual, and provide the necessary level of trust. This "gap" is invaded by non-traditional religions.
Essentially, none of the traditional religions was ready to play the role of the main social integrator. At the same time, the need for the basis of trust in distinguishing between “ours” and “others” (with the collapse of the USSR and its ideological basis - “communism”) did not diminish. On the contrary, it was under these conditions that the need for a “friend” became the main one. This need was met in religions. There are several sources of the spread of non-traditional religions in post-Soviet Russia.
Firstly, these are underground and semi-underground religious institutions that existed in the late Soviet period. In this era, they acted as the moral basis for social protest against Soviet ideology. Representatives of the Hare Krishnas, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc., refused to participate in the political life of the country, to serve in the army, etc., and went to prisons. This dissident period of their existence was created in the 80s - 90s. for these religious groups, the "halo" of martyrdom made them attractive.
Secondly, it appeared in the 80s and 90s. XX century. movements associated with the emergence of a new sphere of life for Soviet people - with privacy. The system of P. K. Ivanova "Baby", focused on rejection of sinful social life and "return to nature." The disintegration of public values and norms has led to the actualization of individual values, especially vital ones. This made the movement extremely popular. The fans of the healers Chumak and Kashpirovsky can be attributed to this type of movement (although religiosity in them is questionable, but there is an element of faith). It was Kashpirovsky who was the first to launch the psychic bacchanalia in Russia, and then it was picked up by Protestant and neocharistic sects. It is individual health that replaces “salvation” here in traditional religions. But individual health (as well as other private values) also failed to act as a significant form of social integration. Despite the significant number of "adepts" of these movements, large groups have not formed here.
Thirdly, these are "imported" in the 90s of the twentieth century. religious teachings. These include a number of New Christian sects that came to Russia together with foreign missionaries and a relatively serious financial resource. These associations include the White Brotherhood. The appeal of these religious movements was determined by their foreignness. In a situation of ideological confusion at the beginning of the 90s. The “foreign origin” of these sects was perceived as a guarantee of their truth and authenticity. However, the frankly antisocial character of most of these associations led to their rather rapid banning.
Fourth, in the context of the search for a "national idea" sects of neo-pagans emerge. The confusion of Christianity of "traditional confessions" was justified by their alienation to the national tradition, respectively, an attempt was made to historical reconstruction of pre-Christian beliefs (for example, the Magi). These searches, although in part acquired mass character within the framework of role-playing movements, did not take place as religious associations. Nevertheless, on the basis of these teachings, a number of religious associations have formed that have a rather strong influence on society (for example, the teachings of the Rodnovers, which had serious contradictions with the Russian Orthodox Church).
Of course, this classification does not claim to be complete. Let us note only the general characteristics of sectarianism: associality, totalitarianism, locality, active missionary work. Actually, at the end of the 90s. in conditions of relative material and financial stabilization, the popularity of mystical-religious movements is declining. This is partly due to the fact that the most radical movements were banned, and their leaders were convicted of criminal offenses. Less radical NRMs were more or less institutionalized (the procedure for official registration, the creation of subdivisions in power structures to work with religious organizations, etc.).
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Sects in Russia have their own history of development, different from the global one. Most of the processes that led to spiritual searches within the country gave rise to the emergence of numerous sects.
Several stages can be distinguished in the history of non-traditional religious movements in Russia: pre-Christian (up to the 10th century); XV - XVI centuries -apocalyptic teachings; XVII century - the split of the Orthodox Church; end of the 18th century - peasant protest religious movements; late XIX - early XX centuries; 20 - 30 years XX century - the catacomb stage of the existence of pro-Christian teachings; 70 - 80 years XX century - the latent period of the existence of non-traditional religions in Russia; 90 years XX century - the period of maximum development of new religions in Russia.
The first known manifestations of sectarianism in Russia include pagan sects. Reliable information in the period up to the X century. pagan sects do not exist, but the resistance they put up to Christianization
Rus, convincingly proves that as a phenomenon Russian sectarianism (in the form of pagan - Volkhov sects) existed in the pre-Christian period of the Russian state.
In the pre-Christian period in Russia, pagan sects were characterized by a desire for extreme forms of paganism with bloody sacrifices, a high degree of exaltation of believers, being part of the general pagan teaching. After the baptism of Russia, pagan sects were divided into two types: the first type is sects that were part of the pagan teaching, but separated from it, wishing to create a more rigid teaching; the second type is sects, which, being pagan religious groups unable to perform social functions in society, began to passively resist the implantation of a religion new to Russia. Since the recognition of Orthodox Christianity as the state religion in Russia, heretical Christian sects of domestic and foreign origin have appeared, with which the state has been actively fighting.
Some religious thinkers (to some extent) rightly assume that the basis of Russian sectarianism should be considered the striving of people for a righteous life according to God's commandments, and the difference between sects is in which approach prevails in teaching - rationalistic or mystical. Researchers, in particular N. Simakov, rightly believe, speaking about the emergence of domestic sects and the influence from abroad on the development of sectarianism in Russia, that "… the imposition of sectarianism was … a powerful means for weakening the spiritual and state organism of Russia." The activities of various organizations after the adoption of Christianity as the state religion in Russia can be considered (in many cases) antisocial and even criminal when it comes to the opposition of these organizations and the official church.
In the second half of the XIV century. In the Novgorod-Pskov lands, a sect of shearers-shearlings arose (the name probably comes either from a special haircut of the followers of the sect, or is associated with the craft of one of the founders of the Karp sect - “shearing the cloth”, that is, a cloth-maker). Officially, this sect (and others like it) built its ideology on the condemnation of negative phenomena in the Orthodox Church and attempts to reconcile paganism with Christianity. The true doctrine, according to some historians (for example, K. N. Tikhonravov), was borrowed from the Western sect of scourging fanatics, who called for torturing themselves to atone for their sins. The scourgers arose during one of the plague epidemics in Europe and protested against the teachings and rituals of the Catholic Church. Some researchers consider the doctrine (heresy) of the strigolniks to be reformatory,others warn against accepting this sect and sectarianism in general as an exclusively "progressive phenomenon." The socially dangerous activity of the strigolniks in many cases allows them to be considered a sect not only from the point of view of theology, but also from the point of view of secular science.
The main reason for the spread of sects at that time was apocalyptic expectations in connection with the onset of the seventh millennium (according to the ancient Slavic chronology - 1492).
At the end of the 15th century in the city of Novgorod, the Kiev Jew Skharia (astrologer and Kabbalist) from Lithuania brought a doctrine that was a mixture of Judaism and Christianity, and created a pseudo-Christian sect of Judaizers, whose adherents even penetrated the court of the Moscow prince. The sect was characterized by a high degree of self-organization and a desire for community management, which allowed the adepts to survive in extremely unfavorable political and economic conditions. One of the main tenets of the sect's teachings was the idea of antitrinitarianism (rejecting the dogma of the Divine Trinity), which arose in the II-III centuries. and revived in the era of the Reformation in Europe, undermining the ideological basis of the official church - the state religion. Some researchers consider the teachings of the sect to be the first Russian manifestation of Protestantism.
The Old Believer movement was divided into two directions: clergy (those who recognized the need for priests), which is quite rightly considered a constructive form of the Old Believers; unpopularity (those who rejected the need for the existence of priests). It was in bespopovism that agreements were formed, which in their essence are sects that promote extreme forms of salvation from the Antichrist (state power) by self-immolation or by burying oneself in the ground (as in the 1897 census). The propaganda of the idea of permissibility of self-immolations (in the event of persecution by the authorities) was carried out by the non-popovists until the 20th century. (self-immolations were noted in the Sayan mountains as early as 1940).
As a result of the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, a split of the Orthodox Church occurs, which contributes to the emergence of more and more new sects.
At the end of the 17th century. from the bespopov Old Believers (as defined by law enforcement agencies), the "most harmful sects" of the Pomor, Fedoseevsky and Filippovsky sects emerged, rejecting marriage and intolerant of state power.
The Pomor sect was founded on the Vyga River in Pomorie by Danila Vikulin in 1694, so the sectarians were also called “Danilovites”. The teachings of the sect did not allow marriage, which, according to the teachings of the sect, lost its meaning (as well as the presence of personal property and separate food) in connection with the expectation of the imminent end of the world. The sectarians denied state power. The sect maintained strict discipline and austerity. From the Pomor sect, some of the most radical interpretations of non-popovism emerged - Fyodoseevsky and Filippovsky.
The Fedoseevskaya sect was organized by the Novgorod bespopovts Theodosius Vasiliev, who preached in the 90s. XVII century. In the sect, in the spirit of aggressive no-pride, strict asceticism, an irreconcilable attitude towards state power and other religions were preached. The followers of the sect were required to observe the vow of celibacy, while it was believed that "… debauchery is undoubtedly better than marriage outside the church, if you do not sin - if you do not repent, if you do not repent, you will not be saved." For childbearing sectarians were excommunicated.
Pious congresses of sectarians in the 19th century. turned into stock market congresses. The capital of the sects increased, but their full prosperity was hampered by the ideology of the sects themselves, which established a ban on marriage, so the representatives of the sects had no legal heirs, this destroyed their organization. Only in the period 1920 - 1950. there was a spontaneous transition of the Fedoseevsky sects to the marital state.
The Philip sect was named after its leader Philip, who accused the leadership of the Pomor sect of collusion with the state authorities. Separated from the Vygovskaya monastery, he "… carried away a certain number of its members" who were dissatisfied with the "innovations" to reconcile with the world. The Filippovites reproached the Fedoseevites for "not hurrying to suffer for the faith, not striving for martyrdom" like the Pomors. In 1873, 70 followers of the sect burned themselves to death while trying to stop its activities. However, the history of the sect did not end there, like the Pomors and Fedoseevites, the Filippovites had to "… reluctantly … submit to certain conditions of the community, which, from a strict point of view, were the work of the Antichrist."
In the 18th century. Euthymius, convinced of "the existence of a hidden compromise" and the discord "between theory and practice" of the Pomors and Fedoseevites, created a sect of wanderers-runners, which later received the official name "True Orthodox Christians itinerant". Sectarians promoted the idea of salvation from the "antichrist", which meant state power, by breaking social ties. Crimes committed for the benefit of the sect (theft, robbery and even murder) were not considered a sin. The Runner Wanderers did not accept any compromise. However, "… gradually they began to lean towards the recognition of property," and then marriage ". In the form of actual cohabitation, and then in the form of a blessed sect." Rational sectarianism replaced radical sectarianism,which led to a revision of the teachings of almost all sects of the pop-free direction.
Boeva Elena Sergeevna - Lecturer of the Department of Social Work and Psychology of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "Pacific State University" (Khabarovsk)
