Religion in the USSR: Was the Church and the Clergy Really Disgraced Under Soviet Power

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The prevailing stereotypes regarding the communists sometimes prevent the restoration of truth and justice on many issues. For example, it is generally accepted that Soviet power and religion are two mutually exclusive phenomena. However, there is evidence to prove the opposite.

The first years after the revolution

Since 1917, a course was taken to deprive the ROC of its leading role. In particular, all churches were deprived of their lands under the Land Decree. However, this did not end there … In 1918, a new Decree came into force, designed to separate the church from the state and the school. It would seem that this is undoubtedly a step forward on the path to building a secular state, however …

At the same time, religious organizations were deprived of the status of legal entities, as well as all buildings and structures that belonged to them. It is clear that there could be no more talk of any freedom in the legal and economic aspects. Further, mass arrests of clergymen and persecution of believers begin, despite the fact that Lenin himself wrote that one should not offend the feelings of believers in the fight against religious prejudices.

I wonder how he imagined it? … It's difficult to figure it out, but already in 1919, under the leadership of the same Lenin, they began to uncover the holy relics. Each autopsy was carried out in the presence of priests, representatives of the People's Commissariat of Justice and local authorities, medical experts. Even photo and video filming was carried out, however, it was not done without facts of abuse.

For example, a member of the commission spat on the skull of Savva Zvenigorodsky several times. And already in 1921-22. open robbery of churches began, which was explained by an acute social need. Famine was raging across the country, so all church utensils were confiscated in order to feed the hungry by selling them.

Church in the USSR after 1929

With the beginning of collectivization and industrialization, the question of eradicating religion became especially acute. At this point, churches were still working in the countryside in some places. However, collectivization in the countryside should have dealt another devastating blow to the activities of the remaining churches and priests.

During this period, the number of clergy arrested increased threefold when compared with the years of the establishment of Soviet power. Some of them were shot, some - forever "locked" in the camps. The new communist village (collective farm) should have been without priests and churches.

Great terror of 1937

As you know, in the 30s, terror affected everyone, but one cannot fail to note a particular bitterness towards the church. There are suggestions that it was caused by the fact that the 1937 census showed that more than half of the citizens in the USSR believe in God (the item on religion was deliberately included in the questionnaires). The result was new arrests - this time, 31,359 "churchmen and sectarians" were deprived of their freedom, of which 166 were bishops!

By 1939, only 4 of the two hundred bishops who held the cathedra in the 1920s survived. If earlier lands and temples were taken away from religious organizations, then this time the latter were simply destroyed in the physical plane. So, on the eve of 1940, there was only one church in Belarus, which was located in a remote village.

In total, there were several hundred churches in the USSR. However, the question immediately arises: if absolute power was concentrated in the hands of the Soviet government, why did it not destroy religion radically? After all, it was quite capable of destroying all the churches and the entire episcopate. The answer is obvious: the Soviet government needed religion.

Did the war save Christianity in the USSR?

It is difficult to give a definite answer. Since the enemy invasion, certain shifts have been observed in the "power-religion" relationship, even more so - a dialogue is being established between Stalin and the surviving bishops, but it is impossible to call it "equal". Most likely, Stahl temporarily loosened his grip and even began to "flirt" with the clergy, since he needed to raise the authority of his own government against the backdrop of defeats, as well as achieve maximum unity of the Soviet nation.

Dear brothers and sisters

This can be traced to the change in the line of behavior of Stalin. He begins his radio address on July 3, 1941: "Dear brothers and sisters!" But this is exactly how believers in the Orthodox environment, in particular, priests, address parishioners. And it really hurts the ear against the background of the usual: "Comrades!". The patriarchy and religious organizations at the behest of "above" must leave Moscow for evacuation. Why such a "concern"?

Stalin needed a church for selfish purposes. The Nazis skillfully used the anti-religious practice of the USSR. They almost imagined their invasion as a Crusade that promised to free Russia from the atheists. An incredible spiritual upsurge was observed in the occupied territories - old churches were restored and new ones opened. Against this background, the continuation of repression within the country could lead to disastrous consequences.

In addition, potential allies in the West were not impressed by the oppression of religion in the USSR. And Stalin wanted to enlist their support, so the game he started with the clergy is understandable. Religious leaders of various confessions sent telegrams to Stalin about donations aimed at strengthening defense capabilities, which were later widely circulated in newspapers. In 1942, The Truth About Religion in Russia was published with a circulation of 50 thousand copies.

At the same time, believers are allowed to publicly celebrate Easter and conduct services on the day of the Resurrection of the Lord. And in 1943 something out of the ordinary happens. Stalin invites the surviving bishops, some of whom he freed the day before from the camps, in order to elect a new Patriarch, who became Metropolitan Sergius (a “loyal” citizen who in 1927 issued an odious Declaration in which he actually agreed to “serve” the church to the Soviet regime) …

At the same meeting, he donates from the "master's shoulder" permission to open religious educational institutions, the creation of a Council for the affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, transfers the former building of the residence of the German ambassadors to the newly elected Patriarch. The Secretary General also hinted that some representatives of the repressed clergy could be rehabilitated, the number of parishes increased and the confiscated utensils returned to the churches.

However, the matter did not go further than hints. Also, some sources say that in the winter of 1941, Stalin gathered the clergy to hold a prayer service for the granting of victory. At the same time, the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God was flown around Moscow. Zhukov himself allegedly confirmed in conversations on several occasions that a flight was made over Stalingrad with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. However, there are no documentary sources testifying to this.

Some documentary filmmakers claim that prayer services were also held in besieged Leningrad, which is quite possible, given that there was nowhere else to wait for help. Thus, we can say with confidence that the goal of exterminating religion was not finally set by the Soviet government. She tried to make her a puppet in her hands, which could sometimes be used for self-interest.

BONUS

Either remove the cross, or pick up your party card; either Saint or Leader.

Of great interest not only among believers, but also among atheists 10 weirdest temples from around the world, in which people strive to know the essence of being.