Staff author: Adilia S.
Religion has been increasing in popularity in Russia for the last two decades. Moscow has around 950 Orthodox Christian churches and more than 200 are to be built in the nearest future. New mosques are also being erected to cater to local Muslims.
It seems that Russia is one of the most religious countries in the world. Is it true or only the first impression?
Religion in Russia
Elena Kublitskaya, a leading specialist at the Institute of Social and Political Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has been analyzing the religious situation in Russia for 40 years. She states that Russians are still highly involved in religion and the level of their commitment remains unchanged for the last 5-8 years. But the number of believers is no longer rising sharply as it was immediately following Perestroika (1987) when atheism was denounced as the ideological cornerstone of the state.
The level of religious commitment in Moscow was about 50% in 1996. It had increased up to 62% in 2008 and stays almost the same today (63% in 2015). The ratio between religious and nonreligious individuals is about 6:1 in Moscow and 3:1 in Russia as a whole, MK.ru reports.
Today religiously affiliated Russians are spending less time practicing than before. They worship less often although they still consider themselves religious.
There were about 45% practicing believers out of the religious population in 2010, today the level dropped to 30%. Religious festivals remain the most popular events that believers attend — about 38% of the religious Russians take part in such celebrations. Only 27% of them pray regularly and 15% observe the Lent. Surprisingly, every third believer has never taken part in religious ceremonies.
The sociological research conducted by Kublitskaya’s colleague, Yuliya Sinelina, shows that only 17% of Russian believers pray and read the Bible (or Quran) regularly. Daily morning and evening prayers are observed by only 1% of Russians, according to her statistics.
Russian tricolour flag over the church in St. Petersburg. The current government heavily promotes religion, particularly Orthodox Christianity.
An Average Committed Believer from Moscow
Kublitskaya draws the following portrait of an average committed believer from Moscow: It’s a woman between 50-59 years of age, college educated, employed or a pensioner, with middle class income. She wasn’t born in Moscow.
It may seem strange but many Russians consider themselves as Orthodox Christians although it doesn’t imply that they are believers. Simply put, they state it because it’s “the right thing” to say. Sometimes it causes a havoc in the official statistics.
That’s why Kublitskaya draws one more portrait — the image of an Orthodox Christian from Moscow.
Usually, it’s a Russian woman aged 30+ with college or professional education. She’s engaged in social activities and has a middle-class income.
The average nonreligious person is younger. It’s a man aged 18 to 29 years, who was born in Moscow. He is college educated, has a professional job or studies technological sciences. His level of income is also middle. The number of irreligious individuals is slowly increasing: their numbers have increased from 10% to 17% for the last 5 years.
People on the way to a church in Suzdal, Russia.
Church plays one of the most important roles in the Russian society. 53% of Moscow citizens trust the church as a social institute. By the level of trust, church goes straight after the Russian President.
It’s difficult to predict what is going to happen in the future. However, we see that the proportion of individuals who do not hold religious beliefs is slightly increasing and most of them are young and educated.
Around the world, the average age of religious population increases. The younger generation is less committed to religions. Some scholars are worried that a religious decline will lead to a potential moral decline in societies. Although researchers from the Manchester University assert that morality is not rooted in religion.
On second thought, it seems that morality would have developed before religion. Why should we think that the first people were not moral?
Young Russian girl praying.
The ceremony of baptism in a Russian church. Women have to cover their head in Orthodox churches.
Wedding crowns prepared for groom and bride.
Russian Christian Orthodox Bible.
The Noble Quran in Russian.
Russian Christian Orthodox icons that people keep at home.
Islamic Mosque and Christian Church, the historical Kremlin in Kazan, Russia. Kazan is the capital of the Tatar Autonomous Republic, a traditionally Muslim nation. Russia has 85 autonomous republics and regions, each of them unites people of a certain nation.
Read also:
- Pope Francis, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill Pledge To End 1000-year Split of Christian Church
- Destiny in Russian Culture
- Who Should Adapt — Slavic Women or Western Men?
- The Class Structure of Russian Society
And what about people that hold the ridiculous notion that the world is only six thousand years old? Please tell me it’s extremely rare to encounter such people in Russia! :p
Unfortunately not 🙁
Just another day I had a discussion on the Russian blog with a lady who said it was silly to believe in evolution. Because we don’t observe bacteria evolving into humans in our daily lives.
Being religious is very popular in Russia right now. Non-religious people are pariahs just like religious people used to be outcasts during the times of the USSR.
However, Scientology has been officially deprived of the status of religion in Russia by a court of law.
In my opinion, it’s not being religious that is very popular nowadays. A large number of people visit churches just to look religious. For example, many people get married in the church or baptize their infants just because there’s a tradition or they are under pressure of their parents and grandparents (who are often much more religious). But the moment they leave the church, they immediately forget about their religion.
Thats’s why I think it’s better to be atheist than hypocrite.
Absolutely 100% of Ukrainians are religious. We trust in God, Allah, revolution, new heroes. But it all is about religion. AS for me, doesn’t matter, what’s the name of your god, the most important thing – what person are you. And if your own God helps you to act better – your religion is good for you.
It is true that many people say that they are religious because it is considered a right thing. My mother says she’s Christian even though I know for sure that her belief is described as “there is someone in the sky… probably”. She was also really surprised when I told her that people are free to choose their own religion and that I choose to be an atheist even though she christened me. It seems that many people don’t even know that they can be atheists or choose their religion. My grandmother also says that she is Christian but if… Read more »
I’m not religion at all and a lot of my friends same. They may be faithful but religion…I agree with that portrait of middle-age woman and agree that church plays one of the most major roles in our society and that’s awful! In my opinion- our church is fake and has nothing in common with God and faith.
Now it is very difficult to talk about the revival of religion in Russia since the collapse of the USSR to be religious was “fashionable” . Yes and customs privileges , which were at the church in the 90s , could not fail to sow doubt in the soul of those who truly believed . In many places, the Church Fathers perceived only as a business , and it is extremely difficult to correct , because this attitude permeated all levels of the church.
“only 17% of Russian believers pray and read”, “people say that they are religious because it is considered a right thing” That’s true. I agree 100%. Most people celebrate Christmas and Easter by going to a local church, but they don’t bother going there on other occasions or knowing prayers or at least Bible quotes. But to be fair the church (in general meaning) also gives reasons to discredit itself. Why every single church service (sacrament) is to be paid? Chrismation, matrimony, even poor candles – nothing is free. It became a commercial institute with huge money inflows. And when… Read more »
I think church and religion are different things. The main thing is faith. It’s pity that less people are religious. But people choose what they want. It’s important not to lose your humanity and to lead right life. Anyway we shouldn’t sin. Each should try to be a good person in human community.
To be honest, I’m in-between position. I really believe in God. Nevertheless I agree that a large number both priests, and simple people do only visibility of belief. And still Russia became the tolerant country in which Muslims, Christiania and Jews can live in peace. I think it is right. We should be respectful to belief of other person.