Sergey Ivanenko. Protestants in modern Russia: problems of typology, determining their numbers and acquiring the status of a social partner of state institutions by authoritative Protestant associations

In recent years and decades, there has been a dynamic growth in the number of Protestant communities (registered and unregistered) and believers; there has also been a certain consolidation of the leaders of the main Protestant churches, who have created the Advisory Council of the Heads of the Protestant Churches in Russia.

Protestants, as evidenced by data on the composition and number of religious organizations registered in the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2004, are an important component of the country's religious life. Various Protestant churches and denominations have a total of 4,708 registered communities in Russia, which is 23% of the total number of registered local religious organizations [1] .

The Problem of Typology of Protestant Religious Associations in Modern Russia

Religious scholars, and the Protestants themselves, and representatives of state authorities, and religious figures involved in interreligious relations and contacts, represent the "boundaries" of Protestantism in different ways. Undoubtedly, the most diverse typologies of Protestantism are possible both on a "global scale" and in relation to Russian conditions. For a religious scholar, and, perhaps, for a theologian, a detailed discussion of various variants of such a typology of Protestantism is of undoubted theoretical interest. But is now the right time for her?

One must be aware that the growth in the number and influence of Protestants in Russia does not please everyone and is often perceived as a challenge and a threat. No one has canceled the "divide and rule" technique that has proven its effectiveness. Those who perceive Protestants negatively and seek to inspire hostility towards them in the population and authorities use approximately the following set of arguments:

• there are real Protestants, and there are "neo-protestants", and if the former can still be tolerated, then "neo-protestants" are a kind of "totalitarian sects", "destructive cults", "pseudo-religious organizations" and so on, they should be banned or at least limited in rights;

• some Protestant organizations that have existed in Russia for centuries can be considered "traditional", while the rest are "new religious movements" and must be subjected to close control, they cannot be granted the same rights as "traditional" religious organizations.

There is also a more radical point of view, it has a certain number of supporters in society, in state authorities, and in the media. It boils down to the fact that all Protestants without exception are "sectarians" who threaten the spiritual health and national culture of Russians.

It seems important to single out, within the framework of the problem of the typology and "boundaries" of Protestantism in Russia, what is more or less firmly established and debatable. None of the religious scholars will argue with the fact that Protestantism, one of the three main directions of Christianity, along with Catholicism and Orthodoxy, is a collection of numerous independent churches and confessions related by their origin to the Reformation. It also seems indisputable that, due to the variety of different forms and trends of Protestantism and the absence of common focal points for Protestants, there is not and cannot be such a body that would have the right to make a verdict: this organization is Protestant (or, conversely, not Protestant).

A significant role is played by the self-assessment of a particular denomination: whether it considers itself Christian and whether it refers itself to Protestantism. And, of course, the attitude to the Bible: if it is recognized as the main and only source, the basis of dogma, then with a high degree of certainty it can be stated that we are talking about a Protestant religious organization [2] .

Let us dwell on two different typologies of Protestantism in Russia.

The first one is contained in the textbook "History of Religions in Russia" [3] . The authors include Lutheran and Reformed churches, Protestant associations of the sectarian type (Baptism, Evangelical Christianity and Adventism in the early stages of their development in Russia fall into this category, as well as, with certain reservations, the reform movements of the "Judaizing", Christians, Molokans, etc.), Mennonism, Baptism, Adventism, Pentecostalism, Presbyterians, Methodists, Jehovah's Witnesses, New Apostolic Church, Salvation Army.

The textbook makes an important conclusion, which seems to us correct: Protestantism, at least its confessions such as Lutheranism, Reformed Christianity, Evangelical Christianity-Baptism, Adventism, Pentecostalism, can [4] be considered as the traditional religions of Russia, to which the preamble refers Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations", proclaiming respect for Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and other religions, which are an integral part of the cultural and historical heritage of the peoples of Russia (see p. 380).

A somewhat different typology is proposed in the Encyclopedia of Modern Religious Life in Russia, published as part of the project, which was implemented by a group of Russian and British scientists under the leadership of the Keston Institute (Great Britain) [5] . Noting that "the peculiarities of the doctrine and organization of Protestantism give rise to the problem of determining its boundaries" , the authors identified three main groups of religious organizations: 1. "the most authentic forms of Protestantism" , which combine two features: recognition as the only source of the teachings of the Bible and the only way of salvation - faith; 2. Mixed, transitional forms, about which it is difficult to say whether this is Protestantism or not. We are talking, firstly, about those religious movements that, rejecting the authority of the Roman popes, retained Catholic elements in doctrine and worship, and, secondly, about religious movements in which the desire to restore the order of the first Christian communities was combined with all kinds of new "revelations" supplementing the Bible. As a result of the analysis, the editors of the publication included in the corresponding volume those organizations that they recognized as unconditionally Protestant, and a number of religious movements (Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Quakers, the Christian Science Society, the Church of Christ, etc.), which, in the opinion of the editors, are genetically close to Protestantism and originated in a Protestant environment, but in their ideological development "went far beyond the boundaries of Protestantism" [6] .

In our opinion, the most reasonable and fruitful approach to the typology of Protestantism, formulated in the dictionary "Christianity" [7] , the authors of which are well-known domestic philosophers, historians, religious scholars, ethnographers and specialists in other fields of knowledge. In the concept of "Protestantism in Russia" this edition includes such "reformation" movements in the broad sense of this term as Christophers, Dukhobors, Molokans, Subbotniks etc. , Reformation, and is subdivided chronologically - into the original forms (Lutheranism, Zwinglianism and Calvinism, Unitarianism and Socianism, Anabaptism and Mennonism, Anglicanism) and "late Protestantism" (Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Salvation Army, Christian Science, Pentecostals, etc.) [9] .

To this we can add that the emergence of new Protestant denominations took place in the twentieth century, in all likelihood, new varieties of Protestantism will be born in the current century. Therefore, the typology of Protestantism should be flexible enough, open to its new forms, and the most reliable criterion is the time when one or another Protestant denomination appeared.

With this approach to defining the boundaries of Protestantism, when analyzing data on the composition and number of religious organizations registered by the Russian Ministry of Justice as of January 1, 2004, we will see that Protestants are widely represented in the Russian Federation.

Some of them refer to the original forms of Russian Protestantism (Doukhobors, Molokans), others - to the original forms of Protestantism, such as Lutheranism (202 registered communities) and Anglicanism (1 registered community). Some are known as "late Protestantism". Among them are Baptists, Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Salvation Army, Pentecostals and many others. Represented in Russia are the currents of Protestantism that appeared in the 20th century. (Full Gospel Churches, Undenominated Christian Churches, Church of Christ, Unification Church and others).

The four largest Protestant churches formed the Advisory Council of the Heads of Protestant Churches in Russia (they unite up to 85% of all Russian Protestants) [10] . The members of the Council are: the Russian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists (more than 100 thousand members, 922 registered communities), the Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith - Pentecostals of Russia (more than 300 thousand members, 1398 registered communities), the Russian United Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith (about 2000 communities, including about a thousand registered and up to 200 thousand members) [11] , Church of Adventist Christians of the Seventh Day (620 registered communities).

Number of Protestants in the Russian Federation

The question of the number of Protestants in the Russian Federation is also not entirely clear. You can find a variety of figures reflecting the view of various experts on the number of Protestants in modern Russia - from 300-400 thousand to 2 million. For example, the "History of Religions in Russia" provides information obtained on the basis of expert assessments and data from sociological studies, according to which in the second half of the 90s. in Russia there were from 700 thousand to a million Protestants [12] . In our opinion, during this period (more precisely, in 1996) in Russia there were over a million Protestant believers belonging to dozens of different churches [13] , and over the past years their number has increased markedly, perhaps by about 400-500 thousand people and is currently about 1.5 million.

However, this issue really requires serious study. First of all, we note that we can talk about two different figures: firstly, about the number of members of Protestant religious associations, that is, about believers actively participating in the religious life of specific communities, and, secondly, about the number of Russians who are under influence of certain Protestant organizations, but are not necessarily their members. These numbers can vary significantly.

Let us illustrate this by the example of Jehovah's Witnesses, which are characterized by a clear and scrupulous record of the number of members of the organization, the number of people who took part in various events (Bible conventions, Memorial of the death of Jesus Christ, etc.). As of September 1, 2003, there were 133,066 "publishers" in Russia, that is, members of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, and their number increased by 5% over the year. As for the main event for believers of this denomination - the Evening of Remembrance of the Death of Jesus Christ, 282,350 people took part in it in Russia, that is, the number of participants more than doubled the number of members of a religious organization. This figure shows the approximate number of Russians who are influenced by the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, but are not necessarily members of it. In the statistics published by Jehovah's Witnesses, there is another figure that allows you to assess the impact of the organization - "the average number of Bible studies per year" (before becoming a member of this organization, a person must complete a course of special Bible study). In 2003 in Russia this number was 113,810 [14] , and it follows that about 114,000 Russians studied the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses last year and were strongly influenced by the doctrine of this religious organization.

It can be assumed that a similar picture is observed in other religious organizations - and the number of members of one or another Protestant association is approximately two times less than the number of Russians who are influenced by these Protestant organizations, but are not necessarily members of them.

The results of sociological studies do not give an adequate idea of ​​the number of Protestants, since usually in the course of polls from 1 to 2% of Russians call themselves Protestants, while this figure itself is on the verge of a "statistical error" acceptable in sociological polls. In addition, it is not clear whether we are talking about members of Protestant communities or also about those who, while not belonging to any Protestant communities, are inclined, nevertheless, to consider themselves Protestants from one or another internal motive. Thus, the degree of accuracy inherent in sociological research does not allow one to reliably determine the number of Protestants.

Expert assessments will also not help to find an exact answer to this question, since it requires statistical data from the religious organizations themselves, to which "external" experts usually do not have access.

It seems that Russian Protestants themselves and their religious educational institutions (perhaps with the participation of religious scholars, sociologists and other specialists) should take care of the relevant calculations. Perhaps the Advisory Council of Heads of Protestant Churches in Russia could undertake this work.

The problem of gaining the status of a social partner of state institutions by authoritative Protestant associations

The Constitution of Russia determines that no religion can be established as a state or obligatory one (Article 14, Part 1). In part 2 of Art. 14 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states that "religious associations are separate from the state and are equal before the law . "

The principle of separating religious associations from the state has been filled in recent years with new content, which does not exclude the formation of social partnership relations between religious organizations and state institutions. It is already understood differently than in the years of Soviet power, when it was about the desire to "separate" religious organizations from society and significant social problems, to limit the activity of the clergy and believers within the framework of strict legislative norms that prohibited the charitable and spiritual and educational activities of religious organizations.

In the Russian Federation, the principle of separation of religious associations from the state means that in accordance with Part 2 of Art. 4 of the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Associations" the state does not interfere in a citizen's determination of his attitude to religion; does not impose on religious associations the performance of the functions of state authorities, other state bodies, state institutions and local self-government bodies; does not interfere in the activities of religious associations, if it does not contradict the law; ensures the secular nature of education in state and municipal educational institutions. The state, in accordance with part 3 of the same article, regulates the provision of tax and other benefits to religious organizations, assists in the restoration, maintenance and protection of buildings and objects that are monuments of history and culture, as well as in ensuring the teaching of educational disciplines in educational institutions, established by religious organizations.

In accordance with the constitutional principle of separation of religious associations from the state, a religious association, as established by part 5 of the same article:

• creates and carries out its activities in accordance with its own hierarchical and institutional structure, selects, appoints and replaces its personnel in accordance with its own regulations;

• does not perform the functions of state authorities, other state bodies, state institutions and local governments;

• does not participate in elections to state authorities and local self-government bodies;

• does not participate in the activities of political parties and political movements, does not provide them with material and other assistance.

Art. 18 of the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Associations" grants religious organizations the broadest rights in the field of charitable and cultural and educational activities, both directly and through the establishment of charitable, cultural and educational organizations, educational and other institutions, including funds mass media. As established by part 3 of Art. 18 of this Federal Law, "the state provides assistance and support to the charitable activities of religious organizations, as well as the implementation by them of socially significant cultural and educational programs and events" .

Thus, the constitutional principle of separating religious associations from the state implies legislative restrictions that exclude the performance by religious organizations of the functions of state authorities and participation in political struggle, as well as state intervention in the sphere of their own hierarchical and institutional issues that are within the exclusive competence of religious associations.

At the same time, Russian legislation defines the main priorities of the state in its relations with religious associations. These priorities, based on the current legislation, are based on two main principles.

First, it is the equality of religious associations before the law. This principle is clearly and definitely enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation (Article 14, Part 2) and in the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" (Article 4, Part 1).

Secondly, the priority for the state in relations with religious associations is the recognition by the state of the special role of Orthodoxy in the history of the country, in the formation and development of its spirituality and culture, and the expression of special respect for religions and confessions, which are an integral part of the historical heritage of the peoples of Russia.

This provision contained in the preamble to the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" does not establish any binding norms for public authorities and citizens. At the same time, the preamble of this Federal Law is not an abstract empty declaration; its inclusion in the text of the Federal Law was the result of a serious discussion and the result of understanding the ways of developing relations between the state and religious associations. It presupposes and authorizes various degrees of cooperation and constructive interaction between state institutions and religious associations.

The implementation of this principle is determined by the history of a particular religion (confession) in Russia, its rootedness, social position, number of followers, and other factors.

This principle is typical for most European countries; it does not infringe on the rights of religious minorities.

In practice, several levels of interaction and cooperation of state institutions with religious organizations have developed, which does not revise the principle of equality of religious associations before the law, since it is not accompanied by their division into categories endowed with different legal status.

Conventionally, four levels can be distinguished in the relationship of the state with religious associations [15] :

1. At the first priority level is relations with the Russian Orthodox Church as the largest religious organization that unites the majority of the country's believers, and in a number of subjects of the Federation - with Islamic religious associations.

2. At the second level - interaction with religions and confessions deeply rooted in Russian society (Old Believers) and associated with the national self-identification of various peoples of Russia (traditional Buddhists, Jews, Lutherans and others).

3. At the third level - relations with Protestant churches that have more than a century of history in Russia: these are Evangelical Christians - Baptists, Christians of the Evangelical Faith - Pentecostals, Christians - Seventh Day Adventists and some others. Collectively, these confessions include about 20 religious associations, their heads and representatives are members of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation, participate in the work of similar structures at the level of federal bodies and subjects of the Federation. Relations of social partnership are gradually being formed with these religious associations: cooperation agreements are concluded with them in the implementation of charitable, cultural, educational, health and other socially significant programs.

4. At the fourth level - relations with religious movements (both domestic and foreign) that have been active in Russia since the early 1990s, often little known and have not yet had time to fully adapt to Russian conditions. These relationships are not uniform. In some cases, they develop positively and there is a prospect of their transition to a new, higher level. In other cases, a conflict arises, and the case may come to lawsuits to liquidate and even ban certain religious organizations.

In what direction will events develop: will the range of religious associations with which the state develop relations of social partnership expand? Will such partnerships develop with reputable Protestant denominations? Will there be new conflicts between state institutions and Protestant associations, as has already happened with the Moscow community of Jehovah's Witnesses (in March 2004, the Golovinsky Court, at the suit of the prosecutor's office of the Northern District, liquidated this community and banned its activities, and the Moscow City Court in June rejected the appeal of lawyers communities)?

Let's start with the last question. You should listen to the opinion of the well-known lawyer Yuri Schmidt. In an interview with the Moskovskiye Novosti weekly, Y. Schmidt admitted that in the near future "trial against adherents of other confessions" is quite possible [16] . In fact, the dynamic growth in the number of Russian Protestants, the growth of their prestige, the emerging prospect of improving relations with the state caused the activation of forces seeking to compromise the principles of religious freedom and undermine the prestige of the Protestants. It cannot be ruled out that charismatic communities will become the object of new lawsuits, especially since in Soviet times it was an axiom that "speaking in other languages" and "religious ecstasy" are harmful to the mental health of the individual, religious communities practicing "speaking in other languages" are not subject to registration, and their leaders must be imprisoned.

In any case, it is the charismatic communities that have recently become a favorite object of attacks by "fighters against totalitarian sects" and the target of revealing television programs.

What are the prospects for expanding the range of religious associations with which the state is ready to establish relations of social partnership, and does it include Protestant confessions?

In the speeches of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin notes the multinational and multi-confessional nature of Russia, emphasizing that "the traditions of the inter-confessional world are the basis of our statehood" [17] . V.V. Putin has repeatedly drawn attention to the important role of authoritative religious figures in protecting peace and human life, establishing mutual understanding and tolerance in society, strengthening the family, and educating the younger generation [18] .

Touching upon the role and significance of Orthodoxy and the Russian Orthodox Church, the president noted their significant contribution to the development and revival of spirituality, spiritual support for our people, and strengthening of the country [19] . At the same time, he constantly reminded that ""we do not interfere, we cannot and will not, of course, interfere in church life" [20] . Orthodox Church Abroad by Metropolitan Laurus on May 27, 2004, that "the Russian authorities will do everything possible to restore the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church ," V. V. Putin stressed: "The state under no circumstances intends to interfere in internal church affairs . "

It is important to note that not only statesmen, but Patriarch Alexy II himself noted the multinational and multi-confessional character of Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church is also given credit for educating "its flock in the spirit of respect for authority, love for their homeland, peace and harmony between people of different nationalities and religious denominations" [21] .

A significant circumstance that significantly increases the authority of Protestants both in society and in the eyes of government officials is the emerging consolidation of a number of the most authoritative Protestant associations within the Advisory Council of the Heads of Protestant Churches in Russia. I will formulate my opinion even more frankly: state institutions are not ready to engage in dialogue and strengthen cooperation with dozens of Protestant associations, including for the simple and obvious reason that representatives of state authorities do not understand, and are not particularly eager to understand the diversity of Protestant denominations. They need an understandable and credible partner in the field of social policy. At the same time, such a body as the Advisory Council of Heads of Protestant Churches in Russia can be considered as this partner, and many confessional centers - hardly.

It is extremely important that the Advisory Council of Heads of Protestant Churches in Russia is not just some bureaucratic structure; on his initiative, the "Social Position of the Protestant Churches" was developed and adopted in 2003, which reflects the joint position of the largest Protestant religious organizations on topical social issues. This document appeared among others for a completely understandable reason: a religious association (or several confessions), which seeks to develop social partnership relations with the state and society, must clearly formulate its approach to the key social problems of our time.

That is why at the turn of the XX and XXI centuries. the leading Russian religious organizations, comprehending their historical experience of interaction with the state, as well as the complex and dynamic period of state-confessional relations in democratic Russia, published their social concepts.

It should be noted "Fundamentals of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church" (2000), "Basic provisions of the social program of Russian Muslims" (2001), "Fundamentals of the social teaching of the Church of Christians - Seventh Day Adventists in Russia" (2002), "Fundamentals of the social concept of the Russian United Union Christians of the Evangelical Faith" (2002), "The Social Position of the Protestant Churches" (2003; this document reflects the joint position of the largest Protestant religious organizations), "Fundamentals of the Social Concept of Judaism in Russia" (2002) and others. The attentive reader will pay attention to the fact that the foundations of the social concepts of both Muslims, and Jews, and Protestant confessions were drawn up taking into account the structure and content of the document prepared by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Both the content of the "Social Position of Protestant Churches" and the real diverse social service of Protestant religious associations leave no doubt that the most authoritative of them can and should acquire the status of social partners of state institutions that make a significant contribution to helping and supporting the disadvantaged, spiritual and moral educating young people, overcoming child homelessness and neglect, strengthening the family, improving the moral atmosphere in society, creating high standards of business, economic and labor morality. The positive development of this process and its dynamics largely depend on the consolidation of Russian Protestants, their desire and ability to develop and strengthen interfaith ties and cooperation.

[1] Russia was and remains a country whose peoples profess different religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and many others. As of January 1, 2004, there are 21,664 registered religious organizations in the Russian Federation belonging to 68 religious movements.

[2] From a methodological point of view, the most difficult are those cases when a religious organization considers itself Christian, recognizes the Bible as Holy Scripture, but also has other holy books.

[3] History of religion in Russia. M., 2001.

[4] In our opinion, not only can, but must.

[5] Modern religious life in Russia. T. 2. M., 2003.

[6] Ibid. C. 4.

[7] Christianity. Dictionary. M., 1994.

[8] It would be appropriate to call them "original forms of Russian Protestantism."

[9] See: Christianity. Dictionary. pp. 375-377.

[10] According to the data of the Advisory Council of Heads of Protestant Churches in Russia.

[11] According to the Russian United Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith itself.

[12] History of religion in Russia. S. 582.

[13] This expert assessment was published in the reference book "Religious Associations of the Russian Federation" (M., 1996, p. 112).

[14] Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. 2004. S. 36-37.

[15] See: Kudryavtsev A.I. Constitutional and legal foundations of state-confessional relations in modern Russia // Ten years on the path of freedom of conscience. Problems of implementation of the constitutional right to freedom of conscience and the activities of religious associations. Materials of the scientific-practical seminar. M., 2002. S. 12.

[16] Moscow news. 2004. No. 22. P. 6.

[17] From the opening speech at a working meeting on interethnic and interfaith relations in Cheboksary on February 5, 2004 // Official website of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin .

[18] See: Greetings to the participants of the Second Interregional Forum on March 2, 2004; Congratulations on the Bright Sunday of Christ to Orthodox Christians and followers of other Christian denominations in Russia on April 27, 2004; speech at a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council in Salekhard on April 28-29, 2004, etc. // Ibid .

[19] See: Speech at a meeting with the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II on June 11, 2004 // Ibid .

[20] Appeal to the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate on January 24, 2004 // Ibid .

[21] From a speech at a meeting with the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin in the Kremlin on June 11, 2004 // Ibid .