Another Russia

The subject of my observations will not be the political protest movement of Garry Kasparov and others like him. His “Russia” is, in fact, part of the political spectrum of domestic megacities and is not “different” at all, but very similar in social composition to the parties and movements opposing it.

Another Russia is the 100 million population of the provinces, which lives by completely different rules and is guided by different values, unlike the capitals. While polemicists from different camps crossed their weapons in the media and brought forward yet more undeniable arguments in favor of teaching the military-industrial complex or separating the Church from the school, in the Russian hinterland the people long ago made their conclusion about the place of Orthodoxy in their lives.

Perhaps to some my observations will seem like a special case. Somewhere people live differently, but for me it is important to bear witness to what I saw and heard. And this is also true, albeit not the whole truth, but it is very rarely found in our publications.

First of all, I would like to challenge the so-called evil figure - the number of believers. What is objectionable is not the data of sociological surveys, but the very principle of separating “believers” from “agnostics.” Of course, you can determine the frequency of “visiting the temple”, “participation in sacraments and rituals”, test for dogmatic knowledge, but this proves little in essence. Self-determination of a person is important. You can observe almost everything and know a lot, but not be a Christian in your worldview.

Not long ago I had an interesting conversation with the head of the trauma department of our regional hospital. He turned to me with a request to give them an icon for the operating room, since, in his words, “issues of life and death are often decided here.” This doctor is not a church person at all; in response to my question about how his patients would react to this, he confidently answered that in his years of work he had never seen “round-robin” atheists before the operation. Even if he is mistaken and did not take into account the statistical error in his observations, his views are very typical for our area.

In provincial towns there is a colossal amount of trust in the local clergy. It's all there in plain sight. If you are a “miracle worker” in the worst sense, people will leave you forever. When I started serving, my close friend, a priest with extensive experience, warned: “The Russian people will forgive the pastor everything, but not neglect of church services.” Almost seventeen years later, I am ready to confirm the truth of his words. And this says a lot. For example, that it is the “decency” of the church service that is an important criterion for the majority of my townspeople, even those who occasionally drop by “for a minute” into our cathedral.

You can know little about Christ, but firmly believe in His resurrection. You can rarely, rarely go to church, but be afraid of sin and love God. And these people who make up the “silent majority” are the reliable reserve of the Church. One of them always becomes a regular parishioner.

Let me make an incorrect comparison with membership in political parties. Were all 17 million communists really well informed in their doctrine, knew the works of Karl Marx, and did not shy away from party meetings? However, look how tenacious the “ghost of communism” is today! People unite not always by knowledge, but more often by spirit.

Provincial Russia is a different country. In it, they can invite a priest to a technical school or school - and be sure to come “in a cassock.” Call the rector to a meeting with the mayor with the note “Attendance is strictly required.” In our city, most schools and kindergartens, all hospitals and clinics, the traffic police building and the fire department have long been consecrated. We never did it on the sly. On the contrary, they demanded the mandatory presence of the entire team in order to verify the genuine desire of the majority and explain the meaning of our actions. As a rule, heads of various enterprises and services contacted us after some extraordinary events: deaths of employees, accidents, etc. I completely agree with Deacon Andrei Kuraev that there is a social (not state) order for Orthodoxy. Yes, our people are extremely illiterate in the church sense, but not even 20 years have passed since the fall of Soviet power and the opportunity to openly preach to people.

The teaching of military-industrial complex in our city did not take place due to the lack of trained teachers and the reluctance to profane the very idea of ​​the subject. However, the church parish is also a large, by provincial standards, Sunday school for children and, of course, adults. Children are taught not only church and theological subjects, traditional handicrafts and singing, but also... the English language. Provincial “cultural life” is most often associated with discotheques and cinemas. Sometimes the circus and second-rate performers come. These are the capabilities and tastes of the potential audience. A church parish with an educated clergy, on the contrary, attracts a significant part of the thinking population. For the sake of a hundred people who were ready to listen attentively, a professor from the University of Belgrade came to the city with lectures and exhibitions about Serbia, a professor from the Russian State University for the Humanities about modern Iran, Deacon A. Kuraev and MDA professor A.I. Osipov. And it was always a full house.

I believe that fighters against “clericalization” will accuse me of creating an overly “Orthodox-biased” picture of provincial life. But depressed areas with looting of churches and violence are, as they say, a separate case. Here, in the “other Russia,” they do not follow the exchange rate of the dollar and euro, and are not interested in rising prices for oil and luxury real estate. But they are worried about the ruble increase in a loaf of bread and a carton of milk.

Are there any inter-religious conflicts in the province? Certainly. Let me give you one fairly typical example. One day, a city administration official, a Muslim, came to me for help and advice. His son married a girl from a Russian family who considers herself Orthodox. When the child was born, disagreements arose between relatives regarding the religious affiliation of their grandson. The Muslim grandfather was worried that the child might be baptized secretly from the father’s relatives. I had to convince my interlocutors for quite a long time to postpone resolving the issue in this situation until my grandson comes of age, when he himself chooses his faith. It is interesting that it was the Muslim side that was completely satisfied with this proposal. Subsequently, this official invited me as an expert on the issue of installing worship crosses in the city at the request of deputies of the city council.

Of course, all of the above can be found in a large metropolis. But the concentration, the percentage ratio of “church” and “secular” will be completely different.

Why do people in provincial Russia live, think, and experience all this differently? There will be many reasons for this. First of all, the Russian hinterland perceives itself as a large colony of the capital. She is a supplier of cheap labor, she is a Moscow “dacha”. If the capital's residents were divided on the role of the transformations of the 90s: some became impoverished, while others “got back on their feet,” then in the provinces the overwhelming majority hate these years. Even those who have become “prosperous” because it is difficult to have a fortune among the poor. Someone will ask, what does religion have to do with it?

The fact is that in most Western countries there is a phenomenon of “civil religion”. There are state symbols, holidays, and civic traditions that unite the nation. Typical examples of such countries are the USA and France. Civil society is unthinkable without the formation of such values. The cult of freedoms is closely connected with the cult of the flag and anthem, national heroes and rulers who brought (or defended) freedom.

What about in Russia? During the era of the USSR, an attempt was made to create a quasi-religious ideology and symbolism. The Soviet Union collapsed, and with it Soviet symbols and traditions disappeared into oblivion. An 80-year gap with imperial Russia is tantamount to a gap between generations. The era of the 90s is associated by the majority of the population with the failure of the liberal idea, which could not give the majority an undeniable sense of progress, unlike Poland or the Baltic states. An analysis of the reasons for this failure is beyond the scope of our topic. We will limit ourselves to stating this fact.

One cannot but agree with the editor-in-chief of Moscow News, Vitaly Tretyakov, that religion will outlive the political ideologies of the 20th century: communism and liberalism. The time has passed for the well-known misconception that assumed the victory of the “scientific” worldview over the “religious” one. Both will be a significant part of public consciousness.

“Civil religion” in Russia is far from being formalized. If the population of megacities is still somehow engulfed in this discourse, then the province lives mainly by traditional values, because human consciousness does not tolerate a vacuum. Whether someone likes it or not, there is no other mass tradition in our country other than the “historical” religions of Russia. Let me emphasize that we are not talking about turning Orthodoxy (or Islam) into a “political religion.” Such attempts, it seems, will not meet with the support of the population and will only lead religions to undesirable transformations. “Political religion” is not only the “clericalization” and “opecization” of the country, but also attempts to involve the Church in human rights activities in sensational processes.

Of course, the huge proportion of “non-church” Christians can play a negative role in the fate of the Russian Orthodox Church. But this, as they say, is an internal matter. Perhaps, in connection with the president’s statement on the issue of the defense industry, another campaign will begin to combat “religious excesses” and “shortcomings in the secular education of the younger generation.” As they say, the flag is in their hands! Our people, as you know, underwent not only universal training in the Central Orthodox Church, but also a complete “separation from the Church.” Is it worth reminding us how it ended?