At the press center of the ROSBALT agency, experts discussed the topic of conflicts between the Church and society in Russia

September 13, 2012 at the press center of the information agency "ROSBALT" a round table was held on the topic “Church scandals: where Does religion end and politics begin?

Marina Mchedlova (Institute sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Anatoly Pchelintsev (Slavic Law Center), Inna Zagrebina (Guild of Experts in Religion and Law), Ksenia Sergazina (SOVA Center), Protodeacon Andrey Kuraev (MDA, Moscow State University).

Answering the question of journalists, “ in whose interests the groups of persons committing acts vandalism in temples ”, “ are incidentally more frequent scandals involving representatives of the Orthodox churches , "experts agreed that no anti-clerical order do not have to speak. Interest in the church theme, in their opinion, characterizes the main changing the relationship between religion and society, the inclusion of religious topics in political discourse.

According to M. Mchedlova, these processes indicate crisis of the model of secularism.

Touching upon the theme of the trial of "Pussy Riot", A. Pchelintsev stressed that the legal community does not see in the case file the composition crimes. He suggested, however, that there was a need to reform current legislation, to introduce into it articles providing for criminal penalties for actions similar to those in the HHS.

Protodeacon A. Kuraev emphasized that the refusal of church hierarchs to play by the rules accepted in a secular society, as well as insufficient experience in the field of political technologies and PR, which prevented the correct alignment of image of the Russian Church, played a role in the growth of conflicts of the Church and society. In his opinion, interest in the church theme allows authorities to divert the attention of the population from political and economic problems - and in this sense, the conflict between the Church and society can be important for representatives authorities. Speaking of Orthodox squads, he recalled that understanding missionary work as police activity is a bad legacy of pre-revolutionary Orthodoxy, from which it would be nice to turn out.

K. Sergazina drew attention to the fact that in the protest movement is attended by a considerable percentage of Orthodox believers, demanding from church authorities to discuss the problems existing in the Church, and to the fact that among protesters against the construction of modular churches in Moscow, the majority are not atheists, but believers. M. Mchedlova reminded the expert community and the media that according to opinion polls, in Russia there are only 9% of atheists, 10% of whom believe in God.

The experts discussed not only issues related to possible reform of legislation in the field of religion, but also questions censorship. Special attention was paid to the demolished church in Novokosin Pentecostal Christians.

Sources

• Own inf.