The number of baptized in Orthodoxy in Russia is growing, and neopaganism appears as "later reconstruction", the Russian Orthodox Church

Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church said on Tuesday at a press conference in Moscow that recently the number of baptisms in Orthodoxy in Russia has increased.

“The number of baptisms has increased,” the interfax -religion portal, the words of the deputy chairman of the department of external church ties of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, quoted.

In turn, the deputy head of the department of the Moscow Patriarchate on the relationship between the Church with the society and the media, Vakhtang Kipshidze pointed out that after the baptism of Rus', the people left pagan practice.

“Unfortunately, now there is a movement aimed at demonstrating interest in this pagan heritage, and some organizations are trying to reincarn this quasi -religion,” he stated.

According to Kipshidze, the ideas about paganism, which some are now trying to position as an alternative to the civilizational choice of St. Vladimir, the Baptist of Rus', "are the later reconstruction."

“Baptism is a choice for us, which is historically and actually irrevocable. And attempts to reconsider this choice, including bringing arguments, which, as it seems to the apologists, support interest in paganism, are based on the invention of pagan ideas about the surrounding reality,” he said.

The representative of the church believes that attempts to reconsider the civilizational choice made by the Baptist of Rus' "are a step towards personal and civilizational self -destruction."

Recall that in the winter of this year, the chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department on the relationship between the Church with society and the media, Vladimir Legoyda, who spoke at a meeting with the heads of diocesan information units and departments on the relationship of the church and society, announced the growth of the popularity of neoism in Russia.

“Today we are observing the growth of neopagan sentiments among young people, first of all, of course, in the circles of athletes and in circles, which is doubly unpleasant, people wearing weapons, that is, these are special forces and so on,” Legoida noted.

According to the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, this is a "directly challenge to the church."

"Our primary analysis shows that the scheme of attracting people (in neopagan organizations) is standardly sectarian: people are attracted by attention, strength and help," said the head of the synodal department.

Paganism, according to him, is “this is a pseudo -operation”, it demonstrates its inexhaustibility, although this “does not care at all of young adherents of neopaganism.”

“The message that the Church should turn to the youth today, first of all, may not even have been formulated to men under the age of 20. This is our task for the near future. And here the topic of counteracting paganism is very important. It seems to me that this problem will only be aggravated. I would very much ask it not to underestimate it,” the representative of the church said.

Legoyda also indicated that the spread of neopaganism was one of the reasons for the recent creation of the Patriarchal Commission on physical culture and sports.