Russian Orthodox Christianity

The chief religion in Russia is Russian Orthodox Christianity. It is practiced by almost three-fourths of the religious population.

The Russian Orthodox Church has a thousand year old history, starting in the times of Kievan Rus. During the Kievan regime the Kiev was the head of the church. With the rise of Moscow, the Metropolitan of Moscow was made the head of the church. The church was stripped of its authority during the times of Peter the Great, when he formed a government body to administer and control the church.

In the first half of the twentieth century there were heavy restrictions on Russian orthodox bishops and priests of other religions as well. Several priests and bishops were executed under the Soviet Union regime and this continued until 1940. After this, the authorities let up very little on restrictions against practicing religion when Germany invaded the Soviet Union.

In 1990, the new Russian government began to rebuild the churches and religious monuments destroyed by the Soviet regime. There were several initiatives taken by the government to restore the religious systems in Russia.

It is believed that the Russian Orthodox Church is a true, holy Church that originated from the institution established by Jesus Christ. Russian Orthodox beliefs are based on the Bible. In relation to the various saints, Mary has a special place as the Mother of Jesus. The Russian Church, like other churches, is autonomous; this means that it is self-governing.

Non-Orthodox Christian Religions

The Soviet Union has several Non-Orthodox Christians that do not follow the Russian Orthodox Church. The German Mennonites were the first western European Protestants in Russia. The Baptists have been the most active of the Protestants groups in Russia. The number of Roman Catholics in Russia varies according to the growth of Russia’s territory.

Since 1990, when the Roman Catholic dioceses were established, there have been several conflicts with the Russian Orthodox Church, which have created tensions in Russia. This is thus evidence of the strong opposition to the western form of Christianity in Russia.

Islamic Religion in Russia

Out of all of the populations in Russia today who hold some kind of religious belief, 19% are Muslims. These Muslims practice the Sunni form of the Islamic religion. In a few areas of Russia, such as Chechnya, Sufism is another type of Islamic religion that is practiced. Those who practice Sufism believe in spiritual growth through an individual search for union with God.

Judaism in Russia

Jews have existed in Russia since the 15th century. Even today there are a few million Jews living in Russia and practicing their religion independently, with the support of the Russian government.