Religiosity in Orthodox Christianity: An Anthropological Perspective on Post-soviet Russia

Abstract

The post-Soviet religious revival in Russia was one of the key issues for challenging secularization theories. But when addressed in more detail, it becomes clear that the religious renaissance described by politicians and the clergy has to be analyzed in more detail. Their optimistic evaluations suggest about 80% of all ethnic Russians to be affiliated with Russian Orthodoxy. Clear differences, however, become obvious when methods for measuring religiosity based on ethnic affiliation, religious self-identification and religious practice are compared. Here, a number of particularities in Eastern Christianity have to be taken into account because religious beliefs are intimately linked to the right religious practice; and the affiliation with the religious community is stressed as such. In this way, it becomes possible to challenge the Protestant bias, as Talal Asad has done (1997, p. 48), and to understand notions such as ‘Orthodox atheists’ where people feel attached to the community of Russian Orthodoxy without holding significant religious beliefs. Herewith, I would like to emphasize the socialist legacies in post-Soviet Russian religiosity. It may sound strange at first that atheist Soviet everyday practices have such a strong influence on post-Soviet everyday religiosity. But thanks to previous work we know very well how Soviet tactics such as the establishment of social networks of mutual benefit known as blat are highly important until today. This is particularly relevant for elite people such as businesspeople who have a deeply personal relation to the clergy and sometimes make use of their religious networks to enhance their political ambitions.