YAROVAYA
LAW
STRIKES PROTESTANTS
Interview
with
historian of religion Elena Glavatska
Politsovet,
19
January 2018
In
July 2016,
the so-called "Yarovaya Law" was adopted in Russia, which is an
"anti-terrorism" package of laws that establishes new
prohibitions in
various spheres of the life of society. The restrictions also
affect religious
life: there appeared administrative accountability for violation
of the
procedure for missionary activity (article 5.26 of the Code of
Administrative
Violations of Law of the RF).
The
authors of
the law explained that this point was aimed against preachers of
radical Islam.
However, in the past year and a half, it is mostly protestants
who have been
brought to justice on the basis of article 5.26, from among
evangelical
movements (Baptists, Adventists, Pentecostals, Methodists). In
particular,
three times in 2017 the congregation of Pentecostals in Nizhny
Tagil received
fines on the basis of this article.
How
the Yarovaya
Law impacted protestant congregations was explained for
Politsovet by Doctor of
Historical Sciences Elena Glavatskaia, a specialist in the
history of religions
in the Urals and a professor of the Urals Federal University.
--Sergei
Belyaev:
For a start, I would like to understand what are evangelical
movements
on the whole?
--E.G.:
When we
speak about religion, whether it be protestants or any other
religious group,
as a representative of the academic community I prefer to use
the term
"religious denomination."
--S.B.:
What
does that mean?
--Under
this
term are subsumed historically developing religious movements,
societies, or
groups. That is, all the great diversity that it is difficult to
classify
strictly. In and of itself, the term "religious denomination" is
neutral; it does not carry a prior negative sense and it doesn't
offend
anybody. Regardless of whether one or another form is a religion
of a majority
or a minority, they all are denominations, which satisfy the
spiritual needs of
a certain part of the population in a certain historical period.
On this level
all religious movements are absolutely equal.
--Do
there exist
substantive differences among such movements of protestants as
Lutherans and,
for example, Baptists or Pentecostals?
--The
sources of
all the diversity of protestant churches lie in the 16th century
and have the
same root—the Sacred Scripture of all Christians, the Bible and
New Testament.
Many profoundly believing people understood the necessity for
reformation in
the Catholic Church. They were not satisfied with the
organization of the
church, its leadership, and the answers to the most important
questions, which
were offered in the name of the whole church. Preachers from
among a number of
the most active and educated priests, who sought and found in
the text of
Sacred Scripture different answers, which were accepted by
society, became the
leaders of new religious communities. The difference among them
was in the time
of their creation (between the significant theses of Martin
Luther and the
appearance of Pentecostals, almost 400 years passed), details of
the
interpretation of Sacred Scripture, and historical destinies.
Many protestant
movements disappeared by the turn of the 16th and 17th
centuries, inasmuch as
their adherents were physically destroyed by the authorities.
Others were able
to become the state religions (Lutheranism is the state religion
in
Scandinavian countries). Inasmuch as the foundation of
protestant churches is
the New Testament [the Evangel—hence, incidentally, their common
name—evangelicals] differences in the details of specific
practices are not
always easy to distinguish. For this reason, for example, it is
practically
impossible to distinguish Baptists and Evangelical Christians,
who appeared in
the Urals in the early 20th century. People followed their
leader and often
moved out of one group into another.
Appearance
of
evangelicals in Ekaterinburg
--How
long have
evangelical societies existed in the Urals, and how did their
first
representatives show up here?
--Originally
there
were not many of them. Mostly representatives of evangelical
movements
appeared in the Urals as the result of exile. According to the
census of 1897,
in Perm province, which included the Ekaterinburg district,
Baptists numbered
about a dozen—ten women and two men. Evangelical societies were
concentrated in
the western provinces of the Russian empire, but the events of
the early 20th
century affected their number and distribution. The catalyst was
the manifesto
of 1905, which declared freedom of religious confession and
freedom of
conscience, and then the February revolution of 1917, which
removed all
restrictions on the basis of religious identity.
An
important
factor that affected the development of evangelical societies
was World War I.
While in the western territories, Russian soldiers became
acquainted with
protestant churches. This especially affected prisoners of war,
to whom
representatives of evangelical churches gave support, since
social work was one
of the fundamental traits of these denominations. In particular,
a great role
was played by the Salvation Army movement, especially in 1917,
when support of
Russian prisoners of war on the part of the state was reduced to
a minimum. As
a result, the Salvation Army facilitated the return home to
Russia of our
soldiers from German captivity.
--And
through
prisoners of war, the evangelical movement was spread in the
Urals?
--Among
other
things. In addition, the war and revolution gave an impetus to
active migration
of the population. As a result there appeared in Ekaterinburg a
great number of
people who were able to explain in detail about new religious
movements. Particularly
attractive in these new movements for people of the Urals, who
were weary of
war, was the idea of pacifism—complete rejection of violence and
refusal to
participate in military actions and service in the army. And the
affirmation of
complete equality and brotherhood, hard work, charity, and
self-improvement.
And, well, not the least was the strict rejection of the use of
alcohol and
tobacco. These ideas and clear preaching were especially
attractive for youth
and women. Many call the 20s of the 20th century the "golden
age" of
protestantism in Russia. However this did not last long. In 1928
there began
harsh persecution of the evangelical movement on the part of the
state. There
was noj place for alternative ideology in the U.S.S.R.
--How
large was
the number of members of societies of evangelical movements in
this
"golden age."?
--In
the city
itself, up to several hundreds. In any case, this was a drop in
the bucket,
considering that the population of Sverdlovsk in 1926 was
140,000, more than
80% of which professed Orthodoxy. In the soviet period,
protestants continued
to exist in the Urals as the result of exile of dekulakization
during
collectivization and the mass deportation from western Ukraine
and the Baltic
republics after the annexation to the U.S.S.R. of western
territories in 1939.
Then in the years of the Great Patriotic War, there was the
forced resettlement
of Germans from the Volga to Serdlovsk oblast, among whom were
Lutherans,
Baptists, Mennonites, and Evangelical Christians.
In
conditions of
isolation from home, heavy physical labor, and division of
families, religious
feelings were activated in people. This affected even those who
previously were
far from faith. There appeared so-called barracks communities,
whose members
celebrated Christmas, Easter, and other Christian holidays. All
they could do
in these conditions was to support one another, encourage, and
sing religious
hymns.
--As
is known,
in 1943 religious organizations were granted relief. Did this
affect
protestants?
--No,
as far as
I know, the changes in policy affected only the religions of the
majority of
the population of the country. And in the postwar period there
began a new
attack on protestants. At that time Baptist and Pentecostal
preachers fell
under repression, who were absolutely law-abiding citizens. For
conducting
preaching activity or on the basis of fabricated accusations of
espionage, they
were sent to the camps for terms of 5 to 10 years, and more.
--When
did the
revival of evangelical movements begin in the Urals?
--In
Sverdlovsk
oblast, as throughout the country, religious revival in all its
forms,
including in the format of evangelical churches, began in the
1980s. A great
role in the development of the evangelical movement was played
by ethnic
Germans from among the persons resettled who landed in the
Urals, and their
descendents. For them the rebirth of religion meant the rebirth
and maintenance
of ethnic self-awareness, which was extremely important in
conditions of the
fall of the Soviet Union. After the fall of the iron curtain and
the opening of
the borders, local congregations were able to establish contacts
with foreign
protestants. In their turn, these sent missionaries and pastors
to the Urals
and helped to build churches and to regenerate religious life.
Attitude
toward
religious minorities worsens
--Today
how many
members of evangelical movements are there in Sverdlovsk oblast?
--Unfortunately
it
is impossible to establish an exact number. First, many
congregations have
arisen and fallen. In addition, they are not all registered.
Some were not able
to achieve this and others do not see any need, supposing that
this is their
personal affair. Second, in 2016-2017, a substantial blow was
delivered to
evangelical movements on the part of local authorities, which
complicated the
process of academic research on the activity of these societies,
their makeup,
and their numbers.
With
a very
great approximation I am able to suggest that there are in
Sverdlovsk oblast up
to several hundred societies and groups of various protestant
denominations,
which comprise up to several tens of thousands of believers. But
again, it’s a
drop in the bucket, considering the population of the oblast is
more than four
million.
--How
have the
relationships of evangelical societies with other confessions
and the local
population evolved?
--In
my view,
predictably. Here everything depends on the leadership of the
diocese and the
position of local authorities. According to our research and
observations, the
attitude toward representatives of religious minorities, with
the exception of
Lutherans and Catholics, has been systematically worsening,
beginning in 2004.
This situation was especially aggravated in 2016. By the way,
sociologists
conducted a study in 2004 of how active coverage of a court case
against a
religious organization in the news media affects the attitude to
the population
toward it. It turned out that regardless of the final decision
of the court,
even if no evidence of a crime was found, a negative attitude
toward the
religious group covered in the news media rose sharply. Thus,
the more often
protestants are brought to justice, the more intense is the
situation related
to their activity, even if the court fully vindicates them.
The law beats up on the defenseless
--When the Yarovaya Law was adopted, its authors said that it was aimed against Islam of a radical type. In your view, why in such a case do protestants often fall under its effect?
--In my view, this law has become a kind of trap: state agencies have a great desire to enforce it, but with respect to radical Islam this becomes very complicated for a number of reasons. For example, it is necessary to know the language in which sermons and printed literature are conducted. But in evangelical denominations all activity is conducted in the Russian language. As a result, because of the zeal of the administrative apparatus, instead of a real search for the threat, an imitation of work occurs. This, in its turn, leads to a division of society. Searches conducted among protestants, seizures of books, arrests, and so forth disturb the law-abiding citizens and divert attention from those groups whose activity the law was intended to stop. Well, the image of the country is suffering seriously.
--Is it possible that evangelical communities have been selected for scrutiny because of their small number and defenselessness?
--I am absolutely sure that it is for this reason that they have fallen under this attack. After all, in the whole history of their existence, not one of these religious denominations has been found to be extremist, to say nothing of terrorism activity. On the contrary, they strive to cooperate with the state and try to work in places where the state still has not managed to get established. All these inspections and trials are a blow to the charitable activity organized by Baptists, Pentecostals, and other societies.
--How do the protestants themselves think? Is the reason for their prosecution on the basis of article 5.26 of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law a prejudiced attitude toward them on the part of state agencies? How reasonable is this opinion?
--It seems to me that prosecution of evangelicals should not be viewed as a part of contemporary state policy. It is more likely the personal initiative of local authorities. A part of the administrative apparatus actively demonstrates its adherence to Orthodoxy, although officially religion is separate from the state. Therefore the personal convictions of a representative of an agency of government and a one-sided formulation of a view of the history and activity of specific religious denominations can profoundly affect his prejudicial attitude toward it.
--What can the religious understandings of representatives of the government be based on?
--As a rule, the basis for their ideas consists, alas, of publications that have been produced outside of the academic community.
--Might this relate to the private opinion of a priest from the dominant religion, which has been expressed publicly?
--Yes, including that this may affect the personal convictions of the law enforcer. As a result, the law itself, which regulates the religious sphere of life, may be applied wrongly. Thus there arise situations where the Bible and other Christian literature are seized, and religious denominations are mistakenly accused of extremism.
--However, personal convictions are insufficient for a court to punish a religious organization. After all, expert analyses are conducted.
--That's true, but unfortunately the principle of choosing specialists for conducting religious studies expert analysis on order from the bodies of government leaves much to be desired. For this there should be recruited not simply "religious studies scholars" but specialists, recognized by the academic community, professionals who have publications in refereed academic journals on new religious movements. We also have such experts in the oblast and in the district (Urals Federal District), but they have not once been summoned for cases connected with protestants.
--In November of last year Senator Elena Mizulina announced the preparation of a so-called antisectarian law. She said that more than 500 religious organizations would fall under its purview. In light of the history of the application of articles about missionary activity, could denominations such as Evangelical Christians suffer?
--I would begin with the fact that such a draft law, alas, would bring harm to all of society, regardless of religious affiliation. Such initiatives violate the process of the creation of civil society and unity in the country and case harm to its international image. Such a law will inevitably cause harm to the numerically dominant religions in Russia (just like was the case with articles about hurting believers' feelings). Representatives of the smaller religious denominations, such as Evangelical Christians, of course also will suffer, alas. And here the question arises, why do we, Russians, suffer? Again I repeat: the number of evangelical denominations in the country is a drop in the bucket, and history does not know of a single example of involvement in terrorist activity. (tr. by PDS, posted 23 January 2018)
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