leaders

Published by Stetson University Russia Religion News, December 14, 2004

Opposition leaders criticize government's religious policy

NO--TO ANTICONSTITUTIONAL RELIGIOUS POLICY!
State-confessional relations under civic control

The draft of the resolution of the All-Russian Civic Congress "Russia for democracy, against dictatorship" was prepared and submitted by the Institute of Freedom of Conscience, S.A. Burianov and S.A.Mozgovoy, co-chairmen

In contemporary Russia the implementation of basic constitutional principles in the area of freedom of conscience has been replaced by the priorities of a religious policy that is being conducted in the interests of power groups.

The religious policy is being conducted with the goal of maintaining power by means of the use of the authority of religion in election technologies. Among the purposes of the religious policy are control of the worldview sphere, inclusion of individual, public and mass consciousness in the sphere of religious sanctions, formation of a clerical ideology, and limitation of political competition, going so far as the formation of a political system without alternatives.

The methods of the religious policy, together with clerical ideoligizing of the agencies of power and governmental administration, the "power" structure, and the state system of education, presupposes the manipulation of religious organizations on the principle of the "carrot and stick" (knout and gingerbread).

The "carrot" takes the form of privileges, quotas, and even direct financing allocated for the RPTsMP and some of the so-called "traditional religious organizations." The "stick" takes the form of illegal restrictions of the activity and even religious persecution of confessions that are "nontraditional" for the state.

In addition, the methods of the religious policy include seemingly scientific justification, legislative reinforcement, and PR components in the news media.

The Russian Academy of State Service of the Russian presidential administration, along with the educational institutions of the "power" structure, have undertaken attempts to establish the anticonstitutional religious policy, in general, and corresponding terminology ("traditional religious organization," "religious extremism," "spiritual security," and the like), in particular.

For the legislative reenforcement of the religious policy, pertinent drafts of laws have been introduced into the Russian State Duma ("On traditional religious organizations," "On the social partnership of the state with religious associations," and so on).

Within the framework of a corresponding informational policy by the Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications, the idea of confessional preeminence has been advanced in the form of "traditional" religions, with a corresponding intolerance toward "nontraditional" religions, with the use of negative social labels, "sect," or "totalitarian sect," for purposes of discrimination.

Along with limitation of political competition, the consequences of the religious policy include violation of human rights, nationalism, fears, and violence on the basis of intolerance. Dividing religions into "traditional" and "nontraditional" inevitably divides people on the basis of "Russian/Orthodox" and "alien/heterodox."

The most important element of the religious policy is state-confessional relations. The impact of the factor of relations between the state and religious associations on the policy and election results is effected by systemic corruption in the sphere of the relations mentioned (encompassing science and education, lawmaking, and law enforcement).

It is within the framework of the state-confessional relations mentioned that the power groups, under attractive pretexts, actually buy the political support of religious organizations that possess integrative resources. In this context there occur waste and corrupt use of budgetary resources and public funds.

The anticonstitutional tendencies in the area of religious policy and relations of the state with religious associations (the formation of a system of confessional preferences for "traditional" and corresponding restrictions for "nontraditional" religious associations) affected the outcome of the election. In its turn, the State Duma of the fourth convocation has the potential to reinforce legislatively (and probably it will do so) the above-mentioned tendencies and even to advance them to a new level, in principle, even so far as to change the constitution of RF and to formulation juridically a clerical ideology.

The question about the "purity" of the Russian elections of 2003 and 2004 is problematic, including the crudest violations of constitutional principles in the area of freedom of conscience that constitute the basis of the system.

Thus, yet another very important outcome of the religious policy is the further breakdown of democratic principles and institutions, that portends the ultimate destruction of civil society.

Yesterday the impact of the factor of the religious policy and relations of the state with religious associations was underestimated by the democratic parties and the movement for defense of rights.

Today, for revitalization of democracy in Russia, it is necessary to achieve a state policy in the sphere of freedom of conscience that corresponds with the Russian constitution. State-confessional relations must be placed under civic control.

The All-Russian Civic Congress considers as appropriate the creation of an independent commission for investigation of the anticonstitutional religious policy and corruption in the sphere of relations of the state with religious associations. (tr. by PDS, posted 14 December 2004)



Volume 6 Number 51 - Tuesday, December 21st, 2004	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY