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Religious expression, which was controlled by the Communist Party of
the Soviet Union (CPSU) and strictly discouraged for nearly seven
decades, has unfolded in a myriad of different beliefs, sects, and
religious denominations since the dissolution of the USSR.
Missionaries from abroad and other proselytizers have introduced a
wide variety of religious beliefs and new-age philosophies to
Russia. Most of the religious revival has resulted in the resurgence
of traditional religions, particularly Orthodox Christianity, but
also other forms of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism.
Muslims and Buddhists reside in specific areas. Muslims live
principally in the ethnic republics of Chuvashia and Bashkortostan
in the middle Volga region and the republics of Chechnya,
Ingushetia, Alania (North Ossetia), Kabardino-Balkaria, and Dagestan
in the north Caucasus. Buddhists live chiefly in the republics of
Buryatia and Tyva (Tuva) on the northern border of Mongolia, and
Kalmykia on the northwest shore of the Caspian Sea. By contrast,
Jews and non-Orthodox Christians are dispersed throughout the
country.
Russian Orthodox Christianity (see Orthodox Church), adopted by
the Eastern Slavs from the neighboring Byzantine Empire in the 10th
century, is the primary religion in Russia. An estimated 35 million
people (about one fourth of the population) are followers of Russian
Orthodoxy. The church is widely respected by Russian nonbelievers,
who see it as a symbol of Russian heritage and culture. Orthodox
holidays are officially observed by the Russian government, and
politicians attend major church festivals. The church is divided,
however, on its role in a post-Soviet society. An anti-Semitic,
highly nationalistic, intolerant faction within the church is
opposed by another faction advocating a more tolerant, ecumenical
approach to worldly affairs.
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