Definition of the concept “neopaganism.” Neopaganism in Russia Neopagan organizations are national in nature

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The term “paganism” does not seem to have much luck. The Atheist Dictionary states that it has no “objective scientific content” at all. Indeed, “paganism” is one of those terms whose exact meaning should always be determined before using them. In the Old Testament, pagans are all non-Jews who worship gods other than Yahweh. Christians have partly inherited a similar understanding of the term - they often consider it possible to call all non-Christian religions, from magic to Buddhism, paganism.

There are, however, narrower, more specific meanings of this term. In particular, this is what adherents of monotheistic religions sometimes call followers of polytheism. In Dahl's explanatory dictionary, paganism is defined as the worship of idols and forces of nature. In this article, the term “neopaganism” will be used only in relation to attempts to resuscitate the pre-Christian gods of Ancient Rus'.

Relatively recently, the millennium of the baptism of Rus' was solemnly celebrated. With this event we rightly connected the hope for the return of Russia to the fold of Christianity. Unfortunately, this hope turned out to be largely futile. Society continues to remain pagan in the broadest sense of the word. Moreover, ironically, it was the mid-80s that became the time of the revival of Russian neo-pagan cults.

The activities of small neo-pagan groups could be ignored if they were not so active. Currently, neopagans publish about two dozen newspapers and magazines in various parts of Russia. Russian neo-pagans require special attention also because they are the authors of the overwhelming majority of anti-Christian pamphlets that have appeared in recent years. This includes, in particular, the book “Overcoming Christianity” by Vladimir Avdeev, “The Path of Truth” by Igor Sinyavin, “Christianity” by Anatoly Ivanov and Nikolai Bogdanov and many other opuses. Undoubtedly, Christian missionaries will increasingly encounter followers of “native gods”, and this requires a detailed and thorough study of neo-pagan cults.

Microscopic groups of fans of Perun and Veles appeared in Russia during the years of stagnation. Among their ideologists, three individuals deserve special mention. This is, first of all, Valery Emelyanov (Velimir). At the end of the 70s, he wrote and distributed in samizdat the book “Deionization,” in which the idea of ​​a “Jewish-Masonic” conspiracy was revived, and Christianity was assessed as “the dressing room of Zionism.” Soon Emelyanov was expelled from the party and imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital, from which he came out only after the announcement of Perestroika.

Another dissident from paganism, Anatoly Ivanov, the author of the cult pamphlet “Christian Plague” among neo-pagans, also visited a psychiatric hospital and prison. Finally, it is impossible not to mention Alexei Dobrovolsky, a man repeatedly convicted of anti-Soviet activities, who, after long spiritual wanderings, became a convinced pagan and adopted the pagan name Dobroslav. He has written many opuses on Russian neo-paganism, including the programmatic article “Arrows of Yarila.”

In those harsh times, the creation of organized neo-pagan communities was, for obvious reasons, impossible, and they began to appear only during the years of Perestroika. Moscow neo-pagans found temporary refuge in the historical and patriotic association “Memory”, which was joined by Valery Emelyanov, Alexey Dobrovolsky, and, partly, Anatoly Ivanov. After some time, the neo-pagans dissociated themselves from the pro-Orthodox part of this society and began building their own organizations. The result was the emergence in 1989 of the Moscow Slavic Pagan Community.

Neopagan communities began to emerge in other cities. In 1986, Victor Bezverkhy (Ostromysl) created the “Society of Magi” in St. Petersburg, which in 1990 was transformed into the Union of Veneds. In 1992, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Pagan Community arose. In 1993, the Kaluga Slavic Community and the Obninsk Vedic Community were formed. There has been an Ingilistic Church in Omsk since at least 1992.

In June 1993, the first major congress of neo-pagans took place at the Kupala holiday in the village of Vesenevo, where Dobroslav settled. Subsequently, such meetings began to be held more or less regularly. Representatives of five communities were already present at the 1995 festival - from Kaluga, Moscow, Izhevsk, Obninsk and Ryazan. At the Kupala holidays, not only did an exchange of ideas take place, but plans were also hatched to create an all-Russian organization. Finally, in May 1996, the Kaluga Slavic Community sent out invitations to all the most famous communities to create a single all-Russian organization. The unification congress met in Kaluga on July 19, 1997 on the holiday of Perun. On this day, at the Assembly, a decision was made to create the Union of Slavic Communities. The “elder” of the Kaluga Slavic Community, Vadim Kazakov, was elected head of the Union. The association included eight communities - from Kaluga, Moscow, Obninsk, Ryazan, Rybinsk, Smolensk, Orel and Tambov. However, even then the geography of neo-paganism

their communities were actually much wider. In subsequent years, neo-pagan groups arose in many other cities of Russia and new communities in Moscow (the “Rodolyubie” community, Satya-Veda, Kolyada “Vyatichi”) and St. Petersburg (Slavic movement “Solstice”).

In such a small article it is difficult to give any complete overview of the beliefs of Russian neo-pagans. You can find specific information about who they worship in books published by them (for example, “The World of Slavic Gods” by Vadim Kazakov, “Slavic Gods and the Birth of Rus'” by Alexander Asov), as well as on numerous neo-pagan sites on the Internet. And here, first of all, the diversity and diversity of the beliefs of Russian neo-pagans attracts attention.

This diversity is due to a number of reasons. First of all, it should be borne in mind that paganism in its authentic form has long disappeared, so there is the widest scope for speculation regarding pagan myths and rituals. All this is aggravated by the fact that neopaganism is in its infancy, and there are simply no traditions that could discipline myth-making. Finally, paganism in general is characterized by the absence of a rigid system of dogmas, and this again creates the opportunity for a wide variety of speculation.

What is the source for the reconstruction of paganism? We should talk about a whole set of such sources. Something is taken from academic research on the mythology and ritual practice of paganism in Ancient Rus'. Among Russian neo-pagans, two books by academician Boris Rybakov, in particular, are cult: “The Paganism of the Ancient Slavs” (1981) and “The Paganism of Ancient Rus'” (1987). However, it is very difficult to restore the pagan cult on the basis of this kind of books; too much has been irretrievably lost.

There is, however, a book that claims to be a reliable and complete source on ancient Slavic mythology and the history of the “Rus” before they adopted Christianity. This is “Vlesova’s book”1. It was discovered during the Civil War in the destroyed Kurakin estate near Orel by Colonel Fyodor Izenbek in the form of wooden tablets with incomprehensible writings applied to them. Realizing the value of his find, Isenbek took the tablets abroad, to Belgium. There, most of the text was rewritten by the writer and amateur historian Yuri Mirolyubov. He tried to make a translation, which was published in the American emigrant magazine “Firebird”.

Discussion continues regarding the authenticity of these texts. In the scientific community, the “Vlesovaya Book” is treated coolly - academicians Dmitry Likhachev and Boris Rybakov considered it a fake. In particular, the opinion was expressed that it was made in the second half of the 19th century by the famous collector of antiquities Alexander Sulukadzev, who had a reputation as a forger. Nevertheless, “Vlesova Book” is translated and actively commented on. The most widespread translation was made by Alexander Asov (Bus Kresen), who even risked declaring it “canonical”.

Meanwhile, on the question of the authenticity of the “Book of Vles” there is no consensus even among the neo-pagans themselves. Some of them believe that paganism was transmitted through oral tradition, as opposed to "Semitic" religions based on sacred texts. Hence the passionate desire to find somewhere living representatives of the Tradition, which gives rise to many hoaxes - attempts to put their own fabrications into the mouth of this very Tradition. An example is the “teaching” of Alexander Khinevich, the “high priest” of the Old Russian Inglistic Church of the Orthodox Old Believers-Ingilings, existing in Omsk.

Like Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon sect, Alexander Khinevich claims that he drew his teachings from plates of an unknown metal that is not subject to corrosion, which, of course, no one except himself saw. The sacred books of the “Ingilings” were written in two sacred languages: “Kh’Aryan” and “Da’Aryan”, which Khinevich was able to decipher. He also insists on the continuity of the pagan tradition and argues that the Ingilist Church clandestinely preserved sacred knowledge and rituals to this day. According to Khinevich, the “Ingilings” owned the “Temple of Perun” in Omsk back in 1913, and he himself is their direct descendant.

Some neo-pagans, trying to fill gaps in mythology and liturgics, claim that their fantasies are in some way inspired by the "old gods." Others emphasize that today we can rather talk about “creative reconstructions” of the pagan cult. All this applies, in particular, to Dobroslav, who believes that his opuses are “creativity in contact with nature.” The very name of one of his brochures is also characteristic - “Thoughts inspired by Dobroslav Shabolinsky the goblin” (!).

Many neo-pagans prefer to call their worldview not paganism, but “Vedism.” Here they contrast religious faith with the “ancient knowledge” about the world and man that our ancestors kept. They insist that it was "knowledge" - knowledge based on wisdom and common sense. The inventor of the very term “Vedism” was probably Viktor Bezverkhy, the founder of the “Union of Veneds”. At least, it was among the St. Petersburg “Vends” that this term became widely used. However, it is also used by other neo-pagans, in particular, Alexander Asov. Moreover, the latter contrasts “Vedism” not so much with religious faith, but with paganism in the sense of polytheism. Asov insists that the “Vedism” of the ancient Slavs was a kind of monotheism, and behind the many gods of the Slavs there was one omnipresent God. In this regard, Asov usually quotes the following passage from the Book of Vles:

There are also deluded ones who count the gods, thereby dividing Svarga. They will be rejected by Rod as atheists. Are Vyshen, Svarog and others a multitude? After all, God is both one and multiple. And let no one divide that multitude and say that we have many gods

In such a view of the diversity of gods it is difficult not to see a certain similarity with Hinduism. Moreover, Asov openly includes some Indian gods, in particular Indra, in the pantheon of the ancient Slavs. Other neo-pagans do the same. An example is, again, the Ingilistic Church, in which, along with Svarog and Makosh, the Indian gods Agni and Varuna, as well as the Germanic Thor, are revered.

One might think that such a breadth of beliefs testifies to the internationalism of Russian neo-pagans. However, this is not quite true. They willingly take part in the congresses of the neo-pagan World Congress of Ethnic Religions and declare their respect for the gods of other peoples. Nevertheless, Russian neo-pagans still consider themselves the bearers of the most complete and ancient knowledge.

Borrowing the gods of the Indian pantheon, Asov tries to give them a Russian sound: Krishna turns out to be the Roof, and Vishnu - the Supreme. Such consonances, according to Asov, are not at all accidental - they are the result of the influence of the “Vedism” of the ancient Slavs on the Hindus. Asov claims that in the “Songs of the Bird Gamayun”, “The Star Book of Kolyada” and the translation of the “Vlesovaya Book” he managed to restore ancient Russian mythology - the “Russian Vedas”, which became the matrix for the Indian Vedas, the Zoroastrian Avesta, as well as the religions of other Indo-European peoples. At the same time, Asov claims that the idea of ​​reincarnation was also taken by the Hindus from the ancient Slavs.

Such attempts at plagiarism can be found in a wide variety of issues. In line with neo-paganism, very bizarre concepts and practices appear: “Russian acupuncture” (Evgeniy Bagaev), “Russian chakras” (Alexey Andreev), Slavic-Goritsky wrestling or “Old Russian martial arts” (Alexander Belov), “AllYaSvetnaya Gramota” - ancient, mystical the “Russian” alphabet (Ananiy Abramov), “true history” - the “Russian trace” in all civilizations of the past (Yuri Petukhov) and much more.

The influence of neo-pagan myths is not at all limited to a few communities. Organized neo-pagans (those who settled in the countryside, like Dobroslav, or who regularly go out into nature to perform their rituals) form a kind of core, around which there are many groups, movements, individuals and phenomena.

"Political neo-paganism"
Today we can talk about the existence of a whole layer of “political neo-pagans.” This name, of course, is very conditional, since politicians are not at all alienated from members of organized communities. In this case, “political pagans” can be called those for whom political rather than spiritual activity is a priority. Political organizations of neopagans include several small parties, movements and groups. An example is the Russian National Liberation Movement, a dwarf organization created by Dobroslav in 1994 on the basis of his programmatic article “The Natural Roots of Russian National Socialism.” Subsequently, in 1996, a competing political organization under the same name was created by the editors of the St. Petersburg newspaper “For a Russian Cause.” However, the project seems to have been stillborn, and a little later, with the participation of the editors of this newspaper, another political organization was formed - the Russian Labor Party of Russia. It should also be noted that under the heading “Russian National Liberation Movement” the newspaper of Novorossiysk neo-pagans “For Rus'!” is published, as well as the Moscow newspaper “Russkaya Pravda”, the editor of which Alexander Aratov (Ogneved) was at one time close to Dobroslav.

Other political organizations of neo-pagans include the Russian Liberation Movement, the Russian Party of Russia of Viktor Korchagin, as well as the nominally existing Party of Spiritual Vedic Socialism.

Standing somewhat apart from the “political neo-pagans” are groups that should be classified as “new right.” The term “new right,” like the ideology of this neo-pagan movement itself, is of borrowed origin. The “new right” was first called in France by clubs of intellectuals who, after the well-known riots in May 1968 organized by the “new left,” took on the mission of ideological struggle against Marxism and liberalism. One of the differences between this movement and the Old Right is its hostility to Christianity. The “New Right” discovered the origins of communism in the Christian idea of ​​the equality of all people before God, and salvation in the pre-Christian spiritual heritage of Europe, not only ancient, but also barbaric.

The mouthpiece of the “new right” in Russia are several magazines: “Heritage of Ancestors” (Moscow), published until recently by Vladimir Popov and Pavel Tulaev, “Ataka” (Moscow) - the organ of the dwarf Right-Radical Party of former Zhirinovites Andrei Arkhipov and Sergei Zharikov, whose entire activity boils down to the publication of the aforementioned magazine, “Nation” (Moscow) - a recently closed publication of the Russian National Union, as well as the almanac “Elements”, which until recently was published by the former ideologist of the National Bolshevik Party Alexander Dugin. The Russian “new right” is distinguished by intellectual charm and a tendency, strange for Russian nationalists, to quote European philosophers. They rely more readily on Alain de Benoit and Julius Evola than on Russian philosophers, and thus differ from ordinary Russian neo-pagans, who are interested primarily in their native gods. It should also be noted that a feature of some of the “new right” in Russia is the desire to reconcile Orthodoxy with neo-paganism and occultism, noticeable in the almanac “Elements” and especially in the magazine “Nation”.

Martial arts
The influence of neo-paganism today can be found not only in politics, but also in many other, sometimes unexpected areas - in literature, music and even sports. The clubs of “Old Russian wrestling” and Slavic-Goritsky wrestling are essentially neo-pagan. The creator of the Slavic-Goritsky struggle, Alexander Belov (Selidor), is one of the most active neo-pagans since the time of Perestroika; he was once even the head of the Moscow Slavic Pagan Community. And today Belov is not only a trainer, but also the author of a number of policy articles on Russian neo-paganism. He takes part in the publication of the magazine “Russian Style”, dedicated to martial arts, and is also the leader of a neo-pagan organization called “Russian Military Estate”.

Youth popular culture
In youth counterculture, the vehicle of neo-paganism is rock music. At the dawn of Perestroika, rock music was a style of struggle for freedom and democracy. Today, rockers are increasingly drifting to the right - towards nationalism, racism and the cult of power. Among Russian metalheads, a home-grown version of the “pagan metal” style has already developed, represented by the products of such groups as “Kolovrat”, “Vandal” and “Northern Gates”. Information about this is present, in particular, in the magazine “Heavy March”, published by the Heavy Rock Corporation and Sergei Troitsky (Spider) - the leader of the group “Metal Corrosion”. The topic of pagan metal is devoted to many pages in purely neo-pagan magazines aimed at youth, such as “Perun” (Kaluga?), “Spolokhi” (Moscow) and “Snezhen” (Moscow?).

However, “pagan music” in Russia is not limited to the pagan metal style. Today, more and more groups are appearing that introduce Russian ethnic motifs into styles originally associated with the occult, such as ambient, dark wave electronic, and trance music. An example is the group “Arktida”, whose leader, Oleg Nikankin, is also known as the author of the book “Introduction to Astromusic” (M., 1999). This kind of product is actively distributed by the Center for Slavic Music and the Strela Perun studio, which specialize not in folklore, but in youth music.

It should also be noted that neo-paganism among rockers is closely related to the practice of magic and Satanism. Thus, the studio “Arrows of Perun” distributes not only audio cassettes with “pagan music”, but also “The Devil’s Notebook” by Anton La Vey. Even the editors of the neo-pagan magazine “Heritage of Ancestors” (No. 8, 2000) reproached “Arrows” for their excessive passion for inverted pentagrams, skulls and all sorts of devilry, expressing the hope that this is only a passing tribute to youth fashion.

"True Story"
Neopagans today fabricate not only religious, but also historical myths. In particular, attempts are being made to “correct” Russian history, to erase the “shameful spots” in it. The “Norman theory” arouses particular hatred; it is argued that the Varangians were not Scandinavians at all, but a special variety of “Rus”, and therefore there is nothing shameful in the Novgorodians’ invitation to Rurik to reign in Rus'.

It should also be noted that some neo-pagans have seized on the phantasmagoric “new chronology” of Anatoly Fomenko, according to which the entire world history is falsified - there was no Tatar-Mongol yoke, and Yaroslav the Wise, Ivan Kalita and Batu Khan are one and the same the same face. Oleg Gusev, editor of the pro-pagan newspaper “For the Russian Cause,” explains his love for the “new chronology” precisely by the fact that it washes away the “shame” of the Tatar-Mongol yoke from us (Gusev O. The White Horse of the Apocalypse. St. Petersburg, 1999, p. 156).

“The True History of the Russian People” is the name of a series of books by the Metagalaktika publishing house, headed by Yuri Petukhov. This personality is known to many from the newspaper “Voice of the Universe”, of which he was the editor. The newspaper was devoted to all sorts of “phenomena” and contained anonymous articles, supposedly directly dictated by the Universal Mind. At the same time, Petukhov mysteriously combined his activities with Orthodoxy. Today he just as successfully combines Orthodoxy with his love of paganism.

Petukhov devoted all his activities to substantiating and promoting the idea that all ancient civilizations, including Ancient Egypt, were based on a “Russian trace.” Even Jerusalem, according to Petukhov, is a native Russian city, since its name has the root “rus”. Moreover, it was from the “Rus” who lived in Palestine at that time that Jesus Christ came out (Petukhov Yu. Cradle of Zeus. M., p. 19).

The “true history” also includes a direction of research that can be conditionally called the “polar myth.” These are various fabrications about the northern ancestral home of humanity in general and Russians in particular. An example is the numerous books of the hypnotist and “academician” Viktor Kandyba, who generally places the origins of humanity far beyond the solar system. Kandyba, in particular, claims that earthly history began with the arrival of the first ancestor of all people, Oriya, from the constellation Orion, in “Arctida”. Kandyba claims that after the flooding of Arctida, the “Rus” Aryans moved south and created all known civilizations, including Ancient Egypt, Sumer and Greece (Kandyba V.L. History of the Russian people until the 12th century AD M., 1995, p. .3).

The “Polar Myth” is also being developed by another famous “true historian” - Valery Demin, the author of countless books about the “secrets” of the Russian people. He is trying to prove that the Russians are direct descendants of the people of Hyperborea, the legendary northern country mentioned in ancient sources. At the same time, Demin not only engages in book research, but also takes concrete steps to confirm his hypothesis - since 1999, together with the editors of the journal Science and Religion, he has been conducting archaeological research on the Kola Peninsula in order to discover the remains of Hyperborea. Moreover, according to Demin, he managed to find the ruins of an ancient Cyclopean temple left by the Hyperborean civilization.

The “polar myth” partly overlaps with another direction of historical research, which is usually called “ariosophy”. This should include the search for the ancestral home of the Aryans, which has become fashionable, and speculation regarding the special, mystical properties of this people. Although the term “Aryan” itself can be considered scientific, the work of historians dealing with the problem of the Aryans is almost always covered with a touch of mysticism. This applies, among other things, to the Ukrainian archaeologist Yuri Shilov, whose book “The Ancestral Homeland of the Aryans” (Kiev, 1995) caused a scandal in the academic community and became a model for numerous imitations on the topic “Ukraine is the ancestral homeland of the Aryans.” Shilov considers his activities almost world-saving. In his opinion, the revival of the worldview of the ancient Aryan civilization, the remains of which he allegedly discovered in the Dnieper valley, is a means of survival and spiritual revival of humanity (Shilov Yu. A. Gandharva - the Aryan savior. Vedic heritage of the Dnieper region. M., 1987, p. 112) .

"Archaeology of Language"
Here it is appropriate to pay attention to another direction of research closely related to neo-paganism, which Valery Demin designated by the term “archeology of language” (Demin V.N. Secrets of the Russian People. M., 1997, p. 29). It is argued that the Russians had a developed written language even before the adoption of Christianity. Moreover, the Old Russian language is the oldest in the world; it served as a matrix for other languages, and therefore many inscriptions of ancient civilizations are unthinkable to read without the Russian language.

This kind of linguistic research is a common genre in neo-pagan publications. There are professionals and amateurs here. In particular, the books by historian Gennady Grinevich “Proto-Slavic Writing. Results of decipherment" (vol. 1, 1993, vol. 2, 1997), which contains an attempt to decipher inscriptions found in India, Mesopotamia and Crete based on the Old Russian language.

There are even extreme versions of the “archeology of language.” An example is the often cited book by Pyotr Oreshkin “The Babylonian Phenomenon” (1984), published somewhere abroad, in which, using the Russian language, not only Etruscan gems are deciphered, but also the toponymy of North and South America (Michigan - “they chase balls”, Tennessee - “bears a shadow”, Brazil - “muddy banks”, etc.).

But “archeology of language” can be not only a genre of research; in principle, it can turn into a kind of cult. An example is “AllYaLightLiteracy” - the invention of the “people's academician” Anania Abramov. He claims that he is a descendant of the ancient boyar family of the Shubins, in which knowledge of pre-Christian writing was passed on from generation to generation. Abramov also claims that the “All-Ya-Svetnaya-Literacy” itself in the form of 147 “beeches” was “read” from Space tens of thousands of years ago (Shubin-Abramov A.F. Bukovnik All-Ya-Svetnaya-Literacy. M., 1996, p. 91). Studying the “AllYaLightLiteracy” since the late 70s, Abramov managed to create an entire popular movement - the public organization “AllYALightLiteracy”, in which he is the Chairman and Guardian. Strictly speaking, “AllYaLightLiteracy” can hardly be considered a neo-pagan cult, since Abramov himself has a good attitude towards all “spiritual teachers”, including Jesus Christ, whose name for some reason he always writes with one letter “and”. Nevertheless, non-pagans also show interest in Abramov’s “teachings” - for example, Oleg Gusev, who in the book “The White Horse of the Apocalypse” (St. Petersburg, 1999) devoted an entire chapter to Abramov’s method.

Tabloid literature
Finally, one cannot fail to mention the pulp novel, which is capable of conveying pagan myths and ideas to an audience of millions. Yuri Petukhov admits that his “true story” caused only laughter in the academic community. Therefore, he decided to write historical novels in which his ideas would be presented in an intelligible form for an unsophisticated audience. However, Petukhov is far from the only one working in this field today. And here it is impossible to ignore the novels of Sergei Alekseev. Even during the years of stagnation, he wrote an entertaining novel for those times, “The Word,” which played on the theme of pre-Christian writing. But with each new opus, Alekseev falls lower and lower, producing completely low-grade, commercial literature - nevertheless, his four-volume novel “Treasures of the Valkyrie” became a Russian bestseller. The “pagan novel” includes many books by Maria Semenova (“Wolfhound”, “Wolfhound-2”, etc.), a series of novels by Galina Romanova (Nezhelana) “Svarozhichi” in four volumes, as well as a series of “historical fiction” “Mysterious Rus'” ”, which opened with the book by Yuri Nikitin “The Princely Feast”.

Generalization
What are the reasons for the revival of neo-pagan cults in modern Russia, a country that adopted Christianity more than a thousand years ago? In most cases, these reasons are characteristic not only of Russia - interest in paganism today is shared by the whole world. In relation to our country, we can talk about the existence of at least seven closely related reasons:

1) For many, the choice of neo-paganism is associated with a deep interest in national culture. Against the backdrop of a trend towards erasing national differences and the formation of a cosmopolitan mass culture, a return movement is emerging, a sign of which is an interest in the “ethnic”: folklore, folk crafts, folk costume. It is symptomatic that the Lithuanian neo-pagan organization “Romuva” arose precisely as a folklore movement. Some Russian neo-pagans also grew out of interest in folklore and local history.

2) Since neopaganism is largely a political movement, the reasons for its appearance should also be sought in the political plane. The failure to create an influential opposition on the basis of Orthodox-monarchist ideology forces nationalists to look for a basis for political activity in other ideas. Their interest in neo-paganism is associated with the realization that Christianity is a borrowed and, moreover, “Jewish” religion that dealt a blow to the spiritual culture of Ancient Rus'. Many prefer paganism to Orthodoxy due to the fact that they are consistent nationalists and anti-Semites.

For people of this sort, politics is generally more important than theology. Thanks to this circumstance, one can observe a touching cooperation between “Orthodox” and “pagans” in various political organizations. An example is the Russian Party of Russia of Viktor Korchagin and the Russian Labor Party of Russia, in which, in fact, there are two factions each. The priority of politics for many neo-pagans is also evidenced by Evgeny Shchekatikhin’s policy article “Why is a union of Orthodox and Wends necessary,” published in the newspaper of the Union of Veneds “Native Spaces” (1997, No. 2).

3) Another reason for the interest in neo-paganism is the interest in myth characteristic of our time. For a long time, myth was treated as a fairy tale, a fable. However, in the twentieth century there was a rehabilitation of this concept - it turned out that spiritual and even scientific activity is inseparable from myth. Myth has become a fashionable and frequent object of study. Theoretical interest in myth resulted in attempts to revive pre-Christian cults.

– Today, when the position of the Russian Orthodox Church has strengthened and its influence on society has increased, voices are heard louder and louder calling for a return to the original religion of Rus' - paganism, and to deprive the Orthodox Church of dominance. And for many such calls evoke response and sympathy. Andrey Ivanovich, in your opinion, why is this happening?

– If we talk about the “originality” of paganism, then this is the position of certain theories that consider the origin of religion, its history as a kind of evolution of religious consciousness from primitive to more complex. We, Orthodox people, do not share this view. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) wrote: “Man was created in a natural state, fell into a state below the natural, and was elevated by Christ to a supernatural state.” Therefore, we consider the entire history of mankind not as progress, some kind of self-improvement and some kind of establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth - this is a heresy that the Church condemned at its Councils.

We view history as the return of man to the paradise he had lost, to the state of similarity he had lost, elevated by Christ to the supernatural. We are talking about humanity's longing for the perfection to which God originally destined man. Man was created in the image and likeness of God. The image is an immortal soul given by God to man. The state of similarity is the desire for God. After the Fall, man lost the opportunity to be like God, but by grace, the desire remains. Therefore, all these quests to return to their origins are completely natural. They are just looking in the wrong place, and the vector is directed in the wrong direction.

The memory of paradise remains in man - hence all this talk that “it was better before.” And the neo-pagans play on this

Tertullian also said that the soul is by nature Christian, and a person cannot live without faith. But if a person loses faith, he begins to replace it with surrogates, which is neo-paganism. Today's neo-paganism carries out a substitution, playing on this Christian feeling. Using, among other things, the memory inherent in a person that it was better before. We all know how grandparents say that things were better before. And their grandparents also said at one time that it was better before. So this desire to return to the roots is natural for the Christian soul. And neopaganism uses it. But, I repeat, it leads in the wrong direction.

Neo-paganism also plays on the feeling of national identity, love for one’s Motherland, and the feeling of patriotism, accusing Christians of being unpatriotic is, in general, wrong.

If we talk about dominance in society... We all remember the words of Christ: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8). An Orthodox Christian does not strive to win a victory over someone and build the Kingdom of God on earth. An Orthodox Christian strives, first of all, as stated in the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church, to acquire the Holy Spirit. The structure of any kingdom begins, from the point of view of the Christian Orthodox worldview, with the structure of the internal state of man.

– The confrontation between Christianity and paganism has a long history. As soon as the teaching of Christ appears, colossal resistance to it begins. Why was the powerful Roman Empire, which accepted into its religious pantheon all the deities of the conquered peoples, unable to reconcile with meek Christianity? What was this connected with?

– The Roman Empire is the deification of the emperor, it is hope solely for strength and power. And the question cannot be asked this way: why did the Roman Empire not accept Christ into its pantheon? This Christianity has not accepted these gods into its identity because, as the Holy Scriptures say, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5). There is one God, and the Christian consciousness, the Christian faith cannot accept that, along with Christ, there may be other gods and saviors. Christian love for God is indivisible.

Russia has turned towards the East, and we can expect that neo-paganism will receive powerful support from Hinduism

If we talk about modern neo-paganism, then its origins lie precisely in ancient paganism, from where it draws its ideology, mythology, and practices. One of the ancient pagan systems is Hinduism. And today, when Russia has turned from the West towards the East, we can expect that neo-paganism will receive powerful support from its older brother, so to speak, Hinduism. The information processing of public consciousness today is well organized; the need to be tolerant and tolerant is trumpeted on every corner. And Christians need to be prepared for such a situation. For example, a pagan Hindu will say that he is ready to accept “Christ” and place Him in his pantheon of gods next to Shiva and Vishnu, but you too be tolerant: here are our Vishnu and Shiva. Of course, such tolerance is impossible for the Orthodox consciousness. We believe in the Holy Trinity - Father and Son and Holy Spirit. And there is no other God except the Lord Savior Jesus Christ, in the Trinity, One and Without Beginning.

And the Roman Empire could not come to terms with the fact that there should be only one God. How can this be, after all, you turn to some gods for victory, to others for wealth and prosperity, to others for help in other matters... She could not understand that God is Omnipotent, Omnipotent and Omniscient and He is one. Worshiping the gods meant winning them over to your side; worshiping Christ meant quite the opposite: changing yourself with the help of God. This was the problem with Roman identity at that time. They could not understand why they should serve God if He did not indulge them.

– At every historical stage in the life of society, paganism accused Christianity of the destruction of cultural values ​​and the lack of aesthetic sense. Moreover, the word “Christian” sometimes became synonymous with the word “ignoramus.” And the Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate generally issued an edict in which Christians were completely excluded from the cultural life of society. Are these accusations justified?

- Julian the Apostate. It is known how and with what words he ended his life: having once again gone to war against Persia and seeing that the outcome of the battle was not being decided in his favor, he threw himself on a spear (according to other sources, he was struck by lightning; in general, the circumstances of his death are more why they are strange, and this also says a lot)… So, before his death, he exclaimed: “You defeated me, Galilean!” Julian the Apostate, on the verge of death, realized that he would now appear before God and realized the futility of faith in pagan gods. And these words of his: “You have defeated me, Galilean!” – sounded like some kind of repentance. Was this repentance or a desperate cry and simply disappointment in their gods, who cannot save a person from death - only God knows.

And there is no need to talk much or for long about whether Christianity can be excluded from cultural life; it is enough just to remember who was raised by Orthodox Christian culture.

Tchaikovsky, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Lermontov, Leskov... Among the scientists - Lomonosov, surgeon Pirogov... These people were brought up in an Orthodox environment. From their very infancy they knew what the Church is, what the Sacraments of the Church are. All of them were baptized. What can the pagans do against them?

The pagans always say that before, before Christianity, it was better: the rivers were full of fish, the forests were full of game... And then the Greeks came and forcibly baptized us all, they pushed us all into a yoke. But, firstly, let's remember who ruled our state then. Ruled by Grand Duke Vladimir "Red Sun". What was its main idea and purpose? Unite all tribes. Constantly, as we know from history, there were battles and wars between tribes. That’s why he brought idols to Kiev to join his pantheon of the pagan gods Perun, Dazhdbog, Svarog, Svaroch and others, deciding that if all these idols were in the capital, it would unite the entire pagan people. But the unification did not work out. But it was imperative to find a way to unite the Russian state, which was then very fragmented. So the question arose about faith in one God. We all know this story well. Orthodoxy was chosen precisely as the unifying principle of the people. When some neo-pagans write that there was violence and massacres there, this is a lie. There may have been some degree of violence on the part of Prince Vladimir’s servants. But who were his servants? Neophytes. People who have just become Christians, and most likely are just preparing to become them. In fact, they were still pagans. And if we look at how Russian history developed after the Baptism of Rus', we will see that the Russian state was strong when people had a uniting principle - faith in Christ.

Prince Vladimir himself gives the answer to the pagans: he realized that paganism cannot bring the state together

Prince Vladimir himself gives this answer to the neo-pagans with his life. But he was such a complete pagan, one might say, but he realized that you couldn’t bring the state together with paganism, such efforts were in vain. And so he turned to Christ.

– Christians are often accused of lacking patriotism and love for their homeland... But paganism is just patriotic.

– For some reason, an Orthodox person is presented as such a helpless creature who only humbles himself; They think that a Christian is a slave by nature. This is a huge mistake. People simply don’t know what Orthodoxy is. In Orthodoxy there is a commandment: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Let us remember our great commanders - Orthodox people! Should we doubt their patriotism?! Saint Alexander Nevsky, Saint Dmitry Donskoy, Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, Saint Fyodor Ushakov... Ushakov not only did not lose a single battle, but in these battles he did not lose a single ship. This is evidence that he not only fought bravely, but also took care of his people.

Recently, such saints as Andrei (Oslyabya) and Alexander (Peresvet) were glorified at the Council of Bishops. We know who these people are. But they were not even monks, but schema-monks. But when things became difficult for the state, they, in their schematic robes, took up arms and went to fight. The idea of ​​Orthodoxy as a slave religion is false.

Personality, family, nation, state and Church - these five principles are outlined by the hand of God

In the Orthodox understanding there is a whole concept of patriotism. It has five principles: personality, family, nation, state and Church. These five principles are outlined by the hand of God. Personality, man was created by God. The family is also not an artificial invention of this century. “And the Lord said: It is not good for man to be alone. And he made him a helper”—a wife (Gen. 2:18). Nations and different peoples arose when the Lord, seeing the Tower of Babel, confused languages ​​- different dialects came from there, and this was a punishment, which, like any punishment of God, became a blessing for man. Then, when people saw that there was no sovereign, the people of Israel asked God: “Give us a sovereign.” And God gave it. And when Christ comes, He establishes the Church on earth. This is also not a human dispensation, which is why the Church is still alive. So these are five natural principles: personality, family, nation, state, Church, which an Orthodox Christian is assigned to defend, praying for unity and the preservation of these God-given values, and if necessary, with arms in hand.

This is the world’s answer to accusations that such concepts as duty to one’s Motherland, duty to the Fatherland are alien to Orthodoxy. Not alien! The Apostle Paul, in a fit of zeal and love for his people, exclaims: “I would like to be excommunicated from Christ for my brothers who are related to me according to the flesh...” (Rom. 9: 3). Not according to faith, but according to the flesh. Who is the Apostle Paul? A Jew of Judah, from the tribe of Benjamin. He was not alien to healthy national patriotism, a feeling of love for his nation. What's wrong with that? A person who loves his nation will also treat other nations with respect. If a person loves his mother, he will treat someone else's mother with respect. And if he hates his own mother, will he respect someone else’s? Of course not.

– Andrey Ivanovich, at what level does the struggle between Christianity and paganism continue today? And how does paganism mimic?

– Pagan epics, which are presented to us supposedly as historical documents, like the Book of Veles, are all myths. There are no books, no one has ever seen them. It is very difficult to say what Slavic paganism was like. And no one knows this. Mimicry of paganism, an attempt to pass off one’s own fantasies as historical reality, often resorting to syncretism, a collection of mythical images in different pagan religions, passing them off as the identity of the Russian people. To some extent, the way neo-pagans imagine the life of our ancestors, sometimes passing them off as idiots, is an insult to our people, although not yet enlightened by the light of Christ, but still ours.

And of course, there is opposition between paganism and Christianity today. And it is carried out purposefully by the popularizers of paganism. One of the famous preachers of neo-paganism was Swami Vivekananda. He was a Hindu and studied in England at a Protestant college. It was he who became the popularizer of Hinduism, and essentially neo-paganism, in America and Europe. After all, Hinduism is not a missionary religion. A person must be born in Hinduism, because according to the law of karma, you cannot move from one caste to another. Therefore, Vevikanada was a neo-pagan, introducing America, thirsting for exoticism after rational Protestantism, with neo-Hinuism and his interpretation of Advanta Vedanta, one of the philosophical schools of Hinduism. Today's neo-pagans follow the same pattern. They take some occult heretical teaching and transform it, passing it off as originally Russian. Then Vivekananda was supported by the Freemasons; he was a member of the Masonic lodge. There is no doubt that today's neo-pagans, those who are more popular, are in the field of view of Western intelligence services that are hostile to Russia. They know the history of our people well. They know what to do to separate it. To divide with one goal, in order to divide and conquer.

– You work in a center that provides assistance to people caught in neo-pagan networks. In your experience, what kind of people are these?

– Yes, this is the Center of St. Joseph of Volotsky at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Old Belyaev. Not only neo-pagans, but also those who have fallen into neo-Protestant sects turn there for help. But it’s easier to talk to them, Protestants and their followers; after all, they identify themselves as Christians and read the Bible. They have a basis, they trust the Holy Scriptures, although they distort it with their interpretation. With neopagans everything is more complicated, in the sense that the meaning of the conversation is sometimes missing. There's nothing to talk about. There is no basis for faith, only slogans and guesses, references to non-existent historical facts. And here in b O To a greater extent, much depends on the parents of children who have ended up in a sect.

- What exactly?

– I’ll tell you one story. A mother turned to us, whose son ended up with the neo-pagans - the Hare Krishnas. She comes to us in despair: “What should we do?” The priest asks her: “Are you a Christian yourself? Do you go to church? - “Well, for Easter, for Christmas...” And the priest gave this mother this advice: “Start going to church yourself, become a normal Orthodox Christian.” She began to go to church, take communion, and pray. A year later he comes to the rehabilitation center with words of gratitude. And he brings his son, who says: “I was a Hare Krishna, I went to neo-pagan sabbaths, with drums. My mother kept shouting at me: “Go to an Orthodox church! Don’t go to these demons!..” She doesn’t go to church herself, but sends me there... I tried not to meet her. I knew when it was her shift at work, I’d run home when she wasn’t there, quickly eat, change clothes and run back to my temple. This went on for a long time. The house is not clean, there is no lunch, the refrigerator is almost empty. And then one day I ran in and saw how clean it was! He ate and ran away. I come running after some time - it’s clean again. The icon, the lamp is burning. Interesting... Then I look: some kind of religious books. It smells like incense. Once I arrived, there was a saucepan and a note on the table: “Son, here is milk porridge. I know you don’t eat meat.” I think: what happened to mom? One day I came - the Holy Scripture was opened, and there were the words: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” And as that guy himself testified, he was struck by lightning as if by this phrase: “Come, everyone.” He decided not to run away that time, to wait for his mother. I thought: since “everyone”, then maybe he too? He says: “I don’t know what happened to me, I can’t explain it yet. But I believe that Christ also called me to Himself.”

We need to explain, tell people what neopaganism is, who neopagans are. It is necessary to tell what Istarkhov’s book “Strike of the Russian Gods” is - and this is a sermon of anti-Semitism and fascism, Hitler is quoted in it. We need to tell you who Levashov is. By the way, Stepan Komarov, who staged a shooting in a church in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, killing nun Lyudmila... read books by these authors - a mixture of neo-paganism with occultism, which say that Orthodox people are amoebas, they must be destroyed, they are useless for society, that Orthodoxy is the religion of the weak. And they don’t know that there are these words of St. Philaret (Drozdov): “He who is useless for the kingdom of earth is also useless for the Kingdom of Heaven.” It is strange that people who are drawn to patriotism, who want to cultivate in themselves a feeling of love for their homeland, for some reason do not see and do not want to see Russian saints, Russian culture, Russian identity.

– Pagans also reproach Christianity for the fact that it adopted many traditions and customs from paganism. Is this statement true?

Orthodoxy did not destroy the culture of peoples, but brought new meaning to it

- No, that's not entirely true. The Church has never used pagan attributes in its missionary service. Orthodoxy has always tried not to destroy the culture that exists, but to bring new meaning to it. Unlike the Protestant mission, from the Anabaptists, for example. However, Protestantism itself, already at its appearance, provoked wars: instead of reformation, it turned out to be a revolution - the so-called peasant war in Europe, which raged there for 30 years, the peak of which was in 1524-1526. It seems that Luther’s intentions were good: “The Bible and only the Bible,” to translate the Holy Scriptures into his native language... But all this turned into a knife fight in the center of Europe. And when the Protestants went to America, they simply destroyed the indigenous population of this continent - the pagan Indians. They said that these lands must be cleared of those who are not worthy of living on them. In the conquest of America, they saw Canaan, a certain promised land, and themselves as the people of Israel, a liberator from the pagans of the land that they believed was being given to them by God. This is how they understood the Old Testament, and for some reason they took the Old Testament for themselves as a guide to action. This was the mission.

And Russian Orthodox missionaries acted completely differently. They did not suppress the local culture, but they invested new meaning into the holidays that these peoples had, transforming them. For example, Saint Innocent is the enlightener of the Aleuts and peoples of Alaska, the same Indians. This was a mission of enlightenment specifically for pagan peoples. There was a diocese with its own bishop, hospitals, libraries, schools, churches and chapels. Read the most interesting work of His Grace Clement, Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk, “The Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska before 1917.” This is a fundamental work of approximately 600 pages, telling about the self-sacrifice of Orthodox missionaries for the salvation of pagan peoples.

To sum up the answer to the question of whether Christians borrowed paganism to one degree or another, we must turn to the history of the emergence of paganism. To place, say, emphasis on what comes first – paganism or Christianity. There are many different theories about the origin of religions. Note - theories. But theory is not fact. As the famous French encyclopedist and scientist once wrote: “Remember always. Nature is not God, man is not a machine, and theory is not a fact.” So, the theory is naturalistic - they say, people were afraid of thunder and lightning, and therefore they began to worship these natural phenomena. And since they were afraid everywhere, they worshiped these elements everywhere. Another theory is animism. Its supporters argue like this: primitive primitive people could not explain such phenomena as sleep, so they came up with the idea that there is some kind of secret soul, etc. But these are just fictions and theories, everything was not like that at all. Let's turn to the Holy Scriptures. I mentioned above the Babylonian dispersion (see: Gen. 11). People began to spread over the entire face of the earth when the Lord confused their languages. They knew about the global flood, they knew that the Messiah was coming, they knew that there was some kind of apostasy from God. But, spreading across the face of the earth, they distorted this knowledge and faith, sometimes beyond recognition. In Egyptian mythology and Greek mythology there are these motifs, but this is not the result of some kind of evolutionary progress of humanity towards a bright future, but this is the result of the fact that people, having spread across the face of the earth, retained those reflections of truth, which was distorted to the level of paganism and worship of pagan gods. Therefore, Orthodox missionaries, Greek missionaries who came to Rus' when Prince Vladimir was baptized, saw these reflections, and they did not suppress them, but only corrected and corrected them. They said that it was a good thing - the holiday of Ivan Kupala, but its meaning was not to jump over the fire into the lake and create orgies, but something else: it was baptism, the transformation of the human soul. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). Or, for example, Maslenitsa. It is generally included in the church calendar, but its meaning is not just pagan - one will overeat pancakes - but completely different. The Church is preparing the Orthodox people for Lent and this week, in general, is one of sorrow, a memory of the lost paradise, the expulsion of their paradise. And other pagan holidays were given a new, Christian meaning, lost after the Babylonian retreat and the dispersion of peoples.

– When we read the acts of martyrdom of the early Christians, it is especially surprising how courageously and steadfastly people accepted death and did not compromise with paganism, even to the point of not tasting what was sacrificed to idols. Why does the modern world follow the pagans and actively promote paganism?

– The Apostle Paul has these words: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). So what you said is the result of conformity with this age.

Sometimes some kind of paganism penetrates into the lives of Orthodox Christians. I think this is due to a certain instability, or rather, relaxation in faith. How to strengthen it, what is necessary for this? It is said: “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). I, as a teacher, as a missionary, familiar with the situation not only in Moscow, but also in the regions, I want to say: unfortunately, Orthodox Christians devote very little time to studying the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Church Fathers. There are some dioceses where such studies are carried out at a fairly high level. But, more often than not, this is some kind of personal initiative of lay missionaries and priests. That is why paganism penetrates into this world and infects the so-called Orthodox people. You can’t call them secular, because many of them are baptized, but they are people close to the church. They come to the temple occasionally for some occasion. Ignorance is the cause of all retreat.

To prevent elements of paganism from penetrating into the church environment, normal parish life and constant study of the Holy Scriptures are needed

So the best counteraction to this pagan influence is healthy parish life. In order to prevent elements of paganism from penetrating into the church environment or into secular society, normal parish life is necessary. Liturgy, prayer, constant study of the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church. This is the foundation, this is the foundation.

In our missionary center of St. Joseph of Volotsky, which I mentioned above, not only there is a reception center for the rehabilitation of victims of sectarian delusion, but missionary courses for adults are held - on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 19 to 21 pm, also on Sundays. This is a whole course. We study the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, patrolology, dogmatic theology - we devote all two hours of class on Thursday to it. We must know our faith. Faith is not an abstract mystical feeling; it has its own content, correctly directing a person in this life to the life of the next century, to the Kingdom of God. A person cannot live without faith. Faith is what was given to man at his creation, expressed in the Bible by the word “likeness.” But if God is replaced by gods, then the integrity of the individual is lost and a certain scattering of the human soul occurs. So, the best way of Christian opposition to paganism is a healthy parish life: prayer, study of the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church.

– Why is neo-paganism so popular among young people? What attracts them most?

– I think young people are attracted to a certain extravagant romanticism that is found in neo-paganism. The antagonistic behavior characteristic of young people also plays a role - not accepting something official, opposing authorities recognized by society. The church has to some extent an official status in society and authority. And paganism is something so marginal and underground, and it always arouses interest in a young man. At a certain stage of life - in adolescence, during boyhood.

There is, in my opinion, one mistake that missionaries make when communicating with young people. This is some flirting in rhetoric and behavior. Young people, like every person, in this case begin to treat the missionary approaching them with some caution. In our age we are accustomed to the fact that if they flatter us, it means they want to take something away from us. I believe from my experience working with young people that communication with them should be specific. It is expressed, first of all, in the absence of any baby talk, in a clear statement of one’s faith and way of life.

We, missionaries, Christians in general, don’t need to get lost, don’t give up, we need to talk about our faith, we need to preach, we need to explain what neo-paganism is – on the Internet, on forums wherever possible. Using all modern media, because today's youth are children of smartphones and iPhones. And not just the media. We must go to the youth. Communicate with them, work in this field, where neopaganism and sectarianism often simply overwhelm. Look for new forms, without changing the foundations of faith, in order to reach the hearts of young people.

Neopaganism began to actively develop in our country since the late 80s of the last century. Few people took him seriously back then. The collapse of the Soviet state opened the door to such a wide variety of foreign sects that neopagans, compared to the rest of the numerous adherents of new religious movements, stood out only because of their original national flavor.

Time has passed, and although various overseas sects have gathered a considerable harvest of besotted souls in the vastness of our Fatherland, they have now become quiet for the most part. By and large, their teachings and forms of activity are alien to our mentality. However, neopaganism, which directly declares its originality, using the appropriate attributes and rhetoric, on the contrary, began to remind itself more and more often. Currently, among new religious movements, neopaganism is one of the most actively developing and, in fact, the most hostile to Christianity.

The head of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society and the Media, Vladimir Legoida, agrees with this, who, at a meeting with the heads of diocesan information departments and departments for relations between the Church and society, noted: “Today we are seeing an increase in neo-pagan sentiments among young people, first of all, of course, in the circles of athletes and in the circles, which is doubly unpleasant, of people who carry weapons, that is, these are special forces and so on. Our initial analysis shows that the pattern of attracting people is standard sectarian: people are attracted by attention, power and help.”

Among public people there are already many who sympathize with neo-paganism, and even directly call themselves “Rodnovers”. Among these are the satirist M. Zadornov, boxer A. Povetkin, and wrestler R. Zentsov.

The methods of the neo-pagans themselves, aimed at attracting adherents, are becoming more and more sophisticated and cunning. Thus, in the city of Ryazan, the Tartaria Foundation has been operating for quite a long time, specializing in organizing charitable events for orphanages, which in fact is a cover for the spread of neo-pagan ideology. Neopagans also actively promote their ideas through various courses on personal growth, success, etc. Neo-pagans are actively introducing themselves into the communities of historical reconstruction and martial arts.

Logic versus emotion

The famous scientist, candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, Archpriest Sergius Rybakov, in his article “The Laws of Physics and the Law of God,” referring to the legacy of the outstanding Orthodox American Father Seraphim (Rose), makes an important conclusion: “In Russia, by the end of the 20th century, with the end of the era realism (atheism), more and more ordinary people begin to anxiously look for something that could replace the God who died in their hearts. In this era, people, as a rule, do not seek tranquility on the path to God, since they consider this a passed stage, but rush into the area of ​​the occult, looking for some special connection with nature. In this era, rational thinking is lost. Irrationalism becomes the dominant way of thinking."

Modern neo-paganism is very primitive, naive, and sometimes it just seems stupid. It does not have any intelligible teachings about the purpose of man, or about his afterlife, or about the origin of the Universe - in fact, neo-paganism generally shuns global issues that are classic for any religion. On neo-pagan sites there is a wide range of opinions regarding the Slavic pantheon. Who should be included? Only the widely known Perun, Veles or Svarog? Or maybe Baba Yaga and Santa Claus? Or the completely original Vyshenya and Kryshenya? There is a complete chaos of assumptions and opinions on these issues. At the same time, some consider the gods to be personalities, others consider them manifestations of a single god or an avatar of impersonal nature or simply deified ancestors. Some of the neo-pagans are supporters of reincarnation, while others, on the contrary, deny it. In a word, in this case it is absolutely appropriate to say that there are as many neo-pagans as there are neo-pagans.

However, neo-pagan adherents developed a set of simple slogans and myths, such as “my god did not call me a slave”, “Glory to the family, death to the freak”, “Glory to our gods and ancestors”, “Bloody baptism of Rus'”, etc.

Due to the changed consciousness of a part of our society, which was formed by modern mass media, information based on texts that appeals to logic and rationality is practically not perceived; on the contrary, the information that comes in images, impressions and appeals to emotions is absorbed quite simply. Clip thinking has become widespread. Therefore, it is not surprising that such neo-pagan myths and slogans, which have a strong emotional overtones, are easily perceived by some people and become the basis of their worldview.

National fugitives

It is worth noting an interesting fact - despite emphasizing their “original originality,” neo-pagans very rarely call themselves “Russians”; as a rule, for national self-identification they use the terms “Slavic”, “Slavic-Aryan”, “Rusich”, etc. As a rule neopagans, although they strive to study folklore, at the same time shun scientific knowledge on this topic, considering external surroundings and amateurish pseudoscientific sources more acceptable. There is a complete loss of national identity with a “retreat” into a fictitious ethnic group.

There is a completely logical explanation for this “Slavic-Aryan” isolation. During periods of national triumph, there is no end to those who want to join a successful people, and in difficult times, the weakest and most cowardly are the first to flee the national ship. The process of escaping from one’s own people, as a rule, occurs by separating into a separate fictional nation, “under the protection” of which it is much more comfortable and easier to look at the troubles of a people who have become a stranger.

The 90s of the 20th century became another difficult test for the Russian people. Many then had a hard time experiencing the division of a single state, the bloody wars in Chechnya, the expulsion of the Russian population from the former Soviet republics, the degradation of morality and morality, and the disastrous financial situation. All this happened to the accompaniment of openly anti-national liberal politicians who were then in power.

In those same years, there is an unexpected appearance of representatives of the nations that have long disappeared or never existed as a separate ethnic group: “Polovtsians”, “Varyags”, “Ingrians”, “Cossacks”, “Siberians”, “Merians”, etc. They declare themselves individual representatives of the Cossacks are a sovereign people, although even the main ideologist of the “independent Cossacks,” Ataman Pyotr Nikolaevich Krasnov, said at one time that “the Cossacks are the best part of the Russian people...”. “New nations” invent their own dialects, cultural traditions and customs. In relation to the Russian people, their history and culture, isolated representatives of the “new nations” are usually extremely hostile, considering the Russian people an “occupier”. All this is complemented by the myth of the lost “golden age”, during which there was a total flourishing of culture, art, crafts, the level of well-being was extremely high, etc., but all this was lost as a result of the occupation.

Having compared the facts, we will come to a completely logical conclusion - Slavic neo-paganism is a classic example of national, cultural and religious isolation from the traditional Russian nation. Calling themselves Slavs or Aryans, worshiping pre-Christian gods, dressing in “antique” dresses with pseudo-Slavic symbols, supporters of neo-pagan ideas are doing everything to break with the thousand-year-old Russian tradition. It is in this environment that the interest in rewriting and revising history and the formation of pseudo-historical myths is greatest.

Because of their hostile attitude towards Orthodoxy, neo-pagans in every possible way deny or neutralize all the successes, achievements and victories of our people that have occurred since the Baptism of Rus'.

Destroyers of Nations

It is also worth noting that neo-pagans represent a classical anti-system, according to the definition given by the historian L. Gumilev. Gumilyov called antisystems ghosts of systems and systems seeking to change the worldview to the opposite, to change the sign of the stereotype of behavior of a given ethnic group or part of it. The concept of an antisystem, first formulated by Gumilyov, was subsequently more fully revealed by the historian and political scientist Vladimir Makhnach. According to his definition, an antisystem is a stable group of people with a negative worldview of reality, a group that formally belongs to the same culture, but perceives it negatively, even with hatred. Antisystems are distinguished by a negative worldview and, as a consequence of this, strive for the destruction of the universe. Thus, the apotheosis of the antisystem is suicide.

Antisystems are always characterized by the justification of lies or even the necessity of lies for their adherents. The anti-system worldview was first best described by Dostoevsky in lines about Herzen in his diary for 1873: “They had nothing but contempt for the Russian people, imagining and believing at the same time that they loved them and wished them all the best. They loved him negatively, imagining instead some kind of ideal people - what, according to their concepts, the Russian people should be.” We see a persistently negative perception of the national tradition, the national way of life among representatives of the anti-system. Neopaganism fully corresponds to this definition of the anti-system. Its representatives feel a sense of contempt for many manifestations of folk culture, as well as for Orthodox Christianity. The desire for self-destruction is confirmed by the positive attitude towards suicide of a number of neo-pagan ideologists, as well as frequent cases of suicide among neo-pagans. Neo-pagans see Orthodox Christianity as their main enemy, which is confirmed by the considerable number of terrorist attacks committed by neo-pagans against the Orthodox Church. Thus, in 2005, in Tver, young neo-pagans set fire to the Church of Seraphim of Sarov; in 2008, neo-pagans detonated a bomb in the St. Nicholas Church in the Biryulyovo-Zapadnoe district of Moscow, where only by a lucky chance no people died. In the same year, a neo-pagan student chopped up a memorial plaque and a wooden cross on the territory of the Penza Oncology Center with an ax. In 2009, adherents of neo-pagan ideas set fire to the Kazan Church in St. Petersburg, and in Vladimir, a neo-pagan threw an explosive package at the window of the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In 2010, neo-pagans set fire to the chapel of St. Alexander Nevsky in Orel, and in August 2013, they set fire to the St. Peter's Church in St. Petersburg. In Chelyabinsk in 2015, a neopagan set fire to a wooden church under construction. Neo-pagans desecrated a worship cross on the site of the Novo-Olgov town, located next to the village of Staraya Ryazan. And the culmination of neo-pagan terror was the shooting of parishioners in the church of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, carried out by an adherent of neo-pagan teachings.

Ideological foundations of neo-paganism

Unfortunately, people began to think about the problem of the spread of neo-paganism only recently. The basis of neopaganism consists of several groups of ideological myths, a competent refutation of which would leave neopaganism in the state of a small marginal subculture. By and large, all modern neo-paganism is built on the postulates of pseudohistory and pseudolinguistics, myths about Orthodox Christianity, myths about paganism, as well as the national question.

• A group of pseudo-historical myths is the basis of neo-pagan ideology, designed, firstly, to justify the need for a return to paganism, showing the unprecedented power and progress of pre-Christian Rus', and secondly, to neutralize all the achievements of Rus' that occurred after Epiphany. Neo-pagans try to prove the imposition of Christianity on the people through myths “about the bloody Baptism of Rus'”, “atrocities of the clergy in Rus'”, etc. The myth about the powerful pagan Slavic state of Tartary, which supposedly existed on the territory of Rus' and competed with Christian Russia, is widely popular. All achievements of the Russian state, according to the ideas of neo-pagans, occurred against the will of the church hierarchs, who tried with all their might to weaken the state.
• A group of pseudo-linguistic myths is an auxiliary tool of neo-pagan ideology, with the help of which neo-pagans try to substantiate the antiquity of the Slavic people and the Slavic language, from which all other languages ​​of the world supposedly originated. In this direction, myths about the Slavic pre-Christian alphabet, from which all other alphabets of the world supposedly originated, are popular. Games with words, searching in modern Russian and other languages ​​of the world for letter combinations of the names of Slavic gods and other creatures of Slavic mythology, searching for hidden pagan meaning in words and phrases are also popular here. Non-pagans do not stop trying to convince everyone of the authenticity of the “Veles Book,” which the scientific community considers a fake.
• Myths about paganism are intended to form an image of paganism as a very bright religious tradition devoid of any shortcomings. Paganism is positioned as a native faith that cultivates courage, kindness, life in harmony with nature, veneration of ancestors, etc. Historical evidence of real Slavic paganism is declared to be fake, and the practice of human sacrifice is especially denied. For neo-pagans, the issue of human sacrifice is generally a very significant problem. The fact is that in the authentic Slavic pagan tradition, human sacrifices were practiced, although not often, but quite regularly, of which there is indisputable evidence both in our chronicles and in the written sources of neighboring peoples. Archaeological finds testify to human sacrifices among the Slavs; echoes of this phenomenon are found in folklore; in addition, human sacrifices took place in the religious tradition of peoples related to the Slavs. Christianity completely eradicated this phenomenon, enshrining the ban at the legislative level. And now neo-pagans who claim to follow the tradition are faced with a difficult choice: on the one hand, for the authentic restoration of paganism, it is necessary to resume the practice of human sacrifice, and on the other hand, there is an unequivocal ban on murder contained in the current criminal code.
• Myths about Orthodoxy, on the contrary, should show how alien Christianity is to the Russian tradition; it is argued that Christianity cultivates slavish obedience and makes the people weaker. Christianity interferes with progress, fights science, etc. Any lie and bias towards everything connected with Orthodox Christianity is considered a completely permissible and appropriate means for neo-pagans. You can easily verify this by flipping through their books or watching the films they made. Probably the most outstanding example of the lies of neo-pagans is the book “Russian Orthodox Catechism, or what a Russian person needs to know about Christianity,” authored by a certain “Prot. John (Petrov)", released with the blessing of the exiled "Bishop Kirill (Nikiforov)". In this book, on behalf of an alleged priest, in the form of questions and answers, classic neo-pagan myths about Christianity are told: its alienness and imposition on the Russian people, the slave spirit, elements of paganism in Christianity, etc. Considering that this book was distributed exclusively through neo-pagan sites and bookstores, it is not difficult to guess who its real publisher is. Neo-pagans very actively distributed this book to military units and places of detention in the hope of spreading their ideology there. Neo-pagans also actively use the work of both Soviet-era atheists and modern representatives of atheism. A very interesting fact is the rather active and close cooperation of neo-pagans and atheists against the Orthodox Church. For example, recently there have been frequent protests against the construction of new churches, where the main role is played by neopagans in alliance with atheists.
• Another key element of neo-paganism is the myth of the native faith or ideology. Usually neopagans say that a Slav cannot be a Christian, since this is the Jewish faith and he should certainly be a neopagan. Neopagans are often called nationalists, in our opinion, this is incorrect. Conservative Russian thinkers such as I.A. Ilyin, K.P. Pobedonostsev, M.O. Menshchikov and others, nationalism was understood primarily as creative love for one’s people, for their traditions and culture. These thoughts are alien to neo-pagans; racism is much more inherent in the formulations of social Darwinists. The idea of ​​a superman, the desire to improve the race through eugenics, the idea of ​​destroying other peoples for one’s own good, the destruction of representatives of one’s own people who do not meet the necessary requirements, general contempt for one’s own people - these ideological attitudes are completely shared among modern neo-pagans. As practice shows in discussions with neopagans, it is precisely this difference between neopaganism and traditional Russian nationalism that is very useful to focus on. This also includes neo-pagan myths about the original pagan component of Russian folk culture. One should not agree with this statement, but on the contrary, cite obvious facts of deep Christian roots in folk tradition.

As the practice of discussions with representatives of neopaganism shows, consistent, well-researched criticism and reasoned refutation of myths from all of the above groups sometimes deeply touches the consciousness of a neopagan, forcing him to think and sometimes reconsider his worldview. There is no doubt that, along with criticism of the basic postulates of neo-paganism, it is necessary to talk about Orthodoxy, about which neo-pagans, as a rule, know nothing except the myths developed in their midst. As noted earlier, global questions about the world order and human destiny are alien to neo-paganism; the Orthodox answer to them can also make you think. We should remember ourselves and remind ourselves in communication with neo-pagans that for a thousand years the fate of our Fatherland has been inextricably linked with Orthodoxy and how many of the best people in the country have been zealous Christians.

One of the first Christian apologists of St. Irenaeus of Lyon wrote: “For it is impossible for anyone to treat the sick when he does not know the illnesses of unhealthy people. Therefore, my predecessors, and, moreover, much better than me, could not satisfactorily refute the followers of Valentinus, because they did not know their teaching...” Neo-paganism today is spreading more and more widely, this teaching is very original and in order to successfully resist it one should be well aware of the features of neo-pagan propaganda, since the fate of many of our compatriots, and perhaps our entire country, directly depends on this.

Maxim Kuznetsov

Another act of vandalism has been committed: the Orthodox cross, a monument to the soldiers who died in the 13th century in defense of Old Ryazan, has been desecrated / Official website of the Spassky Southern Deanery of the Spassky District of the Ryazan Region - [Electronic resource]. - 2016. - Access mode: http://spassk-south-blago.ru/index.php? option=com_content&view=article&catid=&id=306:poganky - Access date: 11/10/2016.

M. Kuznetsov “RUSSIAN TRADITION: ORTHODOXY OR Paganism?” http://www.pravoslavie.ru/100612.html

To the organizing committee of the Seraphim children's readings

DIRECTION

"SPIRITUAL SECURITY IN MODERN SOCIETY"

"Neo-paganism in RUSSIA"

I'VE DONE THE WORK:

Student 11 "A" class

NOURO "Orthodox gymnasium

them. Seraphim of Sarov, Dzerzhinsk"

Kudinovich Ilya Igorevich

Leaders:

Novikova Marianna Yurievna,

teacher of Russian language and literature;

Lebedyantsev Ivan Mikhailovich,

history and social studies teacher

I. INTRODUCTION

1. Relevance of the topic

2. Explanation of the topic

3. Goals and objectives

II. NEOPAGANICITY IN RUSSIA

1. Definition of neo-paganism

2. Origin on the territory of Russia

3. Geography of the spread of neo-paganism

4. Features of ideology and practice in Russia and attitude towards Orthodoxy

5. Nationalist views and social activities

6. "Rewriting History"

7. Modern neo-paganism

8. Prominent representatives

III. CONCLUSION

IV. USED ​​LITERATURE AND INTERNET RESOURCES

V. APPENDIX. Glossary of terms

1. I.INTRODUCTION

The period of the 90s and “zeros” in the history of Russia and the former countries of the socialist camp will remain in the memory of people not only as a time of change in the political system, but also as an era of development and mass dissemination of all kinds of sects, teachings and beliefs. In difficult times, people always looked for help, support and answers to their questions and often found them not only in the temple of God, but also from all kinds of fortune tellers, shamans and “teachers”. This phenomenon was widespread not only in Russia and neighboring countries, but also in developed European countries. It was also sad that such trends were supported by the media and the Government (suffice it to recall the television sessions of Dr. Kashpirovsky, which gathered almost the entire country in front of television screens).

But the most dangerous were and remain so to this day the teachings that preach a return to the original Slavic pagan traditions, focusing the potential adherent’s attention on the fact that our Slavic ancestors simply could not profess the “wrong” faith handed down to them from the beginning of history.

1.Relevance of the choice of topic.

This topic is relevant to this day, because over time, the most faithful adherents of neo-pagan sects founded community cells to further spread neo-paganism and continue to lure people to them. It is important for every person to know about the characteristics of various sects in order to avoid falling into them.

2. Explanation of the topic.

Neopaganism is new or reconstructed pre-existing ancient pagan teachings and spiritual practices, a type of new religious movements. Neopaganism must be distinguished from uninterrupted pagan traditions such as “classical” shamanism.

Etymologically, the term “neopaganism” comes from the Church Slavonic concept of “paganism,” which for a long time was derogatory in nature, therefore the supporters of this movement themselves often treat the term “neopaganism” with hostility, preferring to call themselves (in the case of Slavic neopaganism) “Rodnovers”, “ Orthodox Magi", "Slavic-Aryans", "relatives" and others. In general, among the names of neo-pagan cults, the terms “paganism” and “tradition” are very common, designed to emphasize their “authenticity” and “connection with ancient roots.”

In my work I will talk about neo-paganism, which is widespread in our country.

3.Goal and objectives.

Purpose: to study the phenomenon of neo-paganism in Russia and its properties.

1) Identify the most common types of neo-paganism;

2) Study the features of neo-paganism;

3) Study the history of the formation and development of neo-paganism;

4) Identify the largest neo-pagan associations.

1. II.NEOPAGANICITY IN RUSSIA

1. Definition of neo-paganism

Neopaganism is new or reconstructed ancient pagan teachings and spiritual practices, a type of new religious movements. Neopaganism must be distinguished from uninterrupted pagan traditions such as classical shamanism.

Etymologically, the term “neopaganism” comes from the Church Slavonic concept of “paganism,” which for a long time was derogatory in nature, therefore the supporters of this movement themselves often treat the term “neopaganism” with hostility, preferring to call themselves (in the case of Slavic neopaganism) “Rodnovers”, “ Orthodox Magi”, “Slavic-Aryans”, “relatives”, etc. In general, among the names of neo-pagan cults, the terms “paganism” and “tradition” are very often found, designed to emphasize their supposed authenticity and connection with ancient roots.

Ideologists and followers of interethnic neo-paganism, as a rule, do not hide the syncretic nature of their teachings, although they trace their foundations to traditions whose roots go back to ancient times.

Neopaganism should be understood as a national religion, artificially created by the urban intelligentsia from fragments of ancient local beliefs and rituals with the goal of “reviving national spirituality.” In fact, we are not talking about revival, but about constructing an ideological basis for a new socio-political community that is more appropriate to the conditions of modernization. At the same time, religion is often understood as ideology. It is assumed that the cohesion of the national community will be stronger the more it is based on a national ideology that appeals to the behests of ancestors and to “identity.” A certain role in the development of neo-paganism is played by the rejection of modern industrial civilization with its barbaric attitude towards the natural environment. But neopagans are even more concerned about preserving the traditional cultural environment, which is threatened by the leveling trends of globalization. As a rule, neopaganism is the sphere of activity of urban, highly secularized intelligentsia, which perceives religion primarily as a valuable cultural heritage.

2. Origin on the territory of Russia

Neopaganism appeared in Russia in the 1980s. The general reasons for its emergence were the desire to move away from traditional ideological dogmatism (communist or Orthodox), research and revival of the cultural heritage of ancestors, the search for new ways of spiritual development, and a passion for mysticism and magic. Historically reliable sources covering in detail pre-Christian cults on the territory of Russia have not survived. Therefore, representatives of neo-paganism base their doctrines on the Rig Veda, Avesta, historical-ethnographic, philological, archaeological and mystical works of B. Rybakov, L. Gumilyov, N. and E. Roerich, E. Blavatsky.

The formation of Russian neo-paganism took place in the 1970-1980s, when numerous new “post-theistic” sects and religious movements grew like mushrooms in the country. There are good reasons to talk about the influence of Krishnaism on the formation of neo-pagan “national-patriotic” ideology, which insists on the Aryanism of the Slavs and the invaluable role of their “Vedic” knowledge. After all, the Society for Krishna Consciousness, which appeared in Russia in 1971, quite purposefully searched for common roots and concepts of ancient Indian religion and Slavic paganism.

According to experts, the early stage of the existence of the “Memory” society, i.e. the first half of the 1980s was colored by neo-paganism. This is confirmed by one of the organizers of the movement, V. Emelyanov, saying that “Memory” was conceived as a pagan, anti-Christian organization. In June 1983, "Memory" held a special meeting dedicated to the fake "Vlesovaya Book", which is highly revered by almost all Russian neo-pagan movements. Among the leaders of the Society, who valued both their membership in the CPSU and the unity of the Soviet Empire, there were neither believing Christians nor monarchists. And neo-paganism was presented as a kind of fusion of scraps of Slavic paganism with vulgarized Hindu teachings as interpreted by “guru Var Avera” (Valery Averyanova). Among other “classical works”, “Desionization” by Valery Emelyanov and “The Christian Plague” by Anatoly M. Ivanov (Skuratov) were held in high esteem.

3. Geography of the spread of neo-paganism

Over the past decade, the neo-pagan movement has spread to many parts of Eastern Europe. This work will give an overview of this process, covering Russians in Russia, the peoples of the Middle Volga region, Ossetians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Abkhazians, Armenians, Latvians and Lithuanians. Despite all the local specificity of the phenomenon under consideration, it is easy to notice that the formation of neo-paganism, firstly, covers predominantly Christian regions and almost does not affect Muslim ones, and secondly, is closely related to the surge of ethnic nationalism. An important structure-forming role in modern neo-paganism, as a rule, is played by the image of a powerful enemy, the fight against which should encourage the people to unite under neo-pagan slogans.

4. Features of ideology and practice in Russia and attitude towards Orthodoxy

Russian neo-paganism sets itself two cardinal tasks: saving Russian national culture from the leveling influence of modernization and protecting the natural environment from the destructive effects of modern industrial civilization. At the same time, while putting forward national goals, Russian neo-paganism differs from other directions of Russian nationalism in that it denies Russian Orthodoxy as an enduring national value.

Like all other Russian ethnic nationalists, neo-pagans understand the “Russian people” as the unity of three components - Great Russians, Ukrainians (Little Russians) and Belarusians. In other words, the “Russian people” are perceived as synonymous with Eastern Slavism. Since neo-pagans attach paramount importance to ideology, and ideology is understood as a religion, then the fact that the single East Slavic area in recent centuries turned out to be torn into several parts subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, the Greek Catholic Church and simply the Catholic Church is important for them, not to mention already about various sects. From this point of view, one of the ways to again achieve ideological unity is to return to Slavic paganism, which neo-pagans present as an integral, consistent system.

Another reason for neopagans’ dislike of Christianity is the latter’s anthropocentrism, its conscious desire to elevate man above the natural world around him, neglect of the joys of life on Earth and an orientation towards posthumous reward. In this, neo-pagans see the roots of the thoughtless predatory attitude of modern man towards nature, capable of completely destroying it and, thereby, putting an end to the history of mankind. But that's not all.

In many cases, the hostility of neo-pagans towards Christianity stems from their anti-Semitic position. After all, Christianity seems to them to be an alien ideology, imported from outside and not corresponding to the “Russian spirit.” Many neo-pagans see Christianity as a poisonous, destructive ideology specifically created by the Jews to establish world domination.

In recent years, neo-pagans have expanded the list of Christian sins against humanity. They consider one of them to be the religious division of the white race, which, in their opinion, led to bloody clashes between Serbs and Croats. “Forgetfulness of racial feeling is one of the greatest crimes of Christianity against humanity,” the newspaper “Russkoye Delo” broadcasts.

Neopagans argue that the transition to Christianity everywhere undermined the life-giving power of local spirituality and plunged Christianized peoples into chaos, into crisis, leading to their enslavement by a foreign caste and to decline. That is why neo-pagans associate the most glorious pages of Russian history with the pre-Christian era. They consider Russian paganism as the most significant intellectual achievement of mankind and accuse Christianity of malicious crimes against the human race, especially against Russians. However, sensibly assessing the balance of power in movements of a national-patriotic orientation, where Orthodoxy continues to be viewed as an imperishable value, some of the neo-pagan movements leave themselves a loophole for compromise and try to soften the existing contradictions. Sometimes they proclaim Orthodoxy as the highest manifestation of Vedism, i.e. Russian paganism, and look at it “like the Magi at the infant Christ.”

A set of religious, para-religious, socio-political and historical-cultural associations and movements that turn to pre-Christian beliefs and cults, ritual and magical practices, and engage in their revival and reconstruction. Most representatives of neo-paganism reject the concept of “neopaganism” as religious, replacing it with ideological “paganism”, “Vedism”, “tradition”. There are two directions in neo-paganism: destructive - preaching the fight against Christianity for Russian spirituality - and creative - engaged in the development of the spiritual heritage of our ancestors. The general principles of neo-paganism are determined by the formula “Nature - Motherland - People”, which is decomposed into several provisions:

1) man is not a servant of God, but a son;

2) man is not the ruler of nature, but its integral part along with gods, spirits, animals and plants. He can take from nature no more than he needs;

In relation to the object of worship, neopaganism can act as polytheism, monotheism or pantheism. In almost all the teachings of neo-paganism there is a creator God (Rod, Svarog), sometimes understood as the One and Indivisible, who created the world (worlds). He gives birth to the creator gods of the Earth (Svarog and Lada), who give life to other gods. Sometimes one encounters the Christian concept of the dual confrontation between Belbog and Chernobog - personified good and evil (Vyatichi, Moscow). The functions of the gods are usually strictly defined, but their combination and duplication is possible. Gods can act as hypostases of the One God, manifestations of the elements of Nature-All-God, or act in triads (creator - destroyer - harmonizer), or independently. Some gods can be revered as specific great ancestors, or as the entire clan at a certain stage of development. The number of gods can range from 10 to hundreds. Thus, in the Moscow Slavic pagan community, 10 gods are glorified, and there are 86 of them in total. The main Russian god after the Creator is considered to be Svarog, Perun or Dazhd-God. The main categories of the world order in neo-paganism are considered Reality - the obvious, manifested world or the world of people; Nav is an unmanifested world where the souls of ancestors live, the world of spirits, or the Pekel (Underground) Kingdom, which is not always aggressive towards people; and Rule, understood as the world of the gods or the Law that governs Reality and Navya. The tripartite division of the world vertically into the Underground, Earthly and Heavenly (Iriy, Paradise) Kingdoms is reminiscent of the division of the world in primitive religions, later borrowed by Christianity.

The origin of man in neo-paganism is represented by several directions: the Divine creation of man by the One Indivisible God (Ingliism, Omsk), Svarog; Bel-God breathed the soul into the body created by Black-God (Vyatichi); People are direct descendants of gods: grandchildren of Dazhdbog (A. Asov, Moscow); The evolutionary development of man from the natural world from the beast to the human (Skhoron ezh Sloven, St. Petersburg); People (Russians) are the descendants of Oriya, who flew from the constellation Orion (V. Kandyba, St. Petersburg).

After death, a person can go to Iriy (paradise), be reborn in a new body (sometimes in an animal), and go to the world of Navi (the world of the dead). The ultimate goal of human life is usually not defined. Life is either eternal or cyclical, like the eternity and cyclical nature of nature. Collective worship of gods and ancestors can be carried out in temples (Ingliism), at sanctuaries and temples with installed idols (Kolyada, Moscow; Troyan Community, Obninsk; Rod, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, etc.), in places of power (Krina, S. -Petersburg, etc.), in cemeteries and burial fields (Burial hedgehog Sloven, etc.).

The most commonly practiced form of group action in neopaganism is holidays, sometimes understood as the entry into an altered state (Krina, Troyan's Path), and joint rites held in all communities in accordance with the days of the solstices, equinoxes, lunar phases and eclipses. Many representatives of neo-paganism develop their own calendar systems (Ingliism, Krina, etc.), calculate chronology in tens of millennia (Kaluga Slavic community, Ingliism; Dobroslav, Kirov region, etc.). In ritual magic, spells and personal prayers are often used, and sacrifices are made: agricultural products, kvass, coins. Animal sacrifice is condemned. To perform the cult, there are special priests, sorcerers and sorcerers who have a strict and complex hierarchy (Ingliism), or who compete for the title of Magus of All Rus' in small communities. Personal actions of representatives of neo-paganism are associated with the fulfillment of the moral law, keeping vows, abstaining from any food or observing fasts; glorification of ancestors and reading prayers (daily and holiday) are expected. The right- and left-sided 3-, 4-, 6- and 8-rayed swastika is often used as symbolism; “Kolo” or “Perunitsa” - a cross of six (less often eight) rays or petals inscribed in a circle; “Rotator” - 6-, 8-rayed swastika inscribed in a circle; other solar and lunar symbols, “Old Russian runes”, etc.

5. Nationalist views and social activities

In neo-paganism, the issue of nationalist views is acute. Despite the fact that some of its representatives are loyal to foreigners (Krina, Tropa Troyanova, Kolyada, etc.), in most communities, hostility towards Jews, Caucasians, Asians and Americans is felt in open or indirect form. There are also extremely radical groups (Children of Svarog, Navi Church, Moscow). The Christian church of neo-pagans is accused of preaching Judaism and associated usury, the establishment of an extra-natural deity, power over the nature of the chosen people, the forced baptism of Rus', and the conspiracy of the church with the Tatar-Mongols.

Representatives of neo-paganism regularly participate in environmental, historical and cultural events, work with children, instilling in them a love of national culture and native nature. The reconstruction and revival of traditional medicinal secrets and techniques are also important. Neopagans are characterized by the use of traditional medicine and natural medicines.

6. "Rewriting History"

Be that as it may, neo-pagans are fascinated by the mysterious image of pre-Christian Rus'. One of them even states that the decline of truly Russian culture began in the era of Kievan Rus, i.e. in the 10th century He calls for the restoration of Pagan Rus' and its empire. Another goes even further and declares that the true flowering of Slavic civilization was observed in a certain “kingdom of Ruxolan” in the 1st millennium BC. and that after its defeat by the Huns in the 4th century AD. the time has come for the “destruction and death of Ancient Rus'.” In short, the neo-pagan concept proceeds from the fact that the most brilliant pages in Russian history were written long before the 10th century, i.e. in an era that left almost no written evidence about the history of the Slavs, not to mention “Rus.” This is what opens up significant scope for the most sophisticated fantasies, for the “invention of the past.”

In other words, Russian neo-paganism considers one of the most important ways to achieve its goal to be the artificial expansion of the framework of Russian history, both in time and in space. This is done in order to substantiate the idea of ​​the naturalness of the almost eternal existence of the Soviet, or Russian, state in its purely chauvinistic imperial version. In fact, we are talking about a kind of “Russian prehistory” that goes deep beyond the boundaries of known written history. This is the uniqueness of Russian neo-paganism.

Until recently, neo-pagan "prehistoric" myths occupied their niche in national-patriotic media, fiction and science fiction literature. It seems that a new stage is now approaching when their authors would like to gain wider recognition. Recently, one of the creators of the neo-pagan myth, writer V.I. Shcherbakov, achieved the publication in the publishing house "Prosveshcheniye" of a book intended for high school students, in which he develops his fantastic ideas about the kinship of Russians with the Etruscans and Thracians, about the presence of the Scandinavians in Parthia, about the Venedian Slavs , who allegedly once lived from India to Western Europe and gave the local peoples writing and statehood. Moreover, in the book, in a veiled form, there is also a characteristic anti-Semitic version of history, saying that the “Vani-Vends” allegedly created the most ancient statehood in “Vanaan (Canaan).” Currently, all these ideas have already entered the “golden fund” of Russian pseudoscientific historiography, and some authors refer to them as an irrefutable truth.

7. Modern neo-paganism

Currently, Russian neo-paganism is represented by three groups. The first is small communities that settle away from the city, live their lives separately and regularly perform pagan rituals and prayers. An example is the family of A. Dobrovolsky (Dobroslav), who settled in a small village in the Kirov region. The second are representatives of the urban intelligentsia who live a normal city life, but from time to time, most often on pagan holidays, they gather together to perform pagan rituals. Finally, the third group is the “ideological pagans,” for whom paganism is a certain worldview, a way to express their attitude to the world around them. Therefore, for them, paganism is not so much a religion as an ideology, and is reduced to a series of mythologies in which anti-Semitic motives play a significant role. Recently, this group has been spreading the idea that paganism is not a religion at all, but a system of scientific Vedic knowledge that the ancient Slavic ancestors had, but then were almost completely destroyed by Christians. There is a call for their revival, development and widespread dissemination for the benefit of humanity. Among such ideas, the role of the racial approach and racism is growing, and more and more people are talking about the need to save the White Man.

The first group is small in size. The number of such communities is unknown. Perhaps there are several dozen of them, with several dozen people in each. The second group is larger - in each of the urban pagan communities, apparently, there are at least a hundred people. These communities exist in several dozen cities in Russia, and in large cities such as Moscow, there are up to three or four communities. The largest group is the third. It is these people who are most involved in political movements that are consolidated on the basis of neo-pagan ideas.

Several pagan communities are already successfully operating in Moscow and the Moscow region. The Moscow Slavic pagan community was created in December 1989. It declares its complete apoliticality and aspiration only to ancient Slavic spirituality22. At the same time, due to lack of knowledge about the essence of Slavic paganism, the “priests” have to resort to creative innovations and create the ritual almost anew, because it has not been preserved in living practice. There are only book descriptions and fragmentary memories of old people. In recent years, Russian neo-pagans have been celebrating the winter and summer solstices, the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes. The main holiday is Kupala, associated with the summer solstice. It is called the “solstice”, associated with the “Russian swastika”, “rotate”, and is dedicated to the cleansing powers of fire and water, as well as fertility.

Another Vedic community - the Center for Ratios and Military Culture "Svyatogor" - arose in Kolomna. It is led by A. Egorov (Veligor), who pays special attention to instilling respect for ancient martial arts as one of the most important elements of the Slavic cultural heritage.

Among the religious groups representing Slavic neo-paganism can be named:

Union of Slavic Communities of the Slavic Native Faith (Russia)

Circle of Pagan Tradition (Russia)

Velesov Circle (Russia)

. “Arrows of Yarila” under the direction of Alexey Dobrovolsky (Russia)

Funeral Ezh Sloven (Russia)

RUN-vera (Ukraine)

Great Fire (Ukraine)

League for the Liberation of the Mind (Russia)

8. Prominent representatives

Microscopic groups of fans of Perun and Veles appeared in Russia during the years of stagnation. Among their ideologists, three individuals deserve special mention. This is, first of all, Valery Emelyanov (Velimir). At the end of the 70s, he wrote and distributed in samizdat the book “Deionization,” in which the idea of ​​a “Jewish-Masonic” conspiracy was revived, and Christianity was assessed as “the dressing room of Zionism.” Soon Emelyanov was expelled from the party and imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital, from which he came out only after the announcement of Perestroika.

Another pagan dissident, Anatoly Ivanov, the author of the cult pamphlet “The Christian Plague” among neo-pagans, also visited a psychiatric hospital and prison. Finally, it is impossible not to mention Alexei Dobrovolsky, a man repeatedly convicted of anti-Soviet activities, who, after long spiritual wanderings, became a convinced pagan and adopted the pagan name Dobroslav. He has written many opuses on Russian neo-paganism, including the programmatic article “Arrows of Yarila.”

III. CONCLUSION

I studied the phenomenon of neo-paganism in modern Russia, as well as the history of its formation and development, and came to the following conclusions:

• There are several types of neo-paganism (small communities living outside the city; urban intelligentsia, for whom faith is expressed only in the performance of rituals on major holidays; paganism as a worldview and a way of self-expression).
• The peculiarity of Russian neo-paganism is two main tasks: saving Russian culture from the influence of modernization and protecting the natural environment from the influence of modern civilization. But at the same time, for neo-paganism, Russian Orthodoxy is not an enduring value of the people.
• Neopaganism in Russia arose under the influence of people’s desire to escape traditional ideological dogmatism.
• The bulk of neo-pagan followers live in the European territory of Russia; mainly in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

IV. USED ​​LITERATURE AND INTERNET RESOURCES

1. Rybakov B., Paganism of Ancient Rus', Moscow 1988; Paganism of the ancient Slavs, Moscow 1997.

2. http://russidea.rchgi.spb.ru Neopaganism

3. Vasiliev M. A. Neopaganism in the post-Soviet space. Rec. on: Neopaganism in the vastness of Eurasia. M., 2001 // Slavonic studies. 2002. No. 4.

4. http://www.kolhida.ru V.A. Shnirelman Neopaganism and nationalism

5. http://www.wikipedia.org

V. APPLICATION. Glossary of terms

Spiritual practice (yoga, hesychasm, Sufism) is the practice of individual self-improvement.

Shamanism (also shamanism) is an early form of religion, which is based on the belief in the shaman’s communication with spirits in a state of trance (“shamanism”). Shamanism is associated with magic, animism, fetishism and totemism. Its elements may be contained in various religious systems.

Cult - veneration, worship.

A ritual is a set of actions of a stereotypical nature, which has a symbolic meaning. The stereotypical nature of the ritual actions, that is, their alternation in some more or less rigidly specified order, reflects the origin of the word “rite.”

Nationalism is an ideology, the fundamental principle of which is the thesis about the value of the nation as the highest form of social unity, its primacy.

Ideology is a set of systemically ordered views.

Dogmatism is a way of thinking that operates with dogmas (considered unchangeable eternal positions that are not subject to criticism) and relies on them.

Judeophobia (same as anti-Semitism): Anti-Semitism is a form of national intolerance, expressed in hostility towards Jews as an ethnic or religious group. It is based on prejudice and is a type of xenophobia.

Ruskolan is one of the large state formations of the Slavs in the Azov region, which existed 16 centuries ago, whose history is forgotten thanks to the German professors who wrote Russian history for Peter I. Ruskolan existed for 2800 years (from 2000 BC - until 800 AD) .