Religion rules
In: Index on censorship, Band 42, Heft 4
ISSN: 0306-4220
Two issues preoccupying post-Soviet society are a wish to oppose outside influences (mainly from the West), and to resist aggressive behavior in matters of religion. It is not difficult to point out inconsistencies and contradictions in these approaches, but more germane is the fact that both have survived, if in modified form, to the present day. When the possibility of further restrictions on freedom of conscience are being discussed, a key topic is invariably the need to protect society from the 'expansionism' of new religious movements and radical Islam. Here, Verkhovsky studies the new blasphemy act and discusses why freedom of religion and belief continue to cause conflict in post-Soviet Russia. Adapted from the source document.