Religion has held a unique place in Soviet society: it is the only officially tolerated form of divergent ideology. Successive constitutions since 1917 have guaranteed "freedom to perform religious rites." In this volume, eleven authors survey the history and current situation of religion. They look at the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian bodiesoProtestant, Catholic, and Orthodoxoand also at Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. They describe the laws and the government agencies used to repress and persecute religious believers, how various religious bodies have responded to repression, and the prospects for reform under the initiatives of Mikhail Gorbachev.
- ISBN10 0896331350
- ISBN13 9780896331358
- Publish Date 30 September 1989
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 4 June 2010
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Ethics & Public Policy Center Inc.,U.S.
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 356
- Language English