4 ms·
> I saw that the only group of people able to preserve a minimum of humanity in conditions of starvation and abuse were the religious believers, the sectarians
by TimTheTinker 8y ago
> I saw that the only group of people able to preserve a minimum of humanity in conditions of starvation and abuse were the religious believers, the sectarians (almost all of them), and most priests.
I’m curious which religions were represented, and what he meant by “sectarians”. Christianity at least would seem to be implied (by “priests”) and the fact that this was a Soviet gulag — Christians in particular were strongly persecuted under the USSR. (Perhaps at least partly because they resisted ideological assimilation more strongly than any other groups — even to death and martyrdom in many cases.)
It’s also very interesting that military and party members were the first to lose it. No wonder communists feared and/or hated religion — they knew their own ideology couldn’t strengthen people or hold them in its grip anywhere near as well.
- DylanDmitri 8y agoMostly Russian Orthodox. Sectarians were also russian orthodox but also members of these psuedo-monastic religious orders that were popular at the time.
- Fins 8y agoBaptists, pentecostals and other non-traditional denominations are usually termed as sects in Russian/Soviet usage. Old Believers (schismatic Orthodox) would be included too.
- KozmoNau7 8y agoStalins cult of personality and terror only reached so far.
- SSLy 8y agoOne particular sect that is relevant are the raskolnikovs (old-faithers)
- pouetpouet 8y agoMembers of the Russian orthodox church I suppose. Sectarians are likely also eastern orthodox but not under the Moscow Patriarchate like Old Belivers or the Catacomb church.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- Koshkin 8y ago> Christianity at least would seem to be implied (by “priests”) Not sure about that - there were "priests" in Ancient Egypt, too.
- TimTheTinker 8y agoFor hundreds of years up until very recently, it was pretty much a given that anyone called a "priest" in a Western nation was affiliated with Christianity (same with related terms -- "monk", "missionary", etc.).