Thread: religion

what religion is more spread in russia?
do people believe? in what?
is there lots of people that believe in god? what age range the most?

what is faith to you?

Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.

Want to try to guess? Don't cheat ;)

Originally Posted by petite fleur

what religion is more spread in russia?
do people believe? in what?
is there lots of people that believe in god? what age range the most?

what is faith to you?

Most are non-believers. One would think that the majority of believers belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, but that's actually not true - indeed, the Russian Orthodox Churh has the largest congregation compared to all the other religions (Catholicism, Protestantism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, a wide variety of pagan cults, you name it) but if you put all the other religions practiced in Russia together, they will actually outweigh the Russian Orthodox. Personally, I'm not religious.

Faith is what no one can live without.

A lot of Russian in Russia are non-practicing Russian-Orthodox christians.

thanks to the ones that answered non-ironicaly

so actually they would not practice as, for example young families with children that have their church where they go to, as in america and australia?

why is that? what do you think?

I don't know guys, I personally think that Russia, compared to the West, is alot more religious practicing. Communism "banned" religion (i put it in quotes!!! Don't kill me yet!), but many, especially in the villages, still praciticed their religion (mainly Russian Orthodox). I have many Russian young friends who go to church regulary.

Of course it is trending towards the West, where the young don't feel the need for religion...

There are a bunch of Russian churches around here and most of their clientele only speak Russian still. I know this for a fact because I attend their services occasionally because......well.. er.. there's a lot of hot chicks in there.

and don't anyone ask me for my sources.

I think to be religious is the rare exception and not the rule. I heard it is really about 3%.

http://ateism.ru/articles/sova01.htm
“
При изучении вопроса о конкретных формах религиозной практики, выяснилось, что подавляющее большинство лишь на словах заявляет о своей религиозности ("православности"). Например, в 1999 г. только 1% всех респондентов (3% назвавших себя верующими) сказали, что часто общаются со священниками, а 79% (61% верующих) ответили, что не общаются с ними никогда. В том же году полностью соблюдали пост только 4%, а 44% заявили, что никогда не раскрывали Библии. Поэтому исследователи постарались выделить категорию "настоящих", или "традиционных верующих". По их мнению, таковыми следует считать "лиц, которые: 1) идентифицируют себя как верующих; 2) верят в Бога, с которым можно вступить в личные отношения (а не "жизненную силу"); 3) считают себя православными и 4) или а) посещают церковь не реже раза в месяц, или б) часто молятся. Таких людей оказалось в 1996 году 6%, в 1999 году - 7%". Но "если же мы чуть ужесточим критерии и к нашим четырем добавим, например, регулярное причащение, или соблюдение поста, или прочтение хотя бы раз хотя бы одного Нового Завета, или отсутствие веры в астрологию и переселение душ, группа традиционных верующих вообще "исчезнет".

К. Каарийнен и Д. Фурман делают вывод о том, что "слова "религиозное возрождение в России" могут употребляться только в кавычках. Это возрождение имеет самый поверхностный и "идеологический" характер, не затрагивая более глубоких слоев сознания". Авторы отмечают, что смешение конфессиональной и национальной идентичности, а также данные о соотношении "настоящих верующих" и тех, кто лишь на словах заявляет о своей приверженности православию, имеют особое значение для РПЦ.
“

Originally Posted by DDT

There are a bunch of Russian churches around here and most of their clientele only speak Russian still. I know this for a fact because I attend their services occasionally because......

Please please please don't draw your conclusions looking at the Russian diaspora at your part of the world - today's Russians in Russia are waaaaay different. Those of Russian descent are as alien to us today's Russians living in Russia as "proper" foreigners. The majority of Russians in Russia are non-believers and certainly do not go to church.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

I don't know guys, I personally think that Russia, compared to the West, is alot more religious practicing. Communism "banned" religion (i put it in quotes!!! Don't kill me yet!), but many, especially in the villages, still praciticed their religion (mainly Russian Orthodox). I have many Russian young friends who go to church regulary.

Of course it is trending towards the West, where the young don't feel the need for religion...

What you mean trending? It would be trending if there had been a lot of people going to church once and now not so many, but the thing is there have never been many people going to church in Russia anyway and now there are certainly not as many (in per capita terms) than, for instance, in Norway, where I got the shock of my life when I saw what looked to me as crowds of church goers. In Russia hardly anyone ever goes to church, definately less that 1% of the entire population. Some funny friends you've got, kalinka, I would be hard pressed to point out anyone who goes to church at all let alone regularly. And those few who do tend to be mostly the artsy-fartsy crowd - but they don't really believe, they are there cos it's suddenly "in".

P.S. I certainly know more people who would rather shout Hare Krishna all day than go to a Russian Orthodox church.

from all of you that replied, who believes in god?

Originally Posted by petite fleur

from all of you that replied, who believes in god?

Good question. There are some who does, for sure. Majority pretend. I mean they believe they are chrisians, but they are too busy to go to church regulary, to pray (some of them do not know how to do that properly), so they declare that, on Russian Christmas they may go to Church to watch performence, but that is it.

Yes, they may care a cross on their neck. Still does not make the true believer.

DDT is a sample. Go to church to pick up chicks. What was about adultary in the Bible?

Originally Posted by Pioner

Originally Posted by petite fleur

from all of you that replied, who believes in god?

Good question. There are some who does, for sure. Majority pretend. I mean they believe they are chrisians, but they are too busy to go to church regulary, to pray (some of them do not know how to do that properly), so they declare that, on Russian Christmas they may go to Church to watch performence, but that is it.

Yes, they may care a cross on their neck. Still does not make the true believer.

DDT is a sample. Go to church to pick up chicks. What was about adultary in the Bible?

Pioner, A) Don't take everything DDT says literally, he is a master of sarcasm and has a black belt in irony. Take his post for the humoristic value they have. I thought his post was hilarious!

B) Please do not speak for the forum about what we believe we are, whether we go to church and whether we know how to pray. You have no insight to that information. Let us speak for ourselves.

To answer the post: I am not religious, but I believe in God.

VM: Your Norwegian shock is, to me, somewhat baffling. In Norway churches are closing down due to the lack of attendence. Unless you were in Norway on a particular religious holiday (like Easter), where most school children are required to attend church ceremony (we have state religion), you won't see the types of crowds compared to Russia (or at least of that I have seen of Russia, which is limited, I agree).

Maybe I just had a bas sample of Russians, that 30% of them go to church regulary. It can happen.

Originally Posted by petite fleur

who believes in god?

I am an atheist.

Originally Posted by JJ

Originally Posted by petite fleur

who believes in god?

I am an atheist.

I am an atheist too.

I'm an Orthodox Christian.

Yes, the number of active believers is quite small. However it grows, and more people, including young, become serious about the faith.

I am Christian, too and not ashamed of it.

Originally Posted by petite fleur

who believes in god?

I consider myself an agnostic, and believe in the probability of a supreme being, but it's something very, very incomprehensible to us. I don't practice anything related to organized religon. The concept is an entirely human-made. My only serious beef with some religons are these ideas being tossed around that the earth is only a few thousand years old . . . . . sorry, I just have an extremely difficult time accepting this.

Originally Posted by CTPEKO3A

I am Christian, too and not ashamed of it.

there is nothing in it to be ashamed of.