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Collapse of atheism in the former Soviet Union (view source)
Revision as of 11:29, April 26, 2016
, 11:29, April 26, 2016→Growth of Protestantism in Russia
In Siberia, long a land of dissenters and discontents, there are believed to be more Protestants in church on Sunday mornings than Russian Orthodox. On one recent visit to Khabarovsk, the second largest city of the Russian Far East, I went to a packed Baptist church, only a kilometer from a sparsely attended Russian Orthodox Cathedral. The massive Cathedral had been built with federal funds.<ref>[http://blogs.voanews.com/russia-watch/2013/07/30/is-russia-turning-protestant/ ''Russia Watch'', ''Is Russia Turning Protestant?''], 2014</ref>}}
In Siberia, long a land of dissenters and discontents, there are believed to be more Protestants in church on Sunday mornings than Russian Orthodox. On one recent visit to Khabarovsk, the second largest city of the Russian Far East, I went to a packed Baptist church, only a kilometer from a sparsely attended Russian Orthodox Cathedral. The massive Cathedral had been built with federal funds.<ref>[http://blogs.voanews.com/russia-watch/2013/07/30/is-russia-turning-protestant/ ''Russia Watch'', ''Is Russia Turning Protestant?''], 2014</ref>}}
According to the Christian Broadcasting Network:
{{Cquote|The Orthodox Church's biggest competitors are the evangelical, charismatic congregations, which are experiencing tremendous growth.
"So many Russians are leaving the Orthodox Church and joining the charismatic churches and they don't like it," Ryakhovski said.
Ryakhovski gave CBN News a document produced by a leading Russian research group and backed by the Orthodox Church. The paper was titled, "Ways to weaken the potential of neo-Pentecostal sects and to help their victims."
"These new charismatic and Pentecostal churches are viewed as cults and something to be suspicious of," Lunkin said.
Once a persecuted minority, evangelical Christians in Russia and the surrounding countries that once made up the former Soviet Union, are now exerting more influence in society by displaying what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.
"People are looking for meaning, they are looking for authentic lifestyles, authentic relationships," Sipko told CBN News. "And so in the midst of all the economic and social changes, we have the opportunity to demonstrate what a personal relationship with Jesus is like."<ref>[http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/april/russian-evangelicals-leery-of-orthodox-church-/?mobile=false Russian Evangelicals Leery of Orthodox Church ]</ref>}}
== Soviet atheism ==
== Soviet atheism ==