In the September, 1997 Tidings we reported on a pending law in Russia that would create a religious monopoly for the Russian Orthodox church The proposed law, initially vetoed by President Boris Yelstin in July, was signed by him on September 26
The law
The new law classifies religious organizations into three separate classes 1) those that are registered in Russia and have been active for more than 15 years, 2) those that are registered but haven’t been active in Russia for at least 15 years and 3) those that are not registered at all.
Those m the first category qualify for full rights and privileges and m-dude the Russian Orthodox Church, and Jewish and Islamic organizations. These organizations would have the right to own property, control radio and television stations and distribute religious literature They would be entitled to tax exemptions and could conduct services in hospitals and cemeteries
According to the New York Times, September 27, 1997, “Religious organizations that do not satisfy the 15-year rule would see their activities restricted They would be able to carry out financial transactions and conduct charity work, but they would not have the right to operate schools, distribute religious literature or invite foreigners to work as clergy or preachers
“The third category deals with religious groups which choose not to register or whose registration is not accepted These would be subject to more stringent restrictions”
Christadelphians in third category
Although Christadelphians have been active in Russia for close to 100 years, no formal notification was ever made to the government As a result, Christadelphians, along with Mormons, evangelical Protestants and many other religious groups, will be considered as non-registered and as such will fall into the third, most repressed, category This means that if the letter of the law is to be exercised in Russia, Christadelphians will be unable to operate a school for religious instruction, distribute religious literature or invite foreigners to work m the service of the Lord on a full-time basis As well, ownership of an ecclesial hall would be strictly forbidden In essence, Christadelphians would have to break the law in Russia if they were to follow the divine instruction as recorded in Timothy “Preach the word! Be ready m season and out of season Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (II Tim 4 2-5)
Opposition to extreme groups
The new law was implemented in part to exclude extreme religious groups As reported in the New York Times “Russian officials insist that the new law is needed to safeguard Russians against fanatical groups and dangerous sects Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov even told American diplomats that the law would discourage ‘mass suicides,’ like those of the Heaven’s Gate cult in California” Yet with one signature of the pen, it appears both extreme and virtuous religious groups have been outlawed from preaching their beliefs.
Enforcement at local level
Although the law has been passed, regulations specifying how the law is to be applied have yet to be written At this point, the current law states that “Carrying out the law will be left up to the local authorities” As well, all religious organizations, including Catholic, Jewish and Islamic ones, will have to re-register with local authorities each year after the registration of all currently recognized religious groups lapses in 1999 As a result, it is anticipated that religious tolerance will vary greatly from region to region, and city to city.
The October 12 New York Times reported “Abuses have already been reported A Russian Orthodox priest in St Petersburg lost his job at a seminary after he wrote a letter protesting the law A Lutheran parish m the Siberian region of Khakassia had registration revoked Pentecostals were evicted from the buildings they rented in Archangel, and the new law has not improved their chances of regaining the premises”
Situation today for the brotherhood
According to one Russian brother, he does not expect the new law to significantly affect the Christadelphians there The community there does not seek to be registered and is not seeking to make commercial business on the Russian territory All the restrictions the law comprises are mostly imposed on bodies that want to have the judicial basis for their activity.
All of the regulations concerning how the law will be applied have yet to be written While it is difficult to predict how this law will play out over the upcoming months and years, it does appear that, if rigorously enforced, the new law can make it difficult to preach God’s truth in Russia.
Difficult for seekers of truth
Throughout the world there are individuals who seek God’s truth It is unfortunate that those in Russia may be hampered in their opportunity to hear the gospel There has been a window of opportunity for proclaiming the truth in Russia Let us pray it is not closed before the return of our Lord, Savior and King.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One