Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency JPRS translation reproduces an interview published in the Soviet journal Sotsiologicheskiye Issledovaniya, signed to press on 8 July 1988. In it, deputy chief editor Gennadiy Batygin talks with Innokentiy, a teacher at the Leningrad seminary. The conversation takes place during the millennium of the Christianization of Russia. They discuss religion under glasnost and perestroyka, ideological prohibitions, the shortage of Bibles, preservation of church monuments and the position of believers in Soviet society. The document contains no UFO material.
“Cooper”1 page
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Document 2 of 3 56. Strange processes are also taking place in the mass consciousness. In the age of general computerization and robotization many nonbelievers or those who consider themselves nonbelievers have no doubts about the baneful capabilities of the ''evil eye'' and believe in magicians and ''flying saucers,'' and also in the holy eucharist and the redemption of sin. In the West they talk increasingly about a religious renaissance in the USSR. It must be acknowledged that these processes are unexpected for Soviet sociologists. 57. Along with other journalists I recently talked with the leaders of unofficial youth associations. The representative for ''Sistemy'' (an analogue of the hippy movement), Vitaliy, substantiated very competently and convincingly rejection of the acquisition of material things and violence in any form, service in the Armed Forces, and work--''for work is essentially slavery.'' I asked him how members of ''Sistemy'' should act in a case in which they needed money or, if worst came to worst, to eat. Looking through his pince-nez into space Vitaliy said the following: ''Is not the soul food?'' And he went on to recall the ''birds of the air'' and the ''grass of the fields.'' No, he is as far removed from the church as, say, a collector of icons. What is this? ''Excess'' social symbolism typical of fringe people, or a form of dissent, or a variety of religion? Is not a unique diversification taking place today, a consolidation of diversity, of religious values, and their penetration into the secular environment and a mixing with politics, morals, culture, even science and economics? 58. [Innokentiy] There is a science of the principles of the interpretation of texts--hermeneutics--and I am sorry that young people remain in ignorance about the true meaning of the words that they have learned. Some kind of awakening of spiritual life really is taking place today, accompanied, as you have expressed it, by a diversification of religious values. It is not so much a renaissance as a ''blind'' search. But of course, there is spiritual ''fascination'' in enthusiasm for, for example, ''parareligious'' cults and ''the calling up of spirits,'' or levitation or Krishnaism. But these are all transitional forms. And we should not underestimate the possibility of the coexistence of diverse, including transitional, forms of spiritual life. A person has the chance of moving from fascination to a real knowledge of God, a chance of gaining spiritual freedom. 59. [Batygin] Father Innokentiy, I have a firm hope that over time the official or semioffical restrictions on religious life will be eased. Already today we see stricter observance of the legislation on cults on the part of state organs; at least in the registration of new communities is no longer an insoluble problem. The Tolgskiy
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 19 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.