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.
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# Concatenated JPRS Reports, 1989 ## Document 2 of 3 and the esthetic forms of works. 19. [Batygin] But this is obvious to many people. In the secular literature it is accepted that we distinguish between the icon as a cult object and as an artistic image. For example, the Vladimir 'Devotion to the Virgin Mary' icon in the Tretyakov Gallery. They say that the icon exhibited there represents an esthetic, and only an esthetic, value. Of course, for an understanding of the esthetic value of the 'Devotion' it is necessary to be aware of the symbolism of the icon. At least it is essential to be able to distinguish between the 'Devotion' and the 'Oranta.' 20. [Innokentiy] Well, this is simple. What is not understood is something else: how can the religious content of works of ecclesiastical art be torn away and the perception of its esthetic form retained? And if you call to mind the iconography of the Holy Mother, permit me to note that the only argument cited in the literature in favor of this kind of division is that the representation is ''as if alive.'' That is all! I do not see any serious grounds for so categorical a division between the religious and the esthetic. Depending on your convictions, you may believe, for example, in the ''phenomenalism'' of the icon and cross yourself or simply experience a shock from its inner depth. But in any event it is essential to understand the meaning instated in the whole work, without reservations of the ''on the one hand.. and on the other hand...'' type. Unfortunately, the revival of interest in the culture of the past here is being combined with a horrifying lack of knowledge about the elementary questions of doctrine and religious practice. 21. [Batygin] There can be no doubt that we should all know as much as possible about the history of our own people. Intellectual darkness and ignorance, of course, can become a basis for atheism, but who needs this kind of atheism? If orthodoxy is our traditional doctrine we must have an adequately complete idea about its dogma and religious practice. However, Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, a number of Protestant denominations, Buddhism, and Shamanism also exist in the USSR, and no one would be hindered from learning about them at what might be called first hand rather than just from the ''Atheist's Handbook.'' Yes, I have in mind freedom to teach and study religion, which is not banned by Soviet law. What is banned is another matter. Without going into the niceties of the legislation on cults--and there are many ''niceties'' here--let me say that we are still not observing full glasnost in this sphere. 22. I would like to touch on another subject about which they prefer to remain silent. Sooner or later death comes to every person. Many people have a materialistic attitude toward this but there are people
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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.