It is not obvious to everyone why the church is needed in general. It would seem like some kind of costumed commercial organization where people make a lot of money and talk about a talking snake with an immaculate conception. However, not all so simple.
In reality, the church has important tasks, in particular, substantiating the social foundations of a particular state. This is why they constantly repeat that “all power is from God.”
But this, of course, is not all there is to it. When there are wars, the churchmen bless. If the opponents win the war, they will gladly take their side. As an example, we can recall the relationship between the church and the horde.
Moreover, it often turns out that such a time is downright golden for clergy. They recalled this:
“The labels affirmed the following benefits for the clergy: firstly, the Russian faith was protected from all blasphemy and insults from anyone, theft and damage to the accessories of external worship was strictly prohibited; secondly, the clergy was exempt from tribute, all duties and all duties; thirdly, all church real estate was recognized as inviolable, and church servants, that is, slaves and serfs, were declared free from any public work” (Zvonar, 1907, No. 8).
“During the Tatar, or Mongol, period, the independent position of our church was strengthened thanks to the patronage of the Tatar khans of the Golden Horde. During this period of time, our church receives special privileges from the khans, thanks to which the clergy prospers and becomes a major capitalist figure" (Strannik, 1912, no. 
Well, they also talk about their main activities during a crisis:
“In order to remove discontent and despair from the heart of the proletarian, it is necessary to show him, behind the dark clouds of sorrows and poverty that surround him, the azure sky of eternal pleasures in the abodes of the heavenly father, which religion reveals. Take away religion from the proletarian, and you will in vain convince him to be modest and respect the rights of others: he may be silent for the time being, but when the opportunity arises, he will break his chains” (Orthodox Interlocutor, 1909, vol. II).
So it’s not at all about stupid stories and making money. The goal is specific. After all, the fact is that early beliefs actually performed the same job, justifying this or that social system.
It doesn’t matter what kind of government, what kind of economy. The state religion blesses everything and stands to the end for nothing to change at all. On the other hand, of course, any changes are also blessed. It’s just that changes occur not at the will of the church, but at the will of the state. Sometimes there are even conflicts, as, for example, regarding the reforms of Peter I.
In a backward society, the church is the most important social institution. It has many social functions, and since there are no secular social institutions, and people for the most part do not have an education and work their whole lives from an early age for wear and tear, it is often possible to actually understand why the authorities relied on the church.
From year to year, churchmen preached to people that they needed to come to terms with their situation, whatever it was. After all, the most important thing is what happens after death.
Of course, this does not work perfectly, and therefore, if something happens, there are people who will prove the truth of religion with the power of the sword. That is why any heretical movements were destroyed with such zeal in Rus'. For they were ultimately perceived as opponents of power.
If we talk about functions specifically, then approximately for society the church performed the functions of theaters, the media, schools, and various ministries that appeared, if not in the 19th, then in the 20th century. The fact is that there were simply no alternatives. Even folk festivals, games and dances were prohibited.
And if in the first time after baptism the society still somehow resisted, then later there was simply nothing to object to. After all, a person of the next generation was born in an environment where the church occupies key positions. If he could speak out against it, then from what position? Let me remind you that there was no education, and at a certain point in history people could generally be sold like cattle or lost at cards.
Therefore, there could be nothing positive for the people except the church. After all, firstly, worshiping in churches is clearly not such a difficult task as working 14-20 hours a day (depending on the arbitrariness of the masters). Well, talk about the “afterlife” inspired hope.
Marx wrote absolutely correctly about this:
“Religious squalor is at the same time an expression of real squalor and a protest against this real squalor. Religion is the sigh of an oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of soulless orders. Religion is the opium of the people."
“The abolition of religion, as the illusory happiness of the people, is a requirement for their real happiness. The requirement to renounce illusions about one’s position is the requirement to renounce a position that requires illusions. Criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, a criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the sacred aura.”
The most interesting thing here is that if any heretics appeared, say merchants, they could easily attract the same peasants to their side. Any nonsense that mentioned Christ could actually attract the masses, and this was the main problem for the authorities, because the “new cults” were oppositional, they were often accepted even by representatives of high society, because they hoped that they would eventually be able to remove the current government. So at first they simply killed any opponents of Orthodoxy. Then, already in the 19th century, laws appeared according to which heretics were not killed, but imprisoned or exiled.
Why did the priest in the village occupy the place of a doctor, a teacher, a clerk, and even an official? Because, firstly, there were no resources to maintain modern infrastructure, and secondly, it was simply not economically feasible.
Moreover, the church’s network of retail outlets worked effectively. And here it is important to understand another feature of religion. The fact is that the state wanted to maintain everything in “stability,” but the division of labor in an agrarian society is to a certain extent decentralized, and therefore, if they had not engaged in religious propaganda, then there would have been some incomprehensible rudiments of a social superstructure everywhere. In one village they would believe in Perun, in another - in Christ. Somewhere in Allah or someone else. The elites would have their own views and clear economic interests, which in many ways could contradict the interests of the center.
The problem is that the princes were already at war with each other, even despite the “single” ideology. And without her, apparently, everything would have been even worse. That is, there would be no control. How can stability and, indeed, development in general be guaranteed under such conditions? No way. And here we are talking about an organization that for hundreds of years has been hammering into people’s heads from birth the idea that all modern society was established by God. The majority do not need any special laws. The clergy preached “sacred truths.”
But society developed, and over time there was a need to create secular public institutions. That is, function after function was taken away from the church. Peter consolidated this position when he abolished the patriarchate and generally included churchmen in the state apparatus, i.e. they became something like officials. The Academy of Sciences appeared, later the first media, the Ministry of Culture and Education.
An interesting process took place with education, because the city needed qualified personnel. However, students could not come to terms with the situation of the peasants, and therefore organizations like Narodnaya Volya appeared. Supporters of such ideas practiced “going to the people,” that is, they came to villages and educated the peasants. For which many were sent into exile.
The functions of the church outside an agrarian society are limited, but this does not mean that it cannot be used at all. In fact, churchmen will still talk about the “eternity” of the current social order, but the effectiveness of such preaching is a big question.
Indeed, in modern society, instead of the Holy Scriptures, science and education come into play; legislation, and not traditions or “sacred truths,” etc. And even if a person is “churched,” he is still a member of a modern, not an agrarian society.
The most interesting thing is why in modern times old prejudices, remnants of traditional society, are returning? This, of course, is not the stupidity of officials. Basically, this situation is justified by the economic policy chosen by the current government.
Russia is not a developed state, but primarily a raw material appendage of the West. There is no special need for development, and everything is fine. We can sell oil and gas, and if something is missing, we will buy it. Why develop expensive technologies when they are easier to buy? Therefore, the functions of secular public institutions are slowly being returned to the church. Institutions are “cut down” and eliminated as unnecessary.
This is a transition period from the USSR to Russia. Because it is difficult to put people in direct slave conditions, to take away social rights. It is difficult, for example, to increase pensions, abolish the social sphere, and free education. However, they have been talking about this for a long time. The problem is that certain regions of the Russian Federation are not needed for the economy at all, and it would be “reasonable” to simply refuse support. But this simply means death for the inhabitants of these places.
Founder of the Higher School of Economics Yaroslav Kuzminov Fr.
That is, it is necessary to take away people’s rights and eliminate secular public institutions. And who will take their place? Obviously, religion will not take the last place. And what we are seeing today is precisely preparation.
After all, religion is slowly entering schools, armies, hospitals and other secular institutions. The state openly allocates billions of rubles for the church, and always only for the Russian Orthodox Church. And no one cares that this is contrary to the laws of the Russian Federation.
The law, however, does not play a special role when a formerly industrial country turns into a raw material country. And we must remember that there is no point at all in a “democratic constitution” somewhere in Africa (for example). The practice will still be completely different. Because provisions must always be financially supported, and if there are no resources, then only meaningless phrases remain.
Education, art, and social rights are perceived by government functionaries to a greater extent as superfluity. This needs to be eliminated, but everything is simple in words only. The same Shuvalov directly states:
“Are we ready to completely close schools? This would be effective from a common sense point of view. But society is not ready for this.”
This is what “common sense” means to the main figures of the United Russia party.
Many regime functionaries express themselves frankly. For example, German Gref about manipulation:
“And great thinkers, such as Loa Tzu, came up with their theories of Tao, encrypting them, afraid to convey them to the common people, because they understood that as soon as all people understand the basis of their Self, they will self-identify, govern, i.e. it will be extremely difficult to manipulate them. People don't want to be manipulated when they have knowledge... How to manage it? Any mass control implies manipulation. How to run a society in which everyone has equal access to information, and everyone has the opportunity to judge directly and receive direct undissected information through government trained analysts, political scientists and a huge machine that is brought down on their heads. Media that seem to be independent, but in fact we understand that all media are still busy building and preserving strata. How to live in such a society?
It is worth noting that he said this at an international economic forum, i.e. for the “elite” these are completely normal statements. So you shouldn’t be surprised at clericalism. For officials this is very rational.
Since wild ideas are difficult to instill in already formed people, the main task today is to actively disseminate ideas among children, through schools and the media, “protecting” them from “harmful information” in the meantime.
The regime and power will be “sacred”, and this will be relevant in the near future. Of course, there will be scandals about this, but it is unlikely that the Russian Orthodox Church will lose in a conflict with secular society if no changes occur in the current economic policy.
Therefore, the Russian Orthodox Church can collapse only if the government abandons the raw material economy, carries out, say, new industrialization, develops science, etc. But it is unlikely that the officials will suddenly “come to their senses” and decide to go against the world economy, radically reconsider your position. Here it’s more like: “After us there might be a flood.”
Why is the Church needed?
Today we’ll talk about why go to Church if you can pray at home. I will explain this using the example of potatoes. I’m just from Belarus, and it’s easier for me.
Potato ecclesiology ( Bulb o slovie)
My dad is from the village. Therefore, at the end of August we went to my grandmother to dig potatoes. One day I asked: “Why? You can buy it in the store." Dad replied that it was his own, and you couldn’t buy one like that in the store. But this didn’t convince me much.
Then I asked my grandmother, and she said: “Unuchak, I am telling you how to pick you up, not the bulb. Lian is a shitty house!” My grandmother had five children. Add here daughters-in-law, sons-in-law and grandchildren, and you will imagine our “kagal”. We all lived in the same city, but only got together in the village.
On that day I became a real Belarusian, because... I understood the meaning of potatoes. It is needed not in order to collect it, but in order to gather it.
Surprisingly, the Church in this sense is very similar to potatoes. In the Gospel it is designated by the Greek word “ekklesia,” which is translated as “assembly.” Those. The church is a meeting. What is the meeting for? That's right - to gather in it.
No matter where. It’s important - with whom
But if you ask me: “Why should everyone gather together if God is in my soul?” - I'll beat you. I just have a reflex since childhood.
Once it was my friend’s birthday, and he walked around the yard and called everyone: “Come to me. There will be cake." But one blurted out: “No, I have cake at home.” That day we unfriended him. And at the same time a couple of teeth.
There are people who do not understand that we gather with friends not “why”, but “because”. Because this is a great company. Because we feel good together. To the Church, i.e. We come to the meeting because we want to meet those who have the same God in their souls as in mine. Because I, my neighbor and our God are a great company. And if your party is not like this one, don’t even think about inviting me!
Better you come to us
Those who care not about people, but about reasons, will never understand the meaning of what was said. These people make friends because their friends have money, and they get married because they don’t want to spend money on a housekeeper. They even receive communion specifically. Have you noticed that lately we have begun to talk about Communion as a subject? “The priest gave me Communion.” And some people are perplexed as to why they should take communion in church. Why can't this be done at home? They carry Communion to the sick. So why not everyone? Technically this is not difficult to do. But then this would destroy the whole meaning of Communion.
Because Communion is not just another “shrine” (only more “powerful”) that can be brought home to be used there. Like holy water, for example.
Because in the Chalice it is not a thing, but a Person – Christ. But personality cannot be used. You can only communicate with her.
Therefore, Communion is not a simple noun, but a verbal one (from the verb to commune). The church is a meeting, koinonia (from the Greek “kinonia” - community, fellowship, communication). And to communicate, we all need to get together, and not hide in holes.
Why then do we still give communion to the sick? This is a sign of our unity with them. If you do not go to the community (due to illness), then the community comes to you (in the person of its delegates).
But, as they say, you better come to us.
Deacon Dmitry Pavlyukevich
@blogoslovie
Shrine in the life of an Orthodox person
An Orthodox person is surrounded by shrines at almost every step. The temple, the icons in the temple, the banners on the procession - these are all shrines. For non-believers (or believers, but non-Orthodox people) such things are simply shocking. “You say,” they are convinced, “as if you worship only one God. But is this so: look how many “gods” you have - people whom you paint on icons and call saints. And you have a lot of things that you worship: the same icons, for example. And the temple: why do you treat the building so reverently? Do you even worship stones? Isn’t all this external tinsel overshadowing God for you?” What do Orthodox people actually worship and is it all tinsel? Let’s try to figure it out together.
The first Orthodox shrine that everyone, even non-Orthodox people see and admire, is the temple. Temples and monasteries of Russia are our priceless historical heritage, a true treasure of our and world culture. But why is the temple so important for an Orthodox person? Why did our ancestors spend so much time, effort, money and labor to create these architectural masterpieces?
A temple for an Orthodox person is approximately the same as an oasis with a source of water for a wanderer in the desert. For him, water is not just a liquid. This is great value. In the same way, for a believer, a temple is not just a building, but a place where every person here and now experiences communication (and meeting) with God. Of course, you can pray to God almost anywhere (for example, at home, at work). But at home a person communicates with God as if one on one. In the church, his personal prayer joins the general (Orthodox call it conciliar) prayer of other believers like him. Thus, if the temple is like a source of water, then home prayer is the water from the flask that a person collected from this source. No matter how much water there is in the flask, someday the flask will still be empty. And with an empty flask the man goes to the source. In the same way, a person, so that his communication with God is not interrupted, has the opportunity to visit the temple.
Believers have a special relationship with the temple also because its very architecture and internal structure are deeply symbolic; they emphasize that a person finds himself in a place where he will meet the King, the King of Heaven. The temple is even called a small piece of heaven on earth.
Every temple has steps. They symbolize the need for every person to rise (to ascend) from earthly momentary concerns to eternal spiritual truths and values.
Upon entering the temple, a person finds himself in the so-called refectory part of the temple. In ancient times (the times of the first Christians), common meals (agapes) were held here. Then this tradition was interrupted, but the refectory parts in many churches were preserved. They continued to be built as a reminder that Orthodox Christians should not only pray together, but also do together good and useful deeds for the whole society and each individual person (pleasing to God). After all, Orthodox people are active people who strive to embody the commandments of Christ in real life. Faith without godly deeds is not faith. Today, the Sacrament of Baptism is often performed in the refectory of the church. Icons of the most revered local saints are usually found here.
In many churches there is no refectory, but there is a vestibule - a kind of “entrance hall” that separates the world of everyday bustle from a piece of heaven on earth. Having passed the porch or refectory, we find ourselves in the main part of the temple - the place where, in fact, the services take place.
The first thing that catches the eye of a person who finds himself here is the iconostasis. This is the front wall with rows of Orthodox icons.
Who are the saints and why do Orthodox Christians turn to them in prayer? Saints are people who have learned to never interrupt their communication with God. These are those for whom God has become everything. And those who are alive before Him, for our Lord is the God of the living! And when we turn to them in prayers, we ask them to help us become closer to Him, to establish our communication with Him, to share with us our path to our Heavenly Fatherland. We ask also, as we would ask for help in our earthly needs from our relatives (older brothers, sisters) or friends. And they help, evidence of which we will find in numerous episodes from the lives of saints.
When we pray in front of icons, we do not pray to the boards and paints, but we turn our prayers to the one who is depicted on this icon. Each icon is, in the language of the Internet, a kind of link. A reference to the life of the saint, to his life, which can always serve as a worthy example for any person. A reference to the history of our country, because all the Russian saints were the best citizens of our Fatherland, many of whom left a bright mark on history (saints Alexander Nevsky, Sergius of Radonezh, Dmitry Donskoy, Fyodor Ushakov). Not reading them means forgetting the best pages of Russian history and losing invaluable experience.
The iconostasis separates us from the altar. The elevations on the floor in front of the iconostasis are the solea and the pulpit. They emphasize that behind the iconostasis is the largest shrine in the temple - the throne. The throne is truly an amazing and incomprehensible place in the temple. During the Eucharistic canon (when bread and wine, by the descent of the Holy Spirit, are transformed into the Blood and Body of Jesus Christ), time and space are torn around it, and literally in the literal sense we are transported to the Zion upper room, where Jesus Himself teaches to his apostles, and now to us , Holy Gifts, source of immortality. We will tell you in more detail about the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church in the following issues.
How could a place where such miraculous events take place not be a shrine? The temple, icons help a person understand the essence of Orthodox doctrine, and this sphere of knowledge has no end. And this is not “external tinsel”. This is knowledge compressed into symbols and images, which makes it possible to live, constantly being in communication with God.
Write to the e-mail of the missionary department of the diocese [email protected] or to the e-mail address of the diocese website if the article aroused your interest or desire to speak out.
Head of the missionary department of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, Priest Valentin Markov
When quoting, a link (hyperlink) to the website of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese is required.
