The Concept of Violence in the Russian Orthodox Discourse in the Post-Soviet Period

Abstract

The article examines a number of issues related to the link between religion and violence in the discussions and practice within the Russian Orthodox Church in the post-Soviet period. After a short overview of theoretical tools the paper deals with the so-called image of “cosmic war” in the discourse of official representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Orthodox nationalists; the ways this image affects matters of morality, family and parenting; the events of 2012 related to the Pussy Riot “punk prayer” and reaction to it; other examples of symbolic and actual violence. The paper is completed with an analysis of eschatological images of “cosmic conquest” and what can be described as “sacrificial crisis” of the Orthodox parish subcultures. All this allows to explain the manifestations of violence in these subcultures and to engage in a theoretical discussion of the connection between religion and violence.