Separation of the church from the state is the principle of mutual relations between two social institutions, which involve the refusal of the second to intervene in the affairs of the first. There comes the freedom of all citizens from religion, everyone chooses what to believe in him and how to express his love for God. And also after separation, all functions assigned to the church are canceled.
History
Before the overthrow of the monarchy in Russia, such a system of the state church operated under which it was called the dominant. Of course, this order was not invented in Russia; it was borrowed from the Protestants by Peter the Great in 1721. According to this system, the Patriarchate was abolished, and instead the Holy Synod was created. Such changes suggested that all three branches of government would belong to the church. And so it happened.
Peter the Great during his reign introduced such a position as Chief Prosecutor of the Synod. The emperor explained that this person should be the eyes of the sovereign and solicitor of all his affairs. This system was created in order to subordinate the church to the empire, but still put it on a level higher than the people.
Documentary confirmation
Separation of the church from the state allowed not only everyone to choose any faith, but also allowed not to introduce strangers to religious affairs. And until 1917 in the passport of the citizens of the Russian Empire it was attributed to which church they belong. However, this entry did not always reflect reality. Many were afraid to admit that they worship another religion or became atheists.
In 1905, a decree was issued to strengthen religious tolerance, which allowed to change their religious beliefs, but only in favor of Christianity. Becoming a Buddhist, Catholic, or atheist was still impossible.
Freedom of conscience
The dependence of the legal status on religion lasted in Russia until July 1917. It was the freedom of conscience law that made it possible to choose one’s religion from the age of 14, and this choice didn’t affect the decision of the trial if it happened. The synod was against such changes; he believed that only at the age of 18, upon reaching civil adulthood, a person can carefully decide which denomination he wants to relate to.
The Freedom of Conscience Act was one of the first steps toward separating the church from the state. But still, until January 1918, the status of an Orthodox institution remained privileged.
Christianity at the end of the 17th century
In August, the Local Cathedral was opened in Moscow , which during the separation of the church from the state will play one of the most important roles. The decision to create it was made by the Provisional Government, which just at that time came to power.
Already on October 28, 3 days after the capture of Petrograd by the Bolsheviks, the Local Council restored the patriarchate in Russian churches and churches. This step was taken in order to become mediators in the uprising, which took place in Moscow.
In late 1917 - early 1918, the authorities created a commission for the protection of cultural and artistic monuments, which worked in the Moscow Kremlin. And this party included three representatives of the clergy: Archbishop Michael, Protopresbyter Lyubimov and Archimandrite Arseny.
And also at this time in Georgia, the self-righteous confiscated all church property and overthrew part of the clergy. This was done because the authorities claimed ownership of the temples. These steps contributed to the development of the principle of separation of church and state. In addition, there is another direction in which serious changes have occurred.
The sphere of education
The separation of the school from the church and the church from the state occurred at about the same time. Although the changes in educational institutions began much earlier than the Bolsheviks came to power.
In June 1917, the Ministry of Education received all parochial schools that existed at the expense of the state treasury. But at the same time, the subjects taught did not change much, the clergy still remained the main bias.
And in December of the same year, the "Law of God" lost its primacy in educational institutions and became an optional subject for those who wish. An order with this requirement was issued by the People's Commissar A.M. Kollontai.
Temple closure
Even before the decree was issued on the separation of the church from the state, all the religious institutions associated with the royal family were closed by the authorities. But there were enough of them, the most famous ones are the church in Gatchina, the church of the Anichkov Palace, the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, as well as the Great Church at the Winter Palace.
In January 1918, Yu. N. Flakserman - to replace the Commissioner for State Savings - signed a decree which stated that all the court clergy, which belonged to the royal family before, were abolished. The property and premises of employees were confiscated. The only thing that remains for the priests is the opportunity to conduct services in these buildings.
Development of a decree on separation of church from state
Historians are still arguing about who initiated this document. Most researchers are inclined to believe that he was rector of the church in Petrograd, Mikhail Galkin.
It was he who in November 1917 wrote and sent a letter to the Council of People's Commissars, in which he complained about the official church and asked to involve him in active work. The letter also contained a number of measures that could allow religion to reach a new level. First of all, Mikhail asked to confiscate church values ​​in favor of the state, as well as to deprive all clergy of privileges and any privileges.
The possibility of a civil marriage instead of a religious one, as well as the introduction of a Gregorian calendar and much more were offered in a letter from the head priest of the church in Petrograd. The Soviet authorities liked such recommendations and already in December of the same year a number of Mikhail's measures were published in the Pravda newspaper.
State decree
The development of the project by the Council of People's Commissars took place in December 1917. The head of the People’s Commissar of Justice, Petr Ivanovich Stuchka, a member of the board of the commissariat, Anatoly Lunacharsky, as well as well-known lawyer Mikhail Reisner and many others, created a special commission to resolve issues of separating the church from the state in Russia.
On New Year's Eve, December 31, the decree was published in the Socialist-Revolutionary newspaper "Delo Naroda". The result of the work of the party is a draft decree to separate the church from the state, the year of which is the subject of controversy for many historians.
The content of the article
The published material contained several chapters that were devoted to religious worldviews. Firstly, the decree provided for the establishment of freedom of conscience, that is, each person could decide for himself which faith to relate to. And now, marriage in heaven has been replaced by a civil official ceremony, while registering in churches was not banned.
In the next part of the decree of separation of the church from the state in 1918 it was stated that in all educational institutions of Russia the teaching of any subjects related to Christianity was stopped.
After the release of the material, all ministers of the church were forbidden to own any property and legal status. And all the property that was accumulated before 1918 was transferred to the possession of the state.
Public response
After the release of the newspaper with a decree, different opinions from residents of the whole country appeared. The most famous response letter, which was written in the Council of People's Commissars, belongs to the Petrograd Metropolitan Benjamin. It stated that the existence of a declaration on the separation of the church from the state of 1917 (1918) threatens the entire Orthodox people, and therefore the whole of Russia. The priest considered it his duty to warn the government that this decree would not bring anything good.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin read Benjamin’s appeal, but didn’t give an answer, instead he ordered the People’s Commissariat to expedite the preparation of the document.
State publication
The official date for the declaration of separation of church and state is January 2018. On the evening of the 20th day, at a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars, Lenin made a number of additional amendments and additions. On the same day, it was decided to approve the final edition and release it.
After publication in the media, 2 days after the meeting, the Russian government body confirmed the legality of this decree.
Law content
- The church is separated from the state.
- It is forbidden to restrict freedom of conscience by any local laws and decrees. Nor can one be discriminated against by religion.
- Every citizen of Russia has the right to choose any faith, including becoming an atheist. If earlier a person who was not a Christian could not find a normal job and even in court was automatically found guilty, then according to the declaration “Separation of the Church from the State” in 1918, such measures were prohibited.
- The activities of state and legal institutions are no longer accompanied by any religious ceremonies and rites.
- As no one can be deprived of their rights, so everyone is forbidden to evade their duties, referring to their religion and worldview.
- The oath taken by doctors, the military, and even politicians now no longer includes spiritual oaths.
- Civil acts are now registered exclusively in state institutions. That is, at the birth of a person or at the conclusion of a marriage, entries in the house church book were no longer made.
- The school was separated from church authority. Now clergy teachers could not teach children in public and public schools. Moreover, any citizen had the right to study religion, but only in a private way.
- The church could no longer count on help from the government. All subsidies and benefits have been canceled. In addition, it was forbidden to take compulsory taxation from Russian citizens in favor of the clergy.
- Any employees of religious communities do not have the right to own property and be a legal entity.
- Since 1918, all church property has belonged to all citizens, that is, it has become a public property. Items that are created for liturgical purposes, passed to the local government. It was she who allowed the priests to rent them for free.
List of Signatories
First of all, the decree was approved by the head of the Communist Party V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin). And also the document was signed by the people's commissars: Trutovsky, Podvoisky, Shlyapnikov and so on. Like all other decrees in the Council of People's Commissars, this one was signed by all members of the Council of People's Commissars of Russia.
Date of separation of church from state
By 1917, the education system, which included religious education, became the norm for all residents of Russia. Therefore, when the decree abolished the main foundation of teaching - the "Law of God", many ambiguously appreciated this. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, many people became atheists, but no one officially declared this. But still, most Russians believed that the preservation of religious education is necessary. This mood in Russia lasted a very long time and remained even after the February revolution.
Fighting Spiritual Education
After the decree of 2018 was issued, schools began to change the format of their education. But many opposed such changes, so a number of innovations followed. So, in February a new order of the People's Commissariat of Education was issued, in which such a position as a law teacher was officially canceled.
The same month, a new decree came out, which forbade the teaching of such lessons as religious creeds in public schools. And it was also forbidden to conduct any rituals associated with the clergy in educational institutions.
And although all the property was already taken from the church, in August a decree was issued that stated that all house churches at educational institutions must be transferred to the drug addict.
Bans after decree
Despite the fact that the state school has already been deprived of everything spiritual, a lesson such as the "Law of God" was forbidden to teach in any way - both in churches and even privately. Only at the age of 18, voluntarily and consciously, could one begin to study religion.
Naturally, all Orthodox Russians reacted very negatively to such changes. Every day the Local Council received letters with an appeal to return everything to its former places and with negative statements addressed to the Russian government.