Russian SocietyLanguages More than 100 languages are spoken in Russia, and some of the ethnic republics have declared their own local state languages. The Russian language, however, is the most commonly spoken in business, government, and education. Russians speak their native tongue almost exclusively in 1989 only 4. 1 percent of Russians throughout the former USSR could speak another of the languages of Russia while most of the other ethnic groups are bilingual. Millions of non-Russians have adopted Russian as their mother tongue. Among the most bilingual are the Ingush, 80 percent of whom were also proficient in Russian in 1989. The government of the former USSR helped many smaller ethnic groups develop their own alphabets and vocabularies; however, through educational policies, it ensured the widespread use of the Russian language. Religion Religious expression, which was controlled by the Communist party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and strictly discouraged for nearly seven decades, has unfolded in a myriad of different beliefs, sects, and religious denominations since the dissolution of the USSR. Missionaries from abroad and other proselytizers have introduced a wide variety of religious beliefs and new-age philosophies to Russia. Most of the religious revival has resulted in the resurgence of traditional religions, particularly Orthodox Christianity, but also other forms of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism. Muslims and Buddhists reside in specific areas; Muslims live principally in the ethnic republics of the North Caucasus and middle Volga region, while Buddhists live mostly in the Republic of Kalmykiya, located on the northwest shore of the Caspian Sea. By contrast, Jews and non-Orthodox Christians are dispersed throughout the country. Russian Orthodox Christianity (see ORTHODOX CHURCH), adopted by the Eastern Slavs from the neighboring Byzantine Empire in the 10th century, is the primary religion in Russia. An estimated 37 million people (about one-quarter of the population) were followers of Russian Orthodoxy in the early 1990s. The church is widely respected by Russian nonbelievers, who see it as a symbol of Russian heritage and culture. Orthodox holidays are officially observed by the Russian government, and politicians attend major church festivals. Russian President Boris Yeltsin (1991- ) has met frequently with Alexii II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. The church is divided, however, on its role in a post-Soviet society. An anti-Semitic, highly national, intolerant faction within the church is opposed by another faction advocating a more tolerant, ecumenical approach to worldly affairs. Controversial issues faced by the church include the resurrection of the Uniate Church in Ukraine, which observes Orthodox rites but recognizes the supremacy of the Roman Catholic pope, and the establishment of separate Orthodox churches in other former Soviet republics. | ||||||||||||||||||
