State, Religion, and Law in Russia

Аннотация

According to its Constitution, Russia is a secular state where the church is separated from the state. However, it would be incorrect to rule out any influence of religion onto law only because of these constitutional principles of secularity and separation. Many of our moral concepts and ethical convictions are imbued with religious meanings, many of them historically have their roots in religious traditions and cannot be properly understood without reference to these traditions. Religion has always been and remains an important factor for decision-making of many people. This holds true also for judges and legislators, even if they are often reluctant to acknowledge this importance. There are many studies which deal with the relations between Orthodox Church and the Russian State and the influence of the Orthodox religious ethics on Russian law. Below, we examine each of the main religious denominations which coexist with the Orthodox Christianity: Catholicism and Old Believers inside the Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism. We analyze the relations between the state, the law and main religious denominations in Russia, except the Orthodox Christianity, and how these relations may affect law-making and law-enforcement.