Activity of the commissions of assistance on compliance with legislation on religious cults in Buryatia in the second half of the 1960s — early 1980s.

Abstract

Based on archival data from the materials of the State Archive of the Republic of Buryatia, the article examines the activities of the Commissions for Assistance in compliance with the legislation on Religious Cults in the Buryat ASSR in the second half of the 1960s-early 1980s. It is established that this period is characterized by a certain warming of the religious policy in the country. In the region, this was reflected in the fact that the trend of open churches closure was replaced by methods of comprehensive control over the activities of religious organizations and unregistered groups of believers. This turn of the state-confessional policy made possible the appearance of Commissions to assist in compliance with legislation on religious cults, which were convened throughout the USSR, including in Siberia. The main task of such an organization was to conduct atheistic events, to take into account religious organizations and ministers of worship, to study the nature and orientation of religious holidays and the ideology of communities. The article also defines the main methods and forms of work of this body in relation to registered and unregistered religious organizations, ministers of the cult of Buryatia. In addition, certain results of a comparative analysis of the atheistic work of the Commissions for Assistance in Compliance with the legislation on Religious Cults of the Buryat ASSR and similar structures in other regions of the USSR are presented. The connection of the Commissions for Assistance in compliance with the legislation on religious cults in Buryatia is shown with the Commissioner of the Council for Religious Affairs of the Buryat ASSR under the USSR Council of Ministers.Based on archival data from the materials of the State Archive of the Republic of Buryatia, the article examines the activities of the Commissions for Assistance in compliance with the legislation on Religious Cults in the Buryat ASSR in the second half of the 1960s-early 1980s. It is established that this period is characterized by a certain warming of the religious policy in the country. In the region, this was reflected in the fact that the trend of open churches closure was replaced by methods of comprehensive control over the activities of religious organizations and unregistered groups of believers. This turn of the state-confessional policy made possible the appearance of Commissions to assist in compliance with legislation on religious cults, which were convened throughout the USSR, including in Siberia. The main task of such an organization was to conduct atheistic events, to take into account religious organizations and ministers of worship, to study the nature and orientation of religious holidays and the ideology of communities. The article also defines the main methods and forms of work of this body in relation to registered and unregistered religious organizations, ministers of the cult of Buryatia. In addition, certain results of a comparative analysis of the atheistic work of the Commissions for Assistance in Compliance with the legislation on Religious Cults of the Buryat ASSR and similar structures in other regions of the USSR are presented. The connection of the Commissions for Assistance in compliance with the legislation on religious cults in Buryatia is shown with the Commissioner of the Council for Religious Affairs of the Buryat ASSR under the USSR Council of Ministers.