UDC

348.71

Authors

Vereshchagin Ilya Fedorovich
Institute of Social, Humanitarian and Political Sciences, Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov 2 prosp. Lomonosova, Arkhangelsk, 163002, Russian Federation;
e-mail: zapgu@yandex.ru

Abstract

The church-state policy in Russia is determined by the federal government. On the federal level, this policy is reflected primarily in the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Federal Law of 26 September 1997 no. 125-FZ “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations”. They declare the secular nature of statehood in Russia. In addition, there is a formal statement on the separation of all religious organizations from the state and their equality. The Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and religion, as well as equality of all citizens regardless of their attitude to religion. The federal law provides a detailed description of the relationship between the state and religious denominations. It affirms the constitutional principles and regulates the activities of religious associations. However, no clear concept of church-state policy has yet been developed in Russia. Most researchers and experts see it as a drawback resulting in contradictions. The real relationship between government bodies and religious organizations often contradicts the law, which can cause tensions in the society. Regional legislation is a reflection of federal laws. No concept of church-state policy is in place on the regional level either. This article analyses the fundamental laws (constitutions and charters) of the entities within the Russian Federation in terms of church-state relations. The author takes the local legislation of the Arkhangelsk Region as an example and shows that regional laws either copy the articles of the Russian Constitution or ignore this issue completely. This fact can be explained by the lack of an independent church-state policy, which, the author believes, should be established on the regional level.

Keywords

religion and state, church-state policy, regional legislation, Arkhangelsk Region

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