1. We, participants of the Orthodox Siberian international scholarly and practical conference "Totalitarian sects in Russia" (sic) express our profound concern over the practically uncontrolled and immoral proselytizing recruiting activity of a whole range of destructive religious and pseudoreligious organizations broadly known as "totalitarian sects. "For there are many insubordinate men, empty talkers and deceivers . . . who should be silenced: they break up whole families, teaching what they should not for shameful gain" (Titus 1.10-11).

2. We consider that the state should be concerned for the preservation and prosperity of traditional and culture-forming religions to which the majority of the population belongs, and it should give them aid and support.

3. Besides this, we testify that all religious movements that in their practice do not violate the basic rights of the individual and the structures of family life, society, and the bases of legislation, and do not directly or indirectly advocate hatred and service to evil and do not openly or covertly speak against traditional confession of our country have the right to exist.

4. At the same time we recognize that religious organizations have the right to explain publicly the differences of their faith from other religious convictions.

5. Moreover, religious congregations have the right to express their protest under circumstances when the authority of their founders or teachers is used for a reinterpretation of the foundational doctrines in a way that is essentially incompatible with them. For example, we who are hristians express our indignation over those interpretations of the Gospel and Christianity which have been proposed in the occultic and theosophical systems and we affirm that the idea of the similarity of these esoteric doctrines with the Gospel is false teaching.

6. We testify that the paths of religious movement may have diverse directions and that each religious action does not by any means lead to liberation and salvation of the individual. There are religious practices that lead a person from God who has been revealed to us in Christ and from that freedom which has been given to us in God’s Son.

7. We express our indignation over the incessant public declaration of a number of totalitarian sects, such as for example the so-called church of Scientology (Dianetika), to the effect that members in them is compatible with membership in the Orthodox church; and this despite the clear and unequivocal declaration of the bishops’ council of 1994 excommunicating from the church all leaders and members of totalitarian sects, pseudoreligious and neopagan organizations, many of which (including Scientology) is specified.

8. We also are profoundly offended by the incessant attempts of neopagan, pseudo-Hindu totalitarian sect, "Society of Krishna Consciousness," to establish a dialogue "as equals" with the Russian Orthodox church and to get it to rescind the resolution of the above-mentioned bishops’ council relative to this destructive cult. We declare with full responsibility that the Orthodox church cannot conduct a dialogue with such extremist groups as the "Society of Krishna Consciousness," and that those individual Orthodox priests and laity who meet with Krishnaite workers do so on their own initiative and they represent nobody other than themselves. We recall the words of the apostle: "What fellowship has righteousness with iniquity? What does light have in common with darkness? What agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what cooperation is there between a believer and unbeliever? What compatibility has the temple of God with idols? (2 Cor 6.14-15).

9. Russia’s experience has shown that the country in which Christian spirituality has been obliterated is liable to the danger of the development of the most primitive heathen superstitions and practices, which both arise within it and are imported from outside. We recognize with sorrow that those groups of people who have apostatized from Christ in the countries of the West are now moving the proclamation of their neopagan and occultic doctrines into Russia. We testify that the activity of totalitarian sects and the proclamation of their members, unrestricted by law, bears an unconcealed character of expansion, directed at the subversion of the security, civil peace, and all structures of the Russian state. We ask Russian not to confuse the word of western Christianity with the world of the neopagan sects.

10. Besides this, we should note that many occultic, neopagan, and totalitarian movements were born in Russia, too. We express our serious concern over the activity of the self-proclaimed "messiah" and false-Christ Vissarion, who has especially developed his work in the region of Siberia. Noting the sad anniversary of the Jonestown tragedy which twenty years ago put the lives of almost a thousand persons on the block, we express serious concerns that the further self-isolation of members of the Vissarionite community may lead to the same unpredictable results.

11. We express our profound rejection of the activity of the so-called "Mother of God center" ("church of the Transfigured Mother of God, " "Mother of God Branch of the True Orthodox Catacomb church," etc.). This superstitious, misanthropic, totalitarian sect has in recent times tried to mimic Orthodoxy (for example, one of its new pretenders, the "Orthodox church in the name of the Derzhavnaia [Sovereign] Mother of God") and thereby to deceive its potential victims. We call the Orthodox people and local agencies of authority to display healthy suspicion and to figure out what kind of person in a cassock this one is and what kind of church it really represents.

12. We Orthodox Christians from all corners of Russia unanimously bear witness to the anti-Christian, antihumane, and destructive character of those international pseudoreligious and extremely aggressive corporations like Moon’s "Unification Church" and Hubbard’s "Church of Scientology."

13. We take note of the destructive character of various pseudo-eastern teachings and sects that have flooded our country and we bear witness to the serious danger for the individual of their supportive phenomena like guruism. We know that absolute authority given to imperfect, sinful people, surely leads to tragic results. In most of the pseudo-eastern sects (for example, Sahaji Yoga, Krishna Consciousness, Tantra Sanghi, Sri Chinmo, Transcendental Meditation, Sai Baba) most often people achieve power who have ambitious and often even criminal goals.

14. We bear witness to the radical distortion of the Gospel that proceeds from the so-called "New Apostolic Church."

15. We call attention to the occultic character of the neopagan sect that calls itself the "Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints" (Mormons), which covers itself with the Christian label to achieve its proselytizing recruitment goals.

16. We bear witness to the superstitious, misanthropic, and destructive character of the sect of "Jehovah’s Witnesses," and to the heavy burden upon the personality that is applied by the leadership of this organization, which uses its status as a religious organization as a cover for commercial distribution of its unbeatable publishing activity. We are especially disturbed by the superstitious position of the "Jehovah’s Witnesses" regarding blood transfusions, which already has led to the premature death of many hundreds of people.

17. We express our amazement at the inactivity of the Russian law enforcement agencies, which until now have not begun investigations of the sect, which actively and aggressively operates in our country, called the "Family" ("Children of God"), which has been judicially prosecuted in countries of Europe for its practice of recruitment through prostitution, rape of children, and other repulsive criminal activity.

18. We consider ourselves obligated to warn against the impermissibly cruel structure of interpersonal relations that has been established within movements that call themselves the "Church of Christ" ("Boston Movement"), so-called "Local Church" of Witness Lee ("Living Spring") and various neocharismatic groups belonging to the so-called "Movement of Faith" ("Theology of Prosperity"). Extreme intolerance and the attempt to place the entire life of its adepts under minute-by-minute, totalitarian control are characteristic for these movements (as a result of which there often appear psychological disorders and suicides of members of these sects), and they force us to recognize that the method of operation of these organizations is more likely to complicate the acceptance of the Gospel than to enable its genuine dissemination. We bear witness that the occultic and magic character of the teachings and practice of various groups belonging to the "Movement of Faith," (for example, the "Living Water," "New Life, "Living Spring," "Word of Truth," "Church of the New Generation," "Church of the Covenant," "Living Faith," "Glorification Church," "Word of Life," etc.) place them entirely outside the boundaries of the Christian world.

19. We bear witness regarding the destructive character of such commercial cults as "Herbal Life," and "Amway," and the dire consequences for the personality of all who fall into such pyramidal sects.

20. We, who are people who know Christianity from the inside and have profound acquaintance with other religions, bear witness that any attempt to create a "syncretistic world religion" is nothing other than an anti-Christian initiative. Everyone who professes Christianity knows that it, as the complete truth, does not need any supplements, and that moreover any attempt to supplement Christianity can only destroy it. We warn that if any religious or "cultural study" group says of itself that it has found the path to a synthesis of all world religions and to the unification of Christianity with any eastern or "esoteric" cult, then this is a clear sign that we are dealing with nothing like a "harmonizing doctrine," but an ordinary sect which is trying to spread one or another pseudo-eastern cult under the guise of sympathy for Christianity.

21. We call attention to the insincerity of the propaganda of preachers of syncretistic sects, who militantly demand "tolerance." They declare that any person who does not agree with their doctrine is an ignorant and uneducated fanatic, often affirming that between their followers and opponents there is a great gulf, and they continually accuse Christian of intolerance and discrimination. Declaring that they are proponents of a "broad view of the world," they never acknowledge the rights of the Christian to remain simply as Christians. The refusal of a Christian to bow before the "esoteric doctrine," which is simply impossible to do while remaining true to the spirit and letter of Christ’s teaching, they immediately characterize as "medieval intolerance," "fanaticism," and the like, averring that for such people who stand on such as position (that is, the Christian position), there is no place in the new world order, to whose achievement these cults are devoted.

22. In the course of our conference we again became convinced that sects and new religious movements, even though the are independent from each other and oppose each other, form an alliance that has the goal of united opposition to any criticism directed against them. Often they engage the so-called "independent experts," particularly those who are engaged in activity defending rights. Some of them occupy high governmental office. It can be said that totalitarian sects have managed to cobble together a "sect defense lobby." In doing so the sects and their defenders have chosen the Russian Orthodox church as the special object of their attack, trying by any means to disparage and discredit it. In striving to suppress any attempt at criticism, they have incessantly initiated court cases, one after another, against their opponents, and they have used spiritual terror. As a result, officials and journalists, intimidated by their threats, have surrendered and removed any impediments (including legal requirements) to the sects’ activities.

23. An object of the sects’ special attention is the youth and especially students. Meanwhile, a young person who has not been given even an elementary knowledge of the history of religions and Christianity can easily become the slave of a youth sect. In some of these groups basic individual rights are suppressed, such as freedom of thought and discussion, freedom of exchange of information, and freedom of selection of wife or husband. An extreme manifestation of "youth religions" is the extremist and criminal phenomenon of satanic sects, whose development has been abetted by the broad distribution of "heavy rock music" with the accompanying symbolic and occultic-satanic literature and the general atmosphere of permissiveness and dissolute living that are promoted by the majority of the domestic media of mass communication.

24. We submit that a sufficient basis for public alarm over the activity of one or another religious movement is the presence within it of secret doctrinal texts. Freedom of choice by citizens of their religious ideas can be truly protected only when religious movements honestly lay out their convictions so that anybody who wishes, including those who do not undergo initiation procedures, are given the possibility of becoming fully acquainted with their system of belief.

25. We cannot remain silent in the face of the active anti-Christian movement, including theosophy, anthroposophy, "Living Ethics" of Rerikh, various manifestations of the so-called "Russian cosmism," and the cult of the "New Age." The dissemination of the "Agni-Yoga" of Rerikh in Russia that has emerged with the support of state leaders and structure, evokes our horror. With full responsibility, pursuant to the bishops’ council of our church, we bear witness: the teaching of Rerikh is sectarian, and not only incompatible with Christianity but also directly inimical to it.

26. We are disturbed by the active spread of various neopagan nazi doctrines, teachings, and sects. Unfortunately, we must recognize that these teachings often have penetrated the structures of government which, in our opinion. can lead to the most lamentable consequences; after all a large part of these sects and teachings are extremely politicized and they bear an extremely aggressive, misanthropic character, and they have openly penetrated the government. Among them we especially wish to note the pseudopatriotic movement "Toward Theocracy" of General Petrov, which is superstitious in its goals and purposes, as well as the sects "Radostei," "Troianov trop," "Cult of Ur," etc. We, who are specialists in the areas of theology, religious studies, education, and culture testify with full responsibility that any appeal to the so-called "ancient magical knowledge" which supposedly existed in Russia long before Christianity is without basis either from an historical, theological, or cultural point of view. We emphasize that Russian culture, and Russian statehood and the life of our people is unthinkable without Orthodoxy. It is our profound conviction that the second neopagan experiment cannot be borne by either our country or our nation.

27. We especially wish to emphasize the anti-Christian, occultic, and anthroposophist basis of the "Waldorf Pedagogy." We express our extreme dismay that this racist system, hostile to the teaching of Christ, which in European countries is supported by only a few people and public initiatives, has received state support in Russia. We think that the actions of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, which established the state academy of eurythmic arts, as well as the action of the Ministry of Education of Russia, which supported with directives anthroposophy and introduced into public schools the teaching of the Waldorf Pedagogy, were illegal and wrong.

28. We consider that question of religious politics in Russia have a substantially different character than in the West. This relates to the fact that in Russia all land, the majority of public buildings, conference halls, movie theatres, schools, libraries, and the like are to one degree or another state owned. In so far as these public places function as the organizational and preaching centers of the totalitarian sects, the situation arises in which the activity of these sects are being supported by the state. We consider that no secular government should give its support to totalitarian sects. Under the conditions of Russian reality this means that state institutions must be protected from the attempts of sectarians to use them as propaganda centers. The criteria which have been worked out for determining the state’s relationship to religious organizations must be clear and based on law. But on the basis of these criteria there should be established a list of cults with whom the state will not cooperate.

29. We ask journalists, teachers, and cultural and educational leaders to display caution in their acquaintance with new religious movements and not to give them publicity without preliminary, comprehensive study. As religious leaders, journalists, and teachers ourselves, we recall that our professional obligation is to be honest before our audiences and to testify only to what we really know, and we must do so even during our description of religious life.

30. We submit that the legislation of Russia on religious activity until now has still not been sufficiently worked out. Moreover, we express our extreme amazement that our government has not observed its own legislation on religious organizations and has been granting registration to organizations which have not met all criteria for receiving it.

31. We also note that the current situation gives effective priority to those religious groups who refuse registration as religious associations. By adopting the identity of cultural, information, ecological, or methodological centers, some sects have received direct access to the schools. Moreover, at the same time in some cases school administrations have cut off access to pupils for representatives of traditional, real, and juridically formed confessions. Of course, we can not help but express our amazement at the practical introduction of sectarian teaching in the form of required classes.

32. In particular we express our serious concern about the introduction into school curricula of the so-called valeology, which is an occultic religious movement with neopagan roots, as well as the penetration into Russian educational institutions of members of the totalitarian sect of the followers of the illiterate and psychotic false teacher Porfiry Ivanov. The proclamation of such doctrines in Russian schools contradicts all the traditions and forms of Russian education.

33. We propose the comprehensive creation of an interconfessional expert commission under the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education of Russia, which whose approval it would be impossible for any religious or religion studies programs to be introduced into state schools and institutes.

34. We thank Almighty God who has brought all of us together in these splendid days of the birth of his only begotten Son and our Savior Jesus Christ so that we can express our unanimity with regard to the alarming and destructive processes that are at work in our country and in the world on the eve of the third millennium since the incarnation of the World of God. We ask all of our brothers, who have been unwittingly drawn into the nets of the totalitarian sects, to renounce their fatal deceits. We pray Almighty God for your enlightenment so that he would give you the power to know the truth, "and the truth will make you free" (Jn 8.32). Return to the saving court of the church. Understand that the door of Christ’s church always are open for you. Know that the words of the apostle are for you: "Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for which the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience; and so do not be their associates. . . . Test what is pleasing to God and to not take part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them. For what they do in secret is shameful even to speak about. Nevertheless what is exposed is made clear by the light, for everything that is made clear is light. Thus it is said; ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’" (Eph 5. 6-7, 10-14)

    Adopted 13 January 1999, unanimously, by 72 participants of the conference, representing ten dioceses of the Russian Orthodox church, priests and laity, led by Bishop Antony of Barnaul and Altai—administration of Altai territory in the person of A.V. Bronikov, advisor for religious affairs under the head of the administration—AGU, in the person of kandidat of historical sciences V.Ya. Barkalov, assistant head of department of political science; kandidat of philosophy M.M. Volobtsova, assistant head of department of theology—administrations of security and internal affairs for Altai territory, in person of supervisors of relations with religious organizations—centers for opposing totalitarian sects: Center of the Holy Martyr Irenaeus of Lyons, Moscow, headed by doctor of philosophy, kandidat of theology A.L. Dvorkin; Center of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, Novosibirsk, headed by Archpriest Alexander Novopashin; International Dialogue Center, in the person of president, Professor Johannes Aagaard, Denmark; vice-president A.L. Dvorkin, Russia.

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of the international scholarly and practical conference "Totalitarian sects in Siberia"