Russian Church in the Digital Era

Description

The Russian Orthodox Church, the largest and most powerful religious institution in Russia, has become one of the central pillars of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarianism. While church attendance remains low, the religiously inspired rhetoric of traditionalism has come to dominate the mainstream political and media discourse. Has Russia abandoned its atheist past and embraced Orthodox Christianity as its new moral guide? The reality is more complex and contradictory. Digital sources provide evidence of rising domestic criticism of the Russian Orthodox Church and its leadership. This book offers a nuanced understanding of contemporary Russian Orthodoxy and its changing role in the digital era. Topics covered within this book include: • Mediatization theory; • Church reforms under Patriarch Kirill; • Church–state relations since 2009; • The Russian Orthodox Church’s media policy; • Anticlericalism vs. Church criticism; and • Religious, secular, and atheist critiques of the Church in digital media. Using contemporary case studies such as Pussy Riot's Punk Prayer, this book is a gripping read for those with an interest in media studies, digital criticism of religion, religion in the media, the role of religion in society, and the Russian Orthodox Church. Cover Endorsements Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Note on transliteration and translation Introduction Bibliography 1. Post-Soviet religious revival: Belonging without believing? "Second baptism" of Russia Ambiguity of post-Soviet religious identification Unchurched Orthodox majority Orthodox Christianity as the cornerstone of Russian identity Mediatization of Russian Orthodoxy Notes Bibliography 2. The Russian Orthodox Church under Patriarch Kirill The new patriarch Reforms of the Church Relations with the state: A new alliance between throne and altar? The evolving ideology of "traditional values" Bibliography 3. Seeking power: The Russian Orthodox Church's media strategy Traditional and digital media in Russia Institutional reforms Patriarch Kirill's assessment of contemporary media Who speaks for the Church? Russian Orthodoxy in digital media: An uncontested terrain? Moscow Patriarchate's relationship with social media Note Bibliography 4. Atheist, religious, secular: Church criticism in digital media Religious critics Critics among Orthodox clergy and laity Former members of the Russian Orthodox Church Religious dissidents Atheist critics Scientific atheism New atheism Secular critics Notes Bibliography 5. From victim to persecutor: The Russian Orthodox Church after Pussy Riot Pussy Riot's punk prayer—a mediatized event Church criticism that failed "Blasphemy before the Holy Gates"—Pussy Riot under critique A performative shift, or how Church authorities fueled their own criticism Russian Orthodox Church facing critique in digital media An "information campaign" against the Russian Orthodox Church? Note Bibliography 6. Russia's YouTube generation and the Orthodox Church Religion, politics, and society on Dmitrii Ivanov's YouTube channel Ruslan Usachev: An atheist's view on the Russian Orthodox Church Selling anticlerical satire: Danila Poperechnyi's YouTube video POP Culture The Russian Orthodox Church's response to YouTube Notes Bibliography 7. Orthodox clergy and laity voicing dissent online: The case of Ahilla.ru Platform for those who are "wounded" Countering the "new silence" in the media sphere Negotiating religious identity, constructing a sense of belonging Challenging Orthodox Church authority Criticizing Church hierarchy: Us vs. them Feudalism, formalization, and fiction—Critique of Church structures Ideology of "spiritual bonds": Russian Orthodox Church and the state Notes Bibliography Conclusion: Mediatization of Orthodoxy in present-day Russia Bibliography Appendices Appendix A: Lyrics of Danila Poperechnyi's YouTube clip POP Culture Appendix B: Questionnaire of an anonymous priest Index