| Russia, Jehovah's Witnesses, Persecution and Religious Freedom |
| Written by John Scott | |
| Friday, 01 January 2010 | |
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The History of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia can be traced to 1891 or even as far back as 1887, when some magazines from what was then known as the Bible Students found their way to Russia. In 1891, a former Russian seminarian had become a Bible Student, as Jehovah's Witnesses were then called, by the name of Semyon Kozlitsky. Mr. Kozlitsky preached boldly and without a trial was arrested and exiled to Siberia. He continued preaching in Siberia until 1935 when he passed away. The restrictive climate towards religion was commented on by Jehovah's Witnesses as far back as 1892. This is a pattern continued until glasnost, and the religious freedom that emerged in Russia of the late 1980s and 1990s. Today, Jehovah's Witnesses again are facing a struggle for religious freedom in Russia. A look at the history of religion in Russia is therefore of interest to many, not only to Jehovah's Witnesses, but to politicians, members of other minority religious, and to social commentators.
The History of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia can be traced to 1891 or even as far back as 1887, when some magazines from what was then known as the Bible Students found their way to Russia. In 1891, a former Russian seminarian had become a Bible Student, as Jehovah's Witnesses were then called, by the name of Semyon Kozlitsky. Mr. Kozlitsky preached boldly and without a trial was arrested and exiled to Siberia. He continued preaching in Siberia until 1935 when he passed away. The restrictive climate towards religion was commented on by Jehovah's Witnesses as far back as 1892. This is a pattern continued until glasnost, and the religious freedom that emerged in Russia of the late 1980s and 1990s. Today, Jehovah's Witnesses again are facing a struggle for religious freedom in Russia. A look at the history of religion in Russia is therefore of interest to many, not only to Jehovah's Witnesses, but to politicians, members of other minority religious, and to social commentators. In 1911, a couple from Germany, the Herkendells, who had become Bible Students, spent their honeymoon preaching throughout Russia to German speaking people, and they received a positive reception. A Polish Bible Student by the name of Dojczman was sent out to Russia shortly before World War I and he spent months preaching there. In 1917, the reign of the Russian czars ended after 370 years, and the new nation known as the USSR emerged. Interestingly, Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the new republic stated concerning freedom of worship in Russia, "Everybody must be perfectly free, not only to profess whatever religion he pleases, but also to spread or change his religion. No official should have the right even to ask anyone about his religion: that is a matter for each person's conscience and no one has any right to interfere." The new republic of the USSR was, however, an atheistic country, referring to religion as "the opium of the people." After Lenin died in 1924 the government intensified its attacks against religion. In 1926, the League of the Militant Godless was formed in the USSR, the goal of which was clearly indicated in the name, producing and distributing atheistic literature in that time period. Jehovah's Witnesses continued to grow from the 1920's until the 1940's. The Russian Orthodox Church formed an alliance with then leader Stalin, and it opened the way for more freedom for the Orthodox Church. Jehovah's Witnesses in the years of 1940-1945, from Ukraine, Moldova, and the Baltic republics were exiled to labor camps during WWII in the USSR, because they would not bear arms, while German Bible Students on the other side of the battle lines were in concentration camps, alongside the Jews. Thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses would spend years exiled in Siberia or in labor camps, where many died from overwork or starvation, until the 1980s when religious freedom began to take shape. One Jehovah's Witnesses woman commented that their husbands "were spending most of their lives in prisons and camps. We women had to endure much: Every one of us was experiencing sleepless nights, surveillance and psychological pressure from the Soviet State Security Committee (KGB), loss of employment, and other trials. The authorities tried various means to make us deviate from the way of the truth. We had no doubt that Satan was using the situation to try to stop the Kingdom-preaching work. But Jehovah did not abandon his people." Jehovah's Witnesses were legalized in Russia in 1992. Jehovah's Witnesses today number 150,000 in Russia. What the future will hold for the present and future Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is yet to be seen with efforts again to ban the work of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Jehovah's Witnesses however, have demonstrated perseverance and resilience, and whether or not their work is legal in Russia, they will no doubt continue in, what they believe to be is, their God-assigned work, or preaching the message that Jesus started some 2,000 years ago. The Article Author: More information on the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses. Check out the insights on the current state of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia - The related story of the history of Jehovah's Witnesses struggle for freedom in Nazi Germany can be read at this US Holocaust Museum Jehovah's Witnesses. |
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