The Moscow Patriarchate and the Right to Conscientious Objection
In 2002 the Russian Duma adopted a law regulating the status of the country's conscientious objectors. This study discusses the role of the Moscow Patriarchate - an influential norm entrepreneur - in this process. It shows how the Patriarchate has actively supported some of the more conservativ...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge
2009
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| In: |
Religion, state & society
Year: 2009, Volume: 37, Issue: 4, Pages: 403-417 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In 2002 the Russian Duma adopted a law regulating the status of the country's conscientious objectors. This study discusses the role of the Moscow Patriarchate - an influential norm entrepreneur - in this process. It shows how the Patriarchate has actively supported some of the more conservative forces - including the Russian Ministry of Defence - in their shaping of a restrictive law designed to make conscientious objection an unattractive alternative to regular military service. By celebrating military service and by questioning the legitimacy of religiously based opposition to conscription the Patriarchate has constructed a particular understanding of what could be termed ‘proper Russian behaviour’ and of how ‘we’ do things. While ‘we’ are willing to defend the Fatherland, ‘they’ are not. In return for its support the Russian Orthodox Church now enjoys a position of visibility and influence within the armed forces that is unrivalled by any other religious group in the country. In this way, a mutually beneficial relationship has been set up in which the military enjoys the spiritual and normative support of the church, while the Patriarchate enjoys the importance accorded to it by ‘official Russia’ as a cornerstone of Russian culture, past as well as current. This relationship serves to make life harder for would-be Russian conscientious objectors. Through its construction of ‘proper Russian behaviour’, the Patriarchate is adding to the stigma attached to conscientious objection, thereby raising the social costs for the young men who prefer not to do regular military service. |
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| ISSN: | 1465-3974 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion, state & society
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09637490903315427 |