The influence of the communist ideology on world and ethnic religions in the Jewish Autonomous Region in the 20th century

There were different religions such as Judaism, Orthodoxy, Seventh-day Adventism, Baptism and other Christian denominations in the 20th century in the Jewish Autonomous Region. The aim of this paper is to determine the degree of the Soviet government influence on the existence of religious communities. The tasks of the research are: 1) to analyze the methods of anti-religious struggle in the Jewish Autonomous Region; 2) to consider the religious situation; 3) to determine the stages of interaction of public authorities with the believers. Methods of this study are historical-comparative, historical-typological, the method of historical periodization. This article is based on archival materials, i.e. the works of S.M. Dudarenok, O.P. Fedirko, T.I. Churilina, M.B. Serdyuk, Yu.V. Ar-gudyaeva. Judaism and Christian denominations appeared simultaneously in the Jewish Autonomous Region. They were brought by immigrants from the western regions of Russia. By 1936, there were no registered religious communities in the JAR. The number of believers was small and virtually unchangeable for many years. Communist authorities were very energetic in their anti-religious propaganda. In 1923, the Amur Gubkom (Regional Committee) of the R.C.P.(B.) (the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)) defined specific methods of struggling against religion in the region. There were atheist propaganda methods, i.e. the split of the church, eradication of religious holidays, lectures, anti-religious clubs. Outreach activities (propaganda) were expanded by the society Znanie. It organized book exhibitions, anti-religious meetings. Specially trained lecturers performed anti-religious reports there. The society Znanie invited officials and public prosecutors to organize these meetings. In 1948, the first Jewish community was registered and the first synagogue was opened. But in 1985 this community ceased to exist. Besides the Jewish community there were Minya groups. In the 1950s, Orthodox believers became active. They publicly held religious services. In the late 1980s, Orthodoxy began to strengthen its position. Old Believers, Doukhobors (Spirit Wrestlers), Old Believers-Kerzhaks lived in the JAR. The Soviet authorities often united them into one religious group. In 1978, the first religious community of Evangelical Christians-Baptists was registered. A small group of Seventh-day Adventists was formed in the middle of the 20th century in the JAR. In the process of the study the author came to the following conclusion: the religious situation in the Jewish Autonomous Region was ambiguous. There were no registered religious cults in the region for a long time. Since the 1950s, the faithful became more active; they publicly held services, sermons, meetings, and since the 1970s, many religious communities began to register their activities, which contributed to the formation of the religious outlook of the Jewish Autonomous Region citizens.

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