CONFOUNDED BY THE CULTS
by David C. LewisIn the past few months, at least two regional governments within the Rus.ian Federation have
passed legislation restricting my. activity. Despite claims by religious groups that the new
legislation is unconstitutional, the restrictions have been introduced in the Sverdlovsk region - a
major industrial area in the central Urals - and in the Udmurt Republic, which lies a little to the
west of the Ural mountains.Such measures are part of a bigger trend. "In the religious freedom, as in many other areas of life,
Rus. is to a large extent a lawless state," Lawrence Uzzell of the Keston News Service recently
told the U. S. Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In Washington, D. C., Uzzell
told the commission that Rus.'s constitutional guarantee of religious liberty "has turned out to
be largely meaningless in practice."The Institute for East-West Christian Studies, part of Wheaton College's Bil. Gra. Center,
counts 20 regions implementing or contemplating such restrictions. Both the Sverdlovsk region
and the Udmurt Republic would have introduced such laws last spring but for the opposition of
religious organizations. Thanks to the new restrictions, some Protestant churches in Udmurt are
no longer allowed to use public buildings for religious purposes. They have lodged an appeal
with the regional procurator, who will decide whether the laws violate the Constitution.Meanwhile, several churches have had to find new meeting places. The "Philadelphia" church - a
leading evangelical fellowship in the region's capital, Izhevsk - has moved from spacious rented
premises to a hall seating only 600 people, which is insufficient. The church's Bible school is
continuing, but even before the restrictions became law a television station decided a planned
feature was "too risky."Ironically, the new laws initially caused some curious non-Christians to visit the churches to find
out why they had been banned. In the longer-term, however, the uncertainties about their legal
status and the lack of a secure meeting place are likely to discourage some Christians from
attending.In the Sverdlovsk region, all mies. must register and provide documents on the nature of
their organization, a "description of their rituals and ceremonies and other religious actions," a
copy of their "holy book" or "code of laws," and other such details. One restriction forbids
mission work among children (particularly those in state schools, orphanages, or kindergartens)
without their consent and the written permission of their parents or legal guardians.The Sverdlovsk regional Department of Justice may refuse to register mies. on several
grounds. A mission can be banned if it is deemed to damage the "Physical, mental, and moral
health of people" or lead to the breakup of families or the erosion of family unity. Missions may
also be outlawed on charges of stirring up ethnic or religious discord, using drugs, propagating
violence, or using "unlawful compulsion."79
The region's recent exposure to a number of sects and cults is one motivation for these strictures.
By 1995, representatives of the Unification Church in Yekaterinburg had already visited many of
the city's schools, where their doctrines had apparently begun to have more influence among both
staff and pupils than the teachings of any other religious group.The Department for Religious Affairs of Yekaterinburg's city council was also concerned about
teachings being promoted by an organization referred to locally as the "Hubbard college," and the
widespread dissemination of books by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. Authorities
were naturally suspicious of the flood of new religious movements into Rus., including cults and
sects.Some academic papers about the psychological damage caused by certain cults have reinforced
this suspicion. Pavel Bak, a respected Pentecostal minister in Yekaterinburg, was barely able to
prevent a film that makes superficial comparisons between the cults and certain charismatic
churches from being shown at a conference in the city.Media reports about the activities of extreme religious cults elsewhere, either in Rus. or the
West, have kept fears warm. Former Communist Party officials who had always been taught to
distrust religion understandably began to feel that their fears had been confirmed.Precedents for some of these restrictions had already been set. In November, 1993, the use of
public buildings for religious purposes had been banned in Kazan and Baberenzhnye Chelny, the
two principal cities of Tatarstan. Tatarstan (in the region of the Volga and Kama Rivers) shares a
border with Udmurtia, where similar restrictions were introduced in 1996. The Tatarstan
legislation was prompted by two factors: complaints by Tatar Musl_m families whose children had
been converted to Protestant Christianity and the activities in Kazan of a kind of "Christian cult"
that had developed a bad reputation for disturbing the public peace through its aggressive
"evangelism." (Members had become known as the group that "shouts at people on public
transport.")Few in the region, brought up on atheistic propaganda, understand the difference between healthy
and unhealthy forms of religion.ISRAEL AND RELIGION Israel's national legislature has given preliminary approval to what some critics are labeling an
"anti-my." bill. The law, which has yet to receive final passage, would outlaw the printing
and distribution of religious materials that had the purpose of persuading people to change their
religion. The proposed law provides for one year of imprisonment for violators.80
CRACKDOWN IN VIETNAM Since last June, the Vietnamese government has turned up the pressure on the country's illegal
house churches. Thirteen known house church leaders are in a jail, serving a minimum of 20
months in each. In addition, authorities have begun raiding churches, arresting entire
congregations for short periods. Also, fines are being increased. The government is attempting
to make the house churches register under Vietnam's official Protestant church, known as Tin
Lanh. "We must force all illegal churches to register under the Tin Lanh churches," an official of
the Ministry of Socialism and Culture. "If not, we will destroy all of them. We should use every
means to intimidate them until they join."U.S. PRESSES SAUDIS ON RIGHTS The United States government is urging officials in Saudi Arabia to allow American citizens
freedom of worship in the country, Assistant Secretary of State John Shattuck told reporters. "We
have been very concerned and have raised both privately and publicly the issue of freedom of
religion, and particularly the question of the free exercise of religion by United States personnel
when they are in Saudi Arabia," Shattuck said. "We are going to press to make sure this is
possible in the future as well." The most recent human rights report of the U. S. State
Department noted that freedom of religion "does not exist" in Saudi Arabia, where all non-
Musl_m religious activities are banned.CHURCHES ATTACKED IN PAKISTAN A Musl_m mob in Pakistan attacked churches in two Christian villages on February 6. The
violence began after a mosque in Khanewal, some 200 miles south of Lahore, charged Christians
with an act of desecration. Some 5,000 Christian homes were burned, and three churches were
raided in Khanewal. In addition, a hospital, a hostel, and a dispensary run by the Salvation Army
were attacked. Two Musl_ms were killed by police while some 100 Christians were hospitalized
during the violence.ZAIRE REFUGEES THREATENED The refugee camp in Tingi Tingi, Zaire, home of 120,000 ethnic Hutus from Rwanda and
Burundi, may soon fall into rebel hands. Aid workers believe that if the refugees are uprooted
again, many will die. "The people who made it to this point are already survivors," a relief official
with the United Nations Children's Fund said. "But if they have to suddenly get up and move
again, you can say good-bye to a lot of these people. They are weak, and it will be the end of the
road for them."81
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