Chapter IV: The Religious View of the Russian

In spite of prevailing opinions to the contrary, no people show more religious tolerance than the Russians. In no other country would such sects be allowed to flourish as the Christian Skoptsi, who mutilate themselves and their children in order to go to heaven; nor the Duchobortsi, with whom Canada knows not what to do. The same is true of the Sheit Mohammedan sect, who beat their bodies blue with chains and thrust knives into themselves, even on the streets where every one must see them. This so-called “Schachse Wachse” would positively not be tolerated in any other civilized country on the globe. Imagine, in the streets of a big city, where every one must pass, a Moslem spreading his prayer rug and, his face turned to Mecca, beating the ground with his forehead, shrieking weird monosyllables in Arabic, asking Allah to stand by those of the true faith. Of the hundreds of nationalities in Russia, each appears robed in its own fantastic costume. Should a person appear upon our streets in some such garb, he would be stoned by the newsboys, as certain Greek Catholic priests learned to their astonishment. Yet a Russian never molests anybody, and shows great reverence for all worshippers of God, no matter how or where. To say that he hates the Jew because of his faith is an abominable lie.

The less pious Sheits, who have not cut themselves so badly, giving the photographer a chance. The “Shachse Wachse” celebration is rarely ever permitted to be photographed. (Taken at Baku, Caucasus)]

The Greek Catholic clergy (Russian included) is not governed by one head, as is the case with the Roman Catholic clergy, but is ruled by several patriarchs, one of whom now lives in Constantinople, the other in Antioch, in Syria, the third in Jerusalem, and the fourth in Alexandria, and up to the time of Peter the Great, there also was a Russian patriarch. All questions of either dogma or order are decided by them working together. The moral influence of the patriarchs over the religious Russian people has always been great, and at times the patriarch has been a more powerful man than the Emperor. Previous to the reign of Peter the Great, all laws had to have the signature of the Emperor and of the patriarch. It happened that the patriarch of Moscow during Peter’s sovereignty was not so strong a man as his predecessors, and Peter purposely spoke of him in derision as a man who imbibed too freely. As Peter did not like the idea of a divine interfering with his temporal power, he stopped the election of a new, after the death of the last patriarch of Moscow, and vested the power in a conclave of bishops constituting the Holy Synod. Since that time the Synod is presided over by a bishop, who happens to be the Metropolitan of Petrograd. When a new rule is created by the Holy Synod, it is submitted to the procurator, a kind of hard-worked hyphen between the state and the Church, who, in turn, submits it to the Emperor, to be approved, with alterations or without. For reasons of state, the Emperor has a right to unfrock, through the Synod, any bishop guilty of treason. In the history of Russia, this has happened but once.

Like the English king, the Emperor has the right to appoint bishops to this or that province or city, but not as an ecclesiastic dignitary, for he cannot consecrate bishops nor ordain priests. So much is the Russian Church like the old Episcopal Church of England that Episcopal ministers and bishops may take part in the divine services in the Russian cathedrals, and are admitted behind the altar screen, where only priests in vestment may stand.

Like the Roman Church, the Russian Church has seven sacraments. Little and Big Lent are obligatory, and for forty days no meat or milk is allowed, though fish, lobsters, oysters and clams may be eaten. The priests must marry, except monks, before they are consecrated, but can marry only once, and once married a priest can never become a bishop, unless as a widower he takes the monastic vows. Then the degree of Archimandrite is conferred upon him. After serving in that capacity he may be consecrated a bishop.

The liturgy is very similar to that of the Roman Catholic Church, but instead of Latin being used, they confine themselves for the most part to the old Slavic and Greek tongues. From the former is derived the language of the Russians, Poles, Bulgarians, Servians, Croatians, Dalmatians and Bohemians.

A triangle two miles in perimeter, located in center of the city. Within its boundaries are palaces, churches, an arsenal and museums. The Old Kremlin was partially destroyed in 1812 and rebuilt during the reign of Nicholas I]

The worshipping of ikons, as is the case with Roman Catholics in Poland, is greatly in vogue, and, strange to say, the touching of the ground with the forehead while kneeling reminds one of similar Mohammedan salaams, the difference being that the Mussulmans have absolutely no articles of worship in their temples, nor will they tolerate the paintings of saints or even of Mohammed himself. It is a curious sight to see hundreds of people kneeling in front of the Iver-ikon of God’s mother at the entrance of one of the gates of the Moscow Kremlin, kissing the frame which holds the miracle-performing image. This, and the kissing of myriads of crosses and other ikons seems a most unsanitary mode of worship. No doubt, it is the remnant of those early days of Christianity, when external impressions had a more forceful effect upon the mind filled with superstitions than they would have upon the developed mentality of to-day. Since the imprint on our minds would vary in significance were we looking at a statue of Venus or at a Crucifix, the truth of the foregoing statement is too obvious to need further comment.

Peter the Great created the Synod. A Greek Orthodox recognizes the Emperor only as the temporal defender and guardian of the Church, for in question of dogma the Emperor has no more authority than the humblest peasant, and though he occupies a certain position of honor in the church, he submits to all its rules--fasting, kneeling, confessing, and kissing of ikons and crosses--so that while the Emperor may represent the highest power in the temporal affairs of the church, the highest spiritual power belongs to patriarchs and Synod. As to the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, of which the Russian Church is a part, Christ, the Saviour, is its only head.

Built by the terrible Timur. Every Friday (Mohammedan Sunday) the natives spread their rugs on the grounds of the square and pray for hours, all of which does not seem to hinder them from being cruel to their wives and animals nor from acts of immorality that are indescribable]