Orthodoxy & Identity in Post-Atheist Russia, March 31

[Daniel Rancour-Laferriere]

15 March 2006

"Post-Atheist Russia?"  I know that this is just an announcement for a 
conference, and I hope that the title does not suggest that atheists 
need not attend, but the title is misleading.  Communist ideology itself 
was a religion, according to prominent religious philosopher John Hick.  
Russia was never "atheist," so how can it be "post-atheist?"  True, 
militant atheists smashed icons and killed Orthodox believers during 
portions of the Soviet period, but theism (including Orthodox 
Christianity) continued to exist.  Veneration of icons of the Mother of 
God was particularly resistant to repressive measures taken by the 
authorities.  See, for example, a photograph of a procession of hundreds 
of venerators of the Surety of Sinners icon in Khamovniki in 1948 - 
figure 13 in my book:

> http://www.book-review.ru/news/news3251.html


I am an atheist myself most of the time, but some of these icons and the 
akathists sung to accompany their veneration occasionally force me to 
suspend disbelief.

Regards to the list,

Daniel Rancour-Laferriere




Margo Rosen wrote:

>The Harriman Institute of Columbia University presents a
>multi-disciplinary conference
>
>Orthodoxy and Identity in Post-Atheist Russia
>
>
>Friday, March 31, 2006
>10am-5pm
>Graduate Lounge, Philosophy Hall, Columbia University
>Contact ne99 at columbia.edu for further details and registration
>information
>
>10:00am—Welcome and Introductory Remarks, Catharine
>Theimer-Nepomnyashchy, Director, Harriman Institute
>
>Panel I: Orthodox Culture in Contemporary Russia
>10:15-12:00
>
>Chair: Peter Bouteneff, Professor of Dogmatic Theology, St.
>Vladimir’s
>Orthodox Seminary
>
>"The Orthodox Hedgehog: A Literary Perspective on Religion in Russia
>Today"
>Sophia Kishkovsky, Journalist, Moscow
>
>“The Practice of Confession in Modern Russia”
>Nadieszda Kizenko, Department of History, SUNY Albany
>
>"The Challenge of Icons: Orthodox Visual Culture and Contemporary
>Russian Society"
>Vera Shevzov, Department of Religion, Smith College
>
>Discussant: Fr. Michael Meerson, Christ the Savior Russian Orthodox
>Church, New York City
>
>Panel II: Orthodoxy and Democracy: Attitudes and Views Within the
>Russian Orthodox Church
>1:30-3:15
>
>Chair: Natalia Ermolaev, Department of Slavic Languages &
>Literatures,
>Columbia University
>
>“Orthodox Faith and Civic Life in Russia”
>Christopher Marsh, Department of Political Science, Baylor
>University
>
>"The Russian Orthodox Church and the Political Orientations of the
>Post-Soviet Generation"
>Irina Papkov, Department of Government, Georgetown University
>
>Discussant: Peter Juviler, Center for Human Rights, Columbia
>University
>
>Panel III: The Orthodox Church and Russian Politics
>3:30-5:00
>
>Chair: Gordon Bardos, Harriman Institute, Columbia University
>
>“Religion and Politics Under the Putin Administration: Accommodation
>and Confrontation within "Managed Pluralism’”
>James W. Warhola, Department of Political Science, University of
>Maine
>
>“The Succession Crisis”
>Nikolas K. Gvosdev, Executive Editor of The National Interest
>
>Discussant: Peter Quimby, Princeton University
>
>______________________________
>Natalia Ermolaev
>Department of Slavic Languages
>Columbia University
>708 Hamilton Hall
>1130 Amsterdam Avenue
>MC 2839
>New York, NY 10027
>
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