The government of the Soviet Union followed an unofficial policy of state atheism, aiming to gradually eliminate religious belief within its borders.
[3] These attacks, however, in the broader ideological context, were meant to serve the ultimate goal of eliminating religion, and the perceived political opposition acted as a legal pretext to carry this out.
[3] As part of its anti-religious campaigns, the Soviet state enacted a significant body of legislation that regulated and curtailed religious practices.
[6] ii) Decree on the Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce), 18 December 1917:[7] ... 12 ... All records currently in the possession of any religious organization are to be handed over to the local courts without delay.
... All decisions regarding the dissolution of marriage already made or in the process of being ruled upon by any religious organization or by any of its representatives, are hereby declared destroyed and not valid, they are to be decided upon by the local courts upon their taking possession of the appropriate records.
(People's Commissar A. Kollontai)[8][9] This meant that religious communities from then onward had to rely entirely upon the voluntary support of its laity in order to continue existence.
To those who live on the labor of others religion teaches benevolence in earthly life, offering them a very cheap justification for all their exploiting existence and selling tickets to heavenly happiness at a reduced price.
Lenin's legislative acts would form what would be called the 'Leninist legality' and would be considered a milestone and a reference point for later anti-religious campaigns and thought.
[13] According to Gregory Freeze, church hierarchies and dioceses could not legally exist under Soviet law, and therefore if believers received instruction from priests or bishops as though such people were spiritual authorities, they could be punished along with the offending clergymen.
Flakeerman)[22] v) Declaration of the People's Commissar of Justice, 24 August 1918: The fact that, this was a 'minimum' and there was no stated 'maximum', allowed for local authorities to set the minimum number at a high level.
[citation needed] i) Act #259 of the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, 30 July 1929: According to Dimitry Pospielovsky, this meant that religious minister could be charged from 5 to 10 times the rent that would be required from workers for the same property.
[22] ii) Act of the All-Russian Central Administrative Committee and Soviet of People's Commissars RSFSR, 8 April 1929: Pospielovsky argued that a priest could not live with a parishioner or relative in government-owned housing.
Section 236: Citizens, free from military service on religious ground ... are to be assigned to: in peacetime – public benefiting work (combating natural disasters, epidemics, etc.)
[citation needed] The Central Committee and the Soviet of People's Commissars of the USSR decrees: (Moscow, Kremlin, 10 April 1929)[24] ii) Instruction for the Fulfilment of [the above] Decree, 25 April 1929: (Assistant Head of Taxation)[23] iii) Instruction on the Elections to the Soviets, Confirmed by the Presidium of the Central Committee, 4 November 1926: iv) Act of the Central Committee and the Soviet of People's Commissars, 11 January 1928: All Citizens of the USSR, who possess voting privileges ... may organize consumer organizations to serve their consumer and household needs ...
According to Pospielovsky, all clergy members (e.g. the people mentioned in the above list who had their voting rights deprived) could not form, participate or benefit from consumer organizations.
[33] This legislation, drafted in 1961 during the height of a renewal persecution under Nikita Khrushchev, was designed to assist the anti-religious campaign especially with regard to the massive number of church closures that were conducted.
Approved on 16 March 1961: I General II The Activities of the Clergy and the Religious Associations must correspond to the following demands An exception was made for the sick and dying.
Order and Procedures regarding Registration of Religious Associations, Opening and Closing of Prayer Houses V. Rules on the Use of Objects (Utensils) of the Cult Basically the same as in LRA.
CROCA and CRC were originally created by Joseph Stalin during the second world war (1939–1945) as liaison bodies between religion and the government.
Under Nikita Khrushchev this function began to evolve into dictatorial bodies that exerted control over religious activities in the country.
Monks who preached about concentrating on the spiritual life and disregarding the temptations of the material world could be interpreted as 'propaganda aimed at tearing believers away from active participation in the state'.
Before this legislation had taken effect, believers who preached against atheism could be arrested for making 'political' sermons that were interpreted as an attack on state ideology.
[38] Its legal mandate was strengthened in the 1975 amendments to the LRA, although many of the powers that it would be officially given were things that it had already effectively been using (from its predecessors) since Nikita Khrushchev.
The hindrance of prevention of the fulfillment of religious functions, so far as they do not harm the social order or infringe upon individual rights – is punishable by correctional labour for up to six months by a public reprimand.
No matter how many times such an official could be found guilty, the most he could be punished would be six months or correctional labour, while believers could face up to three years imprisonment.
According to Pospielovsky, this was interpreted to prohibit any missionary work, and threatened with imprisonment any person who attracted converts or who strengthened religious convictions.
[42] Other laws not mentioned included prohibitions of teaching religion to children under the age of 18,[43] requirements to register all baptisms and religious rites with the state, as well as forbidding of priests to be on church councils.