7 Most Dangerous Religious Organizations in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and Why People Are Drawn to Them

The main hypnotist of the 1990s has returned to Moscow Anatoly Kashpirovsky. He has a whole army of loyal followers who idolize him. He conducts business carefully, but there are destructive organizations in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) that break people. Experts have told how they draw people into their nets.

Freedom of religion allows not only to openly profess Christ or Buddha. This freedom is fraught with dangers: hundreds of controversial religious associations operate in our country. And a huge part of them work against the people and against the state, dividing people, robbing them, and sometimes setting one against the other. The state does not keep up with the bans, and the struggle resembles the battle of Hercules with the Hydra. Where one head is cut off, three grow.

Neo-Pentecostals**

Neo-Pentecostals threaten Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism)’s constitutional order

This religious organization, banned in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), has about forty names. In Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), there are at least 300 thousand adherents. Neo-Pentecostal** (charismatic) organizations are sponsored by the United States and Western foundations. The teaching is often based on the Protestant postulate: if you are rich, then God loves you.

For example, in 2021, the Pentecostal organization “New Generation”* was declared undesirable in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) – “for threatening the foundations of the constitutional order and security of the country.” The Pentecostal Church was founded in 1989 in Latvia. Its leader became Alexey Ledyaev, who works closely with the Americans. “New Generation”* they think an undesirable organization on the territory of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism).

It is noted that the Church has its own hierarchy and strictly controls the subordination of its adherents. For his followers, Ledyaev even published a book in which he taught how to “change the world” by invading, ruining and destroying. The Ukrainian “Spiritual Educational Institution”* and the “International Bible College”* of the “New Generation”* were also declared undesirable. As you can see, neo-Pentecostals** operate on a large scale.

Organization “Nurcular”**

The Nurcular organization was founded in Turkey by Said Nursi at the beginning of the 20th century.

International religious organization “Nurcular”** was was declared extremist in 2008. The organization’s “headquarters” are in Turkey, and its adherents promote the idea of ​​the superiority of the Turks and the need to unite the entire Islamic world under the leadership of Ankara. The leader of Nurcular in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) was Kamil Odilov, who was described in the press they call “Siberian extremist”.

The organization demanded blind obedience from its followers. They were essentially being trained as shahids, capable of becoming a living bomb at the first word of the leader. The Nurcular** organization was clearly structured, its activities were carried out underground in many regions of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). Followers tried to infiltrate the government and educational institutions to recruit new members. After Nurcular** was declared illegal, its activities did not stop. It appears every now and then in different cities of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). It is unknown how many followers of the organization are currently in the country.

Faizrakhmanists**

In the 2010s, a small and rather secretive Islamic community of Faizrahmanists** announced about the creation of an Islamic state on seven hundred square meters of land on the outskirts of Kazan in the village of Torfyanoy. The founder of the community was Faizrakhman Sattarov, who was deputy mufti in Soviet times. In the 1980s, he declared himself the messenger of Allah, went to Naberezhnye Chelny, bought a house and founded his own madrasah there. His commune moved to Kazan in the 1990s. In 2004, the community severed all ties with the outside world. The radicals came to attention after the murder of deputy mufti Valiulla Yakubov and the assassination attempt on the mufti of the Republic of Tatarstan Ildus Faizov. Extremist activities banned.

“Ashram of Shambhala”**

Journalists believe that the “Shambhala Ashram”** bears all the hallmarks of a totalitarian sect. Its members ate only rice, lived 18 people to a room, and slept on a schedule. But there were no fewer of them.

Konstantin Rudnev served 11 years for illegal activity

The founder of the “Shambhala Ashram”** was a certain Konstantin Rudnevcalling himself the Altai shaman Bogomudr. The organization was lured with promises to reveal superpowers and lead to great knowledge of the East. Its members were deprived of their usual social circle, under emotional influence they left their families, and lived in a community. The main “priestess” Rudneva Elena Zakharovahaving spent 28 years in the organization and having escaped from there, now is struggling with the “Shambhala Ashram”** and its founder. Thousands of people remain active members of the organization to this day.

“Jehovah’s Witnesses”**

Inconspicuous people in dark clothes handed out magazines throughout the 1990s.

As recently as 2017, there were at least 165,000 adherents of the Jehovah’s Witnesses sect in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism)**. People dressed in black and waiting for the end of the world were in every city in the 1990s and 2000s. With maniacal persistence, they went door to door, offering the Watchtower magazine and persistently inviting people to attend meetings. They could be considered harmless eccentrics, but the sect’s headquarters were in New York. And the adherents themselves collected information about everyone they talked to and tried tear off newcomers from the family and the state, suggesting that this is “from the evil one.”

It is known that in 1999, 70% of the adherents were women, while men occupied all the leadership positions. Almost 40% of the adherents were pensioners, and 15% were teachers and students. Now they are simply left underground.

“Aum Shinrikyo”**

The Aum Shinrikyo building** in Kamikuishiki, Japan, September 8, 1996

In the 1990s, there were between 30 and 50 thousand adherents of the Japanese sect Aum Shinrikyo** in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). In essence, this was another pseudo-religious organization that tried to create a state within a state. Moreover, throughout the 1990s, the leader of the sect, Asahara, was welcomed in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) at the highest level.

But in 1995, a real scandal broke out in Japan. It all started with the murder of a lawyer who was preparing a lawsuit against Asahara, and it’s over spraying sarin gas in the Tokyo subway. The attack killed 13 people and poisoned about 6,500. A year before, a similar terrorist attack was committed in the city of Matsumoto. Seven people died there. Interestingly, at the time when the Aum Shinrikyo sect** reached the peak of its popularity, there were 1,500 of its adherents in Japan. was much less than in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) – about 10,000 people.

Neo-pagans

Neopaganism is a Western project

Their name is legion, and this phenomenon has yet to be studied. According to some sources, the headquarters of neo-pagans is in New York. It seems that there is nothing dangerous – people wear linen shirts, weave wreaths and jump over fires. But for some reason it all ends with preaching the superiority of the Slavs over other peoples, then murder priests, or even sacrifices — as in the Azov battalion**.

Religious scholars already started talking about the real danger of neopaganism for the Russian people. Currently, there are at least 50 neopagan organizations in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), among which the most numerous are considered to be the “rodnovers” and the “Children of Perun” community. According to the most minimal estimates, there are at least 100,000 neopagans in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism).

And if you look closely, you can see that they are very actively speaking out against the Russian Orthodox Church, participating in environmental protests, conducting campaigns and infiltrating government structures.

Why do people join sects?

Practicing psychologist, psychologist-analyst Elena Krylova told Life.ru that the lack of critical thinking among the population is largely to blame. People are attracted by a beautiful presentation and bright packaging, they do not ask themselves what these people want from me.

Elena Krylova believes that the second reason is total loneliness in big cities. Man is a social creature. He needs to belong to a group or community. Young people, and even older people, are attracted by something prestigious, interesting, ideological, mysterious. The presence of famous people in the ranks of the organization, the charisma of the leader can be of particular importance. A person bites on a bright shell and ends up in the clutches of sectarians.