ABSTRACT
The growth in active religious organizations, as well as a growing tendency to ascribe religious meaning to political activity, means that religion has a greater presence in the civil space and plays an increasing role in shaping public opinion. In Soviet Russia, atheism, while not formally proclaimed as an element of state ideology, was supported actively by the state and Soviet public authorities, when the regime was politically and ideologically liberalized. The spiritual and moral revival of society and social solidarity also appear to be spheres in which religion plays a constructive role. Adherence to a confession is often seen not only as a religious belief, but also as a cultural-ethnic self-identification. The dynamic interaction of ethnic and religious identity has a direct impact on the formation of the modern Russian civil community. The principle of secular education in the state school was for a long time considered a serious obstacle to the teaching of religious culture.
