ABSTRACT
TheBalticstateshavevaryingculturaltraditions,buttheyshareafundamental WesternorientationthatincludesareligioustraditionbasedonChristianityacquiredfromRome.1However,inthecasesofEstoniaandLatviathistradition wasalteredbytheReformationandaffectedbythehistoricaldominationofthe BalticGermans,leavingthepredominantLutheranChurchwiththeimageofa Herrenkircheandhenceaweakerlinktothenation.TheLithuanianCatholic Church,ontheotherhand,didnotsufferfromthisonusofforeigndomination, althoughthetiebetweennationandreligionisweakerthaninPolandduetothe relativelylateChristianizationofLithuaniaandtheextensivePolonizationofthe churchpriortothecommunistperiod.Orthodoxywasnotindigenoustothese areas,althoughconversiontoOrthodoxyundertheinfluenceoftsaristpoliciesof RussificationdidcreateanationalOrthodoxpopulation.Thischapterwillconcentrateprimarilyonthesenationalchurches(CatholicinLithuania,Lutheran andCatholicinLatvia,andLutheraninEstonia},addressingthreeissues:theeffectof thecommunistperiodonthechurches,theroleofthechurchesintheliberalizationprocessunderGorbachev,andtheroleofthechurchesinthepostindependenceperiodofdemocratization.
