ABSTRACT
The chapter studies the development of Freethought and atheism in Bulgaria during three historical periods: from the forefathers of the Bulgarian literary tradition in the 1870s through the end of the Second World War (1872–1944), the socialist period (1944–1989) and the three decades of the democratic regime (1989–2019). The central concept of ethnophyletism – a term coined back in 1872 to designate a specific form of religious nationalism, condemned as “the Bulgarian heresy” – is used to describe the interconnections between nationalism and Christian orthodoxy in the construction of the collective identity of Bulgarians back in the 19th century. Popular atheism and anticlericalism from the first decades of the 20th century are traced in literary works, left-leaning intellectuals and activists from the interwar period. The scientific atheism of the Marx-Leninist doctrine is contrasted with popular beliefs and mysticism in the following period, demonstrating the nuanced picture of the regime and its relation to the church. While the percentage of strong believers in the general population remained low after the changes from 1989, certain trends at reuniting feelings of belonging with orthodox forms of religious life are used by right-wing and conservative politicians propagating exclusive versions of ethnoreligious nationalism, using it against minorities.
