worldview

The Russian Tsar in Non-Christian Religions of the Russian Empire

This article describes the sacralization of a Russian monarch’s person in the non‑Christian religious systems of the Russian Empire (Islam, Buddhism, traditional beliefs). It shows that in Christianizing subjects’ mythological worldview a tsar could play the role of a demiurge, replacing the pagan creator, and moreover, Russian Buddhists actually included the supreme rulers of the Empire in the pantheon of their faith.

The Dialogue of Religion and Science: New Approaches (An Overview of Discussions)

The paper is authored by the heads of the research project «The Development of a New Methodology for Dialogue and Cooperation between Science and Religion in Russia» (supported by John Templeton Foundation). The paper gives an overview of research results. The traditional dialogue (within Christian cultural tradition), which was largely epistemological, should be made wider and deeper thanks to new approaches — in particular looking comparatively at the very ethos of the scientific and religious communities.