The Quarterly Journal of St. Philaret’s Institute

The modern fascination with eschatology combined with the attitudes of the archaic worldview leads to the formation of eschatological religious subcultures of a radical type. The dissemination of such views in the near-temple environment is a serious challenge, since their adherents are characterized by aggressive imposition of their views, harsh criticism of church life, and the dissemination of conspiracy mythology. The article presents the results of the analysis of the features of the worldview inherent in the adherents of these subcultures. The following ideological attitudes are revealed: eschatological monarchism, eschatological escapism, demonization of modern technologies, delegitimization of the modern political system of the Russian Federation and public authorities. Often, the popularization of the corresponding subcultures is carried out on the basis of discrediting the churches of canonical Orthodoxy, primarily the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Such discrediting, carried out with the help of various hermeneutical tricks, ultimately forms the identity of the corresponding subcultures. The latter is most often constructed through opposition, i.e. it is of a secondary, mediated nature. As a result, the ideal of church life is constructed as a consistent opposition to the religious mainstream, often without any constructive content. Adherents use methods reminiscent of the technology of aggressive marketing, distribution of relevant information materials among parishioners of the canonical Church, placement of leaflets of provocative content on the walls and doors of Orthodox churches. Another way of popularizing eschatological subcultures is to intimidate potential communicants with various apocalyptic horrors. Natural and man-made disasters and catastrophes are depicted with numerous details, enhancing the illocutionary force of the agitational discourse. As a result, the missionary effect is achieved by means of fear incitement, using the motivation of intimidation.