DOI: 10.20535/2307-5244.44.2017.105462
SHEІ «Perejaslav-Khmelnytsky Нryhriy Skovoroda State Pedagogical University»
The article is based on archival documents from the TSDAVO Ukraine. It shows
the methods implemented by the Soviet authorities to cancell the registration and
dissolute the Baptist community in the postwar period. We stated that during the
Second World War, Stalin drew attention to the consolidating role of religions in
the fight against the external enemy. He decided to employ the spiritual influence
to implement his ambitious plans towards domination not only in the USSR but
in the world. The postwar Stalinist «cosmopolitan» policy implemented double standards. On the one hand, the leader of the Soviet Union through the pro-government
VRYEHB international partners demonstrated the democracy and freedom
of conscience, on the other he created a series of hidden mechanisms aimed
an unification and control of the Protestant Church. Stalin’s «cosmopolitan» policy
led to the closure of thousands of worship houses across the USSR, and led
many believers to meet their spiritual needs outside the church.
Keywords: Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Stalin’s religious policy, religious communities.
