Religious Factor and National Security in the Multi-Religious Life of Russian Society: A Constitutional Legal Study
The aim of this article is to identify the main directions of the state religious policy in the Russian society in which a variety of religions are represented. The article considers the content of the constitutional model of a secular state and the features of its practical implementation in Russia at the present stage of development. The connection between the model of state-religious relations implemented in Russia and the ensuring of religious security in the country has been determined. The study is based on works by V.F. Anurin, S.A. Buryanov, N.V. Vitruk, A.V. Karpushkin, O.N. Petyukov, M.O. Shakhov and other prominent researchers. Federal laws and acts of regional public authorities, archival material on the history of the creation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation are also used. The methodological basis for the study is the dialectical, comparative legal and formal legal methods. In particular, the use of the dialectical method contributed to the study of the laws on religious associations in Russia in their formation and development. The use of comparative legal and formal legal methods helped to identify trends in the development of laws on freedom of conscience and religious associations, as well as features of the implementation of the principle of a secular state in Russia. The use of the functional method allowed investigating the place and role of the President of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation, the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, other public authorities, public associations and individual citizens in the process of ensuring religious security. As a result, the author came to the conclusion that religion is undoubtedly a unifying factor. But in the conditions of multi-religious countries, it seems that religion, by contrast, can become a factor of separatism. Therefore, the state policy in such countries, including Russia, should be based on the principles of religious tolerance and should promote the establishment of strong interfaith relations. This can play a positive role in ensuring the stable development of society and become the basis of the national security of the state. It has been established that the Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 125-FZ of 10 October 1997 "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" (as amended on 05 February 2018) introduces more restrictions on various forms of implementation of freedom of conscience while retaining some continuity in legal regulation. Therefore, the state confessional policy requires reforms and should be aimed at interfaith dialogue.