Atheism and spirituality in the USSR: Can atheists be spiritual?

Fell, Elena (2023) Atheism and spirituality in the USSR: Can atheists be spiritual? Empedocles: European Journal for the Philosophy of Communication, 14 (1). pp. 43-60.

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Official URL: https://www.academia.edu/106074629/Atheism_and_spi...

Abstract

Is atheist spirituality an oxymoron and, if so, did Soviet citizens brought up in a definitively atheist environment have no spiritual pursuits? The author asks this question, drawing on Dostoyevsky’s dark prophecy and interrogating Yuri Levada’s model of a Soviet simple person as a distinct anthropological type. Taking on board Riegel’s concept of political religion and testing Marxism–Leninism as a source of wisdom for the Soviet nonbelievers, the author seeks to uncover a version of spirituality compatible with Soviet-style atheism. The discussion also involves the examination of Russian literary tradition and Borodina’s philosophical theory of spirituality, which accords with Sharafutdinova accounting for the phenomenon of inner exile in the late Soviet period and Bekmetov’s reminder that Buddhist world-view had a significant influence on Russian cultural metalanguage.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Dostoyevsky; Marxism–Leninism; political religion; secular society; Soviet person; Yuri Levada
Subjects: B Mission theology/theory > Persecution
B Mission theology/theory > Spirituality
B Mission theology/theory > Evangelism/Proclamation of Gospel
Divisions: Former Soviet Union
Depositing User: Katharina Penner
Date Deposited: 06 Apr 2026 07:50
Last Modified: 06 Apr 2026 07:50
URI: https://ceamol.osims.org/id/eprint/3278

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