Christianity: Details about 'Doukhobors'
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The Doukhobors (Duchobozetz, Duchobortzi) (Russian Духоборы/Духоборцы) are a Christian dissenting sect of Russian origin.
HistoryThe origin of the Doukhobors dates to 16th and 17th century Russia. The term Doukhobors means "spirit wrestlers." Doukhobors rejected secular government, the Russian Orthodox priests, icons, all church ritual, the Bible and the divinity of Jesus. They were also ardent pacifists who rejected the institutions of militarism and wars. For these reasons, the Doukhobors were harshly repressed in Russia. Both the tsarist state and church authorities were involved in the torture and exile of these dissidents, as well as taking away their normal freedoms. At the end of the nineteenth century one-third of the Doukhobors began to leave Russia en masse. They chose Canada for its isolation, peacefulness, and the fact that the Canadian government welcomed them, and migrated there in 1899. The Doukhobors' passage across the Atlantic Ocean was largely paid for by Quakers and Tolstoyans, who sympathized with their plight, and by the writer Leo Tolstoy, who arranged for the royalties from his novel Resurrection to go to the migration fund. He also raised money from wealthy friends. In Canada, the Doukhobors established a communal life style, similar to the Hutterites. Perhaps the most dynamic leader of the Doukhobors to date was Peter Vasilevich Verigin (1859-1924). Verigin was killed in a still-unsolved Canadian Pacific Railway train explosion on October 29, 1924 near Farron and Grand Forks, British Columbia. In 1903 a radical faction of the Doukhobours calling themselves Svobodniki (Freedomites) or the 'Sons of Freedom' (SOF) embraced Verigin's writings in a zealous manner. A small group of the SOF participated in mass nudity and arson as means of protesting what they found to be corrupt. This led to many confrontations with the Canadian government and the RCMP which continued into the 1960s. Generally the SOF hijacked the Doukhobor name, and those who participated in acts of violence ceased to be Doukhobors because they transgressed the central Doukhobor principle of nonviolence. Current statusToday the majority of Doukhobors (an estimated 30,000) live in Canada. Perhaps another 30,000 live in Russia. The Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ, also known as Orthodox Doukhobors or Community Doukhobors, was formed by Peter P. Verigin (son of Peter V. Verigin) in 1938. It is the largest and most active Doukhobor organization, and is headquartered in British Columbia, Canada. The Doukhobors no longer live communally. Their prayer meetings and gatherings are dominated by the singing of a cappella psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in Russian. Doukhobors do not practice baptism. They reject several items considered orthodox among Christian churches, including church organization & liturgy, the inspiration of the scriptures, the literal interpretation of resurrection, the literal interpretation of the Trinity, and the literal interpretation of heaven and hell. Some avoid the use of alcohol, tobacco, and animal products for food, and involvement in partisan politics. Doukhobors believe in the goodness of man and reject the idea of original sin. The religious philosophy of the Doukhobors is based on the two commandments cited by Jesus in Matthew 12:28-31: "Love God with all thy heart, mind and soul" and "Love thy neighbour as thyself." The Doukhobors have several important slogans. One of the most popular, "Toil and Peaceful Life," was coined by Peter V. Verigin. Doukhobors are often associated with the Molokans, who originated in the same circumstances in Russia. At the end of the 17th century the protest movement against the official church split into Molokans and Doukhobors. These groups are distinguished more by their original social composition than by any major theological differences. Also the Molokans chose a leadership of elders rather than a single authoritative leader as with the Orthodox Doukhobors. See also
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopaedia. Duchoborzen Doukhobors 두호보르파
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