HOW VLADIMIR PUTIN REALLY FEELS ABOUT RELIGION
By AMY BEEMAN
History - Science
Vladimir Putin is an Orthodox Christian who goes to church on the high holidays and supports the restoration of the Russian churches that were attacked when Russia was under the control of the atheist Soviet Union. Raised by an Orthodox Christian mother, Putin wears a baptismal cross on his neck that he got “blessed at the Lord's Tomb” in Israel.
Although Putin says that common sense should be the guiding principle of governing, he emphasizes the importance of morality, saying, “It is not possible today to have morality separated from religious values." Although the Kremlin is accepting of non-Christian religions like Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam, not every Christian denomination is accepted in Russia.
The Russian courts declared Jehovah’s Witnesses to be an extremist organization in 2017, and being a Jehovah's Witness in Russia can land you in prison. Additionally, some religions, like Christian Protestantism and Hare Krishna, are not sanctioned by Russia and do not meet the standards for state registration.
Putin also signed an "anti-extremism" law in 2016 that aimed to limit the sharing of religious beliefs to state-registered places of worship only. It may be fair to say that even though Putin is far more accepting of religion than some of his predecessors, he is not a proponent of full freedom of religion.