Religious Beliefs and Spirituality in Russia

A majority of Russia's population does not practice any religion because of the atheistic ideology of the Soviet Union. The Russian Orthodox Church has about 60 million adherents; the numbers have grown rapidly since the end of Soviet rule. There are also large communities of Old Believers, a group that broke with the Orthodox Church in the 17th cent. Other religions include other Christian churches, various sects of Islam, Lamaist Buddhism, Judaism, and tribal religions.