WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF RELIGION?

THE resurgence of religion has been dramatic in the countries of the former Soviet Union.  In Russia alone, 50 percent of the population now declare themselves to be Orthodox, and millions are adherents  of other religions. Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism are among the long-established ones, and Jehovah's Witnesses also have a long history there.  

As early as  1891, representatives of the Bible Students , as Jehovah's Witnesses were know before 1931, visited Kishinev, Russia (now Chisinau, Moldova).  There meetings were held with fellow believers. In 1928, George Young, a special representative of the Bible Students, met with Soviet Officials in Moscow, Russia to seek permission to publish Bible literature in the Soviet Union. Later, the Witnesses became well-known as a result of Soviet attempts to eliminate them.

When the Soviet Union was suddenly dissolved nearly ten years ago, people started to wonder,  'Why did the Soviets try to eliminate religion?'  Many who had been indoctrinated in atheism for decades became curious as to what religion might have to offer.  Could the Bible, which had been suppressed as forbidden literature, actually contain answers to the problems facing mankind?  Russia began to investigate for themselves. 

Next time: WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF RELIGION? - A Different Religious Problem

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