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Soviet Union [USSR] RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN THE SOVIET UNION
Official figures on the number of religious believers in the
Soviet Union were not available in 1989. But according to various
Soviet and Western sources, over one-third of the people in the
Soviet Union, an officially atheistic state, professed religious
belief. Christianity and Islam had the most believers. Christians
belonged to various churches: Orthodox, which had the largest
number of followers; Catholic; and Baptist and various other
Protestant sects. The majority of the Islamic faithful were Sunni.
Judaism also had many followers. Other religions, which were
practiced by a relatively small number of believers, included
Buddhism, Lamaism, and shamanism, a religion based on primitive
spiritualism.
The role of religion in the daily lives of Soviet citizens
varied greatly. Because Islamic religious tenets and social values
of Muslims are closely interrelated, religion appeared to have a
greater influence on Muslims than on either Christians or other
believers. Two-thirds of the Soviet population, however, had no
religious beliefs. About half the people, including members of the
CPSU and high-level government officials, professed atheism. For
the majority of Soviet citizens, therefore, religion seemed
irrelevant.
Data as of May 1989
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