Sects in Armenia

We can say that Armenia was the center of sectarian movements. On the territory of historical Armenia and the Armenian reality were formed and spread to the most powerful European medieval sectarian movements – pavlikianskoe then tondrakiyskoe … First, Armenia prospered manikeytsev sect, other sects. Even shook the Islamic world movement Babak mainly operated in Armenia or near its borders.

But if these movements were purely social in nature and have arisen in the socio-political situation, today the situation is quite different: alien sect split our society apart.

Sectarian movements have always been in the spotlight of public awareness. They have a thousand-year history, and even today have not lost relevance. Question for us is more than actual, because sectarianism is not only an integral part of our public life: the phenomenon by the day becomes threatening.

Sectarian movements, widened, that have become commonplace, completely violating the system of human moral-psychological norms in our society. This also contributes to the indifference shown by the state and church, and, perhaps, secretly and openly support.

This fact makes us turn to history to find the causes of the phenomenon of sectarianism, patterns of development and social roots. However, this phenomenon is very complex and has deep roots, so it is difficult to give an unambiguous assessment of the situation.

Between medieval sects, and today there are similarities and also many differences.

Among the many sects operating in Armenia – Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Moonies … Before you reach Armenia, these sects were a certain way. Ozakomivshis with a history of their origin, can be clearly imagine what they are really all about.

Modern sectarian movements have arisen in the 1830’s in the Americas with the advent of the Mormons and their founder Joseph Smith. The subsequent leaders of the sects likened Smith and style of activity and ideas.

First, the sect, as a rule, in its ideology reject local church organizations, preaching that they deviated from the truth, and their religion is wrong. Then they claim that only they are true followers of the teachings and the only true founder of the church. In particular, have done so, and Joseph Smith, founder of the sect of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Russell, and founder of the sect of Adventists Miller.

As a rule, leaders of sects created around his personality cult of mystery and the supernatural, as if they can decipher and interpret their own vision, the word of God. Their sudden “visit” John the Baptist, the apostles of Christ, of them, they are baptized, and so on …

The activities of the modern sects has some regularity: all their “prophecy” refers to the second coming of Christ. In this sense, are well advanced especially Jehovah’s Witnesses. The leader of the sect Russell, not resigned to the differences in their “prophecies” and thwarted the calculations of the Second Advent, he decided to settle with Christianity in general. In its work he has withdrawn from the Bible every thought that was unacceptable to him, and founded his own company, “the interpretation of holy books.” At the core of the ideology of his sect, he laid the following provisions:

– Jesus was not God and man, but the greatest man in the world.
– In the Holy book of the word God is everywhere replaced by tetragram “Jehovah”.
– Power of the Holy Spirit and the Son are attributed to Jehovah.
– A unique interpretation of Armageddon – the war against the Church of Christ, and all non-witnesses.
– A man is material, nothing is eternal in man.

As we can see, this sect is too far away from Christianity.

Jehovah’s Witnesses also have a special internal devices and practices developed by the leader of the sect, Frederick Franz. However, along with all of this, teachers of Jehovah’s Witnesses are very delicate issue in the filing of ideology, and the majority of ordinary witnesses and have no idea about the nature and ideology of their sect, and even more about the persecuted its purpose. Concealing the true purpose of their activities and presenting their ideology as the Word of God, they are lured to their networks naive.

As noted above, the present and the medieval sects have certain similarities and differences.

Similarities:

– And in the Middle Ages, and today the majority, swelling the ranks of the sectarians are people who are in a difficult social situation, in many cases are illiterate or have received an incomplete education.
– How the Middle Ages, and today the sect has its own special internal structure and internal regulations. In fact, the internal structures are similar.
– At all times of the sect took anti-state position and using external forces, creating pockets of instability on the site. In the Middle Ages these were pavlikiants and Tondrakians.

Differences:

– In the Middle Ages sectarian movement had some social support and credibility. It’s usually been social movements, which were accompanied by armed struggle. This phenomenon is present also in the Muslim world (Ali-Allah, Babak …) And today, sectarians, basically, people caught in bad social conditions, but the mainstay of modern sectarian movements are dark and difficult living conditions. Sects in Armenia do not have a stable social support. They receive financial and moral support from abroad.

– In the Middle of the sect were born on the spot. Today in Armenia, all the sects have come from abroad, while movement and Paulicians Tondrakians originated and developed in Armenia. And even with the 8-th century when the Byzantine Empire regularly and consistently deported sectarians and inhabited in the Balkans and the Apennine peninsula, they have not lost their national identity in the eyes of foreigners have retained their national image, while today’s cultists deny a nation and national values.

– If the medieval sects based on their ideology laid the new ideas and thoughts, then present the sect take as a basis for denial of church regulations.
This we cannot generalize the above: a number, you can continue. In any case, the indifference to sectarianism in itself is encouraging, and our current situation is a vivid manifestation of the profound moral and psychological and social crisis of our society.

Vahe ANTANESYAN