AN ORTHODOX ACTIVISM: BLOGGERS AND ACTIONEERS

The article notes that the development of Orthodox activism in the former Soviet Union came at the time of socio-political transformations, which radically changed the thinking of former Soviet citizens. The purpose of the article is revealing the characteristics of the phenomenon of modern Orthodox activism, including the example of Orthodox bloggers and Orthodox actioneers. It is proved that the process of updating the phenomenon Orthodox activism influenced by the following factors: the growth of nationalist, fundamentalist and revisionist view of history and present, separated from church tradition interpretation of the Orthodox Faith; the low level of religious awareness of most Orthodox activists, political ambitions of their leaders and some church hierarchs; growing among Orthodox believers eschatological frustration before globalization, whose phenomenon was often perceived in their environment as a sign of „end time”; indirect influence of the postmodern culture. It is shown that in their actions, Orthodox activists use images appealing to unconscious levels of the psyche of viewers and deep emotional reactions. It was investigated that Orthodox bloggers and actioneers represent a combination of modern information technologies and religious fundamentalism.