Abstract: In article Russian Orthodox Church activity in respect of folding of system of orthodox education and education and a condition of orthodox education in Russia in the conditions of religious "revival" is analyzed: dynamics of opening of new orthodox educational institutions of various level, problem of formation of educational system (management decentralization, insufficient financing of educational institutions, lack of necessary legal status of educational institutions, deficiency of teaching structure and theological literature, low level of preparation of scientific theological shots, etc.) . The Teoretiko-metodologichesky basis of research is made by the principles of objectivity, historicism, systemacity, the complex accounting of social and subjective studying in a subject and the greatest possible neutrality of the relation of the researcher to interpretation and an assessment of the actual material. At opportunity the principles of social and psychological approach and a correctness and tactfulness in an assessment of the facts and events were applied. At the end of 1980 - the 1990th there was a mass opening of new spiritual educational institutions that, in turn, generated also new problems. At times open spiritual schools and seminaries had "facultative" character, that is in them there was no regular released person to which duties the organization and control of educational process and an institution as a whole would belong. Reviving the system of the Russian religious education fully was influenced by difficulties of formation, deficiency of teaching structure, an undermanning of libraries, a lack of manuals, shortage of buildings, lack of the necessary status were basic of which. The situation became complicated decentralization as financing of new religious educational institutions and schools was carried out not from Educational committee, and directly from dioceses; some educational institutions at all didn't receive any – neither central, nor local financing, being in self-sufficiency conditions. Only by 2000 in principle the issue of centralization of religious education in Russia was resolved: mass inspection inspections by Educational Committee are carried out, the question of obligatory licensing of spiritual academies, seminaries and schools and the subsequent their accreditation is designated.

Abstract: The article researches the Islamic clergy of the Middle Volga Region (Tatar ASSR, Penzenskaya, Ulyanovskaya and Kujbyshevskaya Regions) in the 1940s: the age, level of education, nationality, social position of the Islamic religious workers, forms and methods of their confessional practice (organization, religious practice, elements of the religious modernization), relations with the Soviet power representatives (with the representatives of the Religion Affairs Council). The mosques of the Middle Volga region are reviewed as a material basis of the social consolidations of the Muslims, spiritual centers for the Muslim population. The following principles were takes as a theoretic and methodological basis: a) objectiveness; b)historism; c) systematicity; d) objective measurement of the social and personal in the subject of the research and the most possible counteraction of the subjective attitude of a researcher when estimating and interpreting the facts.    
The following special historical principles have been used in the research together with the methodological ones: historical comparative, actualization, problematic chronological, diachronic. Also, general scientific principles have been used: structural systematic, statistical, classification. All of the principles let analyze the evolution of the relation between the State and the Islam, view the Soviet/Russian Muslims in the set of their constituents, analyze and compare different data to find out the main peculiarities and existential characteristics.  
During 1940s the number of mosques in the Middle Volga region remained more or less constant. Most mosques were situated in the countryside, in Penzenskaya and Kujbyshevskaya Regions in the regional capitals mosques did not function. The number of the Muslim religious workers remained on the same level (corresponding to the number of mosques) after an increase during the period after the war. The Islamic religious workers in the Middle Volga region were mullahs and muezzins. In some villages there were no imams and muezzins because of a very small number of Islamic religious workers. Sometimes there duties were performed by other people or old men – babajs.   
The Muslim religious workers were quite active in working with the local people. The most important element of Islamic religious practice was a preach.  The Muslim religious workers of the Middle Volga region were characterized by high age limit and low level of education, both general and religious. The imams were rather old and some of them did not often preached, especially in Penzenskaya region. In the middle of 1940s the Soviet government allowed the Soviet Muslims to go on journeys to Mecca. A mullah, especially in the countryside had great authority. The main Muslim ceremonies in the Middle Volga region were janazah, nikah, isim, sunnet.

Abstract: The article reviews one of the most important parts of the Russian Orthodox Church’s activity as a meaningful institution of the Russian society – working out and realization of the youth policy.
From the second half of the 1980s the state lived through a rise of interest to the religion. And the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) aspired to use the new opportunities at maximum to widen its influence, extend and even inculcate the Orthodox spiritual values among young people. The Russian Orthodox Church pays special attention to the youth because it is the youth that makes the future of the Russian society’s development.
In 1991 the All-Church Christian Youth Movement (ACCYM) was created at the congress of the Orthodox youth. On the order of the Holy Synod (January, 30-31, 1991) the Moscow Patriarchate Department for the Religious Education and Catechetesis was founded under the chairmanship of hegumen Ioann (I.N. Economtsev). In 1994 the first meeting of rectors of religious schools was conducted by His Holiness Alexis II Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
In 2000 the Synodal Department for the Youth Affairs was opened with the goal to start missions among young people and make the youth more active. Since 2001 eparchial Departments for the Youth Affairs began to open on the canonical territory of the ROC. Since that time the annual All-Russia meeting of the Orthodox youth have been conducted. In 2002 the All-Russia Orthodox Youth Movement and the children’s organization “The Fellowship of the Orthodox Pathfinders” were created.
The methodological basis of the research consists of objectivity concepts, concepts of historism, system, full consideration of social and subjective in the subject of the research and the maximum possible neutrality in the researcher’s attitude to the interpretation and estimation of the material.  Where possible, the principle of social and psychological approach have been used as well as the principles of tactfulness in the estimation of facts because the specificity of the confessional practice of the ROC were strong moral and ethical characteristics of its participants. The scientific novelty is based on the attempt to analyze the youth policy of the ROC under the present-day condition.   
The reality shows that the priesthood in general accepted the ideas of the Orthodox youth service and felt its taste. And though the Church does not have enough experience in tangible embodiment of such ideas (and that makes it difficult to realize the ideas), its position about the youth service becomes more clear year by year. Giving its general support to the constructive endeavours of the Russian Orthodox Church in the youth upbringing, the government must strictly follow the norms of the Confessional Law not to violate the rights of other religions and the irreligious people of the Russian Federation.

Abstract: The article includes analysis of implementation of one of the key directions of the Soviet policy on religious denominations towards the Islam: limiting the number of mosques, the cult buildings of the Muslims in 1940s - 1960s, taking as an example the Middle Volga region, where the Islam was traditionally widespread in the USSR.  The local state policy on religious denominations was implemented first of all via the Soviet plenipotentiaries on the issues of religious cults (religions), whose activities were aimed on one hand at the closing of the mosques, and on the other hand, on guaranteeing compliance with the Soviet legislation.  The believers actively resisted the closing of the cult buildings. Even after the closing the mosques kept their appearance. The theoretical and methodological basis for the study is formed with the principles of objectivity, historicism, systemic character, full account of the social and subjective elements in the object of study, and the neutral approach of researchers towards interpretation and evaluation of factual materials.  Where it was possible, the authors used the principles of sociological and psychological approach and the principle of correctness and tactfulness in evaluation of facts and events, since the specific feature of the Islamic practice has always been a strong moral and ethical element of its participants. In addition to the methodological principles, the authors applied special historical principles, such as actualization, comparative historical method, diachronic method, problem-oriented chronological method; general scientific methods - statistical, classification, structural systemic. The novelty of the study was due to the fact that for the first time the authors studies the activities of the Soviet administration, acting mostly via the Soviet plenipotentiary on the issues of religious cults (religions) on closing the mosques at the regional level - in the Middle Volga region within the above-mentioned period of time, and many specific archive materials are brought into the scientific turnover for the first time, since earlier they were not used for a variety of reasons.

Abstract: The authors of the article analyze the Russian Orthodox Church' position concerning participation in political activity in general and in elections at different levels in particular. In late 1980's the question whether to participate or not to participate in elections of Deputies was essentially new to religious confessions in the USSR. In 1989 six religious figures from the Russian Orthodox Church were elected as deputies. However, they were elected not as representatives of their religious organizations but as candidates from allied and republican public organizations. During elections of Deputies of RSFSR in 1990 48 priests of the Russian Orthodox Church were elected as deputies in city and regional village councils and 5 bishops and 11 priests were elected as deputies in regional councils. 
In December of1989 due to elections of Deputies of RSFSR and local councils, the Council for religious affairs under the Council of the Ministers of RSFSR published the document "Extract from Definitions of the Hierarchal Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church". The main point of recommendations was to that in each particular case the question whether a priest should participate in elections had to be resolved by the head of the confession. After events of 1993 when Orthodox priests appeared on opposite sides of the barricades that could lead to the split in the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexis II made the decision to forbid priests to participate in state elections.In 1995 the statement of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexis II was published. Later participation of priests in authorities and elections was condemned by the Hierarchal Cathedral in 1997. 

Abstract: The authors of the article analyze the process of creation of Muslim political organizations in Russia at the federal level during so called religious Renaissance in the 1990's (All-Union Islamic Revival Party 'Nakhdat', Islamic Cultural Center, Social Movement 'Nur' ('Light'), the Union of Muslims of Russia, 'Ittifak al'-muslimin' (Muslim Union) and political movement 'Refax'). The authors also analyze programs carried out by these organizations, activities of their leaders, relations with political parties and etc. The process of formation of informal Islamic groups had the following peculiarities in the Middle Volga Region: more 'earthly' nature of units, close relations to usual Muslims, radical nature of those organizations and their activities, political neutrality and focus on the issues of national culture. The authors also study associated programs, targets, activities and documents ('Tatar kanun' - Constitution of Tatar People, 'Tatar mekhellese' and others) created by both radical and moderate groups such as Tatar Social Center, Tatar Party of National Independence 'Ittifak', Youth Union 'Azatlyk' and etc. The authors also describe the Muslim closed group 'Saf Islam' (Pure Islam). 
Even though Tatar national movements appealed to Islamic values, their programs and activities were mostly socially oriented.