Abstract: The subject of this article is the process of the influence of churching on the socio–political consciousness of Russians. The purpose of the work is to reveal the role of the influence of religious values inherent in a believer and a church-bound person on his socio-political consciousness. Russian Russian Orthodox Church religious dogmas, sociological research, "Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church", data from the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, the Public Chamber of St. Petersburg, etc. are used in the work. The following methods were used in the research: historical and philosophical analysis, comparative analysis, interdisciplinary approach. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the role of the influence of churching on the socio-political consciousness of Russians is revealed.    Today, the topic of the influence of religious freedom on the socio-political consciousness of Russians is little studied. As a rule, in this context, more general concepts such as humanity, morality and morality are considered without significant reference to religious principles and without proper understanding of this issue in the context of socio-political consciousness. In this study, the analysis is carried out from the historical and modern points of view. The main conclusions of the study are the following:
1. Professing religion, a person adopts the values and moral guidelines that are inherent in this religion.
2. The religious idea somehow begins to be projected onto the surrounding world, including in secular everyday life.
3. Based on the results of the study, it can be argued about the influence of church membership on the socio-political consciousness of Russians.

Abstract: The subject of this article is the impact of Orthodox Church upon the development of civil society in Russia. The goal is to reveal the role of the Orthodox Church within the structure of Russian civil society, analyze the evolution of civil society in Russia, shed light on interaction between the government and civil society, and demonstrate what unites the Orthodox Church and civil society in Russia. The article leans on the “Fundamentals of Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church”, data of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, public chamber of St. Petersburg, “Center for the Development of Nonprofit Organizations”, etc. The scientific novelty lies in disclosure of the role of Orthodox Church within the structure of Russian civil society; analysis of the evolution of civil society in Russia; clarification of the peculiarities of interaction between the government and civil society, as well as what unites the Orthodox Church and civil society in Russia. The conclusion is drawn that the role of Orthodox Church as the civil institution in political relations is defined by the following factors: 1) as the guardian of the highest religious values, the Church is the “sense of conscience” of the civil society; Church is the civil institution for defending the public interest; 3) Church is the interlink between the private and common interests, as well as ensures social integration; 4) Church is the guardian of not only personal faith, but collective identity as well. The religious majority tends to view their faith as a social “ethics”, while the religious minorities rather view it as ethnic affiliation.

Abstract: The subject of this article is the process of interaction between the government and civil society. The goal is to prove that a promising legal framework for the development of dialogue between the government and civil society exists not only in Russia overall, but in separate regions as well. The author achieves the set goal by analyzing the evolution of civil society in Russia and understanding peculiarities of the process of interaction between the government and civil society in Saint Petersburg. The article leans on the data provided by the center “Strategy”, Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, Civic Chamber of Saint Petersburg , “Center for the Development of Nonprofit Organizations”, etc. The scientific novelty consists in determination of peculiarities influencing the process of interaction between the government and civil society in Saint Petersburg. The main conclusion lies in the statement that Saint Petersburg has a decent legal and social framework for further advancement of interaction between the government and civil society: presence of normative legal base for regulating such interaction; presence of a relatively large number of registered nonprofit organizations in Saint Petersburg; active work of a number of nonprofit organizations reflected in mass media; existence of community boards on the territory of Saint Petersburg. Overall, Saint Petersburg offers all conditions for effective interaction between the government and civil society.