Intergenerational transmission of religious values in the modern Russian family

This article analyzes how religious values pass from one generation to another in contemporary Russian families. This topic is relevant because there is contradiction between a religious identity declared by youth, and low level of real churchedness. At the same time, the older generation holds a special role as a carrier of religious tradition, since it lived through a long period of state atheism. Relying on the theoretical propositions of K. Mannheim and on empirical studies by D.A. Tikhomirova, V.I. Pishchik, the authors ground the hypothesis of a “broken transmission”. According to this hypothesis, the secular Soviet past changed the order of transfer of religious values, and now they are transferred not directly from parents (the “fathers” generation), but through grandparents (from “grandparents” to “grandchildren”). Using comparative analysis of generational characteristics and empirical data, the authors found that the lack of direct continuity between parents and children leads to several outcomes: formalized religiosity, syncretic beliefs, and non-confessional spirituality.

The article concludes that specific aspects of this “broken transmission” must be considered in family upbringing, school education, and social service.

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