Alexander Dvorkin: Russian Criminal Code should contain ‘conscience manipulation’ and ‘psychological violence’ to fight sects

Moscow, February 20, Interfax – Prof. Alexander Dvorkin, president of the Russian Association of Centers for Religious and Sectarian Studies, has proposed to introduce a number of new notions in the Russian Criminal Code for more effective counteraction to totalitarian cults.

‘The Criminal Code should contain such terms as ‘conscience manipulation’ and ‘psychological violence’. These terms will make it possible for us to carry out effective work in the struggle with sects’, Dvorkin said at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday.

It is for the lack of appropriate articles in the Criminal Code, he believes, that ‘the lawsuit against Grabovoy is glitching’ now.

Dvorkin reminded the journalists that there was no definition of the term sect in Russia today. This word is usually used in religious studies and in sociological sense. However, the time for its legal clarification just as for adoption of a particular law on sects ‘has not come yet’, he believes.

‘If a law on sects is adopted today we will lose. A proper preparation is needed first to put together a serious legal and probative data for struggle against sects’, the professor stressed.

He said nobody had a precise statistics on the number of sects in Russia today because there was no task-oriented monitoring of their activity.

However, according to Dvorkin’s information, there are over 80 large sects in the country, with their activity embracing over half of the Russian regions. As for the number of minor sects, he says, ‘they amount to thousands’.

Dvorkin also maintains that from 600 to 800 thousand Russians belong to sects today. Some 300 thousand out of them belong to various neo-Pentecostal sects and 150 thousand to the Jehovah’s Witnesses sect.

In addition to those enumerated, Dvorkin considers among large sects the communities of Mormons, Krishnaites and the so-called Church of the Mother of God.

Read Another Article

New path to Judaism
Help for children being abandoned in Colorado City

Related News Articles Topic(s): Russia Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Russia Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog