There are very few similarities between Georgia and Russia except that both countries are comprised of people from many different ethnicities and religious backgrounds, with Christianity and Islam being the two most popular.
Georgia is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian (84%) and Russia is also predominantly so (50%). Surveys sponsored by the Russian government, however, state that 75% of Russia’s population belongs to the Orthodox church. Islam, including Sunni and Shia followers,is practiced by around 10% of the population in both countries. These statistics come from official state-sponsored surveys (such as census data), but none reveal the public awareness of religions present throughout the countries.
Nationwide public opinion polls conducted by the Levada Center and GORBI suggest that some 21% of Russians are aware of the presence of religious adherents in Georgia, while almost half of Georgians are aware that Russia is an Orthodox country.
Overall, 46% of Russian respondents thought that Georgia was a Christian country and almost twice as many Georgians (79%) identified Russia with Orthodoxy (Pravo-Slavie). Quarter (25%) of Russian respondents could not comment on the most common religion in Georgia, compared to only 5% of Georgian surveyed respondents.
Mr. StepanGoncharov of the Levada Center explained that the low level of respondents who believed that Georgians were a part of a “True Slavonic” civilization (as denoted through their adherence to the Orthodox faith) may help embitter the two countries against each other – especially in moments of growing tension, such as the wave of negative perception seen in 2008.
Orthodoxy is interpreted in different ways; Russia accepted the Greek version of Christianity as “Faith, and belief in the True Authority” before the schism in the 10th century, andlater adopted a unique church and the idea of Moscow being the “Third Rome”prevails since the early Russian Tsars.
Georgia accepted Christianity from Antioch, Cappadocia, which was then developed by Byzantine monks starting in the 4th century. The modern Georgian word for orthodoxy, “martl-madidebloba,” means “Truth-Glorification.”In previous centuries, this phrasewas usedto mean “Faith-witnessing the Truth.” The significant feature of Georgian Christianity was that it never was “fundamental.” At the same time, what we know about Georgians being strictly orthodox (pravo-slavic) we know from the 19-20th centuries. Before this, there were many Georgians confessing other neighboring religions: Muslim, Gregorian, or other Christian denominations, like Catholic.
Common religion (Orthodoxy) is a very frequent sentiment that both Russian and Georgian politicians are pedaling when they talk about the future of these two countries.Theoretically, if the public at large is aware that we both share a common religion this may also contribute to the peace-keeping process.To be frank, this has never worked well historically. Orthodoxy or not, our territory has been shrinking ever since coming in contact with Russia.
As Dr. BadriKutelia of GORBI explains that: “Pravoslavie is hardly a religious confession. It has long been an instrument of international or political repression. Even as far back as 200 and 300 years ago, when the Russian Reign (Church) entered Georgia and Ukraine, they – the Russian orthodoxy -whitewashed wall paintings in local Orthodox Churches, [seeing them] as inadequate to their understanding of Orthodoxy-Pravoslavie.”
GORBI is a regional hub for partner organizations and international clients. Since 2003, GORBI remains an exclusive member of Gallup International research network for its two decades of experience in survey research in post-Soviet Union countries, as well as Mongolia and Iraq. This data was provided exclusively to the Financial.
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