Religion in New Russia

What strikes the reader in this richly detailed, firsthand acount of emerging religious freedom in the Soviet Union is the wide range of religious affiliations and allegiances that persisted under the atheistic Communist regime. Forest ( Pilgrim to the Russian Church ), former general secretary of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, has entree to the religious community as a member of the Orthodox Church, the dominant sect. He also records, however, the voices of Soviet Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Moslems and Buddhists. Although the movement toward individual freedom has received remarkable impetus recently and the thirst for things spiritual is evident, Forest notes tensions and enduring prejudices that confront believers in their diverse Soviet homelands. (Sept.)