Can Social Stability and Individual Freedom of Conscience Coexist?
Nikolas K. Gvosdev The ending of Soviet domination over Eastern Europe and the collapse of Soviet power across the Eurasian landmass led to the dissolution of the ideological straitjacket that had constricted the philosophical and religious life in all the societies of the region. The primacy of a single worldview–dialectical materialism as interpreted by the Communist Party–was repudiated and ideological pluralism embraced in its stead. This was especially evident at the beginning of the 1990s in the area of religious freedom, for if the citizen cannot freely choose his or her opinions about God, no form of pluralism–philosophical, political, or economic–is truly safeguarded. On the surface there would appear to be a strong historical and cultural base for pluralism within Eurasian societies. Western merchants who visited the East during the 17th century were impressed by the prevailing sentiment that “every man shall be saved by his own religion.” Despite instances of persecution
