AHC: Orthodox Communist Russia

Here's the challenge: Make a Russian state that still has the Russian Orthodox church at it's heart yet is communist. For the record, i mean actually, openly communist, not just functioning as communist. Make it whatever form of communism you like, but the Russian Orthodox Church is what it is.

POD, whenever you like.

It doesn't matter when this state exists or for how long. Also, define 'Russian state' however you like.

More points for bigger states and many bonus points for a state that is still here today.
 
The old elites of the Patriarchate are going down, that is absolutely for sure with almost any revolutionary Russian regime of a leftist bent.

However when it comes to the institution of the Orthodox faith I am sure they would simply enact a double standard: while the state will be staunchly atheist officially, they will ease off of any major repression of the Orthodox Church itself to allow for social stability. Though I can see the Soviets adopting separate policies for various institutions of faith that either resisted or cooperated as per OTL.
 
Wasn't the Russian Orthodox Church actually reinstated during Stalin's reign?

Yes, with a Patriarch handpicked by Moscow and everything. This was before, during, and after Stalin's continuous persecutions of the Orthodox Church and blowing up churches and such.

It was an alliance of convenience that Stalin ultimately never intended to keep, and neither did his successors for the most part.

What this scenario calls for is a Soviet state that is either:

A. Actively supportive of the Orthodox faith.

B. Leaves the Orthodox faith alone for the most part for whatever reason.
 
Yes, with a Patriarch handpicked by Moscow and everything. This was before, during, and after Stalin's continuous persecutions of the Orthodox Church and blowing up churches and such.

It was an alliance of convenience that Stalin ultimately never intended to keep, and neither did his successors for the most part.

What this scenario calls for is a Soviet state that is either:

A. Actively supportive of the Orthodox faith.

B. Leaves the Orthodox faith alone for the most part for whatever reason.

Scenario A would have to require a non-Marxist socialism that supports religion since Marxism-Leninism would never agree to allowing religion around. So Scenario B would be appropriate.
 
Nah, nobody follows ideology, it's more like the Soviet state would see it as politically convenient to use the church for its political purposes, the church would probably have none of it though.

Scenario B is in general the more likely solution though.
 
Nah, nobody follows ideology, it's more like the Soviet state would see it as politically convenient to use the church for its political purposes, the church would probably have none of it though.

Scenario B is in general the more likely solution though.

To be fair, i never said Soviets, there could be some other form of communism although i'm not sure how likely that it
 
This might be possible, after a fashion, if the USSR decides the best means to discredit the religious hierarchy is to keep the Russian Orthodox Church in its Tsarist function as the religious arm of the state.
 
Social-Revolutionaries were so close to original Narodnik tradition that they'd most likely leave the Church be after separating it from Russian politics. Then again it's questionable whether they could be really called Communists...
 
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