Not Tolerance but Integration

Fedorov’s Fusion of Russian Religious Thought and European Religious Studies

Abstract

　　This paper explores Nikolai Fedorov’s concept of religious integration within the context of Russian religious thought and 19th-century European religious studies. Building on the ideas of the Slavophiles, who advocated for spiritual unity of humanity and freedom of conscience, Fedorov criticized their approach for lacking external forms. He sought to materialize it by incorporating contemporary developments in European and Russian religious studies, ultimately shaping his idea of the religious integration of humanity. He criticized the existing classifications of religions for maintaining the status quo of religiously divided humanity and instead proposed a chart where all religions would converge into true Christianity, envisioned as a common human mission. He also identified a shared element of ancestral worship across major religions through an analysis of their funeral arts. Lastly, Fedorov proposed a hypothesis about the environmental origins of religions by showing that different methods of food production influenced the development of various religions. To conclude, Fedorov relativized the plurality of religions as much as possible, paving the way for the religious unification of humanity. Similar to Friedrich Max Müller, he recognized the Christian truth in all the other religions; however, his view resembled more of Karl Rahner’s inclusivism in that he primarily sought the Christian unification and salvation of all.