A Siberian movement led by a former traffic policeman who claims to be Jesus reincarnated.
Religion: Christianity
Denomination: Syncretist
Founder: Vissarion (SergeI Torop)
Founded: 18 August 1991
Location: Petropavlovka, Siberia, Russia
Size: 50,000 (worldwide)
Other Names: Vissarionism, Community of Unified Faith, Vissarionites
Website: vissarion.org
The Church of the Last Testament, also known as the Community of the Last Testament, is a new religious movement that emerged in Russia in the early 1990s. Founded by Sergei Anatolyevitch Torop, a former traffic police officer, who after a profound revelation in 1990, proclaimed himself Vissarion, the return of Jesus Christ, this community blends elements from various religious traditions and values, including the Russian Orthodox Church, Buddhism, apocalypticism, collectivism, and eco-centric values.
Sergey Torop, born in 1961, worked as a traffic policeman in Minusinsk, Russia, before his spiritual awakening. In 1991, he claimed to have experienced a revelation that transformed him into Vissarion, the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, marking the beginning of the Church of the Last Testament. Vissarion’s teachings were soon compiled into a text known as “The Last Testament,” which serves as a supplementary scripture to the Bible, containing revelations and doctrines specific to the movement.
Vissarion’s teachings propose a unique blend of spiritual guidance and strict communal living principles. His followers adhere to rigorous rules, abstaining from meat, alcohol, smoking, and swearing. Money is eschewed in favor of a barter system, and Vissarion has even replaced traditional Christian holidays with dates significant to his life and teachings, including his birthday and the anniversary of his first sermon. Vissarion’s teachings emphasize the imminent end of the world, advocating a return to a more natural and harmonious way of living and encouraging followers to live in a way that minimally impacts the environment.
The Church of the Last Testament is not just a religious movement but also a social experiment in communal living. The followers, often referred to as Vissarionites, live in a series of communities in the Taiga of Siberia, with the central settlement known as the City of the Sun. This location is significant as it is considered by the followers to be a sacred space, chosen by Vissarion for its spiritual and environmental purity.
The church’s primary settlement, Tiberkul, was founded in 1994 and has grown to include several thousand inhabitants living according to ecological principles, evident in their hand-built wooden homes, reliance on renewable energy sources, and sustainable agricultural practices. The community is structured around a three-tiered hierarchy: the Town (Abode of Dawn), the Heavenly Abode, and the Temple Peak, with Vissarion residing at the highest level.
Since its inception, the Church of the Last Testament has attracted thousands of followers, both from within Russia and internationally. The movement’s growth can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the charismatic appeal of Vissarion, the promise of a utopian community, and the disillusionment of some people with traditional religious institutions and modern society. The Church has also organized annual festivals and gatherings, which serve as an important tool for spreading its teachings and attracting new members. These gatherings often feature sermons by Vissarion, communal activities, and the celebration of the church’s unique rituals and holidays.
Media coverage of Vissarion and his community began to grow in the early 1990s, with annual volumes published by his biographer, Vadim Redkin, providing detailed accounts of Vissarion’s life and the community’s development. This attention has drawn followers from around the world, including Germany’s esoteric subculture, leading to the translation of several volumes into German.
Despite its peaceful and utopian ideals, the Church of the Last Testament has also encountered controversy, including accusations of cult-like behavior and exploitation by its leader, as well as legal issues with Russian authorities. Critics and the Russian Orthodox Church have condemned its practices, while the Russian government has scrutinized its legal compliance, especially regarding land use in the Taiga. In 2020, Vissarion was arrested on charges including illegal religious activities and extortion, casting uncertainty on the movement’s future. However, his years of imprisonment without any official indictments or scheduled trial raises concerns that the arrest might be illegitimate, with the Russian government being accused of trying to gain access to the commune’s land, with valuable natural resources. For followers, the imprisonment of their leader on false charges, combined with the COVID pandemic is a sign that the end times are near, and the movement is still going strong.
image via Russia Beyond
