Sermon in Church versus “Sermon” in Planetarium: Scientific-Technological Progress as a Challenge to Orthodox Culture in USSR, 1960s–1970s

This article examines the impact of scientifictechnological advancement on traditional confessional culture in the Soviet Union during the 1960s and 1970s. It juxtaposes the atheist and Orthodox narratives concerning the role of science in the age of space exploration and assesses their cumulative effect on public consciousness in the late Soviet period. The study draws upon a diverse source base, including Soviet periodicals, archival records of the Council for Religious Affairs under the USSR Council of Ministers, the materials of the All-Union Society “Znanie” (Knowledge), and the Institute of Scientific Atheism. The analysis traces the formation of a statesponsored system of mass scientific enlightenment with an atheist orientation, evaluates the treatment of scientific-technological progress in Orthodox homilies, and reconstructs the perspective of ordinary citizens on this confrontation. The article argues that during the late Soviet era, Orthodox preachers sought to assimilate scientific achievements into a Christian worldview while simultaneously delineating the distinct tasks addressed by religion and science, respectively. It further demonstrates that this rhetoric found overt or tacit resonance among a substantial segment of the population, including urban dwellers. The study highlights the aspirations of university students and technical intelligentsia to reconcile the ideals of scientific inquiry with religious values, thereby challenging the official narrative of an inexorable march toward a fully secular society.