Missionaries Face Fines for Sharing Their Faith with Strangers in Russia

Ordinary believers in Russia face fines for sharing their faith with strangers in the metro or on the street under amendments drafted by the Justice Ministry on December 1, 2009 that are stirring worries among Protestant groups about a clampdown on religious freedom.

Under the proposed changes to the Law on Religious Activity, only leaders of registered religious groups and their officially authorized missionaries would be allowed to pass out religious literature, preach, and talk about their faith in public, according to The Moscow Times website.

Anyone else who shares their faith will face a fine of $65 to $170 for individuals, and $170 to $230 for legal entities.

The amendments are expected to benefit the dominant Russian Orthodox Church -- about 70 percent of Russians are Orthodox -- which rarely engages in missionary work, but often accuses other Christian groups of poaching Orthodox believers.