What they believe
Faith
The Molokans' faith is simple and strict: no icons, no priests, no ornate churches — only the Bible, common prayer and the singing of psalms. They seek God in the word and in an honest life.
What they believe
The Molokans' faith is simple and strict: no icons, no priests, no ornate churches — only the Bible, common prayer and the singing of psalms. They seek God in the word and in an honest life.
The Molokans are one branch of the Russian "Spiritual Christians". They believe that meeting God needs no mediators, images or rites: the Scripture, the community and a pure heart are enough.
Faith
The word "Molokan" is explained in different ways. By one account it is because they drank milk (moloko) on fast days, rejecting church rules. By another, because they "feed on the pure, milk-like word of God".
The Molokans themselves see in this an image of spiritual food: for them what matters is not ritual but the living word of the Bible and a life lived by it.
Features of the faith
Molokans do not venerate icons or use them in prayer.
There is no priesthood; the community is led by an elected presbyter.
At the core are reading Scripture and singing psalms together.
They pray in a plain prayer house, without ornate churches.
Faith
Molokanism prizes modesty, sobriety and hard work. There are different branches among the Molokans — for example the "steadfast" and the "jumpers" — but all are united by reliance on the Bible and the community.
This strict simplicity bred a particular character: Molokans have long been respected as honest, hard-working and dependable people.
There are different groups and interpretations within Molokanism; only the most general traits are described here.