The economic base upon which all religious institutions were built was undermined by the imposition of such policies as expropriation of land and property. inordinate taxation of the clergy and church institutions. and prohibition of voluntary contributions. Religious institutions were. moreover. stripped of their educational function and all means for propagating religious ideas were curtailed or destroyed. Deportations of mnany Estonians during the first Soviet occupation and the escape to the West of many clergymen from almost certain persecution or even death as the second Soviet occupation was about to envelop the nation further weakened Estonian religious life. However. if past experience Is any guide. Estonians can look to the future with confidence that. however severe the antireligious onslaught of the Soviets may be.
Keywords matched
Deportations