For many years I have been looking for a religious community which I could join, one which could do without destruction, torture, exploitation and killing. My search wandered unsuccessfully for a long time from the eastern religions to the Hutterites and Amish communities in the U.S. A few months ago I happened to find a text in "Der Vegetarier" (The Vegetarian), 1/94, about the "Duchobors" (Russian: "duchoborsky"), and learned that the fate of this people has been unknown since 1926. Even this short text made it clear that these people were serious about "peaceful life". I knew that they emigrated from Russia to Canada, and so I left to go on vacation in British Columbia.

In Vancouver I quickly found out that there are three groups of them, where they live today, and I learned about their most recent history. The Duchobors were known to be a fanatical, violent cult whose members demonstrated in the city in the nude, and who burned down their own houses and blew up railroad tracks and one small bridge. No one knew their reasons for these acts of violence.

From Vancouver I traveled 500 miles east to Grand Forks. There is a meeting hall and a museum of the Duchobors, offering interesting facts about their history.

Today's Duchobors, or better, the "Communities", a group of whom has adapted itself to Canadian society for decades, are different only in their folklore and in still being mostly vegetarians. Another fraction, called "Fridomites", which tried to keep their traditional way of life, lives far off the beaten track in a small village about ten miles from the town. Seemingly undisturbed, about 50 families live by the little Granby river in small simple houses with beautifully tended vegetable and fruit gardens.

I tried to find the reason for the violence in the mid-sixties with my initial questions. I learned that the Duchobors reject any kind of progress and authority, including ownership of land, land taxes, all authority, state schools etc. Mr. Sorokin, spokesman of the group, told me: "My children hid in the woods for two months so they wouldn't be caught by the authorities. One night, shortly after midnight, the police entered the houses with weapons, ransacked the rooms, took the school age children, which were then e-educated in a remote school for six years. Since that time the group has been looking for a country that would take
them and accept their practices.

During his office term, Mr. Gorbatchev visited the Duchobors, rehabilitated them and granted them land not far from Moscow in a city named Tula.

The Duchobors are the only European people I know - and maybe the only people in the Western world - who have practiced a vegetarian (e.g. vegan) lifestyle for hundreds of years. It is difficult to talk with them about their reasons for a vegetarian diet, and is comparable to asking a "normal" person, why they don't eat humans.

The history of the Duchobors began at the end of the 17th century. The name "Ducho-bor" means spiritual fighter. Because of their pacifist, anti-authoritarian philosophy they have been persecuted for centuries and were forced to leave their settlements.
They moved from the Ukraine to Georgia to the Caucasus, teaching a life of peace and truth in the simple belief in Jesus Christ.
Soon they gave up their belongings, destroyed their firearms and accepted persecution, rather than violate the commandment "Thou shalt not kill". They rejected the authority of the Czar, the orthodox churches and the government. Aided by Lew Tolstoi, 9,000 Duchobors were allowed to leave Russia in 1898, leaving 12,000 in Caucasus.

The Duchobors or Tolstoyans, as they were named in Canada, came to Quebec, settled in Saskatchewan and later in British Columbia. They lived and worked in their "Community". They didn't keep animals for field work (with the exception of a few groups), but kept milk cows or goats for their small children. They don't have churches, books, or any set rules. The Bible is used for arguing against others but is considered less important than the "living book", that everyone carries inside. They strive to live according to an inner law and to achieve spiritual perfection and thereby create the "Kingdom on Earth". Jesus is God's Son, just as we all are God's children. Through Jesus, God-Spirit spoke, he lived and died and rose from the dead in the hearts of his followers. God-Spirit lives in humans and reveals himself to each one who is looking for him. To follow HIM is to give God life. Therefore we don't need institutions, priests, churches, laws, courts etc.. The Duchobors do not swear oaths and will not be baptized. They don't marry and think that lovers should be together only as long as they love and respect each other.

In order to learn more about the communal life of the Duchobors, I tried to go to Moscow just after I came back from Canada. That proved to be difficult, because an invitation is required for visits to Russia.

Therefore I would like to ask advice from people who are familiar with traveling to Russia.

Please contact me if you would like to learn more about the Duchobors.

Waldemar Mutschmann, Fliederweg 5, Dd-23909 Ratzeburg, Germany, phone (0049)- 0 45 41-73 85

(Written by Waldemar Mutschmann, published in the journal "Vegetarier" that is "The Vegetarian", 2/95, pp. 66-67)

Afterword by Wolfram Loeschke: I have not heard that one of the Duchobors ever made use of Michael Gorbachev's generous offer.

Translation by Anne Wispler (anne.wispler@snafu.de)     zum Hauptmenü (Index) / Geschichtliches