On February 7, 2025, the St. Petersburg Diocesan Administration hosted the All-Russian Scientific Conference with international participation "Modern Pseudo-traditional Religiosity: between Radicalism and Extremism."
It was organized by the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen, St. Petersburg Diocese, Mariupol State University named after Arkhip Kuindzhi, St. Petersburg Academy of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Moscow Pedagogical University, Institute of Theology of the Belarusian State University, interregional public organization "Forever Alive" with the support of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Fatherhood, Motherhood and Childhood, the expert Council of the Federal Agency for Nationalities, Scientific and Educational Theological Association, the City Committee on Interethnic Relations and the implementation of migration policy and the Department for Interaction with religious associations.
The problem of studying the phenomenon of pseudo-traditional religious movements, their ideologies and practices was considered from both the humanitarian and confessional sides. The participants tried to distinguish between the concepts of tradition and pseudo-tradition, pseudo-traditionalism and modern new religiosity, and to answer the questions of what religious radicalism, religious extremism and religiously motivated terrorism are on the modern global agenda.
Summing up the conference, Dmitry Golovushkin, Professor of the Department of History of Religions and Theology at the Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University, pointed out that it was time to revive the idea of Professor Arthur Markarian in the scientific community, who considered it necessary to introduce a new scientific discipline, "traditiology," which would allow for a clearer distinction between the concepts of tradition and pseudo-tradition.
Archpriest Alexander Pelin invited future scientists, religious scholars and theologians to think about a charter of honor for future religious researchers. Graduates of religious studies faculties often use their knowledge for other purposes: they head quasi-religious organizations or commercial cults, become magicians, astrologers, and tarologists. It is necessary to put a barrier to such practices.