Kristlikud ja mittekristlikud usuühendused Eestis 1990. aastatel

Abstract

There was a national reawakening in Estonia at the end of the 1980s. Most denominations that had remained active in Soviet Estonia revived. Increasing interest was felt for religion. Since the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, many new Christian and non-Christian denominations and religious movements began to spread, often introduced into Estonia by foreign missionaries. After the opening years of the 1990s, broader public began to lose interest in different churches, denominations and religious movements. However, most of the new religious communities still continue their activities in Estonia. Estonian religious organisations receive legal status after registration, and by the year 2000 more than 500 religious congregations had been entered in the church register. There are also many religious organisations and movements which have not been registered. This article gives a review of the latter, as well as the brief description of legal churches, congregations and organisations which have been active in Estonia during the 1990s.