The measure, adopted overwhelmingly by parliament's lower house, sets up Russia's Orthodox Church as the country's preeminent religion. Earlier version vetoed The original version of the bill was vetoed by President Boris Yeltsin in July after criticism from human rights activists, the U.S. Senate and the Vatican. The revised measure, strongly backed by Russia's powerful Orthodox Church and by Yeltsin's communist and nationalist opponents, is expected to be approved by the upper house of parliament and signed by the president. I'm a Protestant and they are trying to shut us down. Supporters of the bill say Russia needs to protect itself from outside sects and cults which have been coming to the country since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union.
Opponents say it marks a step back to Soviet-era repression.
The Mormons have about 500 missionaries in Russia and thousands of church members nationwide. In the end, the measure might not prove a blessing for the Russian Orthodox Church. Its close ties with the Soviet-era communist government cost the church much of its following. Now, working with the state again, the church hopes to win them back. Correspondent Steve Harrigan and Reuters contributed to this report.