Editing Inochentism (section)

==Beliefs==
===Identity===
Inochentism was described by various outside witnesses as appealing only to ignorant and [[Superstition|superstitious]] masses. Dr. V. S. Yakovenko described its adherents as afflicted by "abuse of liquor and poor food", "spiritual darkness", and a "low level of intellectual and moral development", arguing that this degeneration was favored by anti-Moldavian education policies in the [[Bessarabia Governorate]], before 1917.<ref name="clark"/> Yakovenko adds: "In their ignorance [the Inochentists] are very credulous, and take as gospel all they hear, and particularly what comes to them from the church and in their own language."<ref name="clark"/> A similar point was made later by Bessarabian historian Nicolae Popovschi, who mentioned some positive aspects of the movement, while also attributing its success to Bessarabian underdevelopment.<ref>Sanielevici, p. 106, 112.</ref> However, according to Romanian theologian Laurențiu D. Tănase, the ideological source of Inochentism is to be found in the 17th-century ''[[Raskol]]'' phenomenon, which split Russian Orthodoxy and had a number of ramifications in Romania. Tănase lists Inochentism together with [[Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church|Lipovan Orthodoxy]], the ''[[Doukhobor|Dukhobortsy]]'', the ''[[Molokan]]y'', the ''[[Skoptsy]]'', the ''[[Popovtsy]]'' and the ''[[Bezpopovtsy]]''.<ref>Tănase, p. 37.</ref>

The Inochentists were monarchists: specifically, they supported the [[Romanov dynasty]], even after the Russian Revolution and the union of Bessarabia to Romania, believing that [[Michael of Russia|Mikhail Fyodorovich]], founder of the dynasty, was really [[Archangel Michael]]; the cult of Michael was merged by them with that of the Romanovs.<ref name="Kolarz"/> In the 1940s, one preacher, named Ivan Georgitsa (Ion Gheorghiță) was alleged to have spread rumors that [[Nicholas II of Russia]] was still alive and that he would soon come to power again. Another incident happened in 1945 or 1946. One sect member, named Romanenko, allegedly posed as the [[Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia|Tsarevich Aleksei]] and another as the [[Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Anastasia]], wearing Imperial garments, as members of the sect fell on their knees in front of them and kissed their hands and feet.<ref name="Kolarz"/>

Paradoxically, Inochentism had most impact among Romanian-speaking peasants, as noted by Popovschi: "Even in cases where a village was inhabited by Romanians and foreigners [...], only the Romanians would adhere to Inochentism. In those Bessarabian [[County in Romania|counties]] were the population was of a different nationality, Inochentism found no adherents."<ref name="hs112"/> The replacement of [[Old Church Slavonic|Slavonic]] sermons with vernacular speeches gave the movement a boost and formed part of its culture.<ref name="jec254"/><ref name="clark"/> Ethnographer Dorin Lozovanu assessed that Inochentism itself was a grassroots form of Romanian cultural emancipation, offering a venue for Romanian speakers throughout southwestern Russian and Soviet lands. Lozovanu interviewed old Inochentists in Balta, who spoke the [[Moldavian subdialect of Romanian|Moldavian dialect]] and refused to apply for Ukrainian citizenship.<ref name="dlbalta"/>

===Controversial beliefs===
[[Millenarianism]] (or [[apocalypticism]]) is among the better known aspects of Inochentist teaching: as noted in 1926 by Nicolae Popovschi, Inochenție preached an impending arrival of the [[Antichrist]]. In 1912, while staying in [[Murom]], the hieromonk allegedly stated that the world would end on April 12, 1913, demanding a ban on marriages and speaking in praise of [[free love]].<ref>Sanielevici, p. 106.</ref> At Balta, Levizor allegedly kept several mistresses, danced with naked virgins, and invented a ritual for spreading [[chrism]] over the genitalia of women disciples.<ref>Sanielevici, pp. 106–108.</ref>

Alongside spontaneous dancing, Inochentist meetings involved [[direct revelation]] and [[glossolalia]].<ref>Clay, pp. 254–256; Sanielevici, p. 108.</ref> In Balta, the pilgrims trembled uncontrollably, shook their limbs, groaned, hiccuped, beat themselves and spoke in tongues. Sometimes, this happened even after they returned home and they even spread out to others. Many considered that these were signs sent by God, so that their innocent suffering would redeem the rest of the sinful world and prepare the world for the [[Kingdom of God]]. Those affected by them were called "[[martyr]]s" and thought to have supernatural powers, such as [[clairvoyance]] and the power to [[prophecy|predict the future]].<ref name="Clay, pp. 254–256"/> The recourse to [[Mortification of the flesh|mortification]] is said to have originated during one of Inochenție's addresses, when an anonymous believer deliberately injured his own skull—the blackened bruise was hailed by the church founder as a sign that a "New Man" with colored skin was about to emerge in the world.<ref name="hs107">Sanielevici, p. 107.</ref>

These habits, alongside suspicions that Inochenție was a [[Confidence trick|confidence artist]], escalated the conflict between Inochentists and the Orthodox Church: various Orthodox missionaries and scholars issued strong warnings against Inochenție's dogma.<ref name="hs107"/> Some grave concerns about Inochentist teachings were raised by the Romanian press in and around 1930. ''[[Dimineața]]'' spoke at length about the movement's approval of mortification and selective [[castration]], [[Christian communism]], [[nudism]], [[sacred prostitution]], [[group sex]] and alcohol abuse.<ref>Sanielevici, pp. 101–115.</ref> The newspaper also reports that Barbă Roșie's promotion to the rank of Patriarch was based on his claim to have been visited by the ghost of Inochenție, back in 1928.<ref>Sanielevici, pp. 104–105.</ref> The Inochentists held special [[prayer meeting]]s during which they venerated the photograph of Inochenție, believing that they would experience miraculous visits of the Holy Spirit.<ref>Clay, p. 251.</ref>

Sanielevici, who credited these reports, noted a resemblance between the Inochentists and earlier sectarian movements in Russia, as depicted by writer [[Dmitry Merezhkovsky]]; following up on his own global theory, Sanielevici concluded that all such phenomena originated with an underground "[[Semitic people|Semitic]]" and "[[Apollonian and Dionysian|Dionysian]]" culture.<ref>Sanielevici, ''passim''.</ref>