"Ancient" Texts and New Church

 

In Omsk, Siberia, a unique spiritual movement took root in 1992 (fully formed by 1998), created by the esotericist Aleksander Khinevich ("Pater Diy "). It is known Vedic Slavism or Ynglism/Ingliism (Russian: Инглиизм ), but its official name is Ancient Russian Ingliistic Church of Orthodox Old Believers-Inglings (Russian: Древнерусская Инглиистическая Церковь Православных Староверов-Инглингов – Drevnerusskaya Ingliisticheskaya Cerkov'Pravoslavnykh Staroverov-Inglingov). This group emerged as a distinct branch of Slavic Neopaganism, or Rodnoveria, with its followers identifying as "Orthodox Old Believers" or "Inglini".

At the start of Perestroika, Aleksandr Khinevich was engaged in hypnosis and parapsychology. He gained prominence during the late 1980s occult boom, delivering public lectures on esotericism, leading mass healing sessions, and exploring UFOs. In 1990, he established the Center for the Study of Paranormal Phenomena "Jiva-Astra" in Omsk, which offered services like "exorcism" and commercial healing. By 1991, this center evolved into the neo-pagan Old Russian Inglistic Church "Jiva Temple of Inglia," promoting a "universal truth" and "primordial religion" supposedly brought by "white people - Aryans" from space. The community was officially registered in Omsk on October 29, 1992. Since then, the Inglis Church has published a periodical bulletin called Jiva-Astra.

Khinevich detailed his beliefs in the book “Inglism. A Short Course,” released in Omsk in 1992, followed by the “Slavic-Aryan Vedas” series, first published around the late 1990s and early 2000s. He presented these works as translations of ancient texts.

In 2004, the Inglis Church established "The Temple of Perun's Wisdom" at its headquarters in a rented wooden house in Omsk, with support from local businesses. This "ancient Russian temple" hosted two theological seminaries—one for men and one for women—as well as a Sunday school named "Midgard," all backed by local Ministry of Education bodies. The curriculum centered on the "Russian Vedas" (specifically "The Book of Veles" as edited by A. I. Asov) and Khinevich’s own writings.

Initially, the movement had a strong political slant, emphasizing the cult of the Russian nation, the revival of paganism as a national identity, and reverence for "Aryan" ancestors. Khinevich aligned himself with the All-Russian public patriotic movement "Russian National Unity," which was then the largest national-radical organization in Russia.

Teachings
Scholar Kaarina Aitamurto has characterized it as a movement with a clear doctrine, a strong leadership structure, and a deep emphasis on esoteric wisdom.

At its core, Ingliism defies traditional religious labels like polytheism or monotheism, according to its founder. Instead, it reveres "ancestors"— specifically Aryans — whom it claims have been mistakenly labelled as gods. While its foundation is predominantly Slavic, the movement weaves in threads from Germanic, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian traditions. All deities, in this worldview, are seen as expressions of a single, supreme universal God, giving Ingliism a monistic theological flavor.

The teachings of the Ynglists combine esotericism with significant influence from the teachings of Helena Blavatsky, the ideology of Nazism and radical neo-paganism. Ynglism actively promotes ideas about the superiority of whites ("the great RACE") over other races, radical racial anti-Semitism , Christianophobia and intolerance towards various groups. According to Ynglism, different races are aliens from different constellations, therefore it is claimed that interracial marriages lead to the "degradation" of the physical and spiritual spheres. The first people on Earth were the "Slavs and Aryans" who settled the polar continent of the country of Daaria on the northern continent more than 450 thousand years ago. It is claimed that in the world there is a racial struggle between the "Slavs and Aryans" ("whites") against the "greys" - the Jews, who have reptilian features. Like many neopagan groups, they harbor a deep antagonism toward Christianity and extend similar sentiments toward Islam. The swastika and its modifications are used as a symbol of the "white race" and is the symbol of the Ynglism movement. A healthy lifestyle is promoted , including the consumption of natural and clean products, and sobriety (Shnirelman V. A. 2015). Followers of Ingliism assert that their beliefs stem from an ancient "Russian spiritual culture". Their teachings are enshrined in a collection of sacred texts called "the Slavic-Aryan Vedas", declared to be a translation of ancient "Slavic-Aryan" texts, the oldest part of which, according to the teaching, was created 40 thousand years ago (Aitamurto, 2007). In fact, the "Slavic-Aryan Vedas" were written by Khinevich himself (Shnirelman, 2015 , volume 1, pp. 299–302). The linguistic myth of Ynglists includes the idea of the presence of several types of writing and, accordingly, languages among the "Slavs and Aryans" in ancient times (Polinichenko, 2012). Khinevich also created an alphabet, called "bukvitsa", and an “H’Arrian (Aryan) arithmetic” and “Old Slavic grammar”.



Vedic Slavism has not escaped controversy. Historians and various Rodnover communities in Russia have voiced strong criticism. They argue that the movement relies on conspiracy theories and discredited ideas that often veer into the realm of fantasy. In 2014, the Inglings faced a decisive rejection when they were expelled from the Slavic Assembly in Ljubljana.

Most Rodnover groups and scholars dismiss the Slavic-Aryan Vedas as fabrications. Beyond scholarly critique, the movement has drawn ire for its extremist tendencies, particularly its anti-Semitic and chauvinistic views. Alexander Khinevich himself has faced legal scrutiny in the past for racism. In Slovakia, detractors have even coined a mocking nickname for the Inglings—"Ufoslovania"—reflecting the skepticism and disdain they inspire.

References

Aitamurto, Kaarina 2007. Russian Rodnoverie: Negotiating Individual Traditionalism . The 2007 International Conference. Globalization, Immigration, and Change in Religious Movements. June 7—9, 2007. Bordeaux, France. CESNUR (2007).

Kaarina Aitamurto 2016, Paganism, traditionalism, nationalism: narratives of Russian Rodnoverie . London : Routledge, Taylor and Francis.

Polinichenko D. Yu. 2012, 'Neo-paganism and amateur linguistics in modern Russia // Language and Culture. Scientific online journal of the Center for Research in Linguocultural Studies and Translation Studies of the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Prešov in Prešov. - 2012. - No. 12 .

Shnirelman V. A. 2015. 'Aryan myth in the modern world / Russian Academy of Sciences (N. N. Miklouho-Maclay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology) Moscow .: New Literary Review , 2015. - (Library of the journal " Neprikosenny zapas "). - ISBN 978-5-4448-0279-3 .



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