Whips - the most mysterious sect of all, which had any popularity in Russia. In the public mind, along with other vices of apostates, sheer sin is traditionally associated. This idea of whips may be false.
A sect arose in the 17th century, the founder of this rather strange religious trend was a certain Danila Filippovich, who announced that he was the earthly incarnation of God.
There are two main names of the sect - “Christ” and “whips”, they are consonant, each of them expresses in its own way the essence of Danila’s teachings: as long as he could call himself Savoaf like this, then others can compete with Jesus. One of the elements of worship is self-flagellation in order to kill the flesh.
Despite the fact that almost from the very foundation of the whip, stubborn rumors have been circulating about a certain erotic background of the ceremony of nocturnal celebrations, a total sin is not their obligatory moment. The fact is that each community of this sect represents an independent community called a ship, and this confession does not have a single center. Despite the rather close attention on the part of the authorities and law enforcement bodies of both the tsarist Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, direct evidence of such a merry promiscuity was not obtained.
The fact that the leadership of the sect can appoint one of its followers “a wife in Christ” is probably true, the only big question is whether the newly named spouses will be pleased with their newly acquired matrimonial status.
Life in most sects is regulated by rather authoritarian orders, whips are not an exception. Sinful sin, also called sodomy, somehow does not fit into the general concept of suppressing carnal desires, as opposed to the insult, which is resorted to by the most ardent adherents of this creed, who stand out in a separate direction. Most of the first scribes are former whips.
Like any other false and heretical dogma, Khlysty was persecuted by the Orthodox Church and the Russian state. In some cases, the punishment was very severe - from exile to death. Common sin was also blamed, although without the proper evidence base that would have been required in modern politically correct times. However, today they would not judge for him - there is no corpus delicti.
Another distinctive feature of the whip is the rejection of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and eating meat. In addition to vegetarianism, there is also a denial of other gastronomic excesses. Asceticism in food is supplemented by a persistent rejection of any literature, the example in this is the “embodied Savoath” Danil himself, drowning all the books available to him in the Volga, arguing that they are not needed at all. It is unlikely that whips, at least for the most part, will exchange all the benefits of civilization for total sin.
Be that as it may, a few communities belonging to this heretical creed still exist. They are found in the Caucasus, as well as in some areas of the country: Orenburg, Samara and Tambov. The police seem to have no complaints against them, but it is not known whether they engage in debauchery and common sin on the “ships”.