Embed

Siberian Apostles

Meet Vissarion, the modern eco-Jesus and his cult followers

During the nineties, Sergey Torop, a former traffic policeman from Krasnodar, changed his name to Vissarion and claimed he was a reincarnation of Jesus. His scriptures’ message of spiritual unity and an approaching ecological Armageddon resonated with thousands from Russia and beyond. Disciples flocked to the Church of the Last Testament in remote, unpolluted Siberia. There, far away from consumer society, they built eco-villages and adopted a vegan lifestyle.

RTD travels to the Mountain for the movement’s holy day, to try and understand the source of Vissarion’s extraordinary drawing power. Join RTD to see an apparition of the Teacher and hear him explain why the Promised Land is now in Russia.

 Hear from Russian, Belgian and Cuban devotees what keeps them in the group and meet a former member trying to rebuild her life. She is heartbroken because her daughter and grandchild refuse to leave what she now believes to be a cult. We also meet the daughter herself, who says she stays because of the way people treat each other. Are the believers blessed or deluded? You decide.

WATCH TRAILER
Please rate this film

9.66(9 users)

Published: 26 January 2014 00:00

View: 3042

Duration

26:09

Tags
Watch this film in Russian

don't miss

26:33 608
Religion 26 March 2020 19:15

Voodoo Spirits of Haiti. Voodoo: a cruel cult or a cultural identity?

26:33 546
Religion 05 October 2011 00:00

Buryatia: between shamanism and Buddhism

26:33 24241
Personalities 22 September 2014 00:00

Agafia. Russian Hermit Surviving in Taiga for 70 years

26:33 174
Arts and Culture 04 July 2011 00:00

The Bolshoi of Siberia

26:33 8939
Religion 20 January 2012 00:00

Shamans of Siberia. Powerful healers chosen by spirits

26:33 660
Sport 24 April 2012 00:00

Peculiar winter sports

26:33 1115
Society 30 July 2012 00:00

Professional prisoners

26:33 1427
Discovering Russia 27 August 2012 00:00

Tyva: The sounds of nature. Tuvan throat singing lures foreigners to stark Siberian idyll

26:33 48093
Discovering Russia 30 May 2016 00:00

My Crazy Russian Vlog. Peter Scott explores weird and wonderful Russian pastimes

26:33 3442
Religion 14 October 2019 00:30

So, You Want to Be a Shaman. A Shamanic rite of passage for beginners in Siberia

26:33 889
Meeting with Nature 02 April 2021 17:00

Black Holes of Yamal. Scientists unraveling the mystery of Siberia’s giant craters

26:33 353
Discovering Russia 16 February 2022 12:00

Oymyakon - the Coldest Inhabited Place on Earth

26:33 2892
Meeting with Nature 15 November 2013 00:00

The Spirit of Baikal. The character and myths of the world's deepest and oldest lake

26:33 431
Discovering Russia 22 November 2012 00:00

Irkutsk

26:33 13028
Meeting with Nature 14 October 2015 00:00

The Permafrost Mystery. Scientists explore giant Yamal Sinkhole

26:33 775
Travel and Adventure 21 May 2021 17:00

Sailing Seven Seas. Siberian Guys Circumnavigated the Globe in a Catamaran

26:33 1312
Military and War 29 August 2008 00:00

A city of desolate mothers. The aftermath of the conflict in South Ossetia

26:33 1763
Religion 21 November 2011 00:00

Kalmykia: The monk's white path. The only European Buddhist republic, situated in Russia

26:33 1428
Discovering Russia 26 March 2012 00:00

Perm region

26:33 3628
Discovering Russia 10 September 2012 00:00

Russia's holy wood. Ancient Russian architecture through a British photographer’s lens

VIEWER’S CHOICE: 1,000,000 VIEWS AND MORE

VIEW ALL