Alexander Dvorkin

Biography

Dvorkin graduated as Bachelor of Arts in Russian Literature in 1980 at Hunter College (City University of New York), as Master of Divinity in 1983 at the Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York, and as Doctor of Philosophy in Medieval studies in 1988 at Fordham University (thesis "Ivan the Terrible as a Religious Type"; his mentor was John Meyendorff). He has appeared countless times on Russian television and many times on television in various Eastern-European countries. He has authored 16 books (on various cults, on Church history as well as autobiographical prose) and edited 3 more. The number of his publications and interviews (translated into 16 languages) exceeds 1000.

He is president of the Saint Ireneus of Lyons Informational Consultative Center, an anti-cult organisation registered in the Russian Federation as non-religious NGO, and since 2009 Vice-President of the European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Sectarianism (FECRIS), an umbrella organization for anti-cult groups in Europe. Dvorkin is on the board of the Europe-wide counter-cult agency FECRIS. He is a professor of Church History and Cultic Studies at Saint Tikhon's Orthodox University, Moscow, Russia.

Anti-cult activism

In 1993, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II, he established an Russian anti-cult organization currently called Association of Centres for the Study of Religions and Sects (RATsIRS). From that time on he has been extremely active in opposing cults and new religious movements through his publications.

Dvorkin is a critic of Scientology, which he regards as a dangerous cult. Church of Scientology-affiliated organizations describe him as an "anti-religious extremist", and compile negative information about him on their websites. In 1997, Scientology and several other new religious movements sued Dvorkin and the Russian Orthodox Church for defamation, but their case was dismissed.

Dvorkin has claimed that the followers of Nikolai Rerikh as well as Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, Hare Krishnas, Neo-Pagans, Neo-Pentecostals, and many others are "totalitarian cults". "When a psychiatrist-academician (Dmitrieva, Sidorov) or an expert-psychologist of the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences rely on the works by Dvorkin and Hassan, which do not belong to science, it is a symptom of degradation", said Yuri Savenko, the President of the Independent Psychiatric Association of Russia.

Dvorkin supports himself and his family by teaching, but dedicates at least half of his working time to helping those harmed by cults. He travels regularly throughout Russia and Eastern Europe, running seminars and conferences.