This paper focuses on the interaction between religion and online jokes and memes, which have become particularly popular over the past 15–20 years. A dramatic aspect of this study is that religion, including Orthodoxy, treats humor in relation to itself and active promotion of it in the online environment rather restrainedly. In these terms, there were not only attempts to exclude, but also to ban on certain jokes as well as cautious approach towards Internet culture. In this context, it is interesting to consider the following questions: how do online jokes and memes reflect the views of Orthodox people? Who is responsible for creating and distributing them? What are the main topics in jokes and memes related to Orthodoxy? The main question is what role memes play for both believers and non-believers? What is the goal of creating Orthodox memes? According to the results of the study, the authors conclude that the use of jokes and memes, on the one hand, carries the danger of democratizing the Orthodox faith when the uneducated can influence the minds of believers, but, on the other hand, it helps create an environment for “revival” of religion and conditions for involvement of the younger generation in the church. At present, the Orthodox Church and its doctrine are at a crossroads of two trends, since strengthening or weakening one of them entails corresponding changes to the other.

Key words: meme, Orthodoxy, religion, Internet, humor, Orthodox-oriented memes, VK groups, atheist, cyberspace

DOI: 10.22250/20728662-2026-1-86-96

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About the authors

	Uliana D. Kukanova – Intern researcher at the Laboratory of Museum Technologies, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera) of the RAS; 3 Universitetskaya Emb., St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Svetlana Yu. Belorussova – Candidate of Historical Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of Museum Technologies, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera) of the RAS; 3 Universitetskaya Emb., St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.