g shrewd businessmen
and hard bargainers.

The extent to which communist efforts to change the traditional values
of the people have been successful is difficult to determine. Such
values as independence, resourcefulness, and patriotism continue to be
reflected in the international relations of the country, particularly in
its relations with the Soviet Union.

CHAPTER 5

RELIGION

Romanians have traditionally been a very devout people. The vast
majority belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church, and regular church
attendance and participation in church functions have been a normal part
of daily life. In rural areas the clergy are heavily depended upon as
counselors and confidants. As in most peasant societies, the religious
beliefs and practices fostered and approved by the churches are often
intermingled with folklore. Belief in the evil eye, werewolves, and
vampires is common among peasants, although younger ones are less likely
to take such beliefs seriously.

Aware of the deep-seated religious beliefs of the people, the communist
government has done little to restrict their free expression, and
officially religion is viewed as a private and personal matter.
Religious persecution has been limited to clergymen who have openly
opposed the government and its policies. Government efforts, however,
have been aimed at controlling the churches and using their influence
with the people to further official policies and programs. At the same
time, public information media and schools have been attempting to
undermine the hold of religion on younger people by equating religious
faith with superstition and backwardness and stressing scientific and
empirical knowledge as the basis for a modern world view. Many religious
values are attacked as lacking a basis in true knowledge and reality.
Those values that the government wants to preserve and promote are given
a scientific-intellectual justification and are stripped of any
religious meaning.

In line with its view of religion as a private and personal matter, the
government has not published any statistical or other information
pertaining to the various religious communities since 1950. Research on
the role of religion in the daily life of the people has been
discouraged; therefore, up-to-date information is restricted to
observations by foreign visitors to the country. According to reports
from such observers, more than twenty years of communist effort to
undermine