Peterburgian Vedism "to know" ("vedat")—a semantic root which is shared in Slavic and Sanskrit languages alike—, and it expresses the difference between sight or knowledge and dogmatic belief ("verit"), the latter being typical of non-Vedic doctrines. According to one of the contemporary leaders of the Peterburgian Vedic movement, Roman Perin, "Rodnovery" defines the practised religion, while "Vedism" defines the philosophy or knowledge at its core. Vedism therefore is not a religion but pure knowledge. According to Bezverkhy, dogmatic religions such as Christianity, but also Brahmanism (the successor of Vedism in India), were created in order to control the masses. Bezverkhy codified his
Is Theosophy a Religion? and charlatanism and issued a verdict: "The denial of a personal God nullifies its claim to be a spiritualistic philosophy." Kalnitsky stated: "The movement that Madame Blavatsky began may be classified as an important foundational legitimator of later NRMs, directly or indirectly influencing other schools, groups, individuals, and thus, spreading elements of its ideational structure into society at large." In support of his words Kalnitsky refers to the British scholar of religious studies George Chryssides and professor John Melton. Is Theosophy a Religion? "Is Theosophy a Religion?" is an editorial published in November 1888 in the theosophical magazine "Lucifer"; it