Khlysts

Khlysts (also spelled Khlisty or Khlysty) was a religious movement that existed in Russia during the 17th century. They were a group of people who believed in mystical experiences and thought that religious rituals should be performed through ecstatic dancing and singing, rather than formal worship services.

Imagine you have a special club where you and your friends like to dance and sing together. Khlysts were a group of people who had their own special club where they would dance and sing together to connect with God.

They believed that the traditional ways of worshiping were too formal and not exciting enough. They thought that connecting with God required getting lost in the moment and feeling joy through music and dance.

To them, ecstatic dancing and singing was the best way to get closer to God, and they thought that everyone should be able to experience this feeling of spiritual connection.

However, their beliefs were not widely accepted by the mainstream church at the time, and they faced persecution for their ideas. Eventually, the Khlysts movement died out, but their legacy continues to inspire those who seek to connect with the divine in non-traditional ways.