This article examines the religious situation in Kazakhstan on the eve of the Great Patriotic War. The societal consciousness was actively penetrated by ideas of the reactionary role of religion in society. Despite the vigorous anti-religious propaganda and stringent ideological control over the activities of religious organizations, the closure of mosques, churches, and temples, and mass repressions against clergy and believers by the Soviet authorities, the level of religiosity among the population remained sufficiently high.

Religious organizations in Kazakhstan functioned under the complex conditions of Soviet power, wherein the state disregarded the religious factor and treated religious organizations as social institutions. State-created entities aimed at combating religion, including the Union of Militant Atheists, played a significant role in implementing the state's anti-religious policies.

Since the second half of the 30s, a totalitarian regime has emerged in the country, penetrating all spheres of social life. Total repressions covered all social strata of the country especially affecting believers and the clergy who, from the point of view of the state, were carriers of an alien official ideology. One of the serious consequences of the current policy was the inability of all religious organizations in the country to live a full religious life and develop their culture.