The concept and features of religious faith. Religion
The identification of the features of religious faith should begin with its epistemological characteristics. As you know, the main feature religious consciousness is belief in the supernatural. The supernatural, according to religious doctrine, is something that does not obey the laws of the material world around us, lying "on the other side" of sensually perceived objects. True, it should be taken into account that the dualism of the natural and the supernatural, the sharp opposition of the latter to real, sensually perceived objects, is characteristic mainly of "theistic" religions, i.e. religions based on the worship of gods or a god. For early forms religions, which include magic, fetishism, totemism, were characterized by belief either in the supernatural properties of material objects (fetishism) or in supernatural connections between material objects (magic, totemism). In them, the opposition of the natural to the supernatural existed only in potential, in embryo. In the course of the further evolution of religion, the supernatural becomes more and more isolated from the natural, it is already thought of as a special spiritual entity that not only opposes material nature as a higher form of being, but also controls it. So are all the animistic and theistic religions. From the standpoint of a materialistic worldview, the ideas and images of the supernatural are a fantastic reflection in the minds of people of those real forces that dominate them in their Everyday life. In other words, supernatural forces and entities do not objectively exist by themselves, they are illusory objects created by the human imagination. However, for a religious person, these illusory objects are real, for he believes in their existence. The specificity of the object of religious faith, as something supernatural, located "on the other side" of the sensually comprehended world, leaves its mark on the place of religious faith in the system of individual and social consciousness, on its relationship with human knowledge and practice. Since the subject of religious faith is something that, according to the beliefs of religious people, is not included in the general chain of causal relationships and natural patterns, something "transcendent", insofar as religious faith, according to the teachings of the church, is not subject to empirical verification, is not included in common system human knowledge and practice. A religious person believes in an exceptional, unlike all existing appearance of supernatural forces or beings. This faith of his is fed by the official dogmas of the church. Yes, in terms of Orthodox Church , "God is an unknown, inaccessible, incomprehensible, ineffable mystery... Any attempt to present this mystery in ordinary human terms, to measure the immeasurable abyss of the deity is hopeless"157. The religious person does not apply the usual criteria of empirical certainty to the supernatural. Gods, spirits and other supernatural beings, in his opinion, in principle cannot be perceived by human senses, if they do not take on a “corporeal”, material shell, do not appear before people in a “visible” form accessible to sensual contemplation. According to Christian doctrine, Christ was just such a god, who appeared to people in human form. If a god or other supernatural power resides in his permanent, transcendent world, then, as theologians assure, the usual criteria for testing human ideas and hypotheses are not applicable to them. The already mentioned Irish psychologist O'Doherty believes that if religious faith were based on obvious and irrefutable arguments, if it were accessible to scientific verification, then it would be superfluous. He contrasts the “truths” of faith with the truths of knowledge, emphasizing that they are “in principle” inaccessible to verification, i.e. verification158. Proceeding from this epistemological characteristic of religious faith, one can single out the features of its relationship with knowledge. If non-religious faith differs from knowledge, but does not oppose it as something fundamentally incompatible, then religious faith, by its very nature, is always incompatible with knowledge. In fact, theologians also admit this, stating that the divine essence can be comprehended only with the help of faith, and not knowledge. In Christian theology, both Orthodox and Catholic, rational arguments proving the existence of God have never been considered the main way of approaching him. “No, even the most unmistakable, proof of the truth can replace a living experience, the intuition of faith,” write Orthodox theologians. “Faith does not prove itself, but shows itself.”159 And further: “Faith in itself is a psychological act, not a formula… Christian faith is first of all an experience. The argumentation of faith is something external on which faith itself does not depend. One of the Orthodox hierarchs pointed out in his time that if any dogma of the dogma seems too understandable to a Christian, then this means that it is “substituted” and “is not taken in all its divine depth”161. The judgments of some contemporary idealist philosophers are also characteristic. Thus, the West German philosopher G. Henneman frankly admits that religious belief cannot be justified logically, for it is not an intellectual act for which logic is required. Any reflection, any rational reflection and doubt are contraindicated for religious faith, because because of them it loses "its immediacy and healthy naivety." Ultimately, Henneman comes to the conclusion that only "faith itself is the only proof of its truth", that "only the believer knows what his faith is"162. From all this, we can conclude that in religious faith, the human mind plays a third-rate, subordinate role. The Church accepts it only as a means of formulating a dogma (for a dogma cannot be formulated outside rational forms - concepts and judgments). The thesis already mentioned above: "I believe because it is absurd" - is not accidental for religious consciousness, but expresses some of its general and characteristic features. These features are also manifested at the level of everyday consciousness of ordinary believers. Soviet researcher A.I. Klibanov cites the statement of one of the Baptists: “If it was written in the Bible that Jonah swallowed a whale, then I would not allow doubts, Nothing is impossible for the Lord. And if something is incomprehensible, then I do not blame either God or the Bible, but I say that I am imperfect and my knowledge is imperfect ... When studying the Holy Scriptures, childish faith is necessary - trust in everything that the Lord said in his word. These features of the interpretation of the supernatural object of faith and faith itself explain to a certain extent the fact that religious beliefs and scientific ideas can be combined in the minds of religious people for a long time. It often seems strange how ideas and representations that contradict each other in terms of content can “coexist” in the minds of one and the same person. In order to understand this, it should be taken into account that religious dogmas are, as it were, excluded by believers from the sphere of ordinary ideas that are subject to practical and theoretical verification. American psychologists D. Snow and R. Mahalek, in their article on the problem of the stability of non-traditional cults in the United States, try to isolate some of the features of these beliefs, which, in their opinion, provide a weak “sensitivity” of their adherents to facts that refute their faith. Two features of non-traditional beliefs play a significant role in this: firstly, the lack of theoretical consistency of certain provisions and dogmas, which makes them less vulnerable logically, and, secondly, their weak correlation with empirical data164. It seems that these features apply not only to non-traditional, but to one degree or another - to all religious beliefs in general. In the foreign psychology of religion, the fact of the stability of religious faith has long been recorded and actively discussed. The point is that the beliefs of many religious people are able to persist even if life practice provides information that contradicts their beliefs. Analyzing this problem, most social psychologists in the West rely on the theory of "cognitive dissonance" developed by the American psychologist L. Festinger. From the point of view of Festinger's concept, the existence in the human mind of two or more ideas, images or ideas that do not correspond to each other, come into conflict with each other, leads to psychological discomfort. A person who has “cognitive dissonance” seeks to reduce or overcome it in one way or another. Ways to overcome dissonance can be very different: from changing behavior in accordance with new information to ignoring it and psychologically "defending" it in a variety of ways165. Analyzing the phenomenon of "cognitive dissonance", Festinger paid attention to the problem of the stability of religious faith. In his opinion, which is shared by many American religious psychologists, religious beliefs have a significant ability to resist information that contradicts them. In one of the papers he and his collaborators wrote, Festinger explains the resilience religious beliefs three main factors: first, the significance of these beliefs in the life of the individual and in the system of its value orientations; secondly, by the circumstance that believers have repeatedly demonstrated publicly their adherence to certain religious beliefs, and therefore the rejection of them would mean, from their point of view, undermining their social prestige; thirdly, social pressure on each believer by members of the religious group to which he belongs. The book provides examples from the life of religious sects and movements in the United States, which really show the stability of religious beliefs even in conditions when life refuted certain prophecies of the sect leader. For example, in the center of the sermon of the founder of the Adventist movement in the USA, W. Miller, there was a prediction about the inevitable end of the world in 1843. Despite the fact that his prediction did not come true, the Adventist sect did not disappear, but continues to exist and operate to this day. These thoughts of Festinger are developed by American psychologists D. Batson and L. Ventis. The stability of religious beliefs, they believe, and their ability to persist, despite the obvious facts that contradict them, is based on certain psychological characteristics of religious people. Members of a number of religious sects and cults, they believe, have a consciousness of their “chosenness” to salvation, which strengthens their feelings of superiority over other people and serves as a barrier to accepting any information that contradicts their beliefs. The social support of their views on the part of members of the religious community to which they belong also plays an important role in the preservation and strengthening of faith. Many religious communities and cults achieve, through the constant ideological and psychological "treatment" of their adherents, their complete loss of any spiritual independence, blind obedience to the leader of this sect. Referring to the tragedy of the mass suicide of members of the People's Temple sect in Guyana, the authors write: “Commitment to these beliefs and to the authority of Jones (the leader of the sect. - DW) did not come quickly. If Jones had proposed such a mode of behavior (mass suicide - DW) in the early days of the existence of the sect in California, he would, in all probability, have been rejected. We suggest that blind obedience was achieved by a long, gradual process of increasing intensification of beliefs and behavior, based on the growth of consciousness of the chosenness of the members of the sect, the public demonstration of their beliefs and intense social support. It seems that the considerations of American psychologists, including Festinger, about the reasons for the stability of religious beliefs deserve attention. Thus, along with some epistemological features of the object of religious faith, which give rise to the theologians' thesis about the unverifiability of the latter, a significant role in its preservation, especially in closed religious communities, is played by the above socio-psychological factors. What mental processes play a dominant role in religious faith? First of all, imagination. Deep religious faith implies the existence in the mind of a person of ideas about supernatural beings (in Christianity, for example, Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, saints, angels, etc.) and their vivid images that can evoke an emotional and interested attitude. These images and representations are illusory, they do not correspond to real objects. But they do not appear in a vacuum. The ground for their formation in individual consciousness is, firstly, religious myths, which tells about the "actions" of gods or other supernatural beings, and, secondly, cult art images (for example, icons and frescoes), in which supernatural images are embodied in a sensuous way. On the basis of this religious and artistic material, religious ideas of believers are formed. Thus, the individual imagination of an individual believer is based on those images and ideas that are promoted by a particular religious organization. That is why the religious ideas of a Christian will differ from those of a Muslim or a Buddhist. For the church, the uncontrolled activity of the imagination is dangerous, because it can lead the believer away from the orthodox dogma. This explains the fact that, for example, the Catholic Church in Western Europe always with a certain mistrust and apprehension treated the representatives of Christian mysticism, seeing in them, often not without reason, potential heretics. While noting the commonality of religious ideas among believers of the same confession, one should at the same time take into account that the religious ideas and images of each subject of faith are largely individualized. It is those traits that best meet the spiritual needs and character traits of a given individual that can come to the fore in them. A.M. Gorky in the story “Childhood”, recalling the attitude of grandmother and grandfather to God, wrote that in the mouth of the grandmother, God appeared as a kind being, equally close to both people and animals. “And my grandfather’s god,” he continues, “caused fear and hostility in me: he did not love anyone, followed everything with a strict eye, he, first of all, looked for and saw in a person the bad, evil, sinful”167. The individualization of religious ideas is inevitable to one degree or another, since each person projects his desires, needs and desires into the sphere of religion. value orientations. The relation of the subject of religious faith to the object of faith can exist only as an emotional relation. If religious images and ideas do not evoke intense feelings and experiences in the mind of the individual, then this sure sign fading of faith. The specifics of religious feelings will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter. Now we will only note that the emotional attitude to the subject of religious faith stems from the fact that such faith implies not only the reality of supernatural forces or beings, but also the fact that they can affect the life and fate of the believer himself and his loved ones, both in reality and in reality. in the "otherworldly" world. In other words, it is not only the belief that God exists and that he created the world, but also that God can punish or reward this person , influence his fate during his lifetime and especially after death. Naturally, such a belief cannot but evoke deep feelings and emotions in him. The believer enters into a special relationship with the illusory object of his faith, which can be called illusory-practical. They are illusory in the sense that the object of faith itself does not really exist. However, they have an impact on the believer's behavior and are realized practically in cult actions, which he considers as a means to influence the supernatural, to appease him, to obtain forgiveness and salvation from him, etc. In the light of such illusory-practical attitudes of believers to the supernatural, the role played by volitional processes in the system of religious belief becomes clearer. Religious faith is not only an emotional, but also a strong-willed attitude towards the supernatural. Deep faith involves the concentration of the entire mental life of a person on religious images, ideas, feelings and experiences, which can be achieved only with the help of significant volitional efforts. The will of the believer is aimed at strictly observing all the prescriptions of the church or other religious organization and thereby ensuring “salvation” for himself. It is no coincidence that exercises that trained the will were obligatory for many newly converted monks and nuns. Only constant training of the will, its focus on religious ideas and norms, can suppress the natural human needs and desires that hindered monastic asceticism. Only strong-willed efforts can turn a convert away from non-religious interests, teach him to control his thoughts and actions, preventing any "temptation", especially the "temptation" of unbelief. With the help of volitional efforts, the behavior of a religious person is regulated. The deeper and more intense the religious faith, the greater the impact of the religious orientation of the will on all the behavior of a given subject, and in particular on his cult behavior, on his observance of cult norms and prescriptions. Of course, imagination, feelings, and will play an important role in non-religious faith, so that the operation of these mental processes in the system of religious faith does not in itself reveal its specificity. If we are talking about the degree of participation of certain mental processes in religious faith, then, as already noted, in it a much smaller role than in non-religious faith is played by logical, rational thinking with all its features and attributes (logical consistency, evidence and etc. ). As for other mental processes, the specificity of religious faith lies in the direction of these processes, their subject matter. Since their subject is the supernatural, they concentrate the imagination, feelings and will of the individual around illusory objects. For a deeply religious person, God or other supernatural entities often act as a more important reality than the world. Communication with them occupies an important place in the life of such people. Replacing real communication with people, it creates the illusion of mutual closeness, causes intense feelings, and leads to emotional release. For a believer, God is an interlocutor, a comforter, to whom one can turn at any moment of life, he is always available, always listens and consoles. These psychological features religious faith should not be forgotten when it comes to atheistic education. A lack of communication with people, a lack of attention and sympathy for his needs and requirements often pushes a person to illusory communication with God. And if we want to rid a person of faith in God, then it is very important not to forget about the most important spiritual needs of people, including the need for communication. In conclusion, a few words about the role of religious faith in the life of the individual and society. The main methodological reference here is the well-known formula of K. Marx about religion as “the opiate of the people”168. Emphasizing the illusory nature of the object of religious faith, Marx's statement on religion reveals the most important social function religious faith and religion in general - the function of illusory replenishment of the practical impotence of people. At the psychological level, this function is realized through religious consolation, which will be discussed in the next chapter.
Lesson topic: "Religion as one of the forms of culture" Grade 8
There is a God, there is a world, they live forever,
And the life of people is instantaneous and miserable,
But a person contains everything in himself,
Who loves the world and believes in God.
N. Gumilyo V
Lesson goals and objectives : to acquaint with the various functions of religion in society; characterize the main types of religious organizations.
Planned results: subject: apply the conceptual apparatus of social science knowledge to reveal conceptsreligion, religious consciousness, world religions, religious cult, religious organizations, interfaith conflict; characterize the signs of religious consciousness; evaluate the role of religion in the life of society; analyze the main ideas of world religions; explain the essence of the principle of freedom of conscience; compare secular and religious consciousness.
Meta-subject: 1) communicative: organize educational cooperation and joint activities with the teacher and peers; independently discover and formulate a learning problem; put forward versions of the solution to the problem; share knowledge among group members to make effective joint decisions;
2) regulatory: plan ways to achieve educational goals; correlate their actions with the planned result;
3) cognitive: create, apply and transform signs and symbols, models and schemes for solving educational and cognitive tasks; collect and record information; define concepts.
Lesson type : combined, with elements of research activity,
Basic tricks : individual work with educational literature, teacher's story, work in pairs, groups.
Preparatory work: Preparation by students additionally at home. Students prepare messages and materials on the topic "World Religions": Buddhism, Islam and Christianity
Basic concepts: Religion, freedom of conscience, freedom of worship, atheism
Lesson plan:
1. Organizational moment
2.Checking and updating knowledge
3. Studying new material
4. Results and reflection
5. Homework
1. Org. the beginning of the lesson.
Hello guys! Sit down. Glad to see you at our today's lesson! Check if everything is ready for fruitful work in the lesson: textbook, notebook, writing materials. I hope that today at the lesson you will not be embarrassed by the presence of guests, and you will work as actively and fruitfully as you work at all our lessons.
2. Checking homework:
Before proceeding to the study of new material, we need to check how you learned the past material on the topic: “Science in modern society". Therefore, I suggest that you complete the test tasks.
We have begun to study the main areas of society.
List them.
What area did we start with?(spiritual)
What have we already learned?(education, conscience, science, morality…..)
What else applies to this area, we will learn with you in the lesson.
To understand what will be discussed, take puzzles in the files and put them into a quatrain.(ask one student to voice it)
I have prepared a booklet for each of you, which during the lesson you will need to fill out and attach to your workbook.
3. Learning new material
What associations does the word "religion" evoke in you?(God, Faith, Deity, Christianity, Cross, Soul, Islam, Buddhism, Prophet, Clergy, Church, Mosque)
Teacher . Religion is one of the most significant forms of human culture, which appeared in ancient times.
From the lessons of history, you know that religion, the religious ideas of people, originated a very long time ago, about 40 thousand years ago. Great importance religion has in our time.
The textbook interprets the word "religion" in two meanings(heading "Opinion" p. 95 ask one student from the seat ) .
Some researchers translate this word from Latin as"relate with special respect, others translate the word "religion" as"bind" that is, it denotes a special, not material, but spiritual connection between the earthly and heavenly (divine) worlds.
According to another interpretation, religion is"piety, shrine, object of worship."
Let's answer the question: What is religion?
Religion - a set of spiritual ideas based on the belief in the existence of God or gods, supernatural forces, as well as appropriate behavior and specific actions.(Record on the worksheet).
historical forms development of religion are:
Tribal What do we know about them?
National Name them.
World
List world religions(Christianity, Islam, Buddhism)
Student presentation.
(Messages and presentations: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism)
1. Features of religious faith .
- Now guys, let's get to work.in groups , while you Discussing questions and answers is allowed.
I group- reading the text of the textbook on p. 96 will try to designate « Peculiarities of Religious Faith»
2. The role of religion in the life of society .
II group- after reading the text on pp. 97-98, he will outline the tasks that religion performs in society.
III group- having studied the additional material (10 commandments) will try to answer the questions of the text.
(1 group)
1. Belief in the existence of supernatural forces;
2. Conviction in the impact of supernatural forces on the life of a person and society as a whole;
3. Belief in the possibility of human contact with supernatural forces.
(Group 2) As any social phenomenon, religion performs certain tasks in society:
Regulates the behavior of people in society - religious norms dictate how to behave, impose restrictions;
educates a person - encourages the development of such positive qualities as mercy, kindness, moderation;
Answers the eternal human questions about the world order and the purpose of man;
Relieves psychological stress believers after performing religious rites feel relief, an influx of strength;
Unites society to solve various problems.
(group 3) Drawing conclusions, we can say that any religion assumes the presence of a mysterious connection between man and God (or other supernatural forces), the worship of these forces, the possibility of human interaction with them.
3. Religious organizations and associations
An important element of religion is religious organizations that directly embody religious values and attitudes in their activities. Religious organizations include:(write to worksheet)
-church
-sects
-organizations built around a vibrant religious leader.
Find in the textbook on p.98, 99 the text characterizing each of these organizations.
1 student - Church
It unites followers of any religious creed. It is characterized by a clear division of believers into clergy (clergy) and laity (ordinary believers). Has an official religious leader. Many churches have a specific territorial structure.
2 student - Sect usually arises as a result of the separation from the church of a part of the laity and clergy, who oppose themselves to the rest of the believers. The number of members of the sect, as a rule, is limited, and the division into laity and clergy is eliminated, the ideas of equality of all members of the organization are proclaimed.
What features are characteristic of the sect: isolation,(isolation, claims to the exclusivity of their role, absolute intolerance to dissent)
3 student - Organization
Religious organizations of the sectarian type can be built around a prominent religious figure. The head of such an organization proclaims himself and is recognized by its participants as God (his new incarnation) and the bearer of the Absolute Truth.
4. Freedom of conscience, freedom of religion.
Guys, you have the Constitution of the Russian Federation on your desks, I remind you that this is our main and main law, which applies to our entire country.The Constitution of the Russian Federation proclaimed: (Article 28)
“Everyone is guaranteed freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or jointly with others any religion or not to profess any, freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them.”
I - Freedom of conscience - the right of a person to independently form his own convictions and express them openly, without prejudice to the freedom of other people and society as a whole.
II -Freedom of religion - the right to independently choose which religion to profess, or to abandon religion altogether, taking the position of atheism.
III (in the explanatory dictionary) Atheism - a worldview that rejects the existence of the supernatural - gods, spirits, other non-material beings and forces, afterlife etc
Implementation of the principle of freedom of conscience, freedom of religion in the Russian Federation:
Table in a notebook.
Based on the above, it can be concluded that religionimplement the principle of freedom of conscience, but much depends on the citizen himself. Only a calm, respectful attitude towards representatives of other religions, religious tolerance can prevent mistrust, disagreements and enmity in society.
IV. Reflection
Let's check how well you learned the new material.
Answer the questions in the "Check Yourself" section.
Our lesson is coming to an end, fill in the evaluation chart in your booklet.
V . Homework and grading:
1. § 12 read, retelling.
2. For grade "4" complete task 1 of the heading “In the classroom and at home” on p. 101 of the textbook
3. For grade "5" write an essay on the topic: “The meaning of faith is not to settle in heaven, but to settle heaven in oneself” (T. Harley)
The problem of the typology of religion.
Types of religious organizations.
Church: a complex hierarchical system of relationships. A large number of followers, lack of permanent membership, belonging to a certain tradition, free choice of the individual.
Sect: attracts new members, but does not release. It arises as a result of separation from the church of part of the believers, on the basis of a change in dogma. Features: few followers, constant control over them, the desire to separate from worldly life. No prof. Priests.
Charismatic cult: a kind of sect. Features are similar but different: adherents are united around personality, the presence of divine qualities, Satan is the bearer of supernatural power. The cult is small. Characterized by mysticism, fanaticism.
Dinamination: intermediate position m/d church and sect. From the church: the highest degree of centralization, from the sect: voluntariness, control of members.
The integrating function of religion.
Unites people within the framework of the worldview. Promotes social, ideological and political integration. Promotes consolidation about-va and confessional unity, other forms of unity of people. It develops common values and norms, strengthens the structure of the community, focuses people's attention and hopes on common beliefs and objects of worship. N-R: the sacrament of cleansing (wine and bread) - symbol. Blood and body of Christ.
The disintegrating function of religion.
- can be used to separate people, incite enmity, wars, between different religions and creeds and within the religious group itself. Opposition to other faiths. Often conflicts are deliberately provoked, because they contribute to the strengthening of religious groups, strengthening the authority of their leader.
Shamanism.
Comes from the Ivengris. Purpose: treatment of the mind and body, for a good hunt, the prosperity of the tribe, there are 20-30 thousand years. Origin hypotheses: 1) one of the other religions 2) associated with magic 3) arose due to mental illness traits: 1) a shaman must feel comfortable in both worlds 2) penetration into that world to the sound of a tambourine 3) usually shamans are husbands. 4) chooses a shaman spirit features: healing, religious needs, to negotiate with the spirits, but not the fact that it fulfills, fear is inherent in the shaman.
Paganism - etymology, main features.
There is no concept in modern science. Etymology: paganism from church-glory - “language”, that is, “people”, in European languages from lat “paganus” - rural; later it was called "hillbilly", because in rims imp christ it is common in large cities.
Features: polytheism, mythology, the principle of unity and harmony, the concept of tradition, the category of gender (one's own and another's), the animation of objects,
Religion of the Slavs. Principles of paganism.
Principles: 1) the cult of ancestors (connects the earthly and sacred worlds, the burial rite is important, the afterlife depends on it, there were burials: according to the rite of burial, cremation, burial in a funeral boat, “naf” is a dead person, those who are sent on a journey on a boat, “ iriy "- that world. 2) belief in the immortality of the soul (reincarnation into the body of a relative was allowed), the soul could return in a zoomorphic form 3) posthumous existence of the soul 4) spiritualization of the non-living (stones). They believed in the sanctity of the mountains, focused on harmony with nature .
Religion of the Slavs. Sources. Pantheon.
Paganism is a polytheistic religion. Each tribe has its own main deity. Dualism is the division into good and evil gods. Sources: 1) axes: information about the gods is incomplete, there is no view from the inside, it is given from the point of view of an external voter. 2) Procopius of Caesarea (6c), descriptions of Arab authors, PVL, chronicles, mostly European authors, relied on ancient sources, their own fantasy, which relied on antiquity. Armchair mythology is the invention of new characters as a result of conjecture. The researchers relied on folklore, ethnographer materials.
Pantheon:- the highest level of sacred deities, defined by the word god. Perun-grom, the patron of warriors, Khors is a solar deity, not of Slavic origin, Simargl is a parallel with the Iranian god, Veles is the patron of the house. Animals, wealth, dazhbog-sun, stribog - the god of wealth, mokosh, fret, lel - a female deity, svarog - heavenly fire. Yerilo - god of spring fertility.
Creatures of a lower order - spirits and demons, a demon - ugly (forest spirits, goblin, swamp); ghouls, ghouls - evil spirits.
Scandinavian paganism. Sources. The cult of ancestors.
Moral concepts alien. This is a religion of a single principle - the ability to benefit one's kind. The concept of the soul of the clan passes from ancestors to descendants. Man is responsible for the future of the family. The soul of the clan gives strength, confidence. Pagan gods help only in a particular country. Part of the Scandinavian countries are changing religion. In the year 1000, Iceland receives Christ. The secret use of pagan rites (discarding babies, horse meat) is allowed. The gods are humanized with bad traits (thieves, lechers). Fatalism - why be afraid if everything is already predetermined.
Sources: XIII century - "Elder Edda" - songs, legends about gods and heroes in poetic form; "Younger Edda" (Snorri Sturluson) - prose; structured retelling of myths. "Acts of the Danes" (Saxon Grammatik) - gods - deified people.
Kenings are broad metaphors for living beings, objects, etc.
Skalds - non-professional poets: vigilantes, warriors - sang feats;
Ancestor Cult: the main idea is that the burial reflects the idea of the afterlife, Sweden has large sanctuaries.
The specifics of the religion of the Celts.
in that much is borrowed from the cult of the Romans. Celtic and Italian mythology are deeply related. The Celts lived according to the laws of a tribal society, it turns out they had a fairly powerful cult of ancestors. They believed in the transmigration of souls, reducing the fear of death, many sacrifices, incl. human. Similar gods are Mercury (inventor of all arts, guide to another world), Apollo (healer god, drives away diseases), Minerva (goddess of skills and abilities), Jupiter (administrative functions, ruler of heaven), Mars (military affairs). Sources on Celtic mythology - notes on the Gallic war, various sagas, records of Suetonius. Priestly class - druids (cult of trees),
Buddhism in Russia
Buryatia, Tuva, Kalmykia, Chechen region.
Buddhism in Buryatia is a form of Lamaism. Datsan - monasteries. Before the October Revolution - about 46. The Stalinist regime actually destroyed: mass repressions against lamas, datsans were destroyed. Currently - revival: restoration and construction of new datsans. Buddhists of Buryatia establish ties with foreign Buddhists
Tuva - XIII-XIV centuries. Mobile temples are prototypes of datsans. There is no own religious center. There were Tuva monasteries in almost every administrative region, many of which represented large feudal farms. Repression of pre-Buddhist beliefs; a shaman took part in the ceremonies. Since 1917 Russian protectorate. Intervention in religious affairs. 1927 - Tuvan People's Republic. 30s - an attempt to eradicate Buddhism. 90s - revival. Today there are 9 Buddhist communities. Dalai Lama XIV - help in the revival.
Kalmykia is the only nationality in the European territory of Russia. XVII-XVIII centuries, today - the state religion (14 communities, the construction of a Buddhist center).
St. Petersburg - 1909-1914 - the first datsan was built in Europe. There are they in Moscow, Yaroslavl. In Moscow - the Institute of Buddhism. In Tomsk - dzokhcha community - 2002, several people in the community; 2 schools. Center of Buddhism in Tomsk. Lama Ole Nydahl arrived in 1998 and founded the community.
Buddhism in the modern world.
Deep roots in Asian countries, in many it is the state. Cambodia, Thailand - heads of state lead the church. Many monks are preserved (Cambodia - every 20 men). Life in the countryside is closely connected with the monastery. The monk does not participate in political power but has a big impact.
Zen Buddhism is popular in the West. 60s - an anti-cultural phenomenon that was accepted by those who protested against capitalism (hippies, artists, writers, anarchists). Today it is supported by adherents of alternative cultures, physicists, programmers, housewives, etc. Several hundred thousand Europeans adopted Buddhism. Gradually it penetrates into various sciences. Development factors:
An increasing number of Asian teachers went to the West (lectures or Buddhist centers);
Young people who studied in Asia are returning to their homeland;
80s - Western Buddhist teachers.
With a good standard of living, people free up time for the development of thought;
Relatively high level of liberal education;
Improvement in means of transportation and communications.
Early Christian teaching.
More than 2 billion followers. 400-500 - West, 250 - North America, Asia - about 300, Africa - 300-400, Australia - 400, South - 400-500.
IV. BC. in Palestine. 6th century - the order of reckoning from the birth of Christ (earlier - from the time of the foundation of Rome). 747 from the founding of Rome. The birth of Christ is earlier than this date (7-6 years BC).
Important features of chris: equality of people, everyone could become a christ, there is no God's chosen
Sources: 1) Christ: New Testament (27 op.), non-canonical literature 2) Non-Christ: Titus Livius, Josephus Flavius, Pliny.
17-18 centuries the emergence of ist and mythol schools. Basis: humility, perception of life. Faith in the atoning sacrifice of the mission of Jesus.
The problem of the typology of religion.
Approaches: normative (false and true religions) and evolutionary (development from the simplest forms).
1. Natural (Hinduism, Buddhism) 2. Religions of individuality (r. dr. gr. - religion of the beautiful. 3. Religion of absolute spirituality: Christianity.
Geographic approach: 1) r. Middle East (Islam, Judaism) 2) oceanic (Australia) 3) religions of Africa 4) America 5) classical (other gr.) 6) Far East (Confucianism, Taoism) 7) r. India (Hinduism)
And also 1) tribal religions 2) national religions (Judaism) 3) world
In relation to the supernatural: 1) the simplest (fetishism) 2) polytheism (r. Presence of gods) 3) dualism 4) supremotheism (r. Ancient Greece-pyramidal division of deities) 5) pantheism (god is everywhere) 6) monotheism (one god ) 7) theism
Features of religious faith.
Three approaches 1) the type of religion should be sought in religious consciousness 2) in cult activity 3) in a religious organization. The connection between religion and faith: the subject of religious faith: knowledge without logical evidence, images, ideas, doubts, that is, the influence of faith on the volitional process. The subject is not religious. Faith: overthrows that does not obey the laws, is on the other side. There are two tendencies: 1) religious faith is an intellectual phenomenon 2) religious faith is religious experiences, feelings.
There are two levels: 1) an ordinary religious meeting 2) a theoretically formalized conceptual
The main thing is ritual actions. The presence of faith in any object is not an indicator of the presence of religion. Cult - the realization of religious faith in actions, includes a set of rituals. Rite - actions established by custom, tradition and symbolizing norms and ideas. O. - is a kind of symbol. The cult is based on faith. There is a system of sacrifices. Appeal to God verbal and non-verbal.
Subject
The specificity and essence of religion as a special type of worldview
Plan
Introduction
1. Features of religious faith
2. The essence of the cult and its place in the religious complex
3. Formation and features of a religious personality
4. Religious groups and organizations
Conclusion
Introduction
Religion accompanies humanity throughout a significant part of its history and currently covers 80% of the world's population. The concept of "religion" means faith, a special view of the world, a set of ritual and cult actions, as well as the association of believers in a certain organization, which stem from the belief in the existence of one or another variety of the supernatural. As can be seen from the definition, religion contains four main parts: faith, dogma, cult and organization. The basis of religion, without which it is impossible, is faith - a special mental state of complete recognition and acceptance of any statement or attitude without sufficient justification.
Religious consciousness is a specially developed, systematized set of concepts, ideas, principles, reasoning, arguments, concepts. The integrating component is dogma, theology, theology.
As a social phenomenon, religion has its own organizational forms, the main feature of which is cult activity and which are characterized by specific relationships, structure, group consciousness, a system of guidelines, control, etc. The Church as an objectively existing social institution finds its rightful place in the structure of social relations.
1. Features of religious faith
Religious consciousness is a form of social consciousness, a set of ideas, myths, dogmas, attitudes and ideas, emotions, traditions and customs, in which the world around is displayed through ideas about the supernatural. Religious faith is a rather complex psychological feeling of a person, which favors the belief that there are special connections between a person and the supernatural; is a way of functioning of religious ideas, a form of perception of religious values and ideals. Religious consciousness contains the idea of God (the main idea of religions in general), myths or legends about the founders of religious teachings, about the creation of the world, ideas about angels, heaven, hell, a feeling of love for God, sin, humility, rites of repentance, confession, etc. Religious paradigms believers express in ideas, concepts, judgments, conclusions, that is, logical forms that are also inherent in a realistic worldview.
The specificity of the object of religious faith, as something supernatural, located "on the other side" of the sensually comprehended world, leaves its mark on the place of religious faith in the system of individual and social consciousness, on its relationship with human knowledge and practice. Since the subject of religious faith is something that, according to the beliefs of religious people, is not included in the general chain of causal relationships and natural patterns, something "transcendent", insofar as religious faith, according to the teachings of the church, is not subject to empirical verification, is not included in the general system of human knowledge and practices. A religious person believes in an exceptional, unlike all existing appearance of supernatural forces or beings. This faith of his is fed by the official dogmas of the church. So, from the point of view of the Orthodox Church, "God is an unknown, inaccessible, incomprehensible, ineffable mystery ... Any attempt to present this mystery in ordinary human terms, to measure the immeasurable abyss of the deity is hopeless."
The religious person does not apply the usual criteria of empirical certainty to the supernatural. Gods, spirits and other supernatural beings, in his opinion, in principle cannot be perceived by human senses, if they do not take on a “corporeal”, material shell, do not appear before people in a “visible” form accessible to sensual contemplation. According to Christian doctrine, Christ was just such a god, who appeared to people in human form. If a god or other supernatural power resides in his permanent, transcendent world, then, as theologians assure, the usual criteria for testing human ideas and hypotheses are not applicable to them. In Christian theology, both Orthodox and Catholic, rational arguments proving the existence of God have never been considered the main way of approaching him. “No, even the most unmistakable, proof of the truth can replace a living experience, the intuition of faith,” Orthodox theologians write. “Faith does not prove itself, but shows itself.” And further: “Faith in itself is a psychological act, not a formula... Christian faith is primarily an experience. The argumentation of faith is something external on which faith itself does not depend. In religious faith, the human mind plays a third-rate, subordinate role. The Church accepts it only as a means to formulate a dogma (because a dogma cannot be formulated outside of rational forms - concepts and judgments). The thesis already mentioned above: "I believe because it is absurd" - is not accidental for religious consciousness, but expresses some of its general and characteristic features. Religious beliefs and scientific ideas can be combined in the minds of religious people for a long time. It often seems strange how ideas and representations that contradict each other in terms of content can “coexist” in the minds of one and the same person. In order to understand this, it should be taken into account that religious dogmas are, as it were, excluded by believers from the sphere of ordinary ideas that are subject to practical and theoretical verification. Members of a number of religious sects and cults, they believe, have a consciousness of their “chosenness” to salvation, which strengthens their feelings of superiority over other people and serves as a barrier to accepting any information that contradicts their beliefs. The social support of their views on the part of members of the religious community to which they belong also plays an important role in the preservation and strengthening of faith. Many religious communities and cults achieve, through constant ideological and psychological "processing" of their adherents, the complete loss of any spiritual independence, blind obedience to the leader of this sect. The relation of the subject of religious faith to the object of faith can exist only as an emotional relation. If religious images and ideas do not evoke intense feelings and experiences in the mind of the individual, then this is a sure sign of the fading of faith. In other words, this is not only the belief that God exists and that he created the world, but also that God can punish or reward a given person, influence his fate during his lifetime and especially after death. For a deeply religious person, God or other supernatural entities often act as a more important reality than the surrounding world. Communication with them occupies an important place in the life of such people. Replacing real communication with people, it creates the illusion of mutual closeness, causes intense feelings, and leads to emotional release. For a believer, God is an interlocutor, a comforter, to whom one can turn at any moment of life, he is always available, always listens and consoles. These psychological features of religious faith must not be forgotten when it comes to atheistic education.
If the phenomenon of faith is viewed from a purely scientific point vision, it turns out that it is actually built on entirely natural psychological foundations. These grounds include:
Emotions and feelings - both positive (love, hope) and negative (horror of the unknown);
Will (since religious faith provides for the conscious concentration of the entire mental life of a person on religious images and feelings);
Imagination, thanks to which the abstract and vague concept of "supernatural forces" acquires concrete images of gods, angels, demons, the Mother of God, etc. in the mind of an ordinary person.
The special inclination of all these psychological manifestations common to a person in a religious way becomes possible only under the influence of a prolonged dissatisfaction of many of his needs: worldview, cognitive, aesthetic, material, etc. Whatever the reason for this - either the low activity of the person himself, or the unfavorable social conditions of his life, but where natural ways to achieve goals do not fit, faith in the supernatural is born. Thus, faith can be considered a natural property of human consciousness. Speaking of faith, it should be noted that faith can be religious and non-religious. The main sign of religious faith is the firm belief of a person or people in the existence of the supernatural. Whereas non-religious faith (for example, belief in the existence of unearthly life forms, etc.) is deprived of this sign. Thus, a lack of communication with people, a lack of attention and sympathy for his needs and requirements often pushes a person to illusory communication with God. And if we want to rid a person of faith in God, then it is very important not to forget about the most important spiritual needs of people, including the need for communication.
Emphasizing the illusory nature of the object of religious faith, Marx's position on religion reveals the most important social function of religious faith and religion as a whole - the function of illusory replenishment of people's practical impotence.
2. The essence of the cult and its place in the religious complex
The most important type of religious activity is the cult (Latin cultus - care, veneration). Its content is determined by the relevant religious beliefs, ideas, dogmas. Religious consciousness appears in the cult primarily in the form of a cult text, to which the texts belong. Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition, prayers, psalms, hymns, etc. The reproduction of these texts during worship actualizes religious images and narratives in the minds of the participants. Considered in terms of content, the cult can be characterized as a "dramatization of a religious myth." In art (for example, in the theater), the reproduction of a literary text, no matter how precise and masterful it may be, does not eliminate the conventionality of the situation of action. And the dramatization of the text in a religious cult is associated with the belief in the actual occurrence of the events described in the text, in the repetition of these events, in the presence of religious characters, in receiving a response from recognized objective beings, in participation or identification with them. Various objects and forces realized in the form of religious images become the subject of cult activity. As objects of worship in religions of different types, in different religious directions and denominations were material things, animals, plants, forests, mountains, rivers. The Sun, the Moon, etc., with attributes and connections supposed by the religious consciousness. Diverse processes and phenomena can be presented as an object of worship and in the form of hypostatized spiritual beings-spirits, gods, a single almighty God. Varieties of the cult, in particular, are ritual dances around images of animals - objects of hunting, incantation of spirits, rituals, etc. (in the early stages of the development of religion); worship, religious ceremonies, preaching, prayer, religious holidays, pilgrimages (in developed religions). The subject of a cult can be a religious group or a believing individual. The motive for participation in this activity is religious incentives: religious faith, religious feelings, needs, aspirations, aspirations. At the same time, there may be an incentive to satisfy non-religious needs in cult activity - aesthetic, the need for communication, etc. The religious group as a subject is heterogeneous: there is a small group that manages - a priest, pastor, preacher, mullah, rabbi, priest, shaman, etc. and most of the individuals who act as accomplices and executors. Individual cult activity is available to believers with a significant degree of religious conviction, with good knowledge ritual texts, types and methods of cult actions. The prayer house, religious art (architecture, painting, sculpture, music), various cult objects (cross, candles, rod, church utensils, priestly vestments) are considered to be the means of worship. The most important means is the cult building. Getting into a religious building, a person enters a specific zone of social space, finds himself in a situation different from others. life situations. Due to this, the attention of visitors is focused on objects, actions, images, symbols, signs, works of religious art that have a religious meaning and significance. Methods of cult activity are determined by the content of religious beliefs, and also depend on the means of cult. Based religious views there are certain norms, instructions about what and how to do. These prescriptions concern both elementary cult acts (sign of the cross, bows, kneeling, prostration, bowing of the head) and more complex ones (sacrifices, rituals, sermons, prayers, divine services, holidays). Means and methods of activity have symbolic meaning. The symbol represents the unity of two sides - the present object, action, word and meaning: the present object, action, word represent a meaning that is different from their immediate meaning. The cross, for example, is not just an object with cross bars, it is a symbol, it expresses a certain meaning (the exaltation of the Cross, the crucifixion of Christ, his resurrection). The three fingers during the sign of the cross of the Orthodox, representing a certain figure formed by three folded fingers, at the same time denotes the confession of the trinity of God. The result of cult activity is, first of all, the satisfaction of religious needs, the revival of religious consciousness. Religious images, symbols, myths are reproduced in the minds of believers with the help of cult actions, corresponding emotions are aroused. The cult can become a factor in the dynamics of the psychological states of believers: a transition is made from a state of depression (anxiety, dissatisfaction, internal fragmentation, grief, anguish) to a state of relief (satisfaction, calmness, harmony, joy, a surge of strength). In cult activity there is a real communication of believers with each other, it is a means of uniting a religious group. During worship, aesthetic needs are also satisfied. An icon that has artistic merit, the architecture and decoration of the temple, the reading of prayers and psalms - all this can bring aesthetic pleasure. Thus, the system of cult activities plays an important role in the religious complex. It is through religious rites that an individual joins one or another confessional community, it is cult actions that are an important means of “catching souls” for religious organizations.
3. Formation and characteristics of a religious personality
The goal of psychotherapy is to heal the soul, and religion sees its calling in the salvation of the soul. But, despite the fact that for the religion of preventing mental suffering, liberation from them is not the main, but a derivative goal, it still has a tangible psychohygienic and psychotherapeutic effect on a person, creating for him the opportunity to psychologically establish himself in the transcendent, absolute. By this, religion exerts a powerful psychoprophylactic, psychotherapeutic influence on the psyche of a believing person. In this area, according to G.-V. Allport and other American researchers, she undoubtedly plays a leading role. It is realized in emotional-cathartic effects that arise from nature. The achievement of religion in the psychotherapeutic field is particularly significant. The religious interpretation of the essence of psychotherapeutic phenomena is generally correct. This even applies to statements that a mentally ill person is tormented by an “unclean spirit”, if interpreted as passions that contradict the principles of benevolent, humane morality, adequate self-esteem, and the like. At the same time, the nature of such an “unclean spirit” remains out of sight, because science cannot reliably investigate it. Therefore, the actual psychotherapeutic problem appears in the foreground - to help a person get rid of the "unclean spirit" that tortures him. The main psychotherapeutic effect of religion is an existential sense of security as a result of suggesting the inevitability of the victory of good over evil, life over death. This applies to both humanity and the individual. Religion minimizes the source of existential anxiety, fear, or completely neutralizes it, helps a person psychologically establish himself in the existence of a higher authority, which promises protection from the threat of evil and death.
Insufficient sense of security, anticipation (anticipation) of a real destructive threat is one of the most important factors in neuropathic disorders. Therefore, instilling a solid, all-encompassing sense of security, optimistic hope, religion has a powerful psychotherapeutic and psycho-prophylactic influence. More recently, psychotherapy has finally become convinced of what the humanistic religions have always proved: there is no other medicine for the soul than love. The ability of a person to sincerely love God, neighbors, relatives, causes reciprocal love for her, which is a powerful factor in a healthy psyche, life inspiration, inspiration, joy of being.
Personality formation begins in the family. It is here that the foundations of the human character, the relationship of the individual to others, his social and worldview orientations are laid. The relationship between the child and the parents is the first form of direct socio-psychological contacts that the child enters into and on the content of which very much depends on his subsequent development. Based on numerous studies, psychologists have found that for a child preschool age parents are the undisputed and absolute authority. The child constantly, and often unconsciously, imitates their actions, their behavior, their words. It is not surprising that in religious families where parents pray, they talk about God as a supreme being who controls everything on earth and punishes people for their "sins", a general socio-psychological environment is created that contributes to the formation of a child's religiosity. The skills of religious behavior are formed even more intensively in children in those families in which parents or older relatives consciously and purposefully raise children in a religious spirit, in particular, make them pray, read the Bible with them, explaining its content. Gradually, on the basis of imitation, the child develops not only stereotypes of religious behavior, but also some elementary religious images and ideas.
Religion can affect the human psyche and negatively. For example, sometimes priests inspire excessive fear, horror, which is especially harmful to sensitive (emotionally impressionable) children. Religious fear stimulates in them a sense of pathological obsessive guilt, which makes it impossible for harmonious self-realization and leads to destructive psychological and social consequences. But in general, the religiosity of a person has a positive effect on his self-realization, self-actualization, self-transcendence, helps many to realize their calling, realize their abilities, choose a life-giving life strategy and tactics. self-transcendence- rise above your biological, animal and social nature to the highest spiritual level, the meaning of life. Its peak is a special type of individual experiences, which A. Maslow called "peak experience". This experience is characterized by the fact that during peak experiences a person is most identical to himself, to his nature, closest to his true "I", the most complete and unique. He gets the purest information about himself. The conflicts and contradictions that tear him apart recede, and, consequently, his struggle with himself subsides. triumph inner harmony, targeting, and the like. With the stabilization and growth of such self-awareness, the ability of a person to harmoniously, organically merge, identify with the world, in particular with that in it that did not belong to him and to which he did not belong, but potentially it was close to his nature, increases. A person during and as a result of peak experiences has a characteristic feeling of happiness, success, being chosen, and as a result of such an experience, a feeling of gratitude arises. religious people thank God, others - fate, nature, parents as well. The feeling of gratitude is greatly enhanced by the fact that the “peak experience” cannot be planned. It comes, covers a person unexpectedly. Often this gratitude results in boundless love for everything that exists, in the perception of the world as filled with beauty and goodness, in the desire to do good for the world, "returning the debt." The experience of "peak experience" has a lot in common in content with mystical ecstasy. On this basis, Maslow believes that the "peak experience" is the result and deep foundation of personal religiosity. According to his beliefs, each religious person has his own personal religiosity, which he maintains and develops on the basis of his "peak experiences", revelations, intuitive movements, creating personal myths, rituals, ceremonies from them. These religious acquisitions have deep meaning only for an individual - their subject. Thus, the psychological core of the religious meaning of life is the prospect of a life-affirming solution for a person of his main existential problem - mortality, finiteness. Religion promises a person the final victory of good over evil, the final favorable resolution of the problems of each individual, provided that he fulfills religious commandments and instructions. Faith in the fulfillment of the promises of religion gives a person a sense of security, security, optimism, relieves him of existential fear and anxiety. In all this, the powerful psychotherapeutic potential of religious faith is realized.
4. Religious groups and organizations
One of the most significant factors in the institutionalization of religion (the formation of religious organizations) is people's awareness of their own identity, commonality of their beliefs, cult characteristics, the need to establish certain relationships with the environment. At the same time, the excessive centralization of religious organizations leads to the emergence of movements that did not put up with the strict rules of a particular religious community and sought the right to realize their own views. Such apostates from the dominant religious views, as a rule, were called heretics.
Religious organizations consider the formation of appropriate values and ideals in people as the main goal. This is achieved by the development of a systematized dogma, the formation of a system for its protection and justification, cult activities, control and implementation of sanctions to control the implementation of religious norms, support for ties with secular organizations and government agencies. The religious organization is a complex social institution. Among the variety of religious organizations, their main types are outlined: church, sect, charismatic cult and denomination.
The Church is a religious organization with a complex, strictly centralized and hierarchical system of interaction between clergy and believers.
The constitutional elements of the church are dogma, religious activity and the corresponding organizational structure (one should distinguish between the concept: "the church as a religious building", "the church as a religious definition", "the church as a social institution"). Any church has its own hierarchy (clergy, clergy, laity), which is based on professional clergy and clergy. There is a certain system in the church norms, values, sanctions, through which control over the behavior of believers is exercised. A sect is a relatively closed association of co-religionists that arises as an opposition current regarding an existing confession. The sect has a certain system of control, ideological principles, values and attitudes. characteristic of the sect claim and exclusivity, a tendency towards isolationism, fanaticism of a certain part of the believers. A denomination is a specific religious association that is at the stage of formation, organizational design. Being a centralized religious association, the denomination is characterized by its own self-government, the absence of priests, and the like. Under certain conditions, a denomination may tend to become a church or a sect. Apart from religious organizations, there are various religious and political institutions, religious and political parties, religious professional and youth unions, international religious associations, and the like.
Sometimes movements arise in religions, whose members begin to express views that differ from the accepted one. religious tradition. Such movements, if the church officially condemns them, are called heresy. Associations of adherents of heresies are usually called sects. Associations that occupy an intermediate position between sects and churches are called denominations. The Mysteries unite a part of the believers who believe that they have a secret, but true knowledge of the essence of the professed religion, which must be hidden. In reality, religious organizations are changing, there is a transformation of one type into another.
Conclusion
Religion plays a very important role in the life of the individual and the whole society. Religion not only harmonizes our consciousness, putting forward the task of "saving mankind", but also constantly supports individuals in their daily lives. A person becomes weak, helpless, is at a loss if he feels emptiness, loses understanding of the meaning of what is happening to him. On the contrary, a person’s knowledge, why he lives, what is the meaning of ongoing events, makes him strong, helps to adequately overcome life's troubles, suffering, and even to adequately perceive death, since these sufferings, death are filled with a certain meaning for a religious person. Religion helps people to realize themselves as a moral community, held together by common values, common goals. It is through cult that religion constitutes society as a whole: it prepares the individual for social life, trains obedience, strengthens social cohesion, maintains traditions, arouses a sense of satisfaction.
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The basis of any religion is belief in the supernatural, i.e. into the inexplicable with the help of laws known to science, contrary to them. Faith, according to the Gospel, is the realization of what is expected and the assurance of the invisible. It is alien to any logic, and therefore it is not afraid of justification by atheists that God does not exist, and does not need logical confirmation that He exists. The apostle Paul said: “Your faith may not be based on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
What are the characteristics of religious faith? Its first element is faith in the very existence of God as the creator of everything that exists, the manager of all deeds, deeds, and thoughts of people. So, for all the actions of a person, the higher forces that control him are responsible? According to modern religious teachings, a person is endowed by God with free will, has freedom of choice, and because of this, he himself is responsible for his actions and for the future of his soul.
But on what basis is this faith possible? Based on knowledge of the content of religious myths and Holy books(Bible, Koran, etc.) and trust in the testimonies contained in them of those who happened to be convinced of the facts of the existence of God (appearance to the people, revelations, etc.); on the basis of direct evidence of the existence of God (miracles, direct phenomena and revelations, etc.)
History shows that cases of immediate phenomena higher powers, not previously described in myths and Holy books, practically does not exist: churches are extremely cautious about any manifestation of a miracle, rightly believing that an error or, worse, dishonesty in describing it will cause disbelief among people and can undermine the authority of churches and creeds. Finally, faith in God is based on some arguments of a logical and theoretical nature. For centuries, theologians of all religions have sought to prove the existence of God. However German philosopher I. Kant convincingly showed in his reasoning that it is impossible to prove either the existence of God or his absence in a logical way, it remains only to believe.
The idea of the existence of God is the central point of religious faith, but does not exhaust it. Thus, religious belief includes:
Moral standards, moral standards that are declared to be derived from divine revelation; violation of these norms is a sin and, accordingly, is condemned and punished;
Certain legal laws and norms, which are also declared or have occurred directly as a result of divine revelation, or as a result of the God-inspired activity of legislators, as a rule, kings and other rulers;
Belief in the divine inspiration of the activities of certain clergymen, persons declared saints, saints, blessed, etc.; so, in Catholicism it is customary to believe that the head catholic church- Pope - is the vicar (representative) of God on earth;
Belief in the saving power for the human soul of those ritual actions that believers perform in accordance with the instructions of the Holy Books, clergy and church leaders (baptism, circumcision of the flesh, prayer, fasting, worship, etc.);
Faith in the God-directed activity of churches as associations of people who consider themselves adherents of one or another faith.
