Religion as a condition for the formation of an ethnos. Types of ethnic religions

Religion is a phenomenon of culture, it is aimed at finding the meaning and purpose of existence, it determines the scale human values. The role of religion in art, architecture, the spread of writing and printing is great.

Geography of world religions. Religion is an essential element in the differentiation of human cultures. At different stages of history, in different countries and regions, the positions and influence of religion on the life of society and economic activity differ significantly.

Holy places

For each religion, special territories are important - holy places. They are connected either with the territories where religion originated, or with sacred landscapes, or with places where holy people lived (or live).

Jerusalem is a holy city for Christians, Muslims and Jews. This city attracts pilgrims and tourists from all over the world.

For the Orthodox of Russia, monasteries are considered holy places.

In Islam, it is believed that every Muslim at least once in his life should make a hajj (pilgrimage) to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. About 2 million people visit these cities every year.

Buddhism also has its own religious shrines that attract believers. These are places associated with the main stages of the life of the Buddha - birth, life, enlightenment. Monasteries in India, Nepal, Tibet and other countries are also pilgrimage centers.

Holy places in Hinduism are located in India, Nepal, Tibet. They are usually associated with the life of spiritual teachers, with their burial places (temples and temple complexes, ashrams, monasteries). Varanasi is considered the holy city of Hindus. In addition, sacred mountains (Arunachala in southern India, Kailash in Tibet), as well as rivers (Ganges, Yamuna, etc.), lakes and wells are of particular importance in India.

Rice. 171. Sunday sermon of the Pope in the Vatican. For Catholics, the Vatican is of particular importance, where the residence of the Pope is located.

Religions and beliefs are widespread in clearly localized geographical areas and have a specific impact on the social, political and economic life of people, on psychology, moral and legal consciousness and behavior. The influence of religion on the peculiarities of resource use and on the susceptibility to the introduction of innovations is especially great.

Religious causes have given rise to most of the major political conflicts in the history of mankind, and territorially they were confined to the borders of regions with different beliefs.

The religions of the world that exist today are divided into two large groups - monotheistic, which are characterized by belief in one main deity, and polytheistic, which have an extensive pantheon of gods.

Rice. 172. The centers of origin of religions and the main directions of their distribution

Career. Tourism

With the growth of incomes of the population, the importance of tourism, the most important branch of the service sector, is also growing. More and more people go on trips, more and more people professionally connect their lives with tourism.

For specialists in the tourism industry, it is important not only to master the skills of practical organization of trips (logistics of tours, the selection of target market segments, the creation and promotion of a tourist product, knowledge of tourist formalities), but also knowledge of geography as such - climate features, population and culture of the countries of the world.

An important place among tourist trips (holidays at sea, holidays in the mountains, acquaintance with the culture of the past) is occupied by religious tourism - pilgrimages to holy places (pilgrims participate in religious cults) and excursions with visits to monasteries and temples.

Therefore, for those who want to work in the tourism business, it is important to know the geography of the culture of the peoples of the world, religious centers and holy places.

To become a specialist in the field of tourism, you need to get an education in the specialty "Hotel business and tourism".

Rice. 173. Tourism exhibition in Moscow - one of the main events of the new season of the tourism industry

Rice. 174. Information center for tourists on the Champs Elysees in Paris (France). Here you can get free maps, guides, find out the necessary information

Geographically, religions are subdivided into local traditional beliefs held by scattered, isolated tribes; national, as a rule, distributed within state borders or areas of residence of ethnic groups, and world ones, which have overcome national boundaries and become the common religion of many ethnic groups and states (Fig. 172).

Table 17. The main religions of the world and the number of their followers at the beginning of the 21st century million people

local traditional beliefs. They arose at the very dawn of mankind and in the conditions of geographical isolation of the communities. The objects of their worship are varied: animism - belief in the soul, its immortality and the existence of spirits; the cult of ancestors - the belief in the existence of people after physical death and their influence on the living; totemism - belief in the origin of all members of a given tribe from a plant or animal that is considered sacred; fetishism - belief in inanimate objects and their supernatural power (Fig. 175); shamanism - belief in the ability of human shamans to communicate with spirits. Many of these beliefs, originating at the dawn of the primitive system, are still preserved today in isolated and hard-to-reach areas of the South East Asia, Latin America, in the arctic latitudes of North America and Eurasia. By the beginning of the XXI century. the total number of followers of traditional beliefs was about 200 million people.

Rice. 175. The spirit of the pass is respected by both locals and tourists (Altai, Russia)

The evolution of early religious beliefs followed the evolution of society. The unification of disparate tribes into a single state was accompanied by the emergence of the cult of the leader-man, which in the early class society was transformed into the image of an abstract man-god.

To II millennium BC. e. relates to the emergence of religions that have survived to this day.

Zoroastrianism(parsism). This is one of the oldest religions, which originated in Central Asia in the 1st millennium BC. e. Its occurrence is associated with the name of the prophet Zoroaster. The doctrine is based on belief in two divine principles - the good god Ahura Mazda and the evil god Andromache. The divine service includes the rites of priests with sacred fire in a metal bowl (hence another name for the Zoroastrians - fire worshipers). Fear of defilement and the need for purification gave rise to many prohibitions: restrictions on sharing meals and bathing, eating from the hands of strangers, contact with garbage and sewage. The number of Zoroastrians does not exceed 200 thousand people.

national religions. Judaism considered one of the earliest beliefs that have survived to this day. It arose in the territory of modern Israel, first as a polytheistic religion, later moving to monotheism. For Judaism, in addition to belief in a single God, faith in the immortality of the soul, posthumous retribution, in heaven, hell and God's chosen Jews are characteristic. This last circumstance, as well as the fact that only one born of a Jewish mother can be considered a Jew, prevented the transformation of Judaism into world religion. Judaism in orthodox form is the dominant religion of the State of Israel; it is professed by Ashkenazi (Jews - immigrants from Western, Northern and of Eastern Europe) and Sephardim (Jews - immigrants from North Africa, the Middle East, the Balkan and Iberian Peninsulas), as well as Jews living on all other continents. By the beginning of the XXI century. There were about 14 million followers of Judaism in the world, and about half of them live in America.

Rice. 176. Torah and Talmud (Sephardi Museum in Toledo, Spain). The sacred books of the Jews are the Tanakh (the Old Testament part of the Bible) and the Talmud (the basis of practice and theology, ideological, legal and folk interpretations of biblical texts)

In Judaism, prayers, fasting, the rite of circumcision, numerous holidays (Easter, Judgment Day, New Year, Saturday, etc.) occupy a large place. Rabbis are actually teachers of the law, judges in Judaic communities, and not priests of a cult (Fig. 176). Some followers of Judaism do not recognize the Talmud. Such are, for example, the Karaites - the descendants of those who migrated to the Crimea from Khazaria in the 11th century. children of Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers who, according to Judaism, are not "real" Jews. The Samaritans, who mostly live in the Samaria region (Israel) and in Jordan, recognize only certain parts of the Old Testament (Torah and Nebim).

Hinduism. In the second half of the 1st millennium BC. e. developed out of Brahmanism. It is practiced by a significant part of the population of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Large communities of Hindus live in Indonesia, Guyana, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, and Mauritius.

The spread of Hinduism outside the Hindustan peninsula was hindered by two main factors: geographical (Himalayas) and conservative dogmas of the religion itself, and first of all its basis - the caste system.

Caste system of India

The French geographer, Professor Pierre Guru, known for his descriptions of tropical countries, tells in his book "Asia" about the caste division of labor in one of the Indian villages between the Ganges and Jamma. The description refers to the first half of the 20th century.

“All peasants belong to the four main castes - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishis and Shudras. The castes are interconnected by economic ties in such a way that the village is a closed organism that satisfies all its own needs. Services and commodities are distributed without the medium of monetary circulation, through exchange based on the traditional duties of each caste. The amount of payment for services is determined by custom. Each villager occupies his own economic and social position, determined by the fact of his birth in one caste or another.

There are 43 families in the Brahmin caste. Two of them are bhats, i.e. bards and genealogists who recite poems during wedding ceremonies. Three families of priests divide the rural parishioners among themselves. The rest of the Brahmins are engaged in agriculture. They have a leadership role in the community. According to tradition, only brahmins can be teachers in a school.

There are few representatives of the Kshatriya caste in the village - only one family of scribes (kayastas) and two families of jewelers (sunars). There are no Vaishas in the village at all. Most of the villagers belong to the Shudra caste. They are divided into mali (flower growers who, as needed, supply flowers, garlands and henna leaves for coloring the feet and nails), kachhi (skillful gardeners), lodha (rice growers), nai (hairdressers), kahar (water carriers, men supply water for irrigating the fields, and women for supplying the village), gadaria (cattle breeders), bharbhunja (roasters of chickpea grains), darzi (tailors, men are engaged in sewing), kumbar (potters), ahajan (merchants).

With representatives of the caste of outcasts, or untouchables, fellow villagers do not have any communication. One family of dhobi (washerwomen) washes clothes for the whole village: once every two weeks for the richest families, once a month for middle-class families, once every two months for the poor.

Danuk - manufacturers of mats (7 families in total), but they do little of this, but breed pigs and are engaged in agriculture, the main duty of Danuk women is midwifery.

Chamars dress and tan leather. The most untouchable of all untouchables are bhangis, sweepers.

Rice. 177. Fakir. The untouchable caste includes mendicant fakirs, who are allowed by the Brahmins to smoke their pipes on holidays, maniharas (sellers of glass bracelets), dhunas who comb cotton, and the tawaif caste (dancers and singers)

In Hinduism, there is no single dogmatics, rituals, organized church. It includes elements of Brahmanism, Vedic and local religions, primitive beliefs: veneration of water (“sacred waters” of the Ganges River), animals (“sacred cows”), cult of ancestors.

The followers of Hinduism recognize the Vedas as sacred books, follow the doctrine of samsara - the wanderings of the soul, reincarnating after death into various living beings according to the law of karma, that is, depending on the deed. Hinduism affirms the inequality of people before the gods and the divinity of caste division. People are obliged to fulfill the order of life established for each caste, to choose a profession and social circle (Fig. 177).

The caste system is changing very slowly. The Caste Abolition Act, which came out after India gained independence, did little to change the life of Hindu society. The government of Rajiv Gandhi in the late 80s. 20th century introduced the reservation of 30% of places in the state apparatus and in higher educational institutions for representatives of the untouchable caste, which caused protests from almost all sectors of Hindu society - both representatives of the higher castes and the untouchables themselves.

The pantheon of Hindu gods is large. The main God in Hinduism is the Triune God (Trimurti), who has the properties of creation (Brahma), preservation (Vishnu), destruction and creation (six-armed Shiva). Many temples have been built in their honor.

Jainism arose as an "opposition" to the caste system in the VI century. BC e., he proclaimed the main principle of faith not to kill living beings.

In the XV-XVI centuries. at the junction of the cultural influence of Islam and Hinduism on the territory of the modern state of Punjab (India) was born Sikhism, who rejected the caste system and absorbed elements of Islam and Hinduism. The dogmas of Hinduism indirectly contributed to the penetration of Islam into the borders of Hindustan. There were few representatives of the Kshatriya (warriors) caste in the western regions, and other castes did not have the right to engage in military affairs, so the Muslim conquerors did not receive a worthy rebuff here. To distinguish themselves among Hindus and Muslims, Sikhs wear "five Ks": kesh (long hair), kachha (short pants), kanha (comb), kara (steel bracelet), kirpan (dagger). The colorful turbans and beards of the Sikhs are clearly visible in the street crowd. The number of Sikhs is about 15 million people, this is the third largest confessional community in India (after Hindus and Muslims). Since the mid 60s. 20th century Sikhs are fighting for the creation of an independent state of Khalistan. Sikhs have influential communities in many countries of Asia and Africa, where they control the tailoring business and trade.

Religions of East Asia: Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism. On the territory of modern China, philosophical systems arose - Confucianism and Taoism. Over time, these systems acquired the status of religions. They did not have a strict church hierarchy, they did not oblige believers to think and act in a certain way. Unlike Christianity and Islam, Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism have never been implanted with a sword and fire, they have never resorted to missionary work.

Confucianism. Confucius is a statesman of Ancient China (V-VI centuries BC), his followers wrote the treatise "Lun - Yu" ("Conversations and Judgments") - the main literary source of Confucianism. Strictly speaking, Confucianism is not a religion, since it never had the institution of the church, priesthood, or mystical elements. The ideas of Confucius are the ideas of an earthly person, not of God. A person must observe the norms of social behavior, traditional rituals. Other ethical norms of Confucianism are mandatory moral self-improvement and observance of the rules of etiquette - to act in accordance with one's social position, unconditionally obey the higher authorities. The power of the rulers is considered to be granted by heaven, and therefore sacred, and the division of people into "higher" and "lower" is a fair law. Confucian morality preaches five basic virtues: humanity, justice, self-improvement, nobility and loyalty.

From the 2nd century n. e. before the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 - 1913. Confucianism was the official state ideology of China, an authoritative ethical system that determined the thinking and character of millions of people. Nowadays, about 300 million people follow Confucianism in China, on the Korean Peninsula, in Japan, in countries with a large Chinese diaspora (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.).

Confucian values ​​included in the scope economic activity and education, have greatly contributed to the economic success in the territories where this religion is practiced.

Taoism- one of the religions of China, the ideological source of which was the philosophical teachings of Lao Tzu, who lived at about the same time as Confucius. Unlike Confucianism, Taoism focuses on the individual. According to this teaching, people should follow the natural course of events and not try to change it. The ideal of this religious and philosophical school is a life that does not violate the harmony of the surrounding world, achieving unity with nature and gaining immortality. The central place is occupied by divination and rituals that exorcise evil spirits. The highest deities are recognized as Shang-di (Jasper lord - the God of heaven and the Father of emperors), Lao-tzu and the creator of the world Pan-gu (Fig. 179).

Taoism had a strong influence on culture, contributed to the development of chemistry, traditional medicine based on the principle of harmony human body(acupuncture, physiotherapy, pharmacology). Closely connected with Taoism is the doctrine of opposite principles - yin and yang. Yin - feminine, weakness, passivity, north, even numbers, yang - masculine, strength, activity, south, odd numbers. Their unity creates a perfect whole. Ancient books preserved prescriptions for medicines, descriptions of the properties of metals and minerals. About 30 million people in China, Singapore and other countries where the Chinese live, consider themselves adherents of Taoism.

Rice. 178. Shinto shrine in Japan

Rice. 179. Temple in China

Shintoism- philosophical and religious system - formed in Japan, based on the cult of the deities of nature and ancestors (Fig. 178). The main deity is the sun goddess Amaterasu, the progenitor of all Japanese emperors. Gods and spirits inhabit and spiritualize all nature, are able to incarnate in any object, which becomes the object of worship. The religious goal is to achieve salvation in this, and not in other world by spiritual merging with the deity through prayers and rituals. Shinto is characterized by lavish festivals with sacred dances and processions. Shinto overlaps and peacefully coexists with Buddhism. The Japanese, for example, are adherents of both Shintoism and Buddhism. For almost a century (from the middle of the 19th century) Shinto was the state religion of Japan.

Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto did not become world religions and did not spread beyond the formation areas.

Yezidis(Yazidis). At the heart of the doctrine, which the followers try to keep secret, is the belief in the one God Ezda. At the same time, followers recognize Jesus Christ as God, revere the Muslim prophet Muhammad and the Jewish Abraham. They recognize the Bible and the Koran as sacred books, they have Christian baptism and circumcision of boys, like Muslims and Jews. Yezidis are Kurds living in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Armenia.

world religions. Religions such as Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, more tolerant of the human weaknesses of their followers, spread over vast territories and became world-wide.

Buddhism is the world's oldest religion. Appeared in the VI century. BC e. as an opposition to the caste system, enshrined in Brahmanism: the dignity of a person and his social status do not depend on his origin, but on behavior. All people, regardless of class and ethnic differences, can accept the teachings of the Buddha and find the path to salvation. According to Buddhist canons, life is a continuous chain of suffering, which can be alleviated righteous behavior and non-killing of living beings (Fig. 180).

Buddhism is widespread in China, Japan, Korea, is the dominant religion in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia, Bhutan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos. Large Buddhist communities live in India, Nepal, Singapore, Indonesia and Russia, where it is practiced by Buryats, Tuvans and Kalmyks.

The followers of Buddhism are vegetarians: they do not eat meat products. These ethical norms have a direct impact on economic life, especially on the specialization Agriculture.

There are two main branches in Buddhism. Adherents of the Hinayana (which means "narrow path") consider the Buddha to be a real historical person, strictly follow the principles of early Buddhism; those who want to achieve salvation must leave the worldly life. The followers of Ma-hayana (“broad path”) deify the Buddha and believe that monasticism is not necessary for salvation.

The three most important values ​​of Buddhism are the teacher Buddha, the teaching of the drachma, the keeper of the truth - sagha, which indicates and facilitates the path of the believer. These ideas of Buddhism, as well as the relative indifference to rituals and adaptation to local conditions, contributed to its spread beyond India. In the southern and southeastern direction, Buddhism spread mainly in the form of the teachings of the Hinayana (in the 3rd-1st centuries BC). From the beginning of our era, its movement to the north and northeast begins in the form of the teachings of the Mahayana. In India itself, Buddhism was supplanted by Hinduism with a caste system that does not accept equality.

AT Lamaism, more late form Buddhism, special importance is attached to magic spells, meditation, with which you can achieve nirvana - a state of supreme bliss and detachment from life's worries. Lamaism is widespread among the population of Mongolia, in eastern Buryatia, among the Kalmyks and Tuvans.

Rice. 180. The centers of spiritual life in Buddhism are monasteries with a hierarchically organized way of life (disciples, novices, monks, abbots, incarnations - "living gods")

Rice. 181. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of the Sourozh Monastery, XI century. in Pskov (Russia)

Rice. 182. Catholic Cathedral in Rouen (France)

Christianity appeared at the beginning of the 1st millennium AD in the east of the Roman Empire, on the territory of modern Israel, as a protest against Jewish exclusivity. It quickly spread among the slaves and the poor. Having proclaimed the equality of all people, Christianity rejected the existing slave-owning social order, giving the desperate hope of gaining freedom through the knowledge of the divine truth that Christ brought to earth.

Craftsmen, merchants, farmers, and the nobility began to join the Christian communities. Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337), by his edict of 324, initiated the transformation of Christianity into the state religion of the Roman Empire.

The creeds were defined at the first seven Ecumenical Councils. They are preserved unchanged in Orthodox Church, which gives it additional arguments as a true Christian dogma.

According to Christianity, God exists in three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God the Son accepted martyrdom to atone for the sins of people and come a second time to Earth to establish the kingdom of heaven. The holy book of Christians is the Bible, which consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The main ethical norms are patience and forgiveness.

In 1054, there was a complete break between the Roman (western) and Constantinople (eastern) branches of Christianity, it was divided into Catholicism and Orthodoxy (Fig. 181, 182). The main differences between them are in the question of the origin of the Holy Spirit: Catholics believe that he came from God the Father and God the Son, Orthodox - from God the Father. Catholics, unlike the Orthodox, believe that in addition to hell and heaven, there is also purgatory. In the Orthodox Church, only choral singing without music is allowed, in the Catholic Church, worship is accompanied by organ music. There are also differences in rituals, in the architecture of church buildings, in the organization of the church (strict centralization and the omnipotence of the Pope in Catholicism).

Orthodox the church is not controlled from a single center, it is represented by 15 autocephalous (independent) churches: Constantinople, Alexandria (Egypt and some African countries), Antioch (Syria, Lebanon), Jerusalem (Palestine), Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot , Helladic (Greek), Albanian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, American. Autonomous churches have been singled out from a number of autocephalous churches, which have great rights for self-government (Sinai - the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Patriarch, Japanese - the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia).

In the 90s. 20th century As a result of the collapse of the USSR, the question arose of the formation of an independent Ukrainian Church and its separation from the Russian Orthodox Church.

AT Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Macedonia, Cyprus, those who profess Orthodoxy make up the majority of the population. There are large Orthodox communities in the USA, Kazakhstan, the Baltic countries, Kyrgyzstan, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, and the Middle East.

Uniate(or Greek Catholic Church), recognizing the supremacy of the Pope of Rome, appeared in the areas of "contact" between the western and eastern branches of Christianity, absorbed the ethical norms and rituals of both branches. The most widespread in Western Ukraine.

Monophysite Church, which considers Jesus Christ not a God-man, but God, is common among Egyptian Copts, in Ethiopia, in Armenia.

Catholic Church strictly centralized, has one center - the state-city of the Vatican, a single head - the Pope (Vicar of Jesus on Earth). The clergy in Catholicism take a vow of celibacy. For many centuries, worship in Catholicism was performed in Latin, only the II Vatican Council (1962-1965) allowed services in national languages.

In most countries of Western Europe, Catholicism is the dominant religion (Fig. 183), and in a number of countries - Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland - there are large communities. In all states of America, the majority of the believing population professes Catholicism: almost a third of the US population and half of Canadians are Catholics.

Rice. 183. Cathedral Santa Maria in Seville (Spain). This is the third largest Christian church and the largest Gothic building in the world. The temple was rebuilt from the Almohad mosque in the XIII - XV centuries.

Catholic colonization of the New World

The Catholic Church actively participated in the conquest and economic development of the New World.

The ideological inspirers of the development of America - the Catholic kings of Spain Ferdinand and Isabella (1479-1505) finally expelled the Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula, having made the last victorious Crusade in history. The discovery and conquest of America began to be seen by the Vatican as a new crusade, since America was seen as a pagan country whose population must be converted to Christianity. Special papal bulls "bestowed" New World Catholic kings. Soon the church turned into a large landowner, whose income exceeded the income of the Spanish crown. Groups of missionary monks followed the conquistadors. Along the way, settlements were built - church missions, buildings for the residence of monks, schools for Indian children, armed fortifications for detachments of Spanish soldiers. All this became the centers of Christianization of the surrounding tribes, in fact, these missions became the boundaries of the possessions of Spain. These frontiers were to move inland every ten years as far as possible. After converting to Christianity, missionaries eradicated local elements of culture. One way or another, Catholic missionaries contributed to the synthesis of cultures and the emergence of a special civilizational world - Latin America.

Rice. 184. Archive of the Indies in Seville (Spain). The archive contains the original reports of the conquistadors and missionaries on the exploration of the New World

Rice. 185. Arrival of the conquistadors in the New World

Economic ethics of the Old Believers

The Old Believers, followers of ancient piety, did not accept the church reforms of Patriarch Nikon in 1653-1656. Since that time, Russian Orthodoxy has split into two warring camps; Repressions began against the Old Believers (or schismatics). The Old Believers were forced to flee to the outskirts of Russia and beyond.

The Old Believers strictly observe the external forms of ancient piety - they wear beards and clothes of an old cut, do not drink or smoke, strictly observe fasts, do not welcome theaters and music. Thrift, mutual assistance, honest work were considered the most important means of combating poverty. It was these qualities that led to the fact that large entrepreneurs and merchants appeared among the Old Believers of Russia.

Rice. 186. Ivanov family of Old Believers in the state of Goias (Brazil) - large landowners and producers of agricultural products

The Catholic Church has a huge army of clergy subject to strict discipline, numerous monastic orders, and charitable organizations.

The spread of Christianity, primarily Catholicism, outside of Europe and its transformation into a world religion began with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Often, colonization was explained by the need to bring true faith to new territories. Outside of European countries, Christian rites were modified in accordance with local conditions. In the XVI century. Catholicism spread in Latin America (Fig. 187), in the Philippines, where the position of this religion is strong to this day. In the 19th century Catholicism entered Australia and New Zealand with the settlers.

Rice. 187. Modern Catholic Cathedral in Brasilia (Brazil)

The colonial governments declared Catholicism the state religion in a number of countries in South and Tropical Africa (Cabo Verde, Reunion), about 50% of the population of Equatorial Guinea, Seychelles, Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, Cameroon are Catholics. More than a third of the population of Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Congo, the Central African Republic, Kenya and Uganda adhere to the Catholic faith; 20% of the population of Mozambique. There are large groups of Catholics in Namibia, Lesotho, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Madagascar.

In Asia, the Philippines and East Timor are Catholic countries, there are many Catholics in Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.

At the beginning of the XX century. Catholicism spread to the islands of the Pacific Ocean: Guam, Samoa, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia.

As a result of the Reformation in Europe in the XVI century. Protestants separated from the Catholics, rejecting the primacy of the Pope as an intermediary between God and believers. They began to recognize the atonement of sins only by faith in God, to consider the Bible as the only source of doctrine. The Protestants, in turn, divided into the Anglican Church, Lutheranism, Calvinism, from which the Reformers, Presbyterians, Baptists, and others broke away. Protestants predominate among the population of Northern Europe, Canada, the USA, Austria, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, and Switzerland.

Islam(Fig. 188). The founder of Islam is a real historical person, the Arab merchant Mohammed (509-623). Archangel Jabrail appeared to him in 609 or 610 in the month of Ramadan and announced that Mohammed was chosen by God to give people the true faith and save them from the Last Judgment. Mohammed's homeland, Hijaz, lay on a mountain-lined coastline between the Sinai Peninsula and Mecca. This area, where Bedouin tribes used to roam and caravans slowly passed, gradually became a place of permanent residence for merchants and usurers.

Rice. 188. Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul (Turkey). The mosque was converted from the Christian church of Hagia Sophia, founded in 553.

Wars required a constant influx of goods, and the inhabitants of Mecca, located at the crossroads of the most important trade routes, did everything possible to develop trade. "Holy months" were introduced, when blood feuds and any military actions near the walls of the city were prohibited. The situation in the vicinity of Mecca was unstable: the nomads robbed peasants and caravans, the Bedouins were at enmity among themselves because of pastures and wells.

Thus, circumstances demanded an ideology that would smooth out social contradictions, put an end to civil strife and robbery, and direct the militancy of the inhabitants to external goals. All this was given by Muhammad. At first ridiculed for his obsession, he united his countrymen under the green banner of Islam.

In Islam, unlike other religions, there are provisions that promote geographical discoveries, this is the "holy war", the obligatory pilgrimage to holy places and the recognition of trade as charitable activities. For example, sura 17 of the Qur'an directly insists on sea voyages, arguing that Allah drives forward the ships of the faithful, on which they strive for abundance. Muhammad himself, being a merchant, argued that one who leaves his native hearth in search of knowledge follows the path of God.

The main center of Islam is Mecca, where the black stone of the Kaaba is located. Muslims pray five times a day, facing this place.

In Europe, Islam spread within the Iberian Peninsula - in southern and eastern Spain. Here the Arab-Moorish rule lasted almost eight centuries - from 711 to 1492.

A distinctive feature of Arab palaces is the abundance of carpets, the division into ceremonial halls, services and the female half (harem), where it is forbidden for outsiders to enter. A park necessarily adjoined the palaces (Fig. 190).

Arab trade caravans brought Islam to North and Tropical Africa. We are indebted to Arab travelers for the description of the "country of gold" - the West African empire of Ghana (in the south of modern Mauritania), the kingdom of Bornu and Kanem, the East African coast, where Azanian civilization was formed under their influence.

In the VI century. aggressive campaigns led Arab nomads to Asia Minor and the Indus Valley, in the VIII century. - North Africa. In the X century. "holy war" brought Islam to Iran, Iraq, Central Asia, by the XII century. - to the territory of modern Pakistan and India, where he faced the resistance of Hinduism. This huge Islamic empire did not last long, but the cultural community of the Arabs has survived to this day.

Rice. 189. The interior of the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) in Istanbul (Turkey). There is a special place for praying women in the mosque

Rice. 190. Alhambra - Moorish palace in Granada (Spain)

The most significant monuments of the Arab-Moorish rule in Spain are the Alhambra and the Generalife gardens in Granada, the Cordoba mosque, Arab fortresses (alcazars)

Unlike all other religions, Islam spread among all peoples who were ready to accept it, regardless of skin color and local beliefs. The result of such a campaign was the flourishing of Islamic culture, due to the joint actions of the Indians, Persians, Egyptians, united by the Arab government. In Islamic literature, along with studies in mathematics, medicine and astronomy, descriptions of travel became especially popular.

Muslims, or Mohammedans, believe in the one God of Allah, Muhammad is considered his messenger on earth. The holy book of Muslims is the Koran, which consists of sermons, instructions regulating property, legal, family relations, it also contains household rules and teachings.

In Islam, three main directions have been formed, differing in their approach to the issue of the head of the Muslim community. Followers Sunnism in addition to the Koran, the “sacred tradition” of the Sunnah is recognized, and worthy representatives of the elite are elected as the head of the Muslim community. For followers Shiism the role of Muhammad's son-in-law, the prophet Ali, is important (only his descendants can inherit power). Kharijism- Orthodox Islam, close to Sunnism, requires compliance with strict rules of conduct in life. Kharijites condemn luxury, forbid games and music, and choose the most worthy as the head of the community.

Almost 90% of Muslims in the world are Sunnis. Shiism prevails in Iran, Bahrain, Yemen, Azerbaijan. Large Shiite communities live in Lebanon, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.

Kairouan - Muslim shrine in Africa

In 671, Okba ibn Nafi, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, the conqueror of North Africa, founded this city 70 km from the coast, in a valley, halfway to the mountain range occupied by the Berbers. He argued that this city should serve Islam until the end of the world.

In the 7th century, after the final defeat of the Berbers, Kairouan became the main Muslim center of the Maghreb, one of the most revered places in the Muslim world - the fourth holy city after Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem.

Rice. 191. Cemetery of the followers of the Prophet Muhammad in Kairouan (Tunisia)

Rice. 192. Mosque in Kairouan (Tunisia)

Islamic economics

Sharia - a set of Islamic laws, regulates economic relations - inheritance law, taxation, usury. Thus, the Qur'an encourages lending money to Muslim brothers, but requires unconditional repayment on time. If there are several children in the family, then all children must receive their shares in the inheritance. The system of taxes (khums - taxation of property, zakat - a tax in favor of the poor, jizya - a poll tax from the Gentiles) in many countries exists unchanged. Sharia prohibits the sale of pork and alcohol, gambling and usury are prohibited. Obviously, as the global market develops, many of these regulations clearly threaten the well-being of Muslim countries (for example, receiving interest on capital invested in banks). The realities of life lead to the revision of provisions that contradict economic practice and their rejection.

At the end of XX - beginning of XXI century. in the world there was a sharp increase in the role of Islam in the economic, political, spiritual life of countries. There are Muslim communities in almost 120 countries of the world. Islam is recognized as the state (official) religion in almost 30 countries. In 43 countries, Muslims make up the absolute majority of the population. These are 16 countries of North and West Africa, 26 countries of Southwest and Central Asia, Albania. In almost 30 countries, Muslims form an influential minority of the population. Among them is the Russian Federation, in which many peoples of the North Caucasus, Tatars and Bashkirs profess Islam.

Rice. 193. Islamic women. Despite the fact that in 1928 Turkey became the first country in the Islamic world where the church is separated from the state, many women wear traditional clothes (they cover either only their faces or their entire bodies with a veil or veil)

Religions and social life. Most religions of the world attach special importance to continuity, traditions, and following certain norms of behavior. From this point of view, religions play a conservative role in the life of society. Religions are often a hindrance in the conduct of demographic policy.

Religions have an indirect influence on the development of agriculture, limiting the consumption of certain foods (at certain times of the year) and giving symbolic meaning to domestic animals. More than 260 million Buddhists are vegetarians, Hindus do not eat beef, Muslims do not eat pork.

At all stages of the development of human civilization, religion has been and remains one of the most important factors influencing the worldview and way of life of each believer, as well as relations in society as a whole. Every religion is based on belief in supernatural powers, organized worship of God or gods, and the need to observe a certain set of rules and regulations prescribed by believers. in the modern world plays almost the same important role as it did millennia ago, because according to polls conducted by the American Gallup Institute, at the beginning of the 21st century, more than 90% of people believed in the existence of God or higher powers, and the number of believers is approximately the same in highly developed states and third world countries.

The fact that the role of religion in the modern world is still great refutes the secularization theory popular in the 20th century, according to which the role of religion is inversely proportional to the development of progress. Proponents of this theory were sure that by the beginning of the twenty-first century, scientific and technological progress would cause only people living in underdeveloped countries to retain faith in higher powers. In the second half of the 20th century, the secularization hypothesis was partly confirmed, since it was during this period that millions of adherents of the theory of atheism and agnosticism rapidly developed and found, however, the end of the 20th - the beginning of the 21st century was marked by a rapid increase in the number of believers and the development of a number of religions.

Religions of modern society

The process of globalization has also affected the religious sphere, therefore, in the modern world, they are gaining more and more weight, and there are fewer and fewer adherents of ethno-religions. A striking example of this fact can be the religious situation on the African continent - if a little more than 100 years ago, adherents of local ethnic religions prevailed among the population of African states, now all of Africa can be divided into two zones - Muslim (the northern part of the mainland) and Christian (the southern part mainland). The most common religions in the modern world are the so-called world religions - Buddhism, Christianity and Islam; each of these religious movements has over a billion adherents. Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, Sikhism and other beliefs are also widespread.

The twentieth century and modern times can be called not only the heyday of world religions, but also the period of the birth and rapid development of numerous religious movements and Neo-shamanism, neo-paganism, the teachings of Don Juan (Carlos Castaneda), the teachings of Osho, Scientology, Agni Yoga, PL-Kedan - this is only a small part of religious movements that arose less than 100 years ago and currently have hundreds of thousands of adherents. A very large selection of religious teachings opens up before a modern person, and the modern society of citizens in most countries of the world can no longer be called one-confessional.

The role of religion in the modern world

It is obvious that the flourishing of world religions and the emergence of numerous new religious movements directly depend on the spiritual and psychological needs of people. The role of religion in the modern world has not changed much compared to the role played by religious beliefs in past centuries, if we do not take into account the fact that in most states religion and politics are separated, and the clergy do not have the power to exert a significant influence on political and civil processes. in the country.

Nevertheless, in many states, religious organizations have a significant impact on political and social processes. Also, one should not forget that religion forms the worldview of believers, therefore, even in secular states, religious organizations indirectly influence the life of society, as they form views on life, beliefs, and often the civil position of citizens who are members of a religious community. The role of religion in the modern world is expressed in the fact that it performs the following functions:

The attitude of modern society to religion

The rapid development of world religions and the emergence of many new religious movements at the beginning of the 21st century caused an ambiguous reaction in society, as some people began to welcome the revival of religion, but another part of society strongly opposed the increase in the influence of religious denominations on society as a whole. If we characterize the attitude of modern society towards religion, then we can notice some trends that apply to almost all countries:

A more loyal attitude of citizens towards religions that are considered traditional for their state, and a more hostile attitude towards new trends and world religions that "compete" with traditional beliefs;

Increasing interest in religious cults that were common in the distant past, but have almost been forgotten until recently (attempts to revive the faith of ancestors);

The emergence and development of religious movements, which are a symbiosis of a certain direction of philosophy and dogmas from one or several religions at once;

The rapid increase in the Muslim part of society in countries where for several decades this religion was not very common;

Attempts by religious communities to lobby their rights and interests at the legislative level;

The emergence of currents that oppose the increase in the role of religion in the life of the state.

Despite the fact that most people have a positive or loyal attitude towards various religious movements and their fans, the attempts of believers to dictate their rules to the rest of society often cause protests in atheists and agnostics. One of the clearest examples demonstrating the dissatisfaction of the unbelieving part of society with the fact that state authorities for the sake of religious communities, they rewrite laws and give members of religious communities exclusive rights, is the emergence of pastafarianism, the cult of the "invisible pink unicorn" and other parodic religions.

At the moment, Russia is a secular state in which the right of every person to freedom of religion is legally enshrined. buy religion at modern Russia is experiencing a stage of rapid development, since in post-communist society the demand for spiritual and mystical teachings is quite high. According to surveys by the Levada Center, if in 1991 a little more than 30% of people called themselves believers, in 2000 - about 50% of citizens, then in 2012 more than 75% of the inhabitants of the Russian Federation considered themselves religious. It is also important that approximately 20% of Russians believe in the existence of higher powers, but at the same time do not identify themselves with any confession, so at the moment only 1 out of 20 citizens of the Russian Federation is an atheist.

The most common religion in modern Russia is the Orthodox tradition of Christianity - it is practiced by 41% of citizens. In second place after Orthodoxy is Islam - about 7%, in third place - adherents of various currents of Christianity, which are not branches Orthodox tradition(4%), then - adherents of the Turkic-Mongolian shamanic religions, neo-paganism, Buddhism, Old Believers, etc.

Religion in modern Russia is playing an increasingly important role, and it cannot be said that this role is unequivocally positive: attempts to introduce one or another religious tradition into the school educational process and conflicts arising on religious grounds in society are negative consequences, the cause of which is a rapid increase in the number religious organizations in the country and a rapid increase in the number of believers.

At present, the term "world religions" denotes only three religions, indicated in Fig. 10.1 (listed in chronological order).

Rice. 10.1.

In order for a religion to be considered global, it must have a significant number of followers around the world and have followers in many countries and among various peoples. Other monotheistic religions have the status of regional ones (Fig. 10.2).

Rice. 10.2.

Each religion represents certain beliefs, a certain experience of communication with the divine, a system of rituals, cults. Religion also includes various organizations.

The number of followers of the most common religions in the world is shown in Table. 10.1

Table 10.1

Number of followers of the most widespread religions in the world

	Number of followers
Christianity	Over 2.3 billion
Catholicism	Over 1.2 billion
Protestantism	About 800 million
Orthodoxy	About 315 million
Other Orthodox groups	About 17 million
	Over 1.6 billion
	About 982 million
	About 510 million
Chinese folk religions	About 433 million
New religions	About 63 million
ethnic religions	About 243 million
	About 25 million
	About 15 million
Non-believers (agnostics)	About 684 million
	About 136 million

Buddhism

Buddha is an Indian thinker, the founder of the religion of Buddhism, which is most widespread in Tibet, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Mongolia, Vietnam, Korea, China and Japan. On the territory of Russia, Buddhism is the main religion in Buryatia, Tuva and the Kalmyk steppe.

The religious and philosophical teaching of Buddhism arose in the 6th century. BC. in North India. Its founder was Prince Sidartha (Siddhartha) Gautama, whose name is shrouded in legends and legends. He was born in Northeast India, in the foothills of the Himalayas, into a noble family and brought up in luxury. He married early, and he had everything you could wish for. But one day he met a weak old man, sick, with ulcers, and then he saw a dead man. And then for the first time Gautama realized that he could not avoid illness, old age and death. The joys of life faded for him. His meeting with the hermit, who calmly and with dignity went his own way, decided everything. At that time Sidarte was 30 years old. Leaving a rich palace, wife and son, he wandered for several years, talking with people. One day, after much thought, an insight descended on him, he comprehended the truth. Thus, the foundations of his doctrine of the meaning of life were formed.

Since then, he has traveled the country preaching his teachings. He was called the Buddha, i.e. illumined, wise, or Shakya Muni (sage from the Shakya tribe). Once, Siddhartha Gautama, who had reached the age of 35, was sitting under a large fig tree, where he made a solemn vow that he would not rise from his seat until he solved the riddle of human suffering, even if he had to stay there so long that he would dry up. his blood and his bones will rot. So he sat for 49 days. Despite the devilish temptations, Gautama unraveled the mystery of suffering, understood why the world is full of sorrows and disasters. He figured out how to defeat them, that's why he was nicknamed buddha(Enlightened).

Some of his commandments are simple and accessible to everyone: be honest and firm; do not be lazy in the search for truth; do not do to another what you would not wish for yourself; avoid doing evil even in response to evil. The Buddha believed that the world is imperfect and unfair, therefore one must go deep into oneself, renounce the world, and the highest degree of such a departure from the world is nirvana. So he died while in nirvana. It is believed that the oral teachings that survived after him are collected in the book "Jammapada"

In his very first sermon, which the Buddha gave in the Deer Park to the five hermits, he spoke "four noble truths."

• 1. Life inevitably entails suffering, it is imperfect and unsatisfactory.
• 2. Suffering comes from our desires.
• 3. There is a state in which there is no suffering.
• 4. There is a way to achieve this state.

The two main symbols of this religion are the image of the Buddha sitting in a lotus position (Fig. 10.3) and the Wheel of the Law (Fig. 10.4) with eight spokes. The eight spokes symbolize the eight noble principles of Buddhist teachings: right belief, right values, right speech, right conduct, right pursuit of livelihood, right aspirations, right evaluation of one's actions, and right meditation. All together should lead to the ultimate goal - enlightenment.

As mentioned above, the Buddhist picture of being is a cosmological pyramid, consisting of 31 levels of existence. The four lower levels of the pyramid are reserved for beings whose consciousness is completely clouded. People who are on the fifth level find themselves, as it were, in a suspended state between the four gross and six gentle (heavenly) forms of existence; The 12th and 27th levels are the seat of Brahma or Brahman; Levels 28-31 are the sphere of pure thought, or the cosmic body of Bulla.

Rice. 10.3.

Rice. 10.4.

The right life, according to Buddhist texts, consists in observing the rules of morality, five precepts (panca-sila):

• - do not harm living beings;
• - do not take someone else's;
• - refrain from prohibited sexual intercourse;
• - not to conduct idle and false speeches;
• - Do not use intoxicating drinks.

• Status of Global Mission. 2013 // Context of AD 1800–2025.

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Introduction

Chapter I. General characteristics of world religions in the modern world

1.1 Religion

1.2 Types of religions

1.3 The influence of religion on various areas of life

Chapter II. The influence of religion on the economy of individual countries of the world

2.2 Russia

2.3 Japan

Conclusion

List of used literature

Application

religion christianity economics creed

Introduction

By the end of the second millennium of modern civilization, all five billion people living on earth believe. Some believe in God, others believe that He does not exist; people believe in progress, justice, reason. Faith is the most important part of a person's worldview, his life position, conviction, ethical and moral rule, norm and custom, according to which - more precisely, within which - he lives: acts, thinks and feels.

Observing and comprehending the surrounding world and himself in it, a person realized that he was surrounded not by chaos, but by an ordered universe that obeys the so-called laws of nature. It did not take much insight to understand that it was not possible for people to change these laws, to establish other people. The best minds at all times struggled with an attempt to unravel the mystery and meaning of life on earth, to find that faceless, mysterious force that reveals its presence in the world through the connection of things and phenomena; it was she who distinguished man from the natural world. To designate this power, man has come up with thousands of names, but their essence is the same - it is God.

On the this stage In our development, there are many religions and religious institutions. But all of them affect various spheres of human life and activity. Historians, political scientists, economists interpret religion as one of the factors that determine the success or failure of various societies. Many scientists today study the influence of religion on a person, including economic activity.

The relationship between religion and human economic activity has existed since ancient times. Religion has had and is actively influencing the behavior of believers in the sphere of economy and production, and their attitude to work. This is evidenced by the experience of all world religions. Economic success was achieved by those societies and countries where various religions, by their specific means, stimulated economic activity, creating an appropriate moral background, work ethic and moral standards. She can forbid her followers to cheat and break promises, which, it would seem, should contribute to the development of the economy: merchants will not overweight and cheat, debtors will hide from creditors. At the same time, this same religion can declare enrichment sinful and raise the humility of the flesh to the highest ideal. In general, a huge scope for interpretation opens up, what are the real Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox, Jewish values.

There are many studies on how religion affects the economy. Cross-country comparisons show that, firstly, the religiosity of citizens (for example, the frequency of church attendance) has a beneficial effect on economic development, and secondly, that this effect manifests itself differently for different religions. At the same time, it is assumed that religious values, as well as belonging to a certain religion in general, are something invariable, one of the basic components of our identity. In history, however, there were cases of a mass change of confessional affiliation, for example, the Reformation in Europe or the mass conversion to Christianity of the inhabitants of territories colonized by Europeans in Africa, Latin America, and Siberia. One way or another, at the everyday level, we mean that if a person grew up, for example, in a Muslim family, then no matter what he does - he stopped going to the mosque, received a secular education, moved to another city - his value system is all the same will remain Muslim.

So, the purpose of my work is to test the relationship between the religiosity of the population and their attitude to new economic values, using the example of the attitude of believers to the organization of labor and important aspects of this sphere of human activity. I will be able to find out if there is a relationship between faith and new values, using the example of another area. In addition, I have to ascertain the correctness of the premise that believers mainly represent the socially disadvantaged segment of the population.

My goal thus breaks down into three tasks:

1. Check whether the religiosity of the population and the attitude to new economic values ​​are connected in the field of work.

2. Check whether religiosity and social status of a person are related.

3. Analyze the literature and sources on this topic.

Then I will give examples of various countries where religion has influenced economic development.

The object of my work is religion, and the subject is the dependence of the economy on religion. The work consists of an introduction, 2 chapters, a conclusion and an appendix.

ChapterI. General characteristics of world religions in the modern world

1.1 Religion

Religion is one of the forms of social consciousness, due to belief in the existence of the supernatural (in a supernatural force or personality). This faith is the main feature and element of any religion that believers represent.

Religion is a distorted, fantastic reflection of reality. Ideologues are trying to prove that religion is eternal, that a religious feeling is inherent in man by nature. In fact, religion arose only at a certain stage in the development of society. The oppression of people by the elemental forces of nature and social oppression, ignorance of the true causes of natural and social phenomena - these are the sources of the emergence of religion.

The most important sign of religion is belief in the supernatural. Being dependent on the forces of nature that dominated them, people endowed them with unearthly qualities - they turned them into gods and spirits, devils and angels. They believed that if they were not appeased, then they could cause grief and suffering, and, conversely, if they were appeased, worshiped, they would help people. This is how a religious cult arose - a set of religious actions: prayers, sacrifices, etc. With the emergence of a religious cult, its ministers appeared - priests, shamans, priests, as well as various kinds of religious organizations and institutions.

Today there are a huge number different religions. All of them are divided into world and national (see Appendix 4). The most common are Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. The most massive religion is Christianity (1.3 billion people). The second place is occupied by Moslem (Islam) (900 million people). The third world religion is Buddhism (400 million people).

According to 2005 data, more than 54% of believers on Earth are adherents of one of the Abrahamic religions. 33% of them are Christians,

21% - Muslims, 0.2% - Jews. 14% of the world's inhabitants profess Hinduism, 6% - Buddhists, 6% profess traditional Chinese religions, 0.37% - Sikhs, 7% - adherents of other faiths (see Appendix 3).

1.2 Types of religions

Christianity.

Christianity has three main branches: Catholicism, spread mainly in Western Europe and America; Protestantism, the main centers in the north of Western Europe, in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa; Orthodoxy professed by the peoples of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece (see Appendix 1).

It arose in Palestine around the person of Jesus Christ, as a result of his activities, as well as the activities of his closest followers. The time of occurrence is usually attributed to 33 AD. the year of the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus Christ was born in the small Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Christians believe that the birth of Jesus took place as a result of a virgin birth through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Much of Jesus' life is unknown. O recent years his life is reported in the holy book - the Bible (in its second part - the New Testament). Christianity quickly became widespread. First of all, people were attracted to Christianity by very high humanistic principles, its appeal to all racial, ethnic and social groups. Later, it was the fact that it was the Christian countries that in most cases achieved the most striking successes in their economic, social and cultural development. (3)

At present, the number of adherents of Christianity around the world exceeds 2 billion, of which in Europe - according to various estimates, from 400 to 550 million, in Latin America - about 380 million, in North America - 180-250 million. (USA - 160-225 million, Canada - 25 million), in Asia - about 300 million, in Africa - 300-400 million, in Australia - 14 million.

The approximate number of adherents of various Christian denominations: Catholics - more than 1 billion, Protestants - about 400 million (including 100 million Pentecostals, 70 million Methodists, 70 million Baptists, 64 million Lutherans, about 75 million Christians). Presbyterians and movements close to them), Orthodox and adherents of the Ancient Eastern churches ("non-Chalcedonian" churches and Nestorians) - about 240 million, Anglicans - about 70 million, and followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church - 10 million.

Islam.

Islam is divided into two branches: Shiism, whose followers - Shiites live in Iran, partly in Iraq and Yemen; Sunnism - has a much wider distribution - northern Africa, South-West and Central Asia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Russia (see Appendix 2).

Initially, Islam was spread as a religion of Monotheism, and taught how to worship Allah. But the foundations of faith were changed over time by people and lost their authenticity. Therefore, Allah sent down the last Prophet Muhammad. Through the Prophet Muhammad, the true and perfect religion was again transmitted to all people - Islam, the religion of all the Prophets. Muhammad is the last Prophet who spread the religion of Islam. Islam consists of 5 pillars, 3 precepts and 9 prohibitions. Holy book - Quran.

In today's world, almost one in five people practice Islam. Over the past 50 years, the Muslim population of the world has increased by 235% and currently stands at 1.6 billion. There are 16 million Muslims in Russia. The number of Muslims by country is distributed as follows: USA - 7 million, Indonesia - 182.2 million, Pakistan - 146.9 million, Bangladesh - 116.0 million, India - 109.6 million, Iran - 63.9 million.

Buddhism.

Distributed in Central and Southeast Asia. According to the Pali and Sanskrit traditions, the founder of this religion is the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama Shakya Muni), who lived on earth for about 80 years and went into "parinirvana" (final liberation from further rebirths) in 554 BC.

Buddhism is a religion of overcoming suffering. In history, Buddhism exists in two main varieties - Hinayana and Mahayana. Buddhism originated in India in the 6th - 5th centuries. BC. But in the country itself, it did not become widespread and turned into a world religion outside its borders - in China, Japan, Central Asia, Korea, Vietnam and other countries. The rejection occurred because Buddhism rejected caste, the authority of the Vedas and Brahmins, religious ritualism, and therefore did not fit into the social structure and culture of Indian society, which was based precisely on the tradition rejected by Buddhism.

Buddhists believe that the bearers of high knowledge are the Buddhas - beings whose mind is in a free, not bound state, and the highest manifestation of these beings is the historical Buddha. The teaching of the Buddha is proposed to be perceived through a religious model of the universe: the one God, by separating heaven from earth, creates a three-dimensional space and self-realizes in it through acts of creation, and then this space inspired by God, in which God manifests himself through His names and real forms: Buddha, Jesus Christ , the Koran, becomes a testing ground for the development of the human mind.

Today Buddhism exists in two main forms. Hinayana is widespread in Sri Lanka and in the countries of Southeast Asia - in Myanmar (former Burma), Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Mahayana is predominant in China, including Tibet, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. A significant number of Buddhists live in the Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan, as well as in Sikkim in northern India. Much fewer Buddhists (less than 1%) live in India itself, in Pakistan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Outside of Asia, several thousand Buddhists live in the US (600,000), South America (160,000) and Europe (20,000).

The universal logical connection of creeds.

Based on a review of the religions of the world, the question naturally arises of what unites them all. Both on a theoretical and empirical level, it has been established that they contain the answer to the question of the meaning of life. In all religions, it turns out that a person's life can be determined not only by the manifestations of world forces, but also by his own efforts. Efforts can somehow affect his life. This means that a person cannot completely submit to fate, but must use his freedom and bear responsibility, since his life depends on the nature of these efforts. All religions say that a person should strive to achieve everything pleasant and avoid everything bad in life in order to receive a worthy reward in the future. Thus, human life is determined by the arbitrariness of God, who alone rules in the world, therefore a person must strive to be pleasing to God in order to achieve everything that is pleasant in life or avoid everything that is unpleasant in it. This unites all the religions that exist in our world, but in their essence they have a lot of differences and affect the activity and life of a person in different ways.

1.3 The influence of religion onvarious areas of human life

Religion exists in society not as an alien body, but as one of the manifestations of the life of the social organism. Religion is a part of social life, from which it cannot be isolated, since it is firmly woven into the fabric of social relations. Nevertheless, the nature and degree of this connection in various spheres of human life is not the same. And in order to see the degree of influence of religion on human life, it is necessary to consider this issue from several positions:

1) religion and science

2) religion and society

3) religion and economics

Religion and science

The relationship "religion and science" consists of two questions: 1) what is the ratio of the subject of religion and the subject of science; 2) how science can study religion.

The first question arose when science suddenly began to claim to refute or at least verify the tenets of various creeds. However, already at the end of the 19th century. They began to express the idea that these sciences have nothing to do with religious knowledge. The answers contained in creeds cannot be confirmed or refuted by the data of science. Thus, science and religion are absolutely different in their orientation. Knowledge of science and knowledge of religion do not intersect, they belong to different spheres, serve different purposes, arise in different ways. But still, nowadays scientists are constantly trying to prove with scientific point view of the doctrine of religion. And the fact that religion and science have different subjects does not mean that science cannot study religion itself.

But on the other hand, the role of religion is also manifested in the fact that it is deeply hostile to science, the scientific worldview. For many, many centuries, the church mercilessly stifled science and persecuted scientists. It forbade the dissemination of advanced ideas, destroyed the books of progressive thinkers, and imprisoned and burned them at the stake. But despite all the efforts, the church was not able to hold back the development of science, which was strongly dictated by the needs of material production. In our time, being powerless to refute the greatest scientific achievements, the church is trying to reconcile science with religion, to prove that scientific achievements do not contradict faith, but are consistent with it. Science gives a person reliable knowledge about the world, about the laws of its development. And religion, in turn, gives an idea of ​​the meaning of this person's life. Today, religion is explored by almost all the humanities.

Religion and society

The question of the relationship between religion and society is primarily a question of the role of religion in motivating social behavior. Religion is a link in socio-cultural relations, the functioning of which makes it possible to understand their structure and emergence: it acts as a factor, firstly, in the emergence and formation of social relations, and secondly, in the legitimization of certain forms of social actions and relations. Religion contributes to maintaining the stability of society and at the same time stimulates its change. Religion makes human life meaningful, it provides it with "meaning", helps people understand who they are, showing the significance of the group to which they belong among other people inhabiting our world. Religion also contributes to the stability of society by establishing norms that are beneficial to a given social structure and create the conditions for a person to fulfill moral obligations. In addition to inter-religious ones, religion causes conflicts related to its existence in a secular society. Religious adherence can lead to conflict between adherence to the requirements of faith and the law. In turn, religious conflicts can promote change, and social change can cause changes in the religious sphere. It should also be borne in mind the fact that religious affiliation can serve as a means of uniting certain groups.

In modern society, the relationship between religious and political institutions is considered in two aspects. The first one is related to the functions performed by religion to substantiate and maintain the values ​​of a given society. These values ​​are also involved in political activity: their influence and attitude to law and power is reflected in support or opposition to them. The second aspect concerns the correlation of religion with politics as an institution representing the interests of certain social groups associated with the strengthening of their influence.

Religion and eeconomics

in different historical periods religious groups, wishing to influence the economic attitudes and behavior of their followers, faced a dilemma: on the one hand, they tended to regard poverty as a virtue. For example, the Bible says, "Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earth," and the Buddhists exalt the mendicant monk who travels lightly without being bound by economic worries, so he can easily plunge into a life of observation and reflection. However, as soon as the organization of a religious group becomes more complex, a problem arises - funds are needed for its operation. Then the group begins to get involved in economic affairs, whether it likes it or not. She begins to demand contributions from her followers and is grateful for the donations she receives from wealthy members. If a member of such a group manages to get rid of poverty, he is not condemned, on the contrary, they are even praised for his industriousness and frugality.

Thus, religion has an impact on the economic sphere. First, when such virtues of the individual and business as honesty, dignity, respect for obligations are emphasized in economic life, and religion successfully instills these virtues in its followers. Secondly, religion sometimes encourages consumption - Religious holidays encourage the consumption of certain material things, even if they are just special candles or special foods. Third, by emphasizing human work as a "vocation", religion (especially Protestantism) has elevated work, however degrading it may be, and this has been linked to increased productivity and income (see Table 1). Fourth, religion can justify and validate specific economic systems and activities.

Table 1 The ratio of incomes of believers

	The ratio of income per person in countries dominated by adherents of religion and in other countries	Comment
Christians in general		Christian countries are five times richer than all other countries in the world. Christianity has the most positive impact on the economies of the world compared to other religions and ideologies.
Protestants		Protestant countries are eight times richer than all other countries in the world.
Catholics		Catholic countries are one and a half times richer than all other countries in the world.
Orthodox		Orthodox countries are 1.24 times poorer than all other countries in the world.
Muslims		Muslim countries are 4.4 times poorer than the rest of the world.
		Buddhist countries are 6.7 times poorer than the rest of the world.
		Hindu countries are 11.6 times poorer than the rest of the world. Of all the world's religions, Hinduism has the most Negative influence on the economies of the world
		Atheistic countries are 11.9 times poorer than the rest of the world. The more atheists there are in countries, the poorer those countries are. Atheism as an ideology has the worst impact on the economies of the world.

American researchers also came to the conclusion that religion affects the rate of economic growth. And, as a rule, belief in hell spurs growth more than belief in heaven.

Harvard professor of economics Robert Barro, together with a number of scientists, conducted a series of studies on the relationship between the religiosity of the population and economic growth. different countries. The main conclusion is that faith in God can increase the rate of economic growth.

Robert Barro made a distinction between having a belief in God, a belief in an afterlife, a belief in heaven, and a belief in hell. His study, based on data from 59 countries, showed that the contribution of these factors to economic growth is always positive, although not equal. For example, belief in heaven has a much smaller impact on economic growth than belief in hell. The scientist himself put it this way: "The whip in the form of a potential hell turns out to be much more effective than the carrot of a potential paradise." However, the fact that fear is the strongest stimulus has long been known. On the role of religion, in particular Protestantism, in creating ethical and moral incentives for effective work spoke at the beginning of the 20th century. Max Weber. According to Canadian scientists Ulrich Bloom and Leonard Dudley, religion affects the economy not so much through incentives to work more efficiently, but through the positive effect of the ban on lies and deceit, which is especially important in the economy.

Banks and religion

Banks are an integral part of the economic sphere. And here, too, there is an intervention of religion. There have been some studies that have shown that Protestants are indeed more responsible in their dealings with banks. And this once again proves that religion is an integral part of the personality and largely determines the behavior of a person in society. For a long time, science and government institutions in many countries have placed religion exclusively in the sphere of people's private lives. Now it is clear that such a position does not correspond to the realities of life. From the history of Italy, Germany, and other European countries, there is a situation where a certain part of the financial system was formed under the influence of religious beliefs and with the direct participation of the church. In a number of cases, the principle of religious solidarity worked; this concerned, in particular, lending issues. At one time in the West, it was believed that religion was disappearing, more and more moving into the sphere of private life, but now they understand that religion concerns many areas of public life.

The influence of religion on many banks, for example, in Italy, is very strong. It has developed historically and remains significant at the present time. Adjacent to this is such a phenomenon as "ethical banking business", that is, a business that meets the ethical standards that have developed in society. The formation of ethical standards is influenced by bank customers and public institutions, including the church. Now we see how the requirements to take into account moral, ethical and religious values ​​in the banking business are gradually growing. This is a very interesting phenomenon, and banks should respond to it in their practice.

The face of a bank, as you know, is largely shaped by its customers. To be successful, he must take into account the peculiarities of the culture (and religion is an integral part of it) of the region where he works. Without this, he breaks away from life, and as a result, the quality of service will suffer - one of the important tools for maintaining customer loyalty.

ChapterII. The influence of religion on the economy of individual countries of the world

2.1 USA

The USA is the largest exporter of capital. The United States has the largest economy in the world, many natural resources, including energy and raw materials. High-tech production and research are the best in the world. The service sector is well developed and the industry is competitive. Leading software manufacturer. Excellent system of higher education, especially in the field of high-tech. American firms thrive because of the widespread American culture in the world. The world's largest exporter of goods. Political stability, qualified personnel.

Is all this the influence of religion?

The American government does not keep official statistics on religion. According to the CIA World Book of Facts for 2007, 51.3% of the US population consider themselves Protestants, 23.9% - Catholics, 12.1% do not belong to any denomination, 1.7% - Mormons, 1 .6% - other Christian denomination, 1.7% - Jews, 0.7% - Buddhists, 0.6% - Muslims, 2.5% - other or not specified, 4% - no ( see Appendix 4).

It is well known that America is a highly multi-confessional country: people from almost all countries of the world live here, who brought their religions with them. Therefore, America is often called the "market of beliefs", where numerous religious organizations actively compete among themselves for the attention of citizens. Data from a large survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that this is indeed the case, and in the most literal sense. Faiths, like competing firms, are indeed poaching each other's loyal customers on an unheard-of scale and at an unheard-of pace. As it turned out, today 28% of American citizens consider themselves not to the religion in which they grew up. And this is only if we consider the transition of believers between the main religious traditions, such as Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, etc. If we also take into account the transition of believers between individual traditions within these confessions (for example, between different Protestant denominations), then the proportion of Americans who changed their faith in adulthood is 44%.

And the point is not that some religions are more attractive than others: all confessions are losing and attracting followers at the same time. A significant number of Americans who grew up Catholic have converted to other denominations or even consider themselves "not affiliated" with any of them. However, no less than 2.6% of the US population, already at a conscious age, on the contrary, converted to Catholicism. The picture is similar for Protestants. On the one hand, 8.5% of American adults are now former Baptists and 4.4% are former Methodists. On the other hand, 4.5% and 2.4% of US citizens, respectively, joined these churches as adults. For small groups like Anabaptists, Adventists, or Quakers, the inflow and outflow of believers is generally comparable to the number of hereditary adherents of the denomination. In other words, during the lifetime of one generation, a denomination loses half of its believers, but it attracts the same number. Interestingly, American Muslims have a similar situation: they are actively losing fellow believers, but in return they are successfully gaining new ones. Among today's adherents of Islam in America, 24% grew up Protestants, 4% - Catholics, 8% were born in "unaffiliated" families.

American society in recent decades has experienced a surge in religiosity, just as it is happening now in Russia, where many citizens who grew up in Soviet times in families completely indifferent to religion are now turning to Orthodoxy and Islam. In the US, there is also a growing ranks of "born again Christians" who have found faith already in adulthood - President George W. Bush, as you know, belongs to them. However, not everything is so simple: the study shows that fundamentalist Protestant groups (for example, evangelical Christians) are also losing adherents. And most of all people from other religious groups today are among the so-called unaffiliated (who do not belong to any of the confessions, including atheists). And at the same time, they also experience a strong outflow: more than half (54%) of those who grew up in non-confessional families today classify themselves as belonging to one or another confession. There is no clear trend to speak of here. It is noteworthy that the highest proportion of converts in the United States among Buddhists, 32% of whom grew up as Protestants and 22% as Catholics. It seems that more and more Americans today perceive the change of religion without any drama, choosing the denomination that better suits their current problems, spiritual quest and lifestyle.

As it turned out, American Hindus lose the least adherents: 84% of those who grew up in Hindu families still adhere to the faith of their fathers. In second place in terms of the stability of believers are the Jews, for them this figure is 76%. Both of these confessions are mononational: religious identity here intertwined with ethnic identity. Perhaps this explains their stability. In third place in terms of stability are the Orthodox (73%), in which religiosity and nationality are also closely related: unlike the same Catholics, they have Russian, Armenian, Greek, Bulgarian, etc. churches, each of which serves its own ethnic community. On the other hand, supranational confessions are actively losing members - Protestants, Muslims, Buddhists, for whom there really is "neither a Jew nor a Greek." The resistance rate for Catholics is 68%. Their church, although formally supranational, in practice for immigrants from many European countries (for example, Poles, Irish, Italians), Catholicism has become part of the national identity, a sign of belonging to their ethnic community. The flip side of this resilience is the inability to attract new members: only 10% of Hindus and 15% of Jews in the US were born in another faith. However, even these few converts came to the new faith through marriage with those who were born in it.

There are two models. In some cases, confessions maintain their stability primarily thanks to traditions and historical memory. In others, when there is no such ethnic foundation, a new type of religiosity is emerging, in which belonging to a particular confession is not fixed once and for all, and believers are constantly circulating. In both cases, it is probably difficult to talk about a special Protestant ethic or Confucian values.

The most highly educated denomination in the United States is precisely the Hindus: 74% of them have higher education, and 48% also studied in graduate school. It is the Hindus who are in America (along with the Jews) the richest denomination: 44% of them receive more than $100,000 a year. Among Protestants, despite their notorious capitalist ethic, only 15% have such wealth, while one in three earns less than $30,000 a year. The same Hindus turn out to be insufficiently enterprising in India, but extremely successful in the USA, and Christians set an example of business activity in India, but for some reason they lag far behind other denominations in the traditionally Protestant States. It can be assumed that the point is that both Christians in India and Hindus in the USA are religious minorities, outsiders, even if they live in this country no longer in the first generation. Such minorities are often more economically and socially active than conservative natives. But Hindus in the United States are not the only religious minority: people from various countries and adherents of various religions live here. It turns out, however, that not all religions are equally useful for the economy. But only now it is impossible to predict how each of them will manifest itself in certain conditions. Abstract values ​​that always and everywhere determine the economic behavior of a Catholic, Protestant or Hindu, probably still do not exist.

2.2 Russia

The religious composition of the population of the Russian Empire and modern Russia The population of Russia consists of 160 nationalities, therefore, such a "variegated" population will profess more than one religion. Russians profess almost all world religions, but the most massive are the three world religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism. About 30 million profess Islam, which is 20%. Most of about 70% of Russians profess Christianity, and more specifically, Orthodoxy (see Appendix 5).

More than 60% of the inhabitants of Russia consider themselves believers. This was shown by a survey by the independent research center ROMIR, the results of which were provided by ITAR-TASS.

Since the majority of Russians profess Christianity. In the future, it is advisable to consider the influence of religion on the economic development of Russia. Christianity is based on the Bible, which contains 10 commandments. They are very similar to some situations in the economy. In order to conduct serious studies of the impact of Christian commandments on the economy, it makes sense to build a mathematical model of the economy of a society in which:

steal or not steal;

· take bribes while holding any government positions, or do not take them;

· are engaged in racketeering, extortion and other kinds of "attacks" on businessmen or are not engaged;

deceive superiors and subordinates or do not deceive,

Let's look at a few commandments:

1. "Do not steal" If members of society do not adhere to the commandment "do not steal", they steal not only from each other. It turns out that they rob their society, they steal from themselves. Under such a development scenario, the society of programmers will remain as poor as it was a year ago. This example shows that the GDP of a society is reduced by the total value of the stolen. The more people steal in society, the less GDP will be in society and vice versa. The question is, is there any benefit to the economy of any country from the fact that the citizens of this country will adhere to the commandment "do not steal"? Undoubtedly.

2. "Thou shalt not desire... anything that thy neighbor has" Here one may consider the bribery of government officials. Bribery by government officials can have a catastrophic (it's hard to find a different word) impact on the economy of a society. One of the reasons for the oppressive influence on the Russian economy and the poverty of the Russian people is the large scale of corruption of state officials.

3. "Don't kill" From an economic point of view, murder is an irreplaceable loss for society, one of the most serious crimes. If the stolen property can somehow be replenished through, say, more intensive labor, then the murdered entrepreneur is a loss that cannot be replenished at all. It is obvious, therefore, that the economy of a society where the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is fulfilled has much greater advantages than the economy of a society in which this commandment is not fulfilled. Crime in Russia has reached alarming proportions. We have the third highest murder rate in the world, behind only Colombia and South Africa.

2.3 Japan

Why is Japan's economy thriving even though Japan is not a Christian country?

As for Japan, in this country the commandment "honor your father and mother" is strictly observed. It seems that more than 90% of the Japanese have never heard that such a commandment is written in the Bible, nevertheless, they fulfill it. And what is the result? The Japanese people are one of the longest-lived on Earth, and this is no coincidence, because the Bible has a promise: "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days will be long, and that it will be good for you in that land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Deuteronomy 5:16). Respectful attitude towards parents and care for them is embedded in Japanese culture, and the Japanese absorb such an attitude towards their ancestors "with mother's milk."

The Japanese also follow another Biblical commandment, "do not steal" and pay taxes in good faith (see Appendix 5).

And most importantly: they are better than others in fulfilling the Christian commandment "as you want people to do to you, so you do to them" (Luke 6:31). The Japanese are literally obsessed with the quality of the goods they produce for others. This is the secret of their success. They manage to make goods better than others, they are better than others at "doing to others as they want to be done to them."

Who wants to be produced and sold to him low-quality goods? Nobody. But who wants to be produced and sold to him goods of the highest quality? All. And the Japanese do it. This is the secret to the prosperity of the Japanese economy.

The same laws apply to the Japanese economy as to the economy of, say, Hong Kong or Russia.

This example shows that the Japanese may or may not have been aware of the Biblical principles that lead to the prosperity of the economy of this country. But they "groped" those that really provide prosperity.

The British National Council for Economic Development analyzed the performance of the winning firms, which manage to be far ahead of their competitors in the global market. Here are the two main principles that guide the winners:

1. Take care of the goods. Winning firms show much more care for their products than other companies.

2. Always think about your customers. Winning firms are constantly thinking about their customers. They have special groups that study not only the needs of today's customers, but also the trend of their lifestyle in the future.

Conclusion

In my work, I examined the most basic world religions and their influence on various spheres of human life, including the economy. And found that religion really affects economic development. To prove this, I examined 3 countries and established a connection between their economy and the religion that dominates in this country.

Religions of the world differ among themselves in age, prevalence, influence, complexity and systematization. Some of them were in the role of state, others were perpetually persecuted. Some exist for thousands of years, some disappeared before they had time to arise. Religions compete with each other for dominance over people's consciousness. And yet, all religions are equal. It cannot be said that one religion is unquestionably better than another. All religions have the same value and importance for the development of world culture and economy. All of them are viable and have the right to exist. Any religion is suitable for ensuring the life of people.

FROMlist of used literature

1. Ambartsumova, E.M. Geography. Big reference book / E.M. Ambartsumova, V.V. Drums. - M.: Bustard, 2004. - 172p.

2. Afanasiev, V.G. Fundamentals of philosophical knowledge / V.G. Afanasiev. - M.: Thought, 1976. - 316 p.

3. Tishkov, V.A. Peoples and religions of the world. Encyclopedia / V.A. Tishkov. - M.: 1999. - 695s.

4. Munchaev, Sh.M. Religion. History and modernity / Sh.M. Munchaev. - M.: 1998. - 20s.

5. Tikhonravov Yu.V. Religions of the world / Yu.V. Tikhonravov. - M.: 1996. - 20s.

6. Rutkevich, E.D. Religion and society / E.D. Rutkevich. - M.: 1996. - 339s.

7. Ethnology / ed. E.V. Miskova, N.L. Mekhedov. - M.: 2005. - 196s.

8. Wikipedia. http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity

9. Our world. http://nm2000.kz/news/2008-10-11-9978

10. Buddha and Buddhism. http://www.krugosvet.ru/enc/istoriya/BUDDA_I_BUDDIZM.html

11. http://www.sociumas.lt/Rus/Nr2/religija.asp

12. Interfax - Religion. http://www.interfax-religion.ru/national/?act=print&div=7884

13. http://www.nideya.narod.ru/razdel4.htm#_Toc57015426

14. http://www.spbgid.ru/index.php?news=111563

15. Banks and religion. http://www.bdm.ru/arhiv/2005/04/38-39.htm

16. http://www.nideya.narod.ru/razdel2.htm#_Toc56914105

Attachment 1

Spread of Christianity in the World:

Red -- 50-100% of the population

Yellow -- 11-49% of the population

Blue -- 1-10% of the population

Gray -- 0-0.9% of the population

Fig.1. Spread of Christianity in the World

Fig.2. Christianity icons

Annex 2

Red - Shiites, green - Sunnis, blue - Ibadis.

Fig.1. The spread of Islam in the world

Annex 3

Table 1

	Time and place of origin	Number of adherents, million people	Distribution countries
Christianity	1st century AD, Palestine
Catholicism			Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Latin America, USA, Philippines
Orthodoxy			Russia, South countries. And East. Europe, Georgia
Protestantism			Great Britain, North countries. Europe and Baltic, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
	7th century, Arabian Peninsula
			The countries of the Middle East and North. Africa, Center. Asia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Brunei, Albania, in Russia - Bashkiria, Tatarstan, rep. Sev. Caucasus
			Iran, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Yemen
	6th century BC, Hindustan peninsula		South, South East And Center. Asia, in Russia - Buryatia, Tuva, Kalmykia

Appendix 4

Fig.1 World religions

Fig. 2 Religion in the USA

Annex 5

Fig.1 Religion in Russia

Fig. 2 Religion in Japan

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1. Characteristic features of ethnic religions.

2. Types of ethnic religions.

Characteristic features of ethnic religions

Tribal beliefs are being replaced by ethnic religions, which are also called national or national-state. Their obligatory historical basis is the presence in society of communities born of social differentiation, and their consolidation in the form of a state. Ethnic religions are such religious beliefs that, as a rule, cover with their influence all segments of the population within the limits of one national state. Not all peoples have passed the stage of ethnic religions. Some perceived in their worldview what kind of world religion, being still at the tribal stage. Thus, most of the Arab and African peoples did not go through the stage of ethnic religions and immediately adopted one of the world religions.

In national religions, confessional and ethnic boundaries, as a rule, coincide, although under certain conditions and circumstances other nationalities may be their supporters. Existing on a specific ethnic basis, they are closely intertwined with elements of national culture, traditions and customs of the peoples, they were or are being practiced. National religions have a significant influence on the formation of the mentality of the people, regulating the behavior and life of its representatives, contribute to the development and preservation of the corresponding ethnic group, and prevent its cultural and linguistic assimilation. Functioning within certain ethnic certainties, religion is so closely intertwined with them that one can speak of a certain ethno-confessional syncretism.

The origins of ethno-confessional formations are associated with the existence of religions on the basis of various historical types communities of people from primitive tribes to modern developed nations. The formation of ties between them develops into ethno-confessional communities, which are the result of the interaction of a particular religion with elements of an ethnic group. Under the influence of ethnic and religious traditions, the ethno-confessional community develops a relatively closed type of its life activity, specific features of everyday life. Ethno-confessional formations are characterized by a high degree of isolation from other ethnic groups and religions, which is supported by the prohibition of inter-ethnic and inter-confessional marriages, the jealous defense of their ethnic exclusivity and the truth of their faith.

The stage of ethnic religions is associated mainly with the dominance of polytheism, and even henotheism. At this stage, there was already a clear delineation of the caste of priests-servants of the ethnic cult. Significantly simplified, but already formed into a strict system of observance of ritual action, other forms are gaining sacrifice. Ethnic religions have a written tradition, their "sacred texts" appear. The doctrine of the otherworldly reward for each according to his earthly life is affirmed.

Not all ethnic religions survived. They have generally been superseded by world religions. Those that have survived have undergone significant transformation and do not appear in their original form.

Types of ethnic religions

A characteristic feature of spiritual history different peoples world is that at certain stages of their history they create their own religious system. Let's briefly consider some of them.

ancient greek religion- a system of polytheistic beliefs and cults of tribes and peoples Ancient Greece, appeared and took shape during the period of the emergence and development of the slave-owning society. The characteristic features of this religion were the personification and animation of natural phenomena (animalism), the anthropoid gods associated with them and the interpretation of their behavior with the help of myths. Everything that surrounded the ancient Greeks, according to their ideas, was inhabited by deities. They especially revered the nurse of all Gaia, which reflected the influence of matriarchy. Under the dominance of the tribal nobility, small local deities were replaced by Olympian deities, the hierarchy of which was headed by Zeus, the "father of people and gods", who embodied in a religious form the features of a patriarchal ruler: he ruled over heaven, earth, sea and hell. Pantheon ancient greek gods described Homer (viii century BC) in the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" and Geosid (vii century BC) in "Theogony", that is, "Genus of the gods". At the beginning of a new era, the old Greek faith gave way to Christianity, which was more in line with the requirements of the time and the spiritual needs of people.

ancient egyptian religion as a polytheistic system of beliefs and cults was formed in the VI-IV centuries. BC. Each region (no-mi) of Egypt had its own pantheons and cults of gods embodied in celestial bodies, stones, trees, animals, birds, snakes, etc. Later, local deities are grouped in the form of triads led by the demiurge god (Theban triad - the sun god Amon, his wife Mut - the goddess of the sky, their son Khonsu - the god of the moon, Memphis - the Bird, his wife Sekhmet - the goddess of war, their son Nefertum - the god of vegetation, etc.). A significant role in the ancient Egyptian religion was played by the idea of afterlife as a direct continuation of the earthly, but only in the grave. Over time, ideas arise that the souls (ba) of the dead travel around the world. characteristic feature This religion is the deification of animals. Among the most revered are the incarnation of various gods - a bull (Apis, Mnevis, etc.), a cow (Hator, Isis), a ram (Amon, Khnum), a snake, a crocodile (Sebek), a cat (Bast), a falcon (Horus), an ibis (That), etc. According to the ideas of the ancient Egyptians, the world at first looked like chaos, it was a watery abyss, from which the gods came out, who created the earth, sky, people, animals and plants. Here the sun takes the first place of the demiurge god. The traditions of the ancient Egyptian religion of the adoration of the pharaohs, who were respected by the "servants of Horus", influenced the dynasties of the reign.

ancient indian religion- aggregate religious views and rituals that arise in the 2nd millennium BC. among the so-called Indo-Aryans. In the formation of this religion, the Vedic and Brahmin days are distinguished. The first of them is characterized by the creation of the Vedas - sacred books, which describe the pantheon of gods, important aspects of ritual and ritual. The entire pantheon consists of 33 gods (although other numbers are mentioned), which are divided into earthly, atmospheric and heavenly. An important place in this period is also occupied by various deities as the personification of abstract concepts, demigods, we-phologized figures, hostile forces. The main meaning of the ritual is sacrifice (yajna) as the use of the sacred drink soma or the sacrifice of plants, animals, people to the gods. The world, according to the Vedas, was created either by water by hostile forces (devas and asuras), or from an egg by the god Prajapati, or Brahman. The universe consists of five elements - water, earth, fire, air, ether (akasha). The Brahmin day is marked by a change in the ritual, the creation of comments on the Vedas - Brahmins and Aranyakas, as well as Brahmins, the phenomenon of asceticism is spreading. The world, according to the teachings of this period, is guided by the general laws of karma, which gods and people obey. The concept of reincarnation (transmigration of souls) and the need for liberation from endless changes in one's states (samsara) becomes dominant.

Sources for studying the ancient Indian religion, in particular Brahminism, are: 1) four collections of the Vedas ("Rigveda", "Atharvaveda", "Samaveda", "Yajurveda") 2) Brahmins - commentary texts in the corresponding Vedas; 3) Aranyakas - texts related to the Brahmins; 4) Upanishads - religious and philosophical texts of the period of Brahmanism. The main principle of the worldview of Brahmanism is the deification of nature. Most of the gods of the pantheon of the Vedas embody individual natural phenomena and elements. They are divided into terrestrial, atmospheric and celestial. Demon gods are opposed by demonic beings - asuras, mistress, dasa, etc. The fundamental principle of the world and the laws operating in it, the universal principle of the Universe, to which gods and people obey, is Rita. He is opposed by the principle of Anrit - disorder, chaos, the absence of truth. Later in Brahmanism, Rita would give impetus to the concept of karma and dharma.

Brahmin priests were a privileged position in ancient Indian society. At first, their main function consisted of performing rituals and saying or singing prayers. But with the development of religious thinking, they monopolize almost all spheres of society. From that time on, Brahmanism began the transition from the multifaceted pantheon of the Rigveda, in which there was no central image, to the system fixed in the Upanishads, which reduced all manifestations of being to an impersonal cosmic absolute - Brahman.

Appearance in the VI century. BC. such religious systems as Buddhism and Jainism, led to the weakening of Brahmanism and set before him the task of reformation. The consequence of this reformation was the appearance at the end of the 1st millennium BC. Hinduism.

ancient iranian religion It is also called Zoroastrianism (sometimes - Parsism). This dualistic religion arose in the X ^ its Art. BC. and spread in Central Asia and Azerbaijan. Its founder is considered the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster), who is credited with the creation holy book Avesta and associations of the main religious beliefs ancient Persians. The main idea of ​​this religion is the recognition of the struggle of two existing forces - Ahura Mazda

(represents light, goodness, truth and life) and Ankhra Mainyu (darkness, evil, deceit and death). The arena of struggle of these forces is the world. People who have freedom of choice also take part in it. The efforts of the supporters of Ahuramazda must ultimately lead to the victory of light and goodness. A righteous life, worthy of salvation, in Zoroastrianism was considered an increase in material wealth through land use. The cult of Zoroastrianism comes down to the recognition of the immortality of the soul, the afterlife and the end of the world, the honor of the sacred fire to which the temples were dedicated (fire is regarded by them as "strength, cleanses"). In our time, this religion has been preserved in the Parsis (India) and in the fire worshipers (Iran) .

Roman religion largely reflected in Roman mythology, which was influenced by Greek. With the formation of the Roman state, the gods (there were about 30 of them) became nationwide, not associated with a specific territory. The highest among these gods was Jupiter, who personified the power of Rome. In Rome, for all citizens, a mandatory cult of the so-called triple (Jupiter, Juno and Minerva) was established. The transformation of Rome into a Mediterranean state led to a noticeable influence of Eastern cultures with cults of gods, in particular Mithraism. The crisis of the social system in Rome at the beginning of a new era, and especially in the III-V Art. AD caused profound social and ideological changes, caused the transition of huge masses of the population to Christianity.

Hinduism in its classical form was formed in the middle of the 1st millennium AD. as a result of the evolution and fusion of the Vedic and Brahminic traditions. The religious and philosophical ideas of Brahmanism (dharma, karma, samsara, moksha, reincarnation) are the basis of his creed. Among the gods in Hinduism, the most respected are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. They make up the "trimurti" - the triad of the main Indian gods and personify the three main functions - creative, protective and destructive. Today, the independent cult of Brahma is almost absent. Preference is given to the gods Vishnu and Shiva, who are accessible and close to ordinary believers. Worshipers of these gods - Vishnuites (Vaishnavas) and Shaivites - make up the two main groups of Hindus. God Vishnu appears in many forms and has dozens of different names. The eighth incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu was Krishna, the ninth was Buddha, the arrival of the tenth avatar - Kalki - is only expected. Shiva combines opposite, but at the same time close features: he is both the bearer of death and the winner of it, he destroys and gives life. In Hinduism, the cult of goddesses is popular, who act as the wives of the main gods. In addition, each Hindu chooses to worship his own god among the three thousand existing ones.

The cult practice of Hinduism is as heterogeneous as the teaching itself. But the common thing is the recognition of three ways (marga) of honoring God, approaching him and salvation: karmamarga (righteous life in accordance with religious principles), jnanamarga (correct knowledge of God through philosophizing and reflection), bhaktimarga (approaching God through boundless love for him ). All objects of recognition in Hinduism - sacred stones, plants, animals, Gods - have their own temples, chapels, altars, of which there are thousands in India with different cultural traditions and architectural forms. ^

Hinduism does not have a single church organization. Its functioning is ensured by the institution of the priesthood, whose high authority is still preserved. Temple priests worship in temples, places of mass prayers, household - supervision of religious life in families. There are about a billion Hindus in the world today. It is practiced by 85% of the population of India, it is common in Pakistan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and some African countries. There are also supporters among Europeans and Americans who profess it, most often in reformed or modernized versions. In Ukraine, neo-Hinduism is represented by the communities of the Society for Krishna Consciousness, Sai Baba, Sri Chinmoy, the World Pure Religion Society, etc.

China is represented by two national religions - Taoism and Confucianism.

Taoism(from the Chinese Dao jia - the school of Tao) arose in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. According to tradition, Lao Tzu is considered its founder. Taoism as a religion is based on the doctrine of Tao (the path, the eternal, absolute and universal law of the spontaneous emergence, development and disappearance of the universe). The practice is based on the principle of imitation of the Tao, which is called "wu wei" (non-activity). Taoism absorbed magic, alchemy, healing, demonology and other elements of folk cults and shamanic beliefs. The absolutization of the idea of ​​immortality stimulated the Taoists to search for various ways to prolong life (tsang shen) with the help of sex therapy, diet, pneumotherapy, etc.

The pantheon of Taoism has thousands of immortal spirits, heroes of local cults and other creatures. This pantheon was at first led by three abstract mystical symbols Tai-chi Tai-su, Tai and, and according to another version - Tien and (heavenly beginning), Di and (earthly beginning) and Tai and (the only one above). In the process of development of Taoism and its absorption of folk cults, the abstract categories of this triad were personified in the images of Lao-tzu, Huan-di and Pan-chu (sometimes Tai-e).

Confucianism(actually zhu jia- school of learned scribes) - the most influential religious and philosophical trend in China, founded by the philosopher Confucius. This is a kind of ethical and political doctrine, in which the central place is occupied by questions of the moral nature of man, his life in the family, society, state. Confucius gave an important place in his system to the concepts of "heaven" and "heavenly command". "Heaven" is part of nature, but also the highest spiritual power. A person endowed by "heaven" with certain ethical qualities must live in harmony with them, with the moral law (tao) and improve them through training. The goal of improvement is to reach the level " noble husband"(Jun-tzu), which has five "noble qualities": Zhen (humanity), and (duty), Li (norms of behavior), Zhi (knowledge), Xin (fidelity). These qualities should be based on the principle of Xiao - love son to his parents.After the death of Confucius, his current was divided into eight schools.

The national religion of the Japanese is Shintoism(from Japanese. Shinto- the way of the gods). It was formed in UI-UII Art. on the basis of tribal animistic cults and shamanism. Shintoists worship a host of deities and spirits (kami), which, according to their ideas, animate nature and are able to incarnate in any object (a spear, a figurine of a deity, a mirror, etc.), which becomes an object of worship (shintai - literally "the body of a god"). The most important among the deities in Shintoism is the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami.The main thing in Shintoism is the worship of numerous kami, who at first were the personification of animals and plants, objects and natural phenomena, the souls of ancestors.According to Shintoism, the connection between kami and people is through the representative of the Sun goddess on Earth - Emperor (Mikado), who is considered the ancestor of all Japanese.The sacred book of Shinto is a collection of legends "Ko-Ziki".

The components of state Shintoism in Japan were tennoism - the cult of the emperor (tenno) and his ancestors; dynastic Shintoism, that is, a cult, is especially revered by the imperial family, supposedly is in family ties with the gods; temple Shinto - the cult of various gods in temples; home Shinto - the cult of the goddess Amaterasu in every "loyal" family.

The purpose of life, according to Shintoism, is the realization of the ideals of the ancestors. Unlike Buddhism, which is recognized by many Japanese, who see it as a guarantor of their otherworldly well-being, they pin their hopes for a better earthly life on Shintoism. Since 1946, Shinto in Japan has been separated from the state. The cult of the emperor was formally abandoned, although the late emperors continue to be revered as "gods" and many temples have been built in their honor.

classic pattern national religion is Judaism, prevalent mainly among Jews. The formation of Judaism begins in the II millennium BC. and is marked by the development of a fundamentally new religious concept - the idea of ​​a single God-creator and ruler of the Universe. The traditional cosmogonic mythology of ancient beliefs is replaced by the doctrine of the creation of the world by the creative will of God and the historical epic, in the center of which is the formation of the people of Israel and his testament with Yahweh, the god of the Uda tribe, which played a major role in the formation of the ancient Jewish state. In it, he turns into a national cult, and later - the cult of the one God. These ideas are reproduced in the three books of Moses (Torah), which recorded in writing the centuries-old evolution of Jewish beliefs.

An important stage in the development of Judaism is associated with commenting on its holy book - the Bible by the scribes, as a result of which Halakha was produced - a part of the Talmud, which regulated the life of a Jew and became a complete expression of his religion. The main principles of Judaism are faith in the one, living, omnipresent, unborn, not dying and not resurrecting God, faith in the Messiah, the resurrection of the dead, the need to observe 613 commandments (365 prohibitions and 248 installations). A comprehensive formulation of them was made by Maimonides. The emancipation of European Jewry in modern times caused various reforms in Judaism, the emergence of reformist, conservative, reconstructive movements. According to the UN, there are about 14 million adherents of Judaism in the modern world.