WHAT IS RELIGION IN THE MODERN WORLD?

In any world, religion (from the Latin verb religare - “to bind”) has been and remains a form of social consciousness, inseparable from the very existence of man. Its social function is to externally structure a person’s internal faith in God or gods. Faith and religion, by the way, are different things, more on that below. There are no human communities without religion. At different stages of history, there is a loss of trust of the masses in certain religious institutions, a temporary loss of interest in participating in rituals or worshiping higher powers. In this case, reforms occur, sometimes radical and even great. It also happens that some forms of widespread popular religions disappear. But never completely, since, while outwardly disappearing, they actually dissolve in other religions, organized more effectively and on theoretical principles more accessible to the masses - so-called theology. This is what happened, say, with Mithraism and Manichaeism, the teachings of the prophet Mani, which was professed from Europe to Siberia, Tibet and China, but was supplanted by Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, finally by the 17th century. None of the religions disappears without a trace, and periods of formal irreligion with the regularity of a pendulum are replaced by periods of intense religiosity. This does not change the essence of the matter: in cases of rejection of one or another religion, it is replaced by another form of religion, built on the worship of the state (this is most often), science, ideology, philosophy or pure morality (for example, Confucianism). That is, religion, abandoning its direct functions, is replaced by a religious attitude towards other forms of social consciousness. I have listed some of them.

Atheism, by the way, no matter how angry atheists are about it and object, is also a form of relationship with God and towards God. Atheists believe that there is no God. Therefore, atheism is also a form of religion or quasi-religion. Which does not make atheists “bad” or “second-class citizens.”

DOES IT MAKE A PERSON BETTER OR MAKE A PERSON HATE “OTHER”?

No, it doesn't make it better. This is simply a given, like other forms of social consciousness. Does law, morality or science make a person better? No. Law monitors legality, i.e. something external. Morals differ from one nation to another, and something considered good in Ancient Egypt or Ancient Rome may not have been the norm in Ancient China and may be considered bad or abnormal today. Science is intended to improve the human condition through experimental study of the physical world and a greater understanding of its processes. But it does not make the person himself “internally” better. Only faith can do this, and not just any faith. In addition, the concepts of “better” and “worse” are very relative. What is good in one culture may be considered bad in another. Another thing is that religion undoubtedly makes a person “better” in the social sense, i.e. for the state or society. A religious person who tries to implement the principles of his religion in practice is easier to manipulate, control and make more obedient in the face of the state, which formally professes the same religion.

But this is also connected with the fact that the church hierarchy or the state, using the subordinate position of its parishioner or citizen, can easily force him to hate the “other.” This is a constant phenomenon in human history, this is the main reason for wars, uprisings and other social cataclysms. Moreover, sometimes (this is usually due to the individual characteristics of human character) faith in God or invisible forces can weaken and even disappear. But even in this case, faith never disappears completely, it is simply crowded out or replaced by faith in pragmatism, i.e. the most effective means for successfully living in this world or faith in one or another idea that supposedly contributes to success in life, personal, social and state good. In this sense, we are no longer talking about religious faith, but about quasi-religious faith. But it is still a faith, and followers of such a faith are just as easily manipulated and forced to hate the “other.” Which is what usually happens.

IS THIS A MEANS OF SELF-IDENTIFICATION IN ORDER TO NOT MISTAKELY KILL YOUR FELLOW OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Yes, in primitive societies, local tribal religions, of course, were a means of self-identification in order not to accidentally kill one of your own. Moreover, the general principles of primitive and ancient religions were tied to the same archetypes of the human unconscious, but at a more archaic level. This archaism was represented by cults of unusually large stones, various groves and rivers, and especially sexual mysticism and magic associated with the most ancient of the religious ideas of mankind - the idea of ​​​​fertility and reproduction as the only means of preserving one’s tribe, one’s children, and therefore oneself. Let me remind you that the Slavic word “God” itself came to us through the Scythians from the Persian baha (pronounced like the Ukrainian fricative “g”), and to the Persians - from the Sanskrit bhaga (one of the names of God), which in turn came from the Sanskrit bhakti, meaning both fertility in general and the female reproductive organ in particular (vagina).

The earliest man-made works of religious art and human hands in general - menhirs - were a horizontally standing roughly processed stone. It was nothing more than a sacred image of the male reproductive organ - the phallus. They are found everywhere from Gambia to Tuva: in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Siberia. Another ancient religious building, belonging to the category of megaliths (large stones) and just as ubiquitous, is the dolmen. These are two stones covered with a third, sometimes with an additional round hole - a symbol of the female reproductive organ, which was also placed in burial places (a symbol of the return of the soul to the mother's womb). Ancient Greek herms - stone pillars with the head and often the phallus of the god Hermes, placed along dangerous highways - are also relics of ancient phallic cults. The ubiquitous garden effigies are a reminiscence of the phalluses or statues of the phallic god Priapus in the gardens, orchards and fields of ancient Rome, guarding the crops. The sacred lingams (phalluses) and yoni (vaginas) have survived to this day from ancient times and are still preserved in India.

Why am I talking about this? This is a clear illustration of the principle “so as not to kill your own by mistake.” Because what we today call obscenities or, scientifically, taboo vocabulary, has been taboo since ancient times, but not because it was considered a curse, but because it was a sacred amulets. Checkmate, i.e. sacred words associated with the ancient cult of the Great Mother protected the traveler from strangers on the high road of the times, so to speak, of “Conan the Barbarian.” When everyone he met could become deadly for the traveler. In such a situation, two main amulets were used. The first person to say “I had sexual relations with your mother” magically placed himself in the position of the stranger’s father. Of course, he could still kill you, but by doing so he incurred the wrath of the Goddess and became cursed. The second amulet was more primitive: by sending a stranger to three letters, the traveler magically turned him into a woman and, as it were, deprived him of his strength. Despite the fact that different tribes (not only Slavic, there are analogies among the Celts and the Germans, and in the English language) had different cults, sexual magic was understandable to everyone and was used religiously. These sacred formulas were turned into curses by Christianity, which declared them “pagan abomination.” Nowadays, this quality of the amulet has been preserved in the form of a peasant belief that if an evil spirit begins to “guide” you in the forests or swamps, you must constantly swear at it. The same amulet.

So, yes, religion is certainly one of the most important means of self-identification and distinguishing “us” from “stranger” in human society, both in the ancient world and today.

IS THIS A CURE FOR DEATH OR A CAUSE FOR MURDER?

Neither one nor the other. This is not a cure for death, if you mean the belief in the immortality of the soul. The belief in the afterlife existence of souls, and in some cases also about the transmigration of souls, has existed since ancient times and is not so important for more modern religions - for them it is obvious. Christ taught how to live here, and not what will happen there. So did Moses and Muhammad. In other words, in order to believe in the immortality of the soul and the afterlife, it is not at all necessary to be a Christian or a Muslim. Christianity and Islam are not about that.

No religion is or can be a reason for murder. The reason for murder is not religion, but religious ideology. People substitute concepts and present their religiously colored ideology as religion. Some do this while being sincerely mistaken. Others do it intentionally, that is, for charlatan reasons. Pumping up hatred towards everyone who disagrees with them. We see such a charlatan infusion of religious ideology, full of hatred and intolerance mixed with unctuousness and hypocrisy, and which at the same time passes off as religion, in Putin’s Russia. This is done very clumsily, because it is done by the KGB, or whatever they are called today. The names are not important, the essence is important, and the essence is the same Cheka, GPU and NKVD who organized mass executions, mass hunger, mass repressions. Moscow totalitarianism has remained the same as it was and continues to educate the Russian people in its spirit in order to be able to continue to use them with impunity as cannon fodder and a beast of burden. And he uses it perfectly. I repeat, this is being done clumsily, but the Russian masses, uneducated and immature after 70 years of communism, accept all this nonsense at face value. The so-called “Moscow Orthodoxy”, which calls itself today the “Moscow Patriarchate”, is not a church or a religion, but an ideology, a continuation of the ideology of Sergianism, which in the 1920s in Soviet Russia taught that the church must completely submit to the godless authorities and cooperate with her. Which is what they do. This is one of the ideologies of modern Russian Orthodoxy. In those countries where Russian Orthodox churches are not under the control of Moscow, this ideology does not work. For example, the ideology of Russian Orthodoxy in France and American parishes independent of Moscow is the so-called Eulogianism, a completely liberal Orthodoxy. In their churches, by the way, there are rows of benches, like in all Western churches. Therefore, when you get to them, for a long time you cannot believe that these are Russian churches. There are simply no such people in Russia. And if there is, they are oppressed in every possible way, sometimes openly persecuted.

We see the same thing with Muslim terrorism. Islam is a religion. The Koran does not teach violence. It is not Islam that teaches violence, but Islamism, the radical ideology of war against everyone, including Muslims themselves, the majority that does not support terrorists. Islamism terrorizes Muslims as much as it terrorizes Christians and the democratic world. Another example. The official ideology of Saudi Arabia is Wahhabism. Wahhabism opposes Islamism and terrorism, although it is also a rather intolerant and suppressive ideology. But Wahhabism is not all of Islam. And, for example, in the ideology of Shiism there are a variety of directions, both radically intolerant and deeply humanistic and peaceful.

The same thing happened in the case of the terrorist war in Ulster and Northern Ireland. It was not Catholics and Protestants who waged a life-and-death war between themselves, but Catholic-terrorists and Protestant-terrorists, both of which were deliberately financed by the USSR, just as Putin’s Russia finances Islamist terrorists today. Continuing with this the tradition of the Soviet Union and the KGB, in which in the 1960-70s under Andropov all types of international terrorism and acts of hijacking aircraft were developed in detail (this was the personal invention of the head of foreign intelligence in 1956-1971, Colonel General of the KGB A. Sakharovsky ), Palestinian movement, Tamil movement in Sri Lanka and so on. I remember this time well, because I studied at the translation department of the “ideological” Moscow foreign language, where such plans were not even particularly hidden by party lecturers. By the way, Valeria Novodvorskaya also studied with me on a parallel course, and I was already a member of her underground organization together with the future professor Andrei Zubov. And we all knew very well who exactly was financing global terrorism, including religious terrorism. Which does not mean that there are few people in the world who are willing to do this kind of thing even without Moscow money. But that’s why Moscow money is needed: to identify potential rapists and murderers “shifted by religious phase,” to organize them and supply them with finances and weapons. But the goal is still the same - to destabilize the countries of the free world. The same goal that Moscow is pursuing today in the territory of Donbass. Because Ukraine today is an obvious part of the free world. And because of this, Russia is furious with frantic anger and envy and in a rage is ready to tear itself in half, like Rumplestiltskin from the famous fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm.

ARE THERE “GOOD” AND “BAD” RELIGIONS?

No. All religions are equally neutral. And at the same time, all religions stubbornly insisted that only they are good, and everyone else is bad. This especially applies to the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Precisely because all three descended from Abraham, and therefore perceive each other within the framework of intense competition. But one should not think that more ancient religions were more tolerant. Yes, the incredible size of the Roman Empire at that time forced the Romans not only to accept the Greek gods, but also, in order to establish harmony between all citizens, to constantly include the gods of the newly conquered peoples in their pantheon. But this was not always the case and not with all gods. As we know, the Romans reluctantly accepted the Jewish tribal god because the Jews claimed that he was the only true God. They treated Christians even harsher, but in the end they also received equal rights. Hindus also slaughtered Muslims, and the specific Burmese Buddhism is still incredibly intolerant and cruel today.

I know that these words of mine will seem scandalous to many, but from the point of view of comparative religion there is no difference in the sense of “bad” and “good” between, say, Christianity and the Church of Satan. Yes, Christians believe in good, and Satanists believe in evil. But Satanists believe in evil only from the Christian point of view. On the contrary, from the point of view of Satanists, Christians believe in evil, and they, Satanists, believe in good. Both have their own moral principles, and the morality of Satanists (their commandments can be easily found on the Internet in any language) is undoubtedly quite reasonable in its own way, imbued with common sense and high human dignity. Until certain churches and religions become sharply asocial, that is, do not begin to cause harm to others through violation of the criminal code, all religions are the same and have the same rights to free coexistence. And asocial actions (including calls for mass suicide of their followers) can be carried out not only by the “Peoples Temple”, as in Guiana in 1978, or “Aum Shinrikyo” based on peaceful Buddhism in Japan, or “Santeria” in Mexico (see. Sara Aldrete) but also Christian groups, like the Branch Davidians in 1993 in Texas.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RELIGION AND FAITH?

There is a difference and a very big one. These are two different phenomena and concepts. Faith is an internal feeling of confidence, and confidence is by no means in the existence of higher invisible spiritual forces. Their existence for a person of faith is obvious and an axiom that does not require proof. Faith is trust in higher invisible spiritual forces. These higher powers or higher power can be perceived as individuals. Others perceive it as an archetype and as the energy of being, with which one can and should come into contact and consonance, into appropriate relationships, in order to live life correctly and with the greatest dedication and self-disclosure. Since human consciousness and especially the unconscious sphere are built on archetypes - innate primary mental structures, images and symbols common to all people (there is even the concept of the “collective unconscious”), the internal experience of faith of different people, despite the uniqueness and uniqueness of each individual, usually is built on similar elements of consciousness and emotions - what we attribute to the sphere of the soul or, which is the same thing, to the psyche. Therefore, people are able to share their faith. The accumulation of experience of faith in the soul gradually transfers it to a higher sphere, which in many religions is called spiritual. The spiritual sphere is no longer emotions; this sphere includes the human will and morality (rules of behavior in a team), the fulfillment of which this will is aimed at. And also common sense - the ability of the mind to control emotions and will.

Religion is the outward expression of inner individual faith, involving the observance of principles that so organize our lives as to enable us to most effectively come into contact or attunement with higher powers. Since people are able to share their faith with each other, religion is no longer an internal state, like faith, but a social phenomenon. It combines the theoretical principles of this faith and rituals that ensure and symbolize contact with a higher power(s). Therefore, religion is one of the forms of social consciousness, namely the one that is determined by belief in the supernatural (as a rule). Religion should not be confused with other forms of social consciousness - mythology, ideology, philosophy, morality, law, science, art, economics. These forms may be closely related to religion, but they are completely independent of it. That is why contradictions between science and religion only occurred when religious views were presented as science, as Galileo’s opponents did. There is no contradiction between pure science and pure religion. They just talk about different things. As for creationism as opposed to evolutionism, this is not a religion, but a religious ideology. There are many of them.

A person can have faith but not be religious. For example, he chooses not to attend religious services or refuses to outwardly express his faith in public, considering his faith a private matter. In the same way, a person may not have faith, but be religious. He participates in worship, in rituals, because his soul is lighter when the “consolation” is structured, organized, and can be touched. A person has died, and people go to a special service in churches, synagogues, mosques, Buddhist temples, where someone reads prayers for them for the deceased. After which people feel that they have fulfilled their duty, especially when they arrange additional commemorations on the third, ninth and fortieth days after death, even if they do not go to temple. Or a person goes to take an exam, is sad about the person who has left, wants to help himself or someone else’s recovery. Such people light candles in appropriate places in the temple and order prayer services. This makes them feel better. But all these actions among the huge mass of formal followers of various religions remain external. There is no real faith in the soul, but external actions make it possible to create a spiritual mood. This is also normal, this has always been and will be.

It is generally accepted that religion at different stages of human history, it fulfilled a significant position in the socio-political structure of the state, gradually leveling out in the industrial and post-industrial eras. The influence of religion in the modern world is based on certain norms; they are different in different cultures and have (or hinder) different effects on the development of society.

One of these “functions” of religion is to justify social inequality. In principle, in all world religions (including national ones) there is an idea of ​​personal salvation, punishment and reward, which distracted the population from the problems of everyday life. For example, in Christianity, the concept of hell and heaven serves as an incentive for an honest lifestyle, which encourages the rejection of unnecessary material wealth. Hinduism determines the caste structure of Indian society, and without the possibility of changing it. The ban on alcohol and gambling in Islam and a kind of “directive” to war with other religions. Abstinence from passions in Buddhism. Judaism, on the contrary, to a certain extent stands apart from other religions, without making any prohibitions on the achievement of socio-economic and political goals.

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A post-facto look at the influence of religions allows us to state that Christianity (especially the Protestant branch) achieved the greatest success, which had an overall positive effect on the intensity of the socio-economic and political development of Europe. From this point of view, Buddhism and Islam can be recognized as religions that have achieved much lesser achievements, primarily in material terms. History knows at least one case in which religion became an important mechanism for economic development. England is a classic example of such development. It was Protestantism that created the prerequisites for the formation of elements of democracy and capitalism: civil society, entrepreneurship, private property, separation of powers. One of the well-known studies of this phenomenon is Max Weber’s work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”, which analyzes countries (USA, England, Germany) with a Protestant population. As a result, Weber concludes that economic growth is due precisely to the presence of Protestantism.

Of course, it is worth recognizing that in the modern world religion no longer plays the role that it played, for example, during Antiquity or the Middle Ages (crusades, confrontation between Catholics and Protestants, jihad), being, however, more often just a pretext for war . In many ways, this situation is true for Western countries, where the church does not encroach on political power. A different situation is observed in the countries of the East, where religion, albeit to varying degrees, influences the life of society: from Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East, which directly determines the nature of the political process, to religious India and China, where religion permeates the life of society, affecting politics.
Why does religion still play an important role in some states, while in others it occupies a secondary position? The civilizational division or, in Samuel Huntington’s terminology, the “clash of civilizations” takes place against the backdrop of the export of Islam to Europe, the connection between the problems of the world community (terrorism) and the radicalization of the political regimes of the Middle East. However, two countries are of greatest interest - India and China. Both are the most populated with a low standard of living. Jared Diamond notes that, despite its technological advantage over the rest of the world, China remained an object of expansion until the 20th century. Not least because of the significant influence of Confucianism on politics, which formed a passive type of social outlook. India, with its passive-contemplative religion and the division of society into castes, also remained (backward by the standards of European states) an agrarian colony until the 20th century.

Thus, the role of religion in the modern world is not definitely decreasing, but rather is being modified in an implicit form. On the surface, religion ceases to perform the function of strengthening interstate relations, with the exception of Muslim countries. Traditional religion has competitors in the form of sects and various subcultures, which in modern conditions continue to perform the function of an alternative vision of phenomena, lost by traditional religion. In the internal context, the role of religion is to form a certain perception of the world - a mentality that determines a holistic vision of the world.

Practice shows that the religious component, forming one or another type of mentality, mindset at a certain historical moment leads to a transformation of the existing order. Such changes occur in the combination of elements necessary for a high-quality transition. For example, the economic rise of China, in principle, is not compatible with the ideas of Confucianism, but the fact remains a fact. Another example is India with a similar type of religion is also a fast growing economy.

An interesting and unique historical example is Russia, the development of which demonstrates the dual influence of religion on society and the state. Today, Russia is the only country of a sovereign nature that officially professes the Orthodox branch of Christianity. This allows us to consider Russia in terms of comparison with European civilization, mainly Protestantism. Such a comparison is akin to comparing Protestantism with Catholicism or any other religion, that is, it will be in favor of Protestantism. Under the influence of Orthodoxy and then geographical expansion, a mentality was formed that united Western and Eastern types of cultures. It is interesting that the philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev also defined the psychological type of the Russian people as eastern.

In our opinion, it was precisely the features of national character similar to the Eastern mentality (paternalistic worldview) that allowed Russia to remain an independent state, despite the fact that until the Revolution of 1917 it remained predominantly an agrarian country.

Western civilization today is demonstrating a development crisis. The sharp breakthrough associated with the strengthening of scientism, rationalism, and technology was short-term. There has been a castling of subjects of the world order - the place of developed states is taken by yesterday's developing countries. In Western countries, a scientific revolution is taking place and the role of religion is declining. This process continued until the present century. On a global scale, the activity of European civilization has decreased against the backdrop of the rise of non-Western societies (including Russia, to a certain extent).

Research work on the issue: “Social functions of religion”, “Attitude of graduates to religion”.

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Municipal educational institution "BUGROVSKAYA SOSH"

Religion in the modern world

(research work on the issue " Social functions of religion

Alumni's attitude towards religion").

Completed 11th grade student:

Tazabekova K.K.

Checked by history teacher

and social studies:

Bogaitseva N.V.

Saint Petersburg

2007

Introduction. 3

Social functions of religion in modern society 4

Sociological analysis of the attitude of school graduates to religion 10

Conclusion 13

Appendix 1 15

Appendix 2 18

Appendix 3 25

Appendix 4 26

Introduction.

A program for sociological research into the attitude of school graduates towards religion.

Social problem:religion is an active agent of socialization of youth in society, but youth have ambivalent attitudes towards it.

Research problem:many social studies are devoted toproblems of youth, but the attitude of school graduates to religion has not been sufficiently studied.

Object of study:young people's ideas about religion.

Subject of study:attitude of school graduates to religion.

The purpose of the sociological research:to study the attitude of high school students to religion.

Objectives of sociological research:

1. define religion and characterize its main functions;

1. find out the role of religion and church in the perception of high school students;

1. compare the attitude of boys and girls to religion Hypotheses:

1. You graduates believe that religion is a set of spiritual

ideas, it helps to overcome difficulties and determines a person’s status.

1. Girls are more religious than boys.

1. Graduates do not consider interaction between church, state, family and school necessary.

Sample: 12 students of the 11th grade of the Bugrovsky Secondary School were surveyed. The sample is representative by gender (boys, girls).

Methods:

1. group survey
2. comparative
3. analytical
4. calculating data using the computer program “Chart Wizard”

Social functions of religion in modern society.

These verses by the wonderful poet Nikolai Zabolotsky say that the world that creates us is nature (believers believe that everything was created by gods or one God), but man can also be a creator. A person needs a lot in this world. A person wants to penetrate the secrets of the world, wants to understand who he is and why he lives in the world. For millennia, religion has answered these questions. This word denotes the views, feelings and actions of people who believe that everything in the world is done by the will of mysterious and unknown forces, by the will of the gods or God alone.

The word religion means in Latinpiety, holinessand goes back to the verb religare - connect, connect.Obviously, in this case we are talking about connection with otherworldliness, with other dimensions of existence. All religions at all times believe that our empirical reality is not independent and not self-sufficient. It is derivative, created in nature, essentially secondary. She is the result or projection of another real, true reality - God and the gods. The word "God" has the same root as the word "wealth." In ancient times, people asked God to take care of the fertility of the fields, a rich harvest, and that everyone would be well-fed. The most terrible enemy for people was hunger. But “man does not live by bread alone.” You've probably heard these words? They are repeated when they want to say that there is something more important than daily bread.

Thus, religion doubles the world and points a person to forces that are superior to him, possessing reason, will, and their own laws. These forces have completely different qualities than those that are directly familiar to us in everyday life. They are powerful, mysterious, miraculous from the point of view of an empirical person. Their power over earthly existence is, if not absolute, then enormous. The world of the divine defines people both in their physical existence and in their value system.

The idea of ​​the existence of God is the central point of religious faith, but does not exhaust it. Religious faith includes:

1. moral standards, moral standards that are declared to originate from divine revelation; violation of these norms is a sin and, accordingly, is condemned and punished;
2. certain legal laws and regulations, which are also declared to have either occurred directly as a result of divine discovery, or as the result of the divinely inspired activity of legislators, usually kings and other rulers;
3. faith in the divine inspiration of the activities of certain clergy, persons declared saints, saints, blessed, etc.; because in Catholicism it is generally accepted that the head of the Catholic Church - the Pope - is the vicar (representative) of God on earth;
4. faith in the saving power for the human soul of those ritual actions that believers perform in accordance with the instructions of the Holy Books, clergy and church leaders (baptism, circumcision of the flesh, prayer, fasting, worship, etc.);
5. faith in the divine direction of the activities of churches as associations of people who consider themselves adherents of a particular faith.

Modern religions do not deny the achievements of natural science, theories related to the structure of matter, and, especially, the practical application of science. But they always emphasize that the business of science is to study only the sphere of the otherworldly. There are hundreds of different religions in the world. Most people adhere to traditions associated with one of the three world religions. These are Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. National religions exist among Jews, Japanese, Indians, and Chinese. Some peoples remain faithful to their traditional (ancient) beliefs, and there are people who consider themselves non-believers (atheists).

Further extends the area of ​​religion and, perhaps, philosophy. The main thing is that, carried away by earthly concerns, humanity does not forget that it is not autonomous, that there are higher eternal authorities above it, their vigilant supervision and their judgment.

Sufficiently developed religions have their own organization in the form of a church. The Church organizes the internal and external relations of the religious community. It is a unique form of relationship between the sacred and the profane (ordinary, everyday, humanly earthly). The Church, as a rule, divides all believers into clergy and laity. Through the church, religion enters the system of social institutions of society*.

* By 2000, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation registered the following churches:

Russian Orthodox Church - 5494;

Islamic - 3264;

Buddhist - 79;

Russian Orthodox Free Church - 69;

Old Believers - 141;

True Orthodox - 19;

Roman Catholic - 138;

Lutheran - 92;

Jewish - 62;

Armenians - 26;

Protestant-Methodist - 29;

Evangelical Christian Baptists - 550;

Pentecostal - 192;

New Apostolic - 37;

Molokansky -12;

Presbyterian - 74;

Evangelical - 109;

Jehovah's - 72;

Hare Krishnas - 87;

Temples of interfaith missionaries - 132.

As of December 31, 2000, 443 religious organizations were registered in St. Petersburg, among them:

Russian Orthodox Church - 167;

Islamic - 2;

Buddhist -12;

Old Believers - 2;

Roman Catholic - 10;

Lutheran - 30;

Jewish - 13;

Protestant-Methodist - 6;

Evangelical Christian Baptists - 16;

Jehovah's - 1;

Pentecostal - 120;

Hare Krishnas - 3.

At the same time, 290 religious organizations were registered in the Leningrad region. Among them:

Russian Orthodox Church - 158;

Lutheran - 23;

Evangelical Christian Baptists - 18;

Pentecostal - 60;

Roman Catholic - 2

and others.

(Data from the book by N.S. Gordienko “Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses: History and Modernity”. St. Petersburg, 2000).

A social institution can be considered as a stable set of people, groups, institutions, whose activities are aimed at performing specific social functions and are built on the basis of certain ideal norms, rules, and standards of behavior.

What does religion give, what are its main functions?Our guide here will be the famous statement of S. Freud: “The gods retain their threefold task: they neutralize the horror of nature, reconcile with the formidable fate, which appears primarily in the form of death, and reward for the suffering and deprivation imposed on man by life in a cultural society.” .

1. First of all religion helps us cope with the uncertainty of the unknown world. There is a lot we cannot explain, and this somehow weighs on us, causing deep inner anxiety. We are talking, of course, not about the weather for tomorrow, but about much more serious things: about death, about the death of a loved one, in a word about the ultimate, final conditions of human existence. We are, as they say, vitally interested in explaining such things; without knowledge about them it is simply difficult for us to live. By introducing a supernatural being (God), sacred factors, religion explains in its own way what cannot be explained scientifically.
2. Religion helps you understand, at least somehow understand and completely hopeless, justabsurd situations. Well, let’s say this: for some reason, an honest, deeply conscientious person suffers all his life, suffers, barely makes ends meet, and next to him people are freaking out, don’t know what to spend their ill-gotten, not their own hard-earned money on. The injustice is blatant! And how to explain it, how to agree? In human terms - nothing and nothing. But if there is another world where everyone is rewarded according to their deserts, then it’s a different matter - justice will still triumph. One can then understand, even internally accept injustice.
3. Religion sanctifies, i.e. in my own way justifies morality, moral values ​​and ideals of society. Without it, it is very difficult to awaken and establish conscience, mercy, and love for one’s neighbor in people. All these and similar virtues receive from religion a certain commitment, persuasiveness and attractiveness, as well as desire, internal readiness to follow and obey them. God sees everything, you can’t hide anything from Him - this stops many. And for some it helps not to deviate from the chosen path - straight, honest, hard-working. In this regard, religion acts as the most important element of national or social consciousness. Thus, in modern society, religion performs two main functions:
4. educational
5. distracting.

“The heart of a heartless world, the soul of a soulless world” - this is how K. Marx characterized religion. He is, however, better known for another formula:"religion is the opium of the people", but it also cannot be neglected. Why do people turn to opium? To forget yourself, to get away from everyday life, to get something that is not there in real life. And it was not Marx, to be precise, who invented this formula. Long before him, even in ancient times, religion was compared to “intoxicating dope.” Goethe saw it as a drug, Heine and Feuerbach saw it as a spiritual opium. Kant called the idea of ​​remission of sins “the opium of the conscience.”

Religious communication is one of the strongest and most enduring in human history. It promotes the consolidation of all the spiritual forces of the people, and through this, the strengthening of civil and state foundations of life. In Rus', for example, the church helped to collect Russian lands, strengthen the young statehood, and encouraged the development of new territories through monastic colonization. And during the period of the Mongol-Tatar yoke, she made a huge contribution to the survival of the Russian people and the preservation of their identity. It is not for nothing that two names are equally firmly inscribed in the victory on the Kulikovo Field: Prince Dmitry Donskoy and “abbot of the Russian land” Sergius of Radonezh.

Unfortunately, religion can not only unite, but also divide people, encourage conflicts, cause wars. The first thing that comes to mind is the crusades, which were motivated by religious feelings and creeds that distinguish Christians from Muslims.

Rich in religious strife and modernity: the confrontation between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, the conflict between Muslims and Jews in the Middle East, the Yugoslav Orthodox-Muslim-Catholic knot and much more. A strange situation: no religion itself calls for violence. Where does it come from? In each specific case, apparently, non-religious factors are also at work. But we must not forget that every religion claims not just the truth, but the Absolute Truth. The absolute, by definition, does not have and does not tolerate a plural number.

Let's dwell a little on atheism . It is most often identified with atheism, which is not true. Irreligion is both a definition and a negative state. There is no god. What is there? Unclear. Ostap Bender, for example, denied the existence of God on the grounds that “this medical fact” of the great schemer cannot fill the void created by the denial of God.

They tried to fill this void with everything: ideology, politics, the fight against religion, devotion to the party, the most advanced science, etc. But the void, like Moloch, is insatiable, demanding more and more victims. Besides, there is godlessness: at the last line, many people betray him, remembering religion.

There is atheism culture of being without God. Here, History, Necessity, and Law are deliberately put in place of God. But since this is done by man, for man and in the name of man, we can say thatin atheism God is replaced by Man. A man with a capital “H” – an image, an ideal of humanity, humanism, real, earthly happiness of people. Atheism is really anthropotheism.

Not everyone can master the culture of atheism. This requires a certain amount of courage, willpower, intelligence, readiness and ability to make a choice in favor of good without any hope of reward or retribution. With religion it is simpler, most importantly, easier. There is an external authority to which one can always appeal, there is truth as the criterion of all human, relative truths, there is the consolation of “being after death.” You can, say, having sinned, go to confession, sincerely repent and, having received forgiveness, again become sinless and again... sin. And there were times when remission of sins in the literal sense (indulgence), and even now, by giving money for the construction of a temple, you can count on the condescension of the Almighty.

There is nothing like that in atheism. All sins remain with a person, no one and nothing can free him from them. It’s hard, no doubt, but that’s how this culture is. You have to rely only on yourself. And don’t allow yourself to “sin.” For there is no one to lighten the burden of your sins, to remove the burden of responsibility for what you have thought and done from your shoulders; you cannot fool around with your own mind. The atheistic culture of being, essentially, has not yet reached the required scale. But it has enormous humanistically transformative potential.

Religion is an active agent of socialization of young people in society, but young people have ambivalent attitudes towards it. Many social studies are devoted to this problem, but the attitude of school graduates to religion has not been sufficiently studied. In our research work we tried to uncover this problem.

Sociological analysis of graduates’ attitudes towards religion .

Testing our hypothesis that graduates believe that religion is a set of spiritual ideas, it helps to overcome difficulties and determines a person’s status, we obtained the following results. 83% of high school students (this is approximately 5/6 of the number of respondents) understand the word “religion” as a set of spiritual ideas. And only 8% of graduates (1/6 of those surveyed) believe that religion is a belief in the supernatural. The option “religion is certain legal laws and norms” was completely excluded by high school students. This suggests that high school students understand religion primarily as a spiritual phenomenon and do not associate it with any legal laws. (Diagram 1).

Considering the functions of religion, we ranked the answers to the question “What, in your opinion, does religion provide?” in 10% increments, starting from the highest (Table 1). As expected, the majority of respondents, representing 75% of the total number of respondents, believe that religion helps to overcome difficulties, and the same number of high school students (75%) identified the main function of religion as providing psychological support. These two functions come first. The next function (religion grounds morality) occupies II place. Religion incites discord between people - on III place, and providing emotional assistance - on IV . In fifth place are such answer options as religion helps to understand the world and provokes violence. VI place is occupied by the function of strengthening connections between peoples. The last VII place is occupied by such functions as influence on a person’s position in society and the possibility of communication. All this suggests that high school students understand that religion grounds morality, but at the same time they forget that religious communication is one of the strongest and most stable in human history, that religion helps us cope with the uncertainty of the world. But only a few people paid attention to the fact that religion can not only unite people, but also incite conflicts.

We also analyzed the answers to the question “How do you think a person’s financial situation affects his faith?” 34% of respondents answered that the poorer a person is, the stronger his faith; 58% of respondents believe that a person’s financial situation does not affect his faith and 8% do not know (Diagram 2). To the question “How do you think a person’s position in society affects his faith?” only 8% of the total number of respondents answered that the lower the position, the stronger the faith; 9% of high school students do not know what influence a person’s position in society has on faith. And the majority of graduates, 83%, believe that a person’s position in society does not in any way affect his faith (Diagram 3). From the above it follows that high school students do not see a special connection between religion and a person’s social status and do not attach importance to the status function of religion.

Thus, our first hypothesis was partially confirmed. High school students really believe that religion is a set of spiritual ideas, that it helps to overcome difficulties. But, according to graduates, religion does not determine either the material or social status of a person in modern society.

Testing our hypothesis that girls are more religious than boys, we obtained the following results. 75% of the girls surveyed, 38% of the boys surveyed, and 50% of all respondents believe in God, but the girls talk about this more definitely, their faith is more pronounced. (Diagram 4.1).

Selectively 75% of the girls surveyed, 25% of the boys surveyed, and 42% of all respondents know prayers. The remaining number of girls and boys do not know prayer at all. No one knows all the prayers. (Diagram 5.1).

Looking at the frequency of church attendance, we obtained the following results. Every week, 12% of boys and 8% of all students attend church. Only 25% of girls, 13% of boys and 17% of all respondents attend church 1-2 times a month. 75% of girls, 25% of boys and 42% of all respondents attend church 1-2 times a year. And 50% of the young men surveyed and 33% of all respondents do not attend church at all. We assume that boys take such a social institution as the church less seriously than girls. (Diagram 6.1).

Considering the functions of religion, we ranked the answers to the question “What, in your opinion, does religion provide?” As can be seen from the table (Table 1), girls are more categorical in their answers. The girls ranked the function of providing psychological assistance in 1st place, and assistance in overcoming difficulties in 2nd place. Then comes III place: religion provides emotional assistance. All other functions (religion helps to understand the world, substantiates morality, strengthens the connection between peoples, provokes violence, influences a person’s position in society and makes it possible to communicate) are in IV place. Young men have a broader idea of ​​the functions of religion. They put assistance in overcoming difficulties in first place. Religion provides psychological support - II place. On III place - religion grounds morality. On IV place - religion incites discord between people. Religion helps to understand the world, provides emotional assistance, provokes violence - V place. On VI place - religion strengthens the connection between peoples, and such functions as influence on a person’s position in society and the ability to communicate are on VII place. Thus, our third hypothesis was confirmed. The religiosity of high school students depends on their gender.

Testing our hypothesis that graduates do not consider interaction between church, state, family and school necessary, we assessed the proportion of positive answers. 58% of respondents believe that the state should support the church, and 42% of respondents believe that the church should support the state.

Having examined the relationship between the church and the school, one can see the following results: the majority of graduates believe that the school should not support the church in any way and the church should not support the school, i.e. high school students do not consider school and church as related social institutions.

As for the relationship between family and church, based on the research conducted, we obtained the following results. 33% of respondents believe that the family should support the church and the same number of respondents believe that the church should support the family.

Thus, our third hypothesis was partially confirmed. Students believe that interaction between church and state is necessary, but do not see the need for relationships between church and family, church and school.

The development of youth occurs through the influence of various social institutions (family, school, church, state) on it. But this influence will be fruitful only when the social institutions themselves are interconnected. Based on the results of our research, we can assume that the process of socialization of young people in modern society is difficult due to the weakening of these connections.

Conclusion

According to the American Gallup Institute, in 2000, 95% of people in Africa, 97% in Latin America, 91% in the USA, 89% in Asia, 88% in Western Europe, 84% in Eastern Europe, believed in God and a “supreme being”. 42.9 - Russia. These data indicate the widespread spread of religion.

People differ from each other for many reasons, one of them is religion. Spiritual differences often lead to significant political and cultural consequences. What can we say about such a scale, when conflicts occur in the same family due to different faiths. Most people treat representatives of other religions with fear, contempt and even hatred. They do not want and do not want to understand each other. But they cannot be blamed for this, because for many centuries no one instilled in them respect for representatives of different faiths, and in some cases they were militantly set up to achieve their own selfish goals. And only recently, particularly in Russia, have many previously destroyed churches and monasteries been restored. On television we often see services taking place in churches, the consecration of buildings, ships, and enterprises. Church music is heard on the radio and in concert halls. Representatives of the clergy sit in the supreme bodies of power. The number of those who, for example, went through the rite of baptism in Christianity has increased. Newspapers and magazines appeared, which were the official printed organs of churches. In some non-state schools a new subject has appeared - “The Law of God”. There are educational institutions that train clergy. All this is aimed at the socialization of young people.

During our research, we came up with the following recommendations:

1. educational work with high school students is necessary in order to increase religious literacy;

2. a closer relationship between family, school, church and state is necessary in educating the younger generation

The influence of religion on a person is contradictory: on the one hand, it calls a person to adhere to high moral standards, introduces him to culture, and on the other hand, it preaches obedience and humility, refusal of active actions (at least this is what many religious communities do). In some cases, it contributes to the aggressiveness of believers, their separation and even confrontation. But here the point, apparently, is not so much in religious provisions, but in how they are understandable to people, in particular to the younger generation. And, according to the results of our research, young people are not sufficiently literate regarding religion. It seems to me that this question is one of the most pressing today. And in my further research I would like to continue working on this problem.

Bibliography

1. Bogolyubov L.N., Lazebnikova A.Yu. and others. Man and Society. Social science. Part 2. – M.: “Enlightenment”, 2004.
2. Gordienko N.S. Fundamentals of religious studies. St. Petersburg, 1997.
3. Gordienko N.S. Russian Jehovah's Witnesses: history and modernity. St. Petersburg 2000.
4. Grechko P.K. Society: the main spheres of life. – M.: “Unicum Center”, 1998.
5. History (weekly supplement to the newspaper “First of September”). – M., 1993 – No. 13.
6. History (weekly supplement to the newspaper “First of September”). – M., 1994 – No. 35.
7. I explore the world: culture: Encyclopedia / Comp. Chudakova N.V. / M.: “AST”, 1998.
8. Website http://www.referat.ru .

Annex 1

QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear student!

Currently, sociologists are intensively studying the social problems of religion. We ask you to take part in one of these studies, the purpose of which is to study students’ attitudes towards religion, and answer the questions in this questionnaire.

The questionnaire is anonymous, i.e. There is no need to indicate your last name. We guarantee that the responses received will be published only in statistically aggregated form.

Filling out the form is simple: in most cases, you need to circle the letter of the answer that suits you best.

1. Please indicate your gender? 1. male 2. female

1. What is your nationality? (Write) _________________________________

1. How do you understand the word “religion”?

5. other (what? Please specify) _____________________________________

1. What do you think religion provides? (Indicate 2-3 options)

1. helps to understand the world

3. justifies morality

7. provokes violence

9. makes it possible to communicate

11. other (what? Please specify) _____________________________________

1. Do you believe in God?

1. yes

2. more likely yes than no

3. more likely no than yes

4. no

1. Are there any believers in your family?

1. yes

2. no

3. I don’t know

1. What religious holidays does your family celebrate? (Write) ______________________________________________________________

1. Do you know the prayers?

1. yes, everything

2. selectively

3. no, I don’t know

1. How often do you attend church?

1. every week

2. 1-2 times a month

3. 1-2 times a year

4. I don’t attend at all

1. Do you consider an adherent of another religion to be an enemy?

1. yes, always

2. yes, if he is aggressive towards me

3. no, never

4. I find it difficult to answer

1. Do you think there is a need for theology lessons in school?

1. yes, for everyone

2. only for those interested

3. not needed at all

1. Do you have theology classes at your school?

1. yes

2. no

3. I don’t know

Do you think support is needed in modern society: (check one option on each line)

19.How do you feel about your faith?

1. I'm proud of her

2. I feel comfortable in it

3. I'm embarrassed by her

4. other (what? Please specify) _____________________________________

20. How do you think a person’s financial situation affects his faith?

3. has no effect

4. I don’t know

21. How do you think a person’s position in society affects his faith?

3. no way

4. I don’t know

22. How do you imagine a believer? (Write)___________

____________________________________________________________

You have finished filling out the form, thank you for your help!

Appendix 2

Diagram 1

Distribution of answers to the question “How do you understand the word “religion”?”

1. this is a belief in the supernatural

2. these are certain legal laws and regulations

3. it is a set of spiritual ideas

4. I agree with everything listed above

5. other (what? Please specify) – faith in God

Diagram 2

Distribution of answers to the question “How do you think a person’s financial situation affects his faith?”

1. the richer, the stronger the faith

2. the poorer, the stronger the faith

3. has no effect

4. I don’t know

Diagram 3

Distribution of answers to the question “How do you think a person’s position in society affects his faith?”

1. the higher the position, the stronger the faith

2. the lower the position, the stronger the faith

3. no way

4. I don’t know

Diagram 4.1

Distribution of answers to the question “Do you believe in God?”

1. yes

2. more likely yes than no

3. more likely no than yes

4. no

Diagram 5.1

Distribution of answers to the question “Do you know prayers?”

Girls

Boys

All

1. yes, everything

2. selectively

3. no, I don’t know

Diagram 6.1

Distribution of answers to the question “How often do you attend church?”

Girls

Boys

All

1. every week

2. 1-2 times a month

3. 1-2 times a year

4. I don’t attend at all

Diagram 7

The share of positive answers, negative answers and “partial” answers to the question “Do you think support is needed in modern society...

1. ...the church by the state?”

1. ...the state by the church?”

1. ...church school?”

1. ...schools by church?”

1. ...church family?

1. ...family by church?”

Appendix 3

Table 1

Distribution of answers to the question “What, in your opinion, does religion give?”, ranks in 10% increments, starting with the highest.

Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation

Ural State Academy of Veterinary Medicine

Abstract on the topic:

"The role of world religions in the modern world"

Completed by: graduate student...

Checked by: Professor Golubchikov A.Ya.

Troitsk - 2003

Introduction

1. Buddhism

3. Christianity3

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

During the communist system in the Soviet Union, religion did not exist as a state institution. And the definition of religion was as follows: “... Any religion is nothing more than a fantastic reflection in the heads of people of those external forces that dominate them in their everyday life - a reflection in which earthly forces take the form of unearthly ones...” (9; p. 328).

In recent years, the role of religion has been increasingly increasing, but, unfortunately, religion in our time is a means of profit for some and a tribute to fashion for others.

In order to find out the role of world religions in the modern world, it is necessary to first highlight the following structural elements, which are basic and connecting for Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.

1. The original element of all three world religions is faith.

2. Doctrine, the so-called set of principles, ideas and concepts.

3. Religious activity, the core of which is a cult - these are rituals, services, prayers, sermons, religious holidays.

4. Religious associations are organized systems based on religious teachings. They mean churches, madrassas, sanghas.

1. Describe each of the world religions;

2. Identify the differences and relationships between Christianity, Islam and Buddhism;

3. Find out what role world religions play in the modern world.

1. Buddhism

“...Buddhism is the only true positivist religion in all history - even in its theory of knowledge...” (4; p. 34).

BUDDHISM, a religious and philosophical doctrine that arose in ancient India in the 6th-5th centuries. BC. and transformed in the course of its development into one of the three, along with Christianity and Islam, world religions.

The founder of Buddhism is Sidhartha Gautama, the son of King Shuddhodana, the ruler of the Shakyas, who left a luxurious life and became a wanderer on the paths of a world full of suffering. He sought liberation in asceticism, but having become convinced that the mortification of the flesh leads to the death of the mind, he abandoned it. Then he turned to meditation and after, according to different versions, four or seven weeks spent without food or drink, he achieved enlightenment and became Buddha. After which he preached his teachings for forty-five years and died at the age of 80 (10, p. 68).

Tripitaka, Tipitaka (Sanskrit “three baskets”) - three blocks of books of the Buddhist Holy Scripture, perceived by believers as a set of revelations of the Buddha as presented by his disciples. Designed in the 1st century. BC.

The first block is the Vinaya Pitaka: 5 books characterizing the principles of organization of monastic communities, the history of Buddhist monasticism and fragments of the biography of Buddha-Gautama. The second block is the Sutta Pitaka: 5 collections expounding the teachings of the Buddha in the form of parables, aphorisms, poems, and also telling about the last days of the Buddha. The third block is the Abhidharma Pitaka: 7 books interpreting the basic ideas of Buddhism.

In 1871, in Mandalay (Burma), a council of 2,400 monks approved a single text of the Tripitaka, which was carved on 729 slabs of the memorial in Kuthodo, a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists around the world. Vinaya occupied 111 slabs, Sutta - 410, Abhidharma - 208 (2; p. 118).

In the first centuries of its existence, Buddhism was divided into 18 sects, and at the beginning of our era, Buddhism was divided into two branches, Hinayana and Mahayana. In the 1st-5th centuries. The main religious and philosophical schools of Buddhism were formed in the Hinayana - Vaibhashika and Sautrantika, in the Mahayana - Yogachara, or Vij-nanavada, and Madhyamika.

Originating in Northeast India, Buddhism soon spread throughout India, reaching its greatest flowering in the mid-1st millennium BC - early 1st millennium AD. At the same time, starting from the 3rd century. BC, it covered Southeast and Central Asia, and partly also Central Asia and Siberia. Faced with the conditions and culture of the northern countries, Mahayana gave rise to various movements, mixed with Taoism in China, Shinto in Japan, local religions in Tibet, etc. In its internal development, breaking into a number of sects, northern Buddhism formed, in particular, the Zen sect (currently most widespread in Japan). In the 5th century Vajrayana appears, parallel to Hindu Tantrism, under the influence of which Lamaism arises, concentrated in Tibet.

A characteristic feature of Buddhism is its ethical and practical orientation. Buddhism put forward as a central problem the problem of the existence of the individual. The core of the content of Buddhism is the Buddha's preaching about the “four noble truths”: there is suffering, the cause of suffering, liberation from suffering, the path leading to liberation from suffering.

Suffering and liberation appear in Buddhism as different states of a single being: suffering is the state of being of the manifested, liberation is the state of the unmanifested.

Psychologically, suffering is defined, first of all, as the expectation of failures and losses, as the experience of anxiety in general, which is based on a feeling of fear, inseparable from the present hope. In essence, suffering is identical to the desire for satisfaction - the psychological cause of suffering, and ultimately simply any internal movement and is perceived not as any violation of the original good, but as a phenomenon organically inherent in life. Death, as a result of Buddhism's acceptance of the concept of endless rebirths, without changing the nature of this experience, deepens it, turning it into inevitable and devoid of end. Cosmically, suffering is revealed as an endless “excitement” (appearance, disappearance and reappearance) of the eternal and unchanging elements of the impersonal life process, flashes of a kind of vital energy, psychophysical in composition - dharmas. This “excitement” is caused by the absence of the true reality of the “I” and the world (according to the Hinayana schools) and the dharmas themselves (according to the Mahayana schools, which extended the idea of ​​unreality to its logical conclusion and declared all visible existence as shunya, i.e. emptiness). The consequence of this is the denial of the existence of both material and spiritual substance, in particular the denial of the soul in the Hinayana, and the establishment of a kind of absolute - shunyata, emptiness, which is not subject to either understanding or explanation - in the Mahayana.

Buddhism imagines liberation, first of all, as the destruction of desires, or more precisely, the extinguishing of their passion. The Buddhist principle of the middle path recommends avoiding extremes - both the attraction to sensual pleasure and the complete suppression of this attraction. In the moral and emotional sphere there appears the concept of tolerance, “relativity”, from the standpoint of which moral precepts are not binding and can be violated (the absence of the concept of responsibility and guilt as something absolute, a reflection of this is the absence in Buddhism of a clear line between the ideals of religious and secular morality and, in particular, the softening and sometimes denial of asceticism in its usual form). The moral ideal appears as absolute non-harm to others (ahinsa) resulting from general gentleness, kindness, and a feeling of complete contentment. In the intellectual sphere, the distinction between the sensory and rational forms of cognition is eliminated and the practice of contemplative reflection (meditation) is established, the result of which is the experience of the integrity of being (non-distinction between internal and external), complete self-absorption. The practice of contemplative reflection serves not so much as a means of understanding the world, but as one of the main means of transforming the psyche and psychophysiology of the individual - dhyana, called Buddhist yoga, is especially popular as a specific method. The equivalent of quenching desires is liberation, or nirvana. In the cosmic plan, it acts as a stop to the disturbance of dharmas, which is later described in the Hinayana schools as a motionless, unchanging element.

At the heart of Buddhism is the affirmation of the principle of personality, inseparable from the surrounding world, and the recognition of the existence of a unique psychological process in which the world is involved. The result of this is the absence in Buddhism of the opposition of subject and object, spirit and matter, the mixing of individual and cosmic, psychological and ontological, and at the same time emphasizing the special potential forces hidden in the integrity of this spiritual-material existence. The creative principle, the final cause of being, turns out to be the mental activity of a person, which determines both the formation of the universe and its disintegration: this volitional decision of the “I”, understood as a kind of spiritual-physical integrity, is not so much a philosophical subject as a practically acting personality as a moral-psychological reality. From the non-absolute significance for Buddhism of everything that exists regardless of the subject, from the absence of creative aspirations in the individual in Buddhism, the conclusion follows, on the one hand, that God as the highest being is immanent to man (the world), on the other hand, that in Buddhism there is no the need for God as a creator, savior, provider, i.e. in general as, undoubtedly, a supreme being, transcendent of this community; This also implies the absence in Buddhism of dualism of the divine and the undivine, God and the world, etc.

Having started with the denial of external religiosity, Buddhism, in the course of its development, came to its recognition. The Buddhist pantheon grows due to the introduction of all kinds of mythological creatures into it, one way or another assimilating with Buddhism. Extremely early in Buddhism, a sangha-monastic community appeared, from which, over time, a unique religious organization grew.

In the history of society and modern planetary civilization, a huge number of religions have existed and exist. The main religions are presented in Tables 1, 2 and Fig. 2. Ilyin V.V. Religious studies / V.V. Ilyin, A.S. Karmin, N.V. Nosovich. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2008. - pp. 33-34.

Table 1 - The largest religions and worldviews in the modern world

The following distribution of believers is typical for Russia: Orthodoxy - 53%; Islam - 5%; Buddhism - 2%; other religions - 2%; found it difficult - 6%; 32% do not consider themselves believers.

Table 2 - Religions and sects, the number of adherents of which is more than 1 million people, but less than 1% of the world's population

Figure 2 - Confessional structure of the modern world (percentage ratio of religions and worldviews in the world)

All currently existing religions can be divided into three groups:

• - tribal primitive beliefs;
• - national-state- associated with a specific people or peoples (the largest national religions are: Hinduism in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.; Shintoism in Japan and China; Sikhism in India; Judaism in Israel, etc.);
• - world religions- not recognizing national differences. Klimenko A.V. Social studies: Textbook. / A.V.Klimenko, V.V.Romanina. - M.: Bustard, 2004. - P.40.

Major world religions in modern world: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism(Fig. 3).

Figure 3 - World religions

About half of the world's population are adherents of one of these three world religions. The characteristics of world religions include:

• a) a huge number of followers all over the world;
• b) cosmopolitanism: they are inter- and supra-ethnic in nature, going beyond the boundaries of nations and states;
• c) they are egalitarian (preach the equality of all people, appeal to representatives of all social groups);
• d) they are distinguished by extraordinary propaganda activity and proselytism (the desire to convert people of another confession to their faith).

All these properties determined the wide spread of world religions. Right there. - P.41. Let's look at the main world religions in more detail.

Buddhism-- the oldest world religion, most widespread in China, Thailand, Burma, Japan, Korea and other countries of Southeast Asia. Russian centers of Buddhism are located in Buryatia, Kalmykia and the Republic of Tuva.

Buddhism is based on the teaching of the four noble truths:

• - everything in human life is suffering - birth, life, old age, death, any attachment, etc.;
• - the cause of suffering lies in the presence of desires in a person, including the desire to live;
• - the cessation of suffering is associated with liberation from desires;
• - to achieve this goal, it is necessary to adhere to the eightfold path of salvation, including the assimilation of the four noble truths, accepting them as a life program, abstaining from words that are not related to the moral goal, not causing harm to living things, turning true actions into a way of life, constant self-control, renunciation of the world , spiritual self-immersion.

Following this path leads a person to nirvana - a state of absence, overcoming suffering. The rigor of Buddhist morality and the complexity of the technology with which one can achieve nirvana led to the identification of two paths of salvation - Hinayana (“narrow vehicle”), accessible only to monks, and Mahayana (“broad vehicle”), following which ordinary lay people can act, saving other people and yourself. Buddhism is easily combined with national religions, such as Confucianism and Taoism in China or Shintoism in Japan.

Christianity is the second in time of occurrence; the most widespread and one of the most developed world religions. The peculiarity of Christianity as a religion is that it can only exist in the form of the Church. Bible- the main source of the Christian faith. It includes the Old Testament, common to the Jews (the religion of the Jewish people, in which Christ is recognized as only one of the messiahs) and Christians, and the New Testament, which consists of the four Gospels (the gospel), as well as the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of the Apostles and the Revelation of John the Theologian (Apocalypse ). Christianity is a religion of redemption and salvation. Christians believe in the merciful love of the triune God for sinful humanity, for the sake of whose salvation the Son of God Jesus Christ was sent into the world, who became man and died on the cross. The idea of ​​the God-man-Savior is central to Christianity. A believer must follow the teachings of Christ in order to participate in salvation.

There are three main movements of Christianity: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism.

What are the fundamental dogmatic differences between the churches?

The Catholic Church maintains that the Holy Spirit comes from both God the Father and God the Son. The Eastern Church recognizes the procession of the Holy Spirit only from God the Father. The Roman Catholic Church proclaims the dogma of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, her chosen by God to be the Mother of Jesus Christ and her ascension to heaven after death, hence the cult of the Madonna in Catholicism. The Orthodox Church does not accept the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope in matters of faith, and the Roman Catholic Church considers the Pope to be the vicar of God on earth, through whose mouth God Himself speaks in relation to matters of religion. The Roman Catholic Church, along with hell and heaven, recognizes the existence of purgatory and the possibility of atonement for sins already on earth by acquiring a portion of the superfluous stock of good deeds performed by Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the saints, which the church “disposes of.”

In the countries of Western Europe in the XV-XVI centuries. The Reformation movement unfolded, leading to the separation of a significant part of Christians from the Catholic Church. A number of Christian Protestant churches emerged, emerging from the authority of the Pope. The largest of them are Lutheranism (Germany and the Baltic countries), Calvinism (Switzerland and the Netherlands), and the Anglican Church (England). Protestants recognize the Holy Scripture (Bible) as the only source of faith and believe that every person will be rewarded according to his faith, regardless of the means of its external expression. Protestantism shifted the center of religious life from the church to the individual. Catholicism remained a strictly centralized religion. Among European countries, Catholicism is most widespread in Italy, Spain, France, Poland, and Portugal. A significant number of Catholics live in Latin American countries. But in none of these countries is Catholicism the only religion.

Despite the division of Christianity into separate churches, they all have a common ideological basis. The ecumenical movement is gaining strength in the world, striving for dialogue and rapprochement of all Christian churches.

In the religious life of modern Russia, all three directions of Christianity are active; The overwhelming majority of believers in our country are Orthodox. Orthodoxy is represented by the Russian Orthodox Church, various directions of the Old Believers, as well as religious sects. Catholicism also has a certain number of followers. Protestantism among Russian citizens is represented by both official churches, for example Lutheranism, and sectarian organizations.

Islam- the latest world religion in terms of origin, widespread mainly in Arab states (Middle East and North Africa), in South and Southeast Asia (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, etc.). There is a significant number of Muslims living in Russia. This is the second religion in terms of the number of adherents after Orthodoxy.

Islam originated on the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century. n. e., when the religious center of the Arab tribes was formed in Mecca and a movement arose for the veneration of the one supreme God, Allah. The activities of the founder of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (Mohammed), began here. Muslims believe that the one and omnipotent God - Allah - conveyed to people through the mouth of the Prophet Muhammad, through the mediation of the angel Jebrail, the holy book - the Koran, which is the indisputable authority in spiritual life, law, politics and economic activity. There are five most important injunctions of the Koran: knowledge of the creed; five times prayer (namaz); observing fasting during the entire month of Ramadan; giving alms; making a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). Since the Koran contains instructions relating to all aspects of the life of Muslims, the criminal and civil law of Islamic states was, and in a number of countries is still based on religious law - Sharia.

The formation of Islam took place under the noticeable influence of more ancient religions of Middle Eastern origin - Judaism and Christianity. Therefore, a number of biblical personalities are found in the Koran (archangels Gabriel, Michael, etc., prophets Abraham, David, Moses, John the Baptist, Jesus), the book sacred to the Jews - the Torah, as well as the Gospel - is mentioned. The expansion of Islam was facilitated by the conquests of the Arabs and Turks, who marched under the banner of religion.

In the 20th century In Turkey, Egypt and a number of other states, reforms were carried out to limit the scope of religious laws, separate church and state, and introduce secular education. But in some Muslim countries (for example, Iran, Afghanistan) Islamic fundamentalism is extremely strong, which requires the organization of all spheres of life on the principles of the Koran and Sharia.

The distribution areas of the largest religions in the modern world are presented in Fig. 4.

Figure 4 - Areas of distribution of the largest religions (dark color indicates the area of ​​​​distribution of Christianity, in all three directions)

Christianity distributed mainly in Europe, North and Latin America, as well as in Asia (the Philippines, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, India, Indonesia and Cyprus), Australia, New Zealand and Africa (South Africa and Gabon, Angola, Congo and etc.). Since Christianity as such does not exist, there are a number of its directions and currents, we will provide information regarding each of its main directions.

Catholicism in Europe it predominates in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, France, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Malta, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland. The Catholic faith is also adhered to by approximately half of the population of Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, part of the population of the Balkan Peninsula, Western Ukrainians (Uniate Church), etc. In Asia, a predominantly Catholic country is the Philippines, but Catholicism is also professed by many citizens of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, India and Indonesia . In Africa, many residents of Gabon, Angola, Congo, and the island states of Mauritius and Cape Verde are Catholics. Catholicism is also widespread in the USA, Canada, and Latin American countries.

Protestantism is very heterogeneous, it represents a combination of many movements and churches, the most influential of which are Lutheranism (mainly in Northern European countries), Calvinism (in certain countries of Western Europe and North America) and Anglicanism, half of whose adherents are English.

Orthodoxy traditionally practiced in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and some other countries of Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania).

Islam- unlike Christianity, Islam is spread more compactly: mainly in the Near and Middle East (the name of the regions located in Western Asia to Pakistan, and North Africa), as well as in Africa. In countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and others, Islam is the state religion. In Europe, Islam is widely practiced in countries such as Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia. In addition, there are also small Muslim communities in China, Great Britain, France, Germany, the USA, etc.

In modern Russia, Islam is traditionally widespread among residents of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, the republics of the North Caucasus, whose residents predominantly profess Orthodoxy. Among the Muslims are representatives of the large Azerbaijani diaspora.

Hinduism- distributed mainly among residents of India and Nepal. Other countries where Hindus form a significant part of the population are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Great Britain and Canada.

Tribal religions- common among the unliterate peoples of Africa, Australia, Oceania, Siberia, Indians of North and South America, etc.

Traditional Chinese religions(primarily Taoism and Confucianism) - common in the PRC, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and in communities of Chinese emigrants in the USA.

Buddhism Hinayanist direction distributed mainly in South Asia (Southern Buddhism): in Sri Lanka, certain states of India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia. Mahayana spread further north (northern Buddhism): in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. One of the varieties of Mahayana - lamaism- dominates in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan, as well as some regions of Russia - Buryatia, Tuva, Kalmykia, Chita and Irkutsk regions.

Thus, religion is a multifaceted and multi-valued phenomenon. It is generated by specific patterns of social development and depends on them.