Religion in the modern world and in modern society. What role does religion play in human life? The role of religion in the cultural life of society

Attitudes towards it have changed over the course of many centuries, as have religious concepts. And if previously the existence of some kind of supernatural force was almost never questioned, then the role of religion in modern society is no longer so great. Moreover, today it is the subject of constant debate, discussion, and often condemnation.

In addition to the three world religions - Buddhism, Christianity and Islam - there are many other movements. Each of them is the most important source of a set of moral rules and values, to one degree or another close to a certain people. Actually, religious norms are nothing more than a reflection of the prevailing views of a particular ethnic group. Therefore, the role of religion in society has always had a dogmatic character and helped a person fight temptations and the dark side of his soul.

The meaning of religion today cannot be the same as it was, say, in the 5th-6th centuries. And all because the existence of God explained the origin of man, our planet, and life in general. But the role of religion in the modern world in this regard is negligible, because scientific evidence shows the inconsistency of theological views. However, even today there is a large proportion of those who prefer to believe that some Creator gave life.

The role of religion in modern society also has a political basis. This is especially noticeable in eastern countries, where the Koran (both before and now) is the basis of all spheres of life: from spiritual and cultural to economic and political.

The influence of the church did not bypass education. In Russia, for several years now (as an experiment for now), the subject “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” has been included in the primary school curriculum. Some believe that others argue is the imposition of unnecessary views. The proportion of those who view this as an opportunity to learn more about the culture of our country is, unfortunately, small. In any case, we can talk about how significant the role of religion is in modern society, including in the field of education.

Interestingly, in earlier times the church as an organization was not subject to any outside study. Today, many scientists - mainly historians - are engaged in research and analysis of the meaning of religion at certain stages of the development of society. As a subject of study, it allows one to predict, predict the further course of events, and assess the situation in the world. Various wars and revolutions, one of the causes of which was the church, are indicators of how the role of religion in modern society differs from its role, say, in the Middle Ages.

Today, the authority of the Church no longer has its former strength. Protests are being held all over the world against the actions of clergy. Atheism is becoming increasingly widespread: while adhering to a lifestyle that is healthy in every sense, people deny religion as a phenomenon that can make humanity better. However, for many, the Church in a world full of wars and hatred is the only spiritual refuge, and therefore it is foolish to deny the significant role of religion in modern society.

The structure of religion.

It is impossible to give an accurate and unambiguous definition of the concept of religion. There are many such definitions in science. They depend on the worldview of those scientists who formulate them. If you ask any person what religion is, in most cases he will answer: ‘Faith in God.’

The word “religion” literally means binding, harnessing, re-turning (to something). It is possible that initially this expression denoted a person’s attachment to something sacred, permanent, unchanging. This word was first used in the speeches of the famous Roman orator and politician of the 1st century. BC e. Cicero, where he contrasted religion with another term denoting superstition (dark, common, mythical belief).

The word “religion” came into use in the first centuries of Christianity and emphasized that the new faith was not a wild superstition, but a deep philosophical and moral system.

Religion can be considered from different angles: from the point of view of human psychology, from historical, social, from whatever point of view, but the definition of this concept will depend decisively on the main thing: the recognition of the existence or non-existence of higher powers, i.e. God or gods.

Religion is a very complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Let's try to highlight its main elements.

1. The original element of every religion is faith. A believer can be an educated person who knows a lot, but he can also have no education. In relation to faith, the first and second will be equal. Faith that comes from the heart is many times more valuable for religion than that that comes from reason and logic! It presupposes, first of all, a religious feeling, mood, and emotions. Faith is filled with content and nourished by religious texts, images (for example, icons), and divine services. Communication between people plays an important role in this sense, since the idea of ​​God and “higher powers” ​​can arise, but cannot be clothed in concrete images and a system if a person is isolated from the community of his own kind. But genuine faith is always simple, pure and necessarily naive. It can be born spontaneously, intuitively, from contemplation of the world.

Faith eternally and invariably remains with a person, but in the process of communication between believers, it is often (but not necessarily) specified. An image of God or gods appears, having specific names, titles

and attributes (properties) and the possibility of communication with Him or with them appears, the truth of the sacred texts is confirmed and dogmas (eternal absolute truths taken on faith), the authority of the prophets, the founders of the church and the priesthood.

Faith has always been and remains the most important property of human consciousness, the most important method and measure of its spiritual life.

2. Along with simple sensory faith, there may also be a more systematic set of principles, ideas, concepts, specially developed for a given religion, i.e. her teaching. This could be a doctrine about the gods or God, about the relationship between God and the world. God and man, about the rules of life and behavior in society (ethics and morality), about church art, etc. The creators of religious teachings are specially educated and trained people, many of whom have special (from the point of view of a given religion) abilities to communicate with God, to receive some higher information that is inaccessible to others. Religious doctrine is created by philosophers (religious philosophy) and theologians. In Russian, a complete analogue of the word “theology” can be used - theology. If religious philosophers deal with the most general questions of the structure and functioning of God's world, then theologians present and justify specific aspects of this doctrine, study and interpret sacred texts. Theology, like any science, has branches, for example, moral theology.

3 . Religion cannot exist without some religious activities. Missionaries preach and spread their faith, theologians write scientific works, teachers teach the basics of their religion, etc. But the core of religious activity is cult(from lat. cultivation, care, veneration). Cult refers to the entire set of actions that believers perform with the purpose of worshiping God, gods or any supernatural forces. These are rituals, services, prayers, sermons, religious holidays.

Rituals and other religious activities may be magical(from Lat. - sorcery, sorcery, sorcery), i.e. those with the help of which special people or clergy try to influence the world around them, other people, in a mysterious, unknowable way, to change the nature and properties of certain objects. Sometimes they talk about “white” and “black” magic, that is, witchcraft involving light, divine forces and dark forces of the devil. However, magical witchcraft has always been and is condemned by most religions and churches, where they are considered “the machinations of evil spirits.” Another type of cult actions is symbolic rituals (from the gr. zilouyp - a conventional material identification mark), which only depict or imitate actions of a deity for the purpose of reminding of him.

One can also distinguish a certain group of rituals and other religious actions that clearly do not relate to witchcraft or wizardry, but, from the point of view of believers, contain a supernatural, mysterious and incomprehensible element. They are usually aimed at “revealing God within oneself”, connecting with him by “dissolving one’s own consciousness in God”. Such actions are usually called mystical(from gr. gizikos - mysterious). Mystical rites may not affect everyone, but only dedicated into the inner meaning of a given religious teaching. Elements of mysticism are present in many religions, including the great world ones. Some religions (both ancient and modern), in whose teaching the mystical element predominates, are called by religious scholars - mystical.

In order to carry out worship, you need a church building, a temple (or house of worship), church art, objects of worship (utensils, priestly vestments, etc.) and much more. To perform religious acts in most religions, specially trained clergy are required. They can be perceived as bearers of special properties that bring them closer to God, for example, possessing divine grace, like Orthodox and Catholic priests (see topics VI, VII, IX, X), or they can simply be organizers and leaders of divine services, as in Protestantism or Islam (see topics VIII, XI). Each religion develops its own rules of worship. One cult can be complex, solemn, approved in detail, while another can be simple, cheap, and perhaps even allowing for improvisation.

Any of the listed elements of worship - temple, objects of worship, priesthood - may be absent in some religions. There are religions where the cult is given so little importance that it can be practically invisible. But in general, the role of cult in religion is extremely great: while performing cult, people communicate with each other, exchange emotions and information, admire magnificent works of architecture and painting, listen to prayer music and sacred texts. All this increases the religious feelings of people by an order of magnitude, unites them and helps in achieving higher spirituality.

4. In the process of worship and all their religious activities, people unite into communities called communities, churches* (it is necessary to distinguish the concept of church as organization from the same concept, but in the meaning church building). Sometimes instead of the words church or religion (not religion in general, but specific religion) use the term confession(from lat. adjective - church, religious). In Russian, the word closest in meaning to this term is religion(they say, for example, “a person of the Orthodox faith”).

The meaning and essence of the union of believers is understood and interpreted differently in different religions. For example, in Orthodox theology, the church is the union of all Orthodox Christians: those living now, as well as those who have already died, that is, those who are in “eternal life” (the doctrine of the visible and invisible church). In this case, the church acts as a kind of timeless and spaceless principle. In other religions, the church is simply understood as an association of fellow believers who recognize certain dogmas, rules and norms of behavior. Some of the churches emphasize the special “dedication” and isolation of their members from everyone around them, others, on the contrary, are open and accessible to everyone.

Typically, religious associations have an organizational structure: governing bodies, a unifying center (for example, the pope, patriarchy, etc.), monasticism with its own specific organization; hierarchy(subordination) of the clergy. There are religious educational institutions that train priests, academies, scientific departments, economic organizations, etc. Although all of the above is absolutely not necessary for all religions.

Church usually refers to a large religious association that has deep spiritual traditions that have been tested by time. Relations in churches have been regulated for centuries; they often have a division between clergy and ordinary laity. Each church, as a rule, has a very large number of followers, for the most part they are anonymous (i.e. the church does not keep records), their religious activities and lives are not constantly controlled, they have relative freedom of thought and behavior (within the framework of the teachings of this churches)*.

The term religion came to us from the Latin language and in translation means something connecting, connecting. One of the main features of religion is belief in the supernatural. The very term “religion” is defined by social scientists as belief in supernatural forces that unites people into a single community.

The world knows three world religions: Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. Buddhism is considered the oldest. Islam is recognized as the youngest religion. Christianity is divided into three branches: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism.

Religion in society performs some important functions. Religion is filled with religious norms and acts as one of the regulators of social behavior. Religious norms, along with moral norms and legal norms, are social norms.

Religion cultivates certain qualities in a person. Often these qualities characterize a believer very positively. We are talking about such qualities as kindness, love, devotion, mercy, etc.

Only religion is able to answer the question6 “What is the meaning of life?”, “What will happen to a person after his death?” Thus, religion solves the spiritual problems of a person in society.

The consoling-compensatory function of religion means that religion can help a person find new incentives for life, find new guidelines and ideals in his life. Religion can support a person, give him hope and faith.

The communicative function of religion is expressed in the ability to expand a person’s social circle, thereby relieving him of loneliness. Religion is capable of both integrating masses of people and disintegrating, that is, separating people, turning their lives into a religious struggle for the true God.

Important elements of a religion are its organizations. In different religions, such organizations are called differently, but their essence is the same - to unite all believers under their leadership. Such organizations have their own system of hierarchy, with power distributed within the religious structure.

The Constitution of the Russian Federation stipulates that all religions are equal and voluntary for their members. There is no official state religion in the state of Russia. The state guarantees all believers the freedom to exercise their worship.

Probably no one will argue that religion is one of the most important factors in human history. You can, depending on your views, argue that a person without religion would not have become a man; you can (and this is also an existing point of view) prove with equal tenacity that without it a person would be better and more perfect. Religion is a reality of human life, and that is how it should be perceived.

The role of religion in the lives of specific people, societies and states is not the same. It is enough to compare two people: one who lives according to the laws of some strict and isolated sect, and the other who leads a secular lifestyle and is absolutely indifferent to religion. The same is the case with various societies and states: some live according to the strict laws of religion (for example, Islam), others offer complete freedom in matters of faith to their citizens and do not interfere in the religious sphere at all, and in others religion may be prohibited. Over the course of history, the situation with religion in the same country can change. A striking example of this is Russia.

And confessions are by no means the same in the requirements that they make of a person in their rules of conduct and moral codes. Religions can unite people or separate them, inspire creative work, feats, call for inaction, peace and contemplation, promote the spread of books and the development of art and at the same time limit any spheres of culture, impose bans on certain types of activities, sciences etc. The role of religion must always be viewed specifically as the role of a given religion in a given society and in a given period. Its role for the whole society, for a separate group of people or for a specific person may be different.

At the same time, we can say that religion usually tends to perform certain functions in relation to society and individuals.

Here they are:

Firstly, religion, being a worldview, i.e. a system of principles, views, ideals and beliefs, explains to a person the structure of the world, determines his place in this world, shows him what the meaning of life is.

Secondly (and this is a consequence of the first), religion gives people consolation, hope, spiritual satisfaction, and support. It is no coincidence that people most often turn to religion during difficult moments in their lives.

Thirdly, a person, having before him a certain religious ideal, changes internally and becomes able to carry the ideas of his religion, affirm goodness and justice (as this teaching understands them), putting up with hardships, not paying attention to those who ridicule or insults him. (Of course, a good beginning can only be affirmed if the religious authorities leading a person along this path are themselves pure in soul, moral and strive for the ideal.)

Fourthly, religion controls human behavior through its system of values, moral guidelines and prohibitions. It can significantly influence large communities and entire states that live according to the laws of a given religion. Of course, one should not idealize the situation: belonging to the strictest religious and moral system does not always prevent a person from committing unseemly actions, or society from immorality and crime. This sad circumstance is a consequence of the weakness and imperfection of human nature (or, as followers of many religions would say, “the machinations of Satan” in the human world).

Fifthly, religions contribute to the unification of people, help the formation of nations, the formation and strengthening of states (for example, when Rus' was going through a period of feudal fragmentation, burdened by foreign yoke, our distant ancestors were united not so much by a national, but by a religious idea - “we are all Christians”) . But the same religious factor can lead to division, the collapse of states and societies, when large masses of people begin to oppose each other on religious principles. Tension and confrontation also arise when a new direction emerges from a church (this was the case, for example, during the era of the struggle between Catholics and Protestants, surges of which are felt in Europe to this day).

Among followers of different religions, extreme movements periodically arise, whose members believe that only they live according to divine laws and correctly profess their faith. Often these people prove they are right using cruel methods, not stopping at terrorist acts. Religious extremism, unfortunately, remains in the 20th century. a fairly common and dangerous phenomenon - a source of social tension.

Sixthly, religion is an inspiring and preserving factor in the spiritual life of society. It preserves public cultural heritage, sometimes literally blocking the way for all kinds of vandals. Although it is extremely misleading to perceive the church as a museum, exhibition or concert hall; When you come to any city or foreign country, you will probably be one of the first places to visit a temple, which the locals will proudly show you. Please note that the word “culture” itself goes back to the concept of cult.

We will not go into the long-standing debate about whether culture is part of religion or, conversely, religion is part of culture (there are both points of view among philosophers), but it is quite obvious that religious ideas have been the basis of many aspects of people's creative activity, inspired artists. Of course, there is also secular (non-church, worldly) art in the world. Sometimes art critics try to collide secular and ecclesiastical principles in artistic creativity and argue that church canons (rules) interfered with self-expression. Formally, this is so, but if we penetrate into the depths of such a difficult issue, we will be convinced that the canon, sweeping away everything superfluous and secondary, on the contrary, “liberated” the artist and gave scope to his self-expression.

Philosophers propose to clearly distinguish between two concepts: culture and civilization, referring to the latter all the achievements of science and technology that expand human capabilities, give him comfort in life and determine the modern way of life. Civilization is like a powerful weapon that can be used for good, or can be turned into a means of murder, depending on whose hands it is in. Culture, like a slow but mighty river flowing from an ancient source, is very conservative and often comes into conflict with civilization.

And religion, which forms the basis and core of culture, is one of the main factors that protects man and humanity from decay, degradation and even, possibly, from moral and physical death - that is, all the threats that civilization can bring with it. Thus, religion performs a creative cultural function in history. It can be illustrated by the example of Rus' after the adoption of Christianity at the end of the 9th century. Christian culture with centuries-old traditions established itself and flourished then in our Fatherland, literally transforming it.

Again, let’s not idealize the picture: after all, people are people, and completely opposite examples can be drawn from human history. You probably know that after the establishment of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire, in Byzantium and its environs, Christians destroyed many of the greatest cultural monuments of the ancient era.

Seventhly (this is related to the previous point), religion helps to strengthen and consolidate certain social orders, traditions and laws of life. Since religion is more conservative than any other social institution, in most cases it strives to preserve foundations, to stability and peace. (Although, of course, this rule is not without exceptions.)

If you remember from modern history, when the political movement of conservatism was emerging in Europe, church leaders stood at its origins. Religious parties tend to be on the right-wing side of the political spectrum. Their role as a counterweight to endless radical and sometimes unreasonable transformations, coups and revolutions is very important. Our Fatherland really needs peace and stability now...

Perhaps no one will object that religion is one of the main factors in human history. It is permissible, depending on your views, to say that a person without religion would not have become a man, but you can (and this is also an existing point of view) adamantly prove that without it a person would be better and more perfect. Religion is the reality of human life, and in fact, it should be perceived as such.

The importance of religion in the lives of certain people, societies and states varies. One only has to compare two people: one who adheres to the canons of some strict and closed sect, and the other who leads a secular lifestyle and is completely indifferent to religion. The same can be applied to various societies and states: some live according to the strict laws of religion (for example, Islam), others provide their citizens with complete freedom in matters of faith and do not interfere in the religious sphere at all, others keep religion banned. Over the course of history, the issue of religion in the same country may change. A striking example of this is Russia. And the confessions are not at all similar in the demands that they put forward in relation to a person in their laws of behavior and moral codes. Religions can unite people or divide them, inspire them to creative work, to feats, call for inaction, real estate and observation, help spread books and develop art and at the same time limit any spheres of culture, impose bans on certain types of activities, science etc. The significance of religion should always be considered specifically in a particular society and during a given period. Its role for the entire public, for a separate group of people or for a specific person may be different.

In addition, we can say that religions usually tend to perform certain functions in relation to society and individuals.

1. Religion, representing a worldview, i.e., a concept of principles, views, ideals and beliefs, shows a person the structure of the world, specifies his place in this world, shows him what the meaning of life is.

2. Religion is a consolation, hope, spiritual quenching and support for people. It is no coincidence that people tend to turn to religion during difficult moments in their lives.

3. A person, possessing some kind of religious ideal, is internally reborn and becomes able to carry the ideas of his religion, establish goodness and justice (as this teaching dictates), putting up with hardships, not paying attention to those who ridicule or insult him . (Of course, a good beginning can only be affirmed if the religious authorities leading a person along this path are themselves pure in soul, moral and strive for the ideal.)

4. Religion controls human actions through its system of values, spiritual attitudes and prohibitions. It can have a very strong effect on large communities and entire states that live according to the rules of a given religion. Naturally, there is no need to idealize the situation: belonging to the strictest religious and moral system does not always stop a person from committing reprehensible acts, or society from immorality and lawlessness. This sad circumstance is a consequence of the powerlessness and flawed human soul (or, as followers of many religions would say, these are the “machinations of Satan” in the human world).

5. Religions contribute to the unification of people, assist in the formation of nations, the formation and strengthening of states (for example, when Rus' was going through a period of feudal fragmentation, burdened by foreign yoke, our distant ancestors were united not so much by a national, but by a religious idea: “we are all Christians”) . However, the same religious reason can lead to division, splitting of states and societies, when a large number of people begin to oppose each other on religious principles. Tension and confrontation also appear when a new direction emerges from a church (this was the case, for example, during the era of the struggle between Catholics and Protestants; surges of this struggle can be felt in Europe to this day).

Among followers of various religions, extreme movements sometimes appear, whose participants recognize only their own divine laws and the correctness of their confession of faith. Often these people prove they are right using cruel methods, not stopping at terrorist acts. Religious extremism(from lat. extremus -“extreme”), unfortunately, remains a fairly common and dangerous phenomenon in the 20th century. - a source of social tension.

6. Religion turns out to be an inspiring and preserving cause of the spiritual life of society. It takes public cultural heritage under protection, sometimes literally blocking the way for all sorts of vandals. True, it is extremely wrong to perceive the church as a museum, exhibition or concert hall; When you find yourself in any city or foreign country, the first thing you will most likely do is visit a temple that the locals proudly showed you. Note that the word itself "culture" originates from the concept of “cult”. We will not deal with the long-standing dispute about whether culture is part of religion or, conversely, religion is part of culture (among philosophers there is both point of view), but it is quite clear that religious positions have been the basis of many aspects since ancient times creative activities of people, inspired artists. Naturally, in the world there are secular(non-church, secular) art. From time to time, art critics try to contrast secular and ecclesiastical principles in artistic creativity and declare that ecclesiastical canons(the rules) gave no room for self-expression. Officially, this is so, but, having penetrated deeper into such a difficult issue, we will understand that the canon, sweeping away everything unnecessary and secondary, on the contrary, “liberated” the artist and gave scope to his creativity.

Philosophers clearly distinguish between two concepts: culture And civilization. TO They consider the latter to be all the achievements of science and technology that increase human capabilities, provide him with comfort in life and determine the modern way of life. Civilization is akin to a powerful weapon that can be used for good, or can be turned into a means of murder: it depends on whose hands it is in. Culture, like a slow but mighty river rising from an ancient source, is quite conservative and often conflicts with civilization. Religion, being the basis and core of culture, is one of the decisive factors that protects man and humanity from splitting, degradation and even, possibly, from moral and physical death, that is, all the troubles that civilization can bring with it.

Consequently, religion performs a creative cultural function in history. This can be shown by the example of Rus' after the adoption of Christianity at the end of the 9th century. Christian culture with ancient traditions strengthened and flourished then in our Fatherland, literally transforming it.

And yet there is no need to idealize the picture: after all, all people are different, and completely opposite examples can be drawn from human history. You may remember that after the establishment of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire, in Byzantium and its environs, Christians demolished many of the greatest cultural monuments of the ancient era.

7. Religion helps to strengthen and consolidate specific social orders, traditions and laws of life. Since religion is more conservative than any other social institution, it basically always strives to preserve foundations, to stability and peace. (Although, it is likely that this rule is not without exceptions.) Remember from modern history, when the political movement of conservatism began in Europe, representatives of the church were at its beginning. Religious parties stand, for the most part, on the right-wing side of the political spectrum. Their position as a counterweight to various kinds of radical and sometimes unreasonable transformations, coups and revolutions is very important. Peace and stability are needed now for our Fatherland.