What is religion. What are the types of religion. Religion and morality

To date, hundreds and thousands of various religious forms are known that have passed through our civilization and continue to exist today. Their detailed classification is difficult and not particularly necessary, since it is enough to study and understand the main types of religious systems of the past, dwelling in more detail on the current religious systems. Therefore, it is clear that in this chapter the concept of "religion" is tied to one of the religious systems that have traditionally existed and/or still exist today. First of all, the division into modern religion and dead.

· Modern Religions are those that, originating in different historical epochs, still exist today. This includes not only well-known large religious systems, but also new religious movements that have emerged in recent decades.

· dead Religions are those that once existed, but eventually disappeared. Many of them left behind a memory in the form of the remains of temples, tombs, fragments of religious literature, legends, myths...

The next type of classification of religions traditionally professes the so-called " origin principle ". According to this principle, religions are divided into two groups: natural and revelation religions .

· Natural religions are those that have arisen without the intervention of prophets or deified personalities through the natural development of people in a geographical niche corresponding to their residence at a certain time. In any case, the history of the emergence of such religions does not record the intervention of God through “prophets” or deified personalities who left behind any written sources. Such religions include primitive and tribal religions and a significant part of "national" religions.

· Revelation Religions always associated with the personality of the founder and the fact of "supernatural revelation, or insight." History knows many founders of religions. Particularly known are religions of revelation (illumination) like Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam. Speaking about the founders of a religion, they mean that one person (whose name is often called religion) played a decisive role in consolidating people to the faith he proposed. In the formation of almost all religions of revelation (enlightenment), similar stages can be distinguished:

Appearance of the founder inspired from the higher spiritual hierarchies of the Universe.

His oral sermons in various crowded places.

Formation around the "teacher" (as the founder is usually called) of a group of students who believed his sermons and stories.

The joint life of a group of students and a teacher, connected by simple relationships and religious practices.

The departure of the teacher to another world and the reorganization of the group of students, since none of them could rise to the level of the teacher, much less surpass him.

After the reorganization and departure of the teacher into the world, another group of students becomes the first religious community.

The establishment of a religious cult based on what was remembered by members of the community, former students - the period of formation of the dogma.

Understanding the need to establish organizational discipline for the further spread of religion in order to avoid splits and disagreements is the formation of the church.

Development, writing and canonization of the doctrinal doctrine; formulation of the main provisions of faith and worship.

Creation of effective means of protection of the canons, faith and cult for the further dissemination of the dogma.

The next type of classification of religious systems - according to their spiritual centralization . Religions can be:

· Polytheistic - from poly (many) and Greek theos - God, polytheism. In such religions, the worship and veneration of a large pantheon of "gods", or god-like creatures endowed with supernatural powers, is accepted.

· Monotheistic - from mono (unit) and Greek theos - God, monotheism . In such religions, faith is based on ideas about a single God. Monotheistic religions include Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The least significant classification that applies to religious systems is as follows:

By geography of distribution.

By legal status supported or not supported by the state and its legislation).

By state status ( state status religion; religion, the status of which is not fixed as a state; minority religion...).

· According to the number of believers and sympathizers.

The classification of religious systems according to the degree of coverage is also important. Here are the following types of religions:

· tribal religions are mostly early, primitive forms that still exist today. This type of religion is closely connected with the life of a certain clan or tribe, it expresses the main stereotypes of their life. Functions within the same clan or tribe.

· Ethnic and nation-state - religions that are common within the borders of a certain state and / or among certain peoples (Hinduism, Zoroastrianism ...)

· world religions - religions that are widespread in many regions of the world civilization, are not localized by the borders of the state and / or people (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam).

· New religious movements - religious movements that are considered non-traditional.

Notes:

4 Exegesis(from the Greek exegetikos - explaining), the same as hermeneutics.

hermeneutics(from the Greek hermeneutikos - explaining, interpreting), the art of interpreting texts.

42 Pantheon- a word used in polytheism when it is necessary to express the plural number of objects of supernatural worship (mainly gods). It comes from the Latin Pantheon, and from the Greek Pantheion - a place dedicated to all the gods.

Religion as a form of worldview. The word "religion" comes from the Latin religio - a shrine, piety, piety. Religion- this is a special form of worldview based on the belief in the existence of supernatural forces and in the dependence on them of human actions and human life itself. Such faith is the main feature and element of any religion. The main core of the religious worldview is the idea of ​​the sacred (from Latin sacri - sacred) world and the possibility of communicating with it. With this world, believers correlate their ideas about life, about the goals of human existence.

In religion, a certain picture of the world is developed, as well as norms, values, ideals. They determine the attitude of a believer to the world and act as guidelines and regulators of his behavior. By assimilating a religious worldview, a person hopes to find the deep meaning of life.

The structure and functions of religion. Religion includes a set of sacred traditions, certain norms and rules of conduct, rituals, religious activities, as well as associations of believers (church, religious community). The foundations of religious ideas about the world, as a rule, are written down in sacred texts. These texts, according to believers, are either dictated directly by God, or written by people who, from the point of view of this religion, have reached the highest level of spiritual development.

In a primitive society, religious actions were woven into the process of everyday life, and the performance of religious rites was not yet singled out as an independent activity; there was no professional clergy either. However, as social life becomes more complex, people who are specially trained and intended to perform cult actions begin to stand out: shamans, priests, etc. Religious organizations have also appeared, within which clergy become the heads of believers.

The functions of religion are the ways in which religion influences people's lives. The most important of them is ideological. Closely associated with her regulatory function. With the help of certain values, ideas, traditions, customs, religion influences the activity and consciousness of people. Each religion develops its own norms and patterns of behavior, monitors their observance, encourages and punishes for their implementation or non-performance.

Integrative function. Religion gives a person the opportunity to unite with people who adhere to common customs, views, values, and beliefs. Religion strengthens the social connection of fellow believers, encourages obedience, and maintains traditions. At the same time, each religion opposes its values, ideals, norms to others, formed on the basis of a different creed, cult and church organization. You know from history that this opposition has sometimes been a source of conflict (between Christians and Muslims, between Catholics and Protestants, etc.).

Cultural function Religion is connected with the fact that religion is a special form of accumulation and transmission of cultural experience from one generation to another. Some religions, such as Christianity, contributed to the development of writing, education, and formed special genres of art. Thus, we cannot imagine Western European culture without the values ​​of Catholicism and Protestantism; Russian culture is associated primarily with Orthodoxy.

types of religions. There are many religions in the modern world. Scholars categorize them into polytheistic(from the Greek poly - many, and theos - god), which are characterized by faith in many gods, and monotheistic(from the Greek. monos - the only and theos - god), which recognize one almighty God. According to the scope of their distribution, religions are divided into world and national.

world religions name those religions that have spread among the peoples of different countries and continents. The world religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Islam. Their main feature is cosmopolitanism(from the Greek kosmopolites - citizen of the world), putting the unity of faith above political or national unity. They recognize the equality of believers before God, regardless of their skin color, nationality, social status. This is what allowed world religions to step over the boundaries of any one nation. All world religions promise a believing person a fair attitude towards him, but only in another, other world and depending on his piety in the earthly world.

Buddhism one of the first world religions. It arose in the VI-V centuries. BC. in India and was originally a philosophical rather than a religious doctrine. Subsequently, it spread among the peoples of Central and Southeast Asia, the Far East. According to legend, the founder of Buddhism was the son of an Indian king named Siddhartha from the Gautama clan, who after his death became known as Buddha(enlightened, having attained wisdom).

According to the teachings of Buddhism, after the death of a person, his rebirth takes place, which depends on good or bad deeds in life. The process of rebirth is called the "wheel of life" or samsara. The ultimate goal of a virtuous life is to become like the Buddha and immerse yourself in nirvana, i.e. overcoming all desires and passions, a break in the chain of rebirths, the cessation of reincarnations, absolute inviolable peace. There are various currents in Buddhism, which are united by special attention to the moral problems of human life, as well as a kind of religious tolerance.

Christianity - the second oldest world religion. She appeared in the 1st century. AD in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Of the small scattered sects that were persecuted by the authorities, by the beginning of the 4th century. Christianity became a powerful current, gaining a dominant position in Rome, the Middle East, North Africa, and then throughout Europe.

In 1054 there was a split in Christianity between the Eastern Church, which became known as Orthodox, and Western, which is called Roman Catholic. In the XVI century. a new branch in Christianity separates from Catholicism - Protestantism. Its varieties are Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism, etc.

Christian doctrine is based on Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. The Holy Scripture is the Bible, which consists of two books - the Old Testament and the New Testament. Sacred tradition is the writings of the most famous theologians, who are usually called "fathers of the church." Their writings have been recognized as an important part of church tradition. The essence of Christianity is the doctrine of the God-man Jesus Christ (son of God), who descended from heaven to earth and accepted suffering and death to redeem people from original sin.

Christianity brought with it new moral principles - the ideas of universal love, compassion, etc. The "golden rule" of morality is embodied in the New Testament: "So, in everything you want people to do to you, do the same to them" (Gospel Matthew 7:12). Christianity influenced the development of Western European and Russian culture, the formation of the worldview, moral, social, family values ​​of many peoples.

Islam- the "youngest" of the world's religions. It originated in Western Arabia in the 7th century. and spread to the countries of the Near and Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, etc. The founder of Islam is Mohammed (570-632), who began his preaching activity in the cities of Mecca and Medina. In Mecca there is an ancient sanctuary - the Kaaba with the sacred "black stone", to which Muslims from all over the world make a pilgrimage.

Muhammad conducted his sermons orally, and only after his death, according to people who knew Muhammad's sermons by heart, was compiled Koran is the holy book of Islam. Later, a collection of legends was created - sunnah which speaks of the actions and sayings of the prophet. Based on the Koran was developed sharia- Code of Muslim law.

The main branches of Islam are sunnism and Shiism. Most modern Muslims are Sunnis, who, along with the Koran, recognize the Sunnah. Shiites consider the legitimate successors of Muhammad and the spiritual leaders of Muslims only to the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad himself - Ali and his descendants from Muhammad's daughter Fatima - the Alids. In addition to these currents, many other trends have formed in Islam.

National religions- these are religions that are widespread within one state or have followers mainly among representatives of one nation. Modern national religions include Hinduism, Judaism, Confucianism, Shintoism and some others.

An important phenomenon in the modern religious life of mankind has been the spread of non-traditional religions. Their other name is "neocults". This is a general designation of new religious associations that oppose themselves to the dominant religions traditional for a particular country. Their distinguishing feature is an attempt to synthesize ideas, worship, rituals borrowed from different religions. The emergence of non-traditional religious cults was a response to the changed living conditions of modern society. The acceleration of the pace of socio-economic development, the destruction of the usual way of life, the expansion of cultural contacts led to the search for new forms of spiritual community of people, the modification of religious teachings and cult practices.

A special group among non-traditional religious cults are destructive cults. There are such organizations in Belarus as well. Their activity, dogma, cult practice are officially recognized as contradicting the legislation of the Republic of Belarus.

Tolerance and freedom of conscience. religious tolerance- this is the freedom of every person to profess his faith, which means a respectful attitude towards representatives of other faiths. A religiously tolerant state is one that does not constrain believers in the performance of rituals.

The worldview principle of freedom of conscience is connected with the principle of religious tolerance. Freedom of conscience means the independence of a person in choosing whether to believe in God or be an atheist, reject religious faith. Freedom of conscience includes freedom of religion, i.e. the right to be a follower of any religion, to choose or change one's faith. It also means the right to form and manage religious associations in accordance with the provisions of one's faith, to gather together for study and worship, to disseminate religious views through literature, public preaching or through the media, if this activity is not contrary to law. The principle of freedom of conscience is enshrined in such an important international legal and political act as Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted at the third session of the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948.

Article 16 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus states: “Religions and beliefs are equal before the law. Relations between the state and religious organizations are regulated by law, taking into account their influence on the formation of the spiritual, cultural and state traditions of the Belarusian people. The activity of religious organizations, their bodies and representatives is prohibited, which is directed against the sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus, its constitutional order and civil harmony, or is associated with a violation of the rights and freedoms of citizens, and also prevents citizens from fulfilling their state, public, family duties, harms health and morality. .

Questions and tasks.

1. What are the main features of the religious worldview?

2. Describe the functions of religion. Which of them, in your opinion, is the most important in the life of modern society? Justify your opinion.

3. Give examples of the fulfillment by religion of its cultural function.

4. What is the main difference between national religions and world ones?

5. What are the main characteristics of non-traditional religions? How can one explain their spread in the modern world?

6. In your opinion, what are the consequences of deviations from the principle of freedom of conscience?

§ 10. Philosophy

Distinctive features of the philosophical worldview. Word " philosophy" comes from the Greek words fileo (to love, to have a penchant for something) and sofia (wisdom, insight). Dahl's famous dictionary tells us that philosophy is wisdom, the science of achieving human wisdom, of knowing truth and goodness.

From the materials of the course "Social Studies", studied in the 9th grade, you already know what a worldview is and what role it plays in people's lives. Recall that outlook- this is a generalized understanding by a person of himself, his place in the world, his vocation and duty. Philosophy develops systems of concepts with the help of which it is possible to explain what underlies human life and society and how we acquire knowledge about the world.

The ordinary, life-practical worldview is based on the common sense inherent in every person. It is formed spontaneously, as if by itself under the influence of traditions, customs, individual life experience of a person. The philosophical worldview is created consciously, all its elements are carefully thought out, tested by criticism. Developing such a worldview requires a lot of preparation and creative effort.

The use of strict concepts, consistency, consistency, evidence of philosophical reasoning bring philosophy closer to science and express its difference from religion and myth. The religious-mythological worldview is based not on evidence, but on faith and suggestion, not on thinking with the help of strict concepts, but on imagination. Like science, philosophy is non-dogmatic; all its provisions require critical consideration. However, a distinctive feature of philosophical propositions and conclusions is that they are of an extremely general nature and do not allow direct verification with the help of experience, as is done in the experimental sciences.

Philosophical teachings always have a specific author. Myths, as you know, do not have an author. Myth is the fruit of the collective consciousness. In religion, as a rule, it is asserted that the source of doctrine is God himself. A philosophical idea is always formulated and substantiated by someone, i.e. is of entirely human origin. Of course, each author expresses ideas that are characteristic of the era in which he lives. But it is he who formulates them, expresses them in the form of a system of philosophical categories.

Socio-historical conditionality of philosophical teachings. Each historical epoch gives rise to its own philosophical ideas, which are woven into the general fabric of the culture of this epoch and reflect its problems.

The European philosophical tradition originated in ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks first of all posed the question: “From what did everything come from?”, Or “What is the origin of everything that exists?” This question was of interest to the Greeks not for any practical purposes, its formulation was determined by the desire to better understand the world around us, its basis. Ancient Greek philosophy was contemplative unrelated to daily activities. This, however, allowed the ancient philosophers to form theoretical questions of the worldview and develop some options for answering them. Theoreticism, disinterest in the direct practical usefulness of knowledge characterizes the type of the Greek sage-philosopher. This type of philosophy did not develop by chance. The ancient economy was based on the use of slave labor. Hard physical labor was the lot of a slave, while free citizens could deal with the issues of the life of their city-state, as well as the development of their own personality, familiarization with knowledge and reflection on the world as a whole.

In the Middle Ages, the nature of philosophical thought changed dramatically. Under the conditions of the undivided domination of the religious worldview, philosophy becomes the “servant of theology”. Recall that theology is the religious doctrine of God. If ancient thinkers were looking for truth, then for medieval thinkers the truth was already given in finished form. It was in Holy Scripture (Bible). Therefore, the task of the philosopher was not to independently search for truth, but to interpret the truths revealed to people by God. Antique questions about the origin of the world, about the structure of the cosmos, about man and society are replaced by others - about the relationship between faith and reason, about the proof of the existence of God.

In the Renaissance, the idea of ​​humanism becomes the principle of the worldview. A person now not only knows himself and the world around him, he, as it were, creates himself, realizes himself as the creator and master of his own destiny.

In modern times, in the era of the development of capitalism, science becomes a productive force, and the main problem of philosophy is the substantiation of the possibility and ways to achieve a correct knowledge of the world. . There is a famous dispute between supporters empirical(based on experience) and rational(thinking-based) cognition. A rigorous experiment, precise measurements and theoretical generalizations of facts using mathematics become the basis on which the new European science is built. During this period, integral philosophical systems arise that seek to explain the entire surrounding reality and the processes of its cognition, based on a certain worldview position. The well-known idealistic teachings of Hegel and Schopenhauer, the materialistic philosophy of Marx, the theory of knowledge and the ethical concept of Kant arise. The prevailing idea in this period is the idea of ​​social progress, which is associated either with the success of the human mind, the development of science, or with the development of material production, which is also based on the increment of knowledge about the world.

At the same time, in connection with the complication of social life in the middle of the 19th century and with the appearance of crisis phenomena in culture, the nature of philosophy also changes. Boundless faith in reason is replaced by a desire to reassess all values; there is a distrust of reason, or irrationalism. In the 20th century, in the era of world wars and social catastrophes, the philosophy of existentialism (from the Latin “exsistere” – to exist) became widespread, which focuses on the experience of a person’s existence. The world here is conceived as alien and hostile to man. There are also other directions of philosophical thought, reflecting the complexity and inconsistency of modern social life. Their study and self-comprehension helps people to take a responsible attitude to the choice of their own life position.

The main problems of philosophy. Philosophy is a theoretical worldview that uses extremely broad concepts (such concepts are called categories) and building reasoning in accordance with the rules of logic. Any worldview decides the question of the relationship between man and the world. In order to be able to solve it in a certain way, it is necessary, firstly, to find out what we mean by the world, what is the basis of world existence, secondly, what is a person in his essence and, thirdly, how is the knowledge of the world carried out by a person .

The first question is about essence of being. Two opposite solutions are offered by materialism and idealism. Philosophers-materialists believe that true reality is matter, understood as everything that exists independently, regardless of our thoughts and feelings, but at the same time is tangible, accessible to human experience and cognition in general. Philosophers-idealists, on the contrary, believe that the true, deep reality is intangible, devoid of material properties and is essentially spiritual or ideal.

Second question - question about a person- is solved in different ways depending on how we understand the origin of being, since the choice of the main characteristics of a person also depends on this. Thus, idealists claim that the essence of man is spiritual, while materialists seek to explain how human spirituality, the consciousness of people, arises. They build these explanations based on the assertion of the determining role of material labor activity in human life.

In solving the third question - about knowledge of the world- First of all, the position of agnosticism stands out (from the Greek agnostos - unknowable), which asserts that the world itself is unknowable. However, most philosophers recognize and prove the knowability of the world. Those of them who affirm the main role of sensory experience in human cognition are called supporters of empiricism. To rationalists they also include those philosophers who affirm the leading role of reason, thinking in cognition.

The role of philosophy in the spiritual life of society and the individual. Being engaged in daily affairs, people are constantly faced with ideological issues. But far from always they manage to independently comprehend all their depth and complexity, to understand that the solution of these issues largely depends on the life position they take and expresses it. The task of philosophy is to clarify and present in systems of clear concepts the main types of such positions and approaches to solving worldview problems.

A philosopher usually speaks and writes in his own name, he expounds and substantiates his views. But if other people were interested in his theory and they saw in it a clear and consistent expression of what they were thinking, then it means that in it he expressed not only his own worldview position, but also the views, interests of a more or less wide community of people. . Materialism and idealism, empiricism and rationalism are some of the main philosophical positions, beliefs. Behind them are always the features of life experience, the nature of the activities of certain people, the approaches that these people have formed to solve theoretical and practical problems.

Philosophers clearly formulate what people only guessed, made vague assumptions about. Thanks to the clarity of the formulation of a certain philosophical position, it can be compared with other positions, to find out their strengths and weaknesses. You can, of course, simply discard those views with which I personally do not agree, but this will not be philosophical at all. Philosophy requires proof and justification. It means that it teaches to be respectful and attentive to the views and beliefs of other people. And if we learn to better understand other people, then we will be able to understand that our own beliefs are also somewhat one-sided and do not take into account some important points that deserve attention.

Therefore, the study of philosophy encourages us to expand our worldview, overcome our own limitations and strive to harmonize our life position with the attitudes, beliefs, and interests of other people. All this makes us spiritually richer; we become more self-critical, more tolerant and attentive to the constructive diversity of worldview beliefs. It is no coincidence that philosophy literally means love for wisdom, and wisdom implies not only extensive knowledge, but also a deep understanding of life, the ability to highlight the most important thing and weed out everything secondary, random and superficial.

The culture of philosophical thinking is very important for each individual and for society as a whole. Our ability to achieve not only mutual understanding, but also effective agreement on key issues of public life largely depends on it. The effectiveness of this agreement means that if we have come to a certain decision through discussions, diverse discussions, then we must already fulfill it, since this is our own decision. Theoretical ideological discussions can be of great practical importance, because they clarify the basic values ​​of our life and help to achieve the validity and consistency of actions in solving practical problems.

Theoretical philosophical research is also important for science, because it deepens our understanding of the world, improves the conceptual apparatus of our thinking, and helps the birth of new scientific ideas. In turn, all fundamental scientific discoveries have an outstanding philosophical and ideological significance.

Questions and tasks.

1. What is the difference between a philosophical worldview and an ordinary one?

2. What are the main stages in the development of European philosophy? Where did she originate?

3. How does the philosophical worldview differ from the religious and mythological?

4. What are the main problems philosophy solves?

5. What is the difference between materialism and idealism?

6. Is it possible to hope that all philosophers will develop a single worldview position?

Tribal religions are cults that are common within a particular tribal community. This is the most ancient form of religion.

At present, they have been preserved in a number of regions of Asia, Africa, Oceania, and, like any religion, they perform socio-political functions. Professional ministers of tribal religions: shamans, priests, sorcerers in every possible way protect the order existing in the tribe, sanctify the power of tribal leaders, deify them.

National religions were formed in a later period. Their distinctive feature is the national-state character. The tribal fragmentation is being replaced by the states of the s. strong centralized government. With the emergence of a class society, the forms of beliefs gradually change. In the image and likeness of the earthly ruler in religion, the main heavenly ruler is gradually distinguished - god, who in some cases displaces other deities in whole or in part (“lowering” them to the rank of saints, angels, demons, etc.). An example is the transformation of Judaism from a tribal religion to a national one. The beginnings of the Jewish religion appeared in the 2nd millennium BC. e. among the Jews living in Palestine. Among many Jewish tribes, a process of consolidation took place, which led to their unification around a strong Jewish tribe and the emergence of a state. The god Yahweh, created by the religious fantasy of the tribe of Judah, becomes in time the god of all Jewish tribes, the national god.

National religions are also Confucianism, Hinduism, Shintoism.

World modern religions include Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. World religions are distinguished by their interethnic character. They are common in different countries, on different continents, they are practiced by people who speak different languages.

The emergence of world religions is connected with the most important historical events, turns and upheavals in the life of peoples.

The oldest of the world religions is Buddhism; It originated in the VI century. BC e. on the ruins of tribal ties that dominated ancient India for a long time, as a religious ideology that reflected the dissatisfaction of the broad masses of the population with the existing caste system and the process of the rapid development of slavery.

Christianity arose in the 1st century. n. e. as an ideological expression of the acute crisis of the slave system of the Roman Empire.

Islam (or Islam) took shape in the 7th century. and. e. in connection with the collapse of tribal relations among the Arab tribes and the formation of class societies. As the world's youngest religion, Islam has experienced significant influence from the earlier monotheistic religions - Judaism and Christianity.

The emergence of world religions, their features and differences from each other - the result of a natural process of development of class society, states and contacts between them. Each of them developed in a certain historical environment, in specific socio-economic conditions.

Literature:
Kryvelev I. History of religion. M., Thought, 1975.
scientific atheism. M., Politizdat, 1975.
Tokarev S. Religion in the history of the peoples of the world M. Politizdat, 1976.

Religion is a special form of awareness of the world, due to belief in the supernatural, which includes a set of moral norms and types of behavior, rituals, religious actions and the unification of people in organizations (church, religious community).

Other definitions of religion: one of the forms of social consciousness; a set of spiritual ideas based on belief in supernatural forces and beings (gods, spirits), which are the subject of worship, organized worship of higher powers. Religion not only represents a belief in the existence of higher forces, but establishes special relations with these forces: it is, therefore, a certain activity of the will directed towards these forces.

The religious system of representation of the world (worldview) is based on religious faith and is associated with a person’s attitude to the superhuman spiritual world, some kind of superhuman reality, about which a person knows something and to which he must somehow orient his life. Faith can be reinforced by mystical experience. Of particular importance for religion are such concepts as good and evil, morality, the purpose and meaning of life, etc.

The foundations of the religious ideas of most world religions are written down by people in sacred texts, which, according to believers, are either dictated or inspired directly by God or the gods, or written by people who have reached the highest spiritual state from the point of view of each particular religion, great teachers, especially enlightened or dedicated, saints, etc.

In most religious communities, a prominent place is occupied by the clergy (ministers of a religious cult.

4. Define religious experience. How does religion manifest itself? Prayer.

Religious experiences arise from religious belief. Their intensity, saturation, completeness largely depend on the mental make-up of the individual, the ability to imagine, and fantasy. For some believers, even when performing a cult, experiences are poor. Other people's experiences are purely spiritual in nature and are similar to those in the perception of poetry, music, painting. And only the third shows a sensual vision of the supernatural. It was in various manifestations of mystical intuition: hallucinations, exaltations, etc. that the French philosopher A. Bergson saw the source of religion.

The core of religious experience is intuition (from Lat. intuitio - close, attentive peering, contemplation), which is characterized by the comprehension of the truth by direct observation of it without substantiation with the help of evidence. I. Kant distinguished between discursive, logical clarity, obtained through the formation of concepts, and intuitive (i.e., aesthetic, sensual), acquired with the help of vision. Intuition is characterized by surprise, improbability, direct evidence and unconsciousness of the path leading to its result.

The immediate components of religious experience are:

Vision is the "inner vision of the mind" that is associated with remote or spatial or temporal events, often taken as a "revelation" from another world.

Insight - a sudden enlightenment of thought; penetration into the essence of something, foresight.

Illumination - a sudden clearing of consciousness, a clear understanding of something.

Reverence - a sudden feeling of overwhelm, usually associated with the beauty, majesty of an unusual natural or artificial object, or something that is perceived as supernatural.

Ecstasy - frenzy, delight; the highest degree of intoxication, close to insanity, at which auditory and visual hallucinations appear. During ecstasy, according to Eastern and Christian mystics, the soul and God merge, the spirit rises, leading to a living knowledge of God.

Fear is an unaccountable, reckless and irresistible metaphysical fear-longing. Fear of God, piety as fear of sin.

Prayer is an appeal to supernatural or God-associated beings, as well as the text of this appeal. Prayer often takes the form of worship, praise, request, or simply the presentation of one's thoughts. Prayer also often takes the form of a ritual.

Religion is a certain worldview, seeking to know the higher mind, which is the root cause of everything that exists. Any belief reveals to a person the meaning of life, his destiny in the world, helping to find a goal, and not an impersonal animal existence. There have always been and will be many different worldviews. Thanks to the eternal human search for the root cause, the religions of the world were formed, the list of which is classified according to two main criteria:

How many religions are there in the world?

Islam and Buddhism are recognized as the main world religions, each of which is divided into numerous large and small branches and sects. It is difficult to say how many religions, beliefs and beliefs there are in the world, due to the regular creation of new groups, but according to some information, there are thousands of religious movements at the present stage.

World religions are called so because they have gone far beyond the borders of the nation, the country, have spread to a huge number of nationalities. Non-worldly confessions within a smaller number of people. The basis of the monotheistic view is the belief in one God, while the pagan view suggests the presence of several deities.

The largest world religion that arose 2,000 years ago in Palestine. It has about 2.3 billion believers. In the 11th century there was a division into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, and in the 16th century Protestantism also separated from Catholicism. These are three large branches, there are more than a thousand other small ones.

The main essence of Christianity and its distinctive features from other religions are as follows:

Orthodox Christianity has adhered to the tradition of faith since apostolic times. Its foundations were formulated by the Ecumenical Councils and dogmatically enshrined in the Creed. The teaching is based on Holy Scripture (mainly the New Testament) and Holy Tradition. Divine services are performed in four circles, depending on the main holiday - Easter:

• Daily.
• Seven.
• Movable annual.
• Fixed annual.

In Orthodoxy, there are seven main Sacraments:

• Baptism.
• Chrismation.
• Eucharist (Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ).
• Confession.
• Unction.
• Wedding.
• Priesthood.

In the Orthodox understanding, God is one in three persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The ruler of the world is interpreted not as an angry avenger for the misdeeds of people, but as a Loving Heavenly Father who cares about his creation and bestows the grace of the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments.

Man is recognized as the image and likeness of God, with free will, but fallen into the abyss of sin. Those who wish to restore their former holiness, to get rid of passions, the Lord helps on this path.

Catholic teaching is a major trend in Christianity, spread mainly in Europe, Latin America and the United States. This creed has much in common with Orthodoxy in understanding God and the relationship between the Lord and man, but there are fundamental and important differences:

• the infallibility of the head of the church of the Pope;
• Holy Tradition is formed from 21 Ecumenical Councils (the first 7 are recognized in Orthodoxy);
• the distinction between the clergy and the laity: people in dignity are endowed with Divine Grace, they are assigned the role of shepherds, and the laity are herds;
• the doctrine of indulgence as a treasury of good deeds done by Christ and the Saints, and the Pope, as the vicar of the Savior on earth, distributes the forgiveness of sins to whom he wants and who needs it;
• adding your understanding to the dogma of the Holy Spirit emanating from the Father and the Son;
• introduction of dogmas on the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary and Her bodily ascension;
• the doctrine of purgatory as the average state of the human soul, cleansed from sins as a result of severe trials.

And there are also differences in the understanding and performance of some Sacraments:

It arose as a result of the Reformation in Germany and spread throughout Western Europe as a protest and a desire to transform the Christian Church, getting rid of medieval ideas.

Protestants agree with Christian ideas about God as the Creator of the world, about human sinfulness, about the eternity of the soul and salvation. They share the understanding of hell and heaven, while rejecting the Catholic purgatory.

Distinctive features of Protestantism from Catholicism and Orthodoxy:

• minimizing church sacraments - until Baptism and Communion;
• there is no division into clergy and laity, every well-prepared person in matters of Holy Scripture can be a priest for himself and for others;
• worship is held in the native language, is based on joint prayer, reading psalms, sermons;
• there is no veneration of saints, icons, relics;
• monasticism and the hierarchical structure of the church are not recognized;
• salvation is understood only by faith, and good deeds will not help to be justified before God;
• recognition of the exclusive authority of the Bible, and each believer interprets the words of Scripture at his own discretion, the criterion is the point of view of the founder of the church organization.

The main directions of Protestantism: Quakers, Methodists, Mennonites, Baptists, Adventists, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons.

The youngest world monotheistic religion. The number of believers is about 1.5 billion people. The founder is the prophet Mohammed. Holy book - Koran. For Muslims, the main thing is to live according to the prescribed rules:

• pray five times a day;
• observe the fast of Ramadan;
• give alms 2.5% per year of income;
• make a pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).

Some researchers add the sixth duty of Muslims - jihad, manifested in the struggle for faith, zeal, diligence. There are five types of jihad:

• inner self-perfection on the way to God;
• armed struggle against unbelievers;
• struggle with your passions;
• separation of good and evil;
• taking action against criminals.

Currently, extremist groups use the jihad of the sword as an ideology to justify their bloody activities.

A world pagan religion that denies the existence of a Deity. Founded in India by Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). Briefly boils down to the teaching of the four noble truths:

1. All human life is suffering.
2. Desire is the cause of suffering.
3. To conquer suffering, one must get rid of desire with the help of a specific state - nirvana.
4. To free yourself from desire, you need to follow eight basic rules.

According to the teachings of the Buddha, to acquire a calm state and intuition, to clear the mind will help:

• a correct understanding of the world as a lot of suffering and sorrow;
• gaining a firm intention to curtail your wishes and aspirations;
• control of speech, which should be friendly;
• performing virtuous deeds;
• trying not to harm living beings;
• the expulsion of evil thoughts and the mood for good ones;
• the realization that human flesh is evil;
• perseverance and patience in achieving the goal.

The main branches of Buddhism are Hinayana and Mahayana. Along with it, there are other religions in India, spread to varying degrees: Hinduism, Vedism, Brahminism, Jainism, Shaivism.

What is the oldest religion in the world?

The ancient world was characterized by polytheism (polytheism). For example, the Sumerian, ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman religions, druidism, asatru, Zoroastrianism.

Judaism is considered one of the ancient monotheistic beliefs - the national religion of the Jews, based on the 10 commandments given to Moses. The main book is the Old Testament.

Judaism has several branches:

• Litvaks;
• Hasidism;
• Zionism;
• orthodox modernism.

There are also different types of Judaism: Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Humanist and Renovationist.

Today it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer to the question "What is the oldest religion in the world?", as archaeologists regularly find new data to confirm the emergence of different worldviews. We can say that beliefs in the supernatural have been inherent in mankind at all times.

The huge variety of worldviews and philosophical beliefs since the emergence of mankind does not make it possible to list all the religions of the world, the list of which is regularly updated with both new currents and branches from existing world and other beliefs.