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Faith in God surrounds a person from infancy. In childhood, this still unconscious choice is associated with family traditions that exist in every home. But later a person can consciously change his confession. How are they similar and how do they differ from one another?

The concept of religion and the prerequisites for its appearance

The word "religion" comes from the Latin religio (piety, shrine). This is a worldview, behavior, actions based on faith in something that surpasses human understanding and supernatural, that is, sacred. The beginning and meaning of any religion is faith in God, regardless of whether he is personified or impersonal.

There are several prerequisites for the emergence of religion. First, from time immemorial, man has been trying to go beyond the boundaries of this world. He seeks to find salvation and consolation outside of it, sincerely needs faith.

Secondly, a person wants to give an objective assessment of the world. And then, when he cannot explain the origin of earthly life only by natural laws, he makes the assumption that a supernatural force is applied to all this.

Thirdly, a person believes that various events and occurrences of a religious nature confirm the existence of God. The list of religions for believers is already a real proof of the existence of God. They explain it very simply. If there were no God, there would be no religion.

The oldest types, forms of religion

The birth of religion took place 40 thousand years ago. It was then that the emergence of the simplest forms of religious beliefs was noted. It was possible to learn about them thanks to the discovered burials, as well as rock and cave art.

In accordance with this, the following types of ancient religions are distinguished:

• Totemism. A totem is a plant, animal or object that was considered sacred by a particular group of people, tribe, clan. At the heart of this ancient religion there was a belief in the supernatural power of the amulet (totem).

• Magic. This form of religion, based on belief in magical abilities person. The magician with the help of symbolic actions is able to influence the behavior of other people, natural phenomena and objects from a positive and negative side.
• Fetishism. From among any objects (the skull of an animal or a person, a stone or a piece of wood, for example), one was chosen to which supernatural properties were attributed. He was supposed to bring good luck and protect from danger.
• Animism. All natural phenomena, objects and people have a soul. She is immortal and continues to live outside the body even after his death. All modern types of religions are based on the belief in the existence of the soul and spirits.
• Shamanism. It was believed that the head of the tribe or the clergyman had supernatural powers. He entered into conversation with the spirits, listened to their advice and fulfilled the requirements. Belief in the power of the shaman is at the heart of this form of religion.

List of religions

There are more than a hundred different religious trends in the world, including the most ancient forms and modern trends. They have their own time of occurrence and differ in the number of followers. But at the heart of this long list are the three most numerous world religions: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Each of them has different directions.

World religions in the form of a list can be represented as follows:

1. Christianity (almost 1.5 billion people):

• Orthodoxy (Russia, Greece, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia);
• Catholicism (states Western Europe, Poland Czech Republic, Lithuania and others);
• Protestantism (USA, Great Britain, Canada, South Africa, Australia).

2. Islam (about 1.3 billion people):

• Sunnism (Africa, Central and South Asia);
• Shiism (Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan).

3. Buddhism (300 million people):

• Hinayana (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand);
• Mahayana (Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam).

National religions

In addition, in every corner of the world there are national and traditional religions, also with their own directions. They originated or gained special distribution in certain countries. On this basis, the following types of religions are distinguished:

• Hinduism (India);
• Confucianism (China);
• Taoism (China);
• Judaism (Israel);
• Sikhism (Punjab state in India);
• Shinto (Japan);
• paganism (Indian tribes, peoples of the North and Oceania).

Christianity

This religion originated in Palestine in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. Its appearance is associated with faith in the birth of Jesus Christ. At the age of 33, he was martyred on the cross to atone for the sins of the people, after which he resurrected and ascended to heaven. Thus, the son of God, who embodied supernatural and human nature, became the founder of Christianity.

The documentary basis of the doctrine is the Bible (or Holy Scripture), which consists of two independent collections of the Old and New Testaments. The writing of the first of them is closely connected with Judaism, from which Christianity originates. New Testament was written after the birth of religion.

Symbols of Christianity - Orthodox and catholic cross. The main provisions of faith are defined in dogmas, which are based on faith in God, who created the world and man himself. The objects of worship are God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit.

Islam

Islam, or Moslemism, originated among the Arab tribes of Western Arabia at the beginning of the 7th century in Mecca. The founder of the religion was the prophet Muhammad. This man from childhood was prone to loneliness and often indulged in pious reflections. According to the teachings of Islam, at the age of 40, on Mount Hira, the heavenly messenger Jabrail (Archangel Gabriel) appeared to him, who left an inscription in his heart. Like many other world religions, Islam is based on the belief in one God, but in Islam it is called Allah.

Holy Scripture - Koran. The symbols of Islam are the star and the crescent. The main provisions of the Muslim faith are contained in dogmas. They must be recognized and unquestioningly fulfilled by all believers.

The main types of religion are Sunnism and Shiism. Their appearance is connected with political disagreements between believers. Thus, the Shiites to this day believe that only the direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad carry the truth, while the Sunnis think that it should be an elected member of the Muslim community.

Buddhism

Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC. Homeland - India, after which the teaching spread to the countries of Southeast, South, Central Asia and the Far East. Considering how many other most numerous types of religions exist, we can safely say that Buddhism is the most ancient of them.

The founder of the spiritual tradition is Buddha Gautama. This was a common person whose parents were rewarded with a vision that their son would grow up to be a Great Teacher. The Buddha was also solitary and contemplative, and turned to religion very quickly.

There is no object of worship in this religion. The goal of all believers is to reach nirvana, the blissful state of insight, to be freed from their own fetters. Buddha for them is a kind of ideal, which should be equal.

Buddhism is based on the doctrine of the four Noble Truths: on suffering, on the origin and causes of suffering, on the true cessation of suffering and the elimination of its sources, on the true path to the cessation of suffering. This path consists of several stages and is divided into three stages: wisdom, morality and concentration.

New religious currents

In addition to those religions that originated a very long time ago, new creeds still continue to appear in the modern world. They are still based on faith in God.

The following types of modern religions can be noted:

• scientology;
• neo-shamanism;
• neopaganism;
• Burkhanism;
• neo-Hinduism;
• raelites;
• oomoto;
• and other currents.

This list is constantly being modified and supplemented. Some types of religions are especially popular among show business stars. For example, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, John Travolta are seriously passionate about Scientology.

This religion originated in 1950 thanks to science fiction writer L. R. Hubbard. Scientologists believe that any person is inherently good, his success and peace of mind depend on himself. According to the fundamental principles of this religion, people are immortal beings. Their experience is longer than one human life and the possibilities are unlimited.

But everything is not so clear in this religion. In many countries, it is believed that Scientology is a sect, a pseudo-religion with a lot of capital. Despite this trend is very popular, especially in Hollywood.

SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS

1. What features are inherent in religious consciousness?

Religious consciousness has the following features:

Belief that the source of the main guidelines and values ​​of mankind is God - high power in the world;

Moral requirements and norms are perceived in religious consciousness as a derivative of the will of God, expressed in his covenants, commandments and holy books (the Bible, the Koran, etc., based on certain contacts with a supernatural source;

Connection of content adequate to reality with illusions;

Symbolism;

allegorical;

Dialogic;

Strong emotional richness, functioning with the help of religious vocabulary (and other signs).

2. What religions and why belong to the world?

World religions include Christianity, Islam, Buddhism. The listed world religions are named so because their followers are represented by various national-ethnic groups. Their belonging to a given religion is not determined by kinship ties and relationships. These religions put their values ​​above the ethnicity of their followers.

3. What characterizes religion as a social institution?

Religion is a complex social phenomenon that has a variety of forms, cults, functions, methods of influencing social life. Most religions modern world has a special organization - the church with a clear distribution of responsibilities at each level of its hierarchy (structure). For example, in Catholicism and Orthodoxy, these are the laity, the white clergy, the black clergy (monks), the episcopate, the metropolis, the patriarchy, etc.

4. What characterizes the current stage of state-church relations in our country?

According to the Constitution adopted in 1993, Russian Federation is a secular state, none of the religions is established as a state or mandatory. Religious associations are separated from the state and are equal before the law. Citizens are equal in their rights and freedoms regardless of their attitude to religion. Any form of restriction of rights on this basis is prohibited. Every citizen is guaranteed freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or jointly with others any religion or not to profess any, freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them. Agitation and propaganda of religious hatred and enmity, as well as religious superiority, are prohibited.

In Russia in recent decades there has been an increase in the number of religious associations and organizations. Along with numerous religious associations and organizations of religions traditional for Russia, many new, non-traditional cults and religious movements for our country and its peoples were registered.

5. What, in your opinion, is the reason for the sharp rise in interest in religion in Russian society in recent decades?

A sharp rise in interest in religion is a very characteristic feature of the spiritual life of Russia in the last decade. It should be noted that in many countries of the world, the approaching end of the century and millennium is associated with the apocalyptic prophecies of the “end of the world”, and primarily because of the deepening environmental, demographic and other planetary problems that threaten catastrophe and the death of all life on Earth. In Russia, the universal anxieties of impending disasters were combined with specific negative phenomena of the protracted social crisis, which was, as it were, foreseen by religion. Therefore, they very, very much reached out to her, trying to find hope and salvation in this.

6. What helps to maintain interreligious peace?

The state and society actively support various forms social service religious associations. Funds are allocated from the state budget for the restoration, maintenance and protection of churches and other objects that are monuments of history and culture. Anyone who visits a place memorable for Russians - a monument on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow, is struck by the fact that religious buildings of Orthodox, Jews and Muslims are located not far from each other. This is a place of worship for those who died for the Motherland, who were not separated by belonging to different religions.

A system of state bodies is being formed, there is a staff of employees who communicate with religious associations. Religious figures are invited to various advisory councils under the federal and regional authorities.

TASKS

3. One of the manifestations of interfaith contradictions in the past of mankind were religious wars. From the course of history, you know what tragic consequences they led to. What measures can prevent the risk of armed clashes based on interfaith hostility? Name the facts that, from your point of view, characterize the development of dialogue between various religious organizations in Russia.

First of all, the policy of the state should be aimed at tolerance in society, and this should be provided for at the legislative level.

Each nation has its own religion and mostly not one. Now there are over 20,000 different religions, but there are religions whose adherents are all over the earth. Such religions are called world, there are three of them.

What is a world religion?

In religions that have students among all the peoples of the world on any continent, country and continent, it is called a world religion.

There are now three religions that are called world. We will talk about them in more detail below.

world religions

1. The most ancient world religion today is Buddhism. This religion originated in the sixth century BC. India is the founding country. Buddhism teaches that life is suffering. The cause of suffering is the passions and desires of man. That is why, in order to become happy and not suffer, you need to give up all earthly desires and passions. This religion prescribes that every believer needs to find his own way and become internally independent. In Buddhism, there is no idea of ​​God as a creator.

2. In Palestine in the Roman Empire in the first century BC, Christianity was born. The basis of this religious teaching is the hope of salvation from the Almighty - God. Such a savior is Jesus Christ, who was publicly crucified.

Ideas Christian religion:

Belief that the Holy Trinity with three persons: “father, son and holy spirit” is one and it is God who created the earth and everything living and not living in it.
- Belief that the sacrifice brought by the holy Jesus Christ is redemptive.
- Belief in the mercy and grace of God, which gives us liberation from our sins.

3. Islam originated in the seventh century BC on the Arabian Peninsula. The religion of Islam is the youngest of all world religions.

What religions belong to the world?

What kind of philosophical ideas about the origin of religion, believes that a person creates God, because he alienates the best spiritual qualities from himself and transfers them to a fictional being?

Who first used the word "religion"?

III. Test control of knowledge

II. Exercises and tasks

Knowledge control

I. Self-test questions:

1. Define the concept of religion

2. What is the meaning of the concept of "religion" Cicero, Lactantius?

3. What functions does religion perform in the life of society?

4. What are the concepts of the origin of religion?

5. What are the approaches to understanding the essence of God?

6. Expand the structure of religion

7. List the forms of religions

8. Reveal the essence of primitive beliefs

9. Uncover features national religions

10. What are common features world religions?

11. What is the relationship between religion and science at the present time?

1. In the Christian religion, God is love. Does this mean that loving person already in some sense a believer?

2. Do you agree that a people without religion and faith ceases to be a people, becomes a population? Perhaps this stage has already begun, because now there are few true believers and religion does not have special significance for most people?

3. When the Germans came close to Moscow, I. Stalin gave the order to open long-closed churches and resume services in them. What do you think he was guided by?

Option I

a) Lakatos;

b) Cicero;

c) Caesar

d) lactation

a) theological theory of the inner religiosity of a person;

b) idealistic theory;

c) anthropological theory;

d) materialistic theory;

e) psychological concept;

f) theosophical concept

3. Correlate the philosophical idea of ​​the origin of religions and its essence:

1) theological theory a) religion is inherent in man from the very beginning, since his spirit is a reflection of the World Spirit, which cognizes itself through man;

2) idealistic theory; b) a person creates God, since he alienates the best spiritual qualities from himself and transfers them to a fictional being;

3) anthropological theory; c) religion is a fantastic reflection in the minds of people of real external forces that are perceived as supernatural;

4) materialistic theory; d) religion is a mechanism of psychological compensation of a person before the unknown and hostile world of external nature and internal instincts;

5) psychological concept; e) religion - an idea accessible to human consciousness about the external Worlds and spiritual Beings that really exist in nature, but are not supernatural;

6) theosophical concept e) a person internally feels the presence of God, and this feeling gives rise to the desire to understand God and religion

4. Deism is:

a) the idea of ​​a multitude of gods;

b) a system of religious beliefs based on the idea of ​​a single God;

c) a religious worldview, proceeding from the understanding of God as an absolute person who is outside the world, freely created it and acts in it;

d) religious and philosophical doctrine, which recognizes God as the world mind, which designed the expedient "machine" of nature and gave it laws and movement, but rejects further intervention of God in the self-development of nature

5. Zoomorphism is:

a) religious and philosophical teachings, identifying God and the world whole;

b) religious and philosophical doctrine, according to which the world is in God;

c) likening to a person, endowing objects and phenomena with human properties inanimate nature, celestial bodies, mythical creatures;

d) assimilation to an animal, endowing with animal properties of objects and phenomena of inanimate nature, celestial bodies, mythical creatures

6. Social form of organization that unites believers, both clergy and laity:

a) a church

c) denomination;

e) creed

7. extreme form sects:

a) a church

c) denomination;

e) creed

a) Zoroastrianism, Shintoism, Taoism;

b) Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism;

c) animism, fetishism, totemism;

d) Buddhism, Christianity, Islam

9. Cult of inanimate objects:

a) animism;

b) totemism;

c) fetishism;

World religions include: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam.

Buddhism- the most ancient world religion. It arose in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. in India, but, having flourished there, it became entrenched in the consciousness and practice of the peoples of other regions: South, Southeast, Central Asia, and the Far East.

Tradition says that a noble member of the Shakya tribal formation, Prince Siddhartha Gautama (from the Gotama clan), after a carefree and happy youth, acutely felt the frailty and hopelessness of life, the horror of an endless series of reincarnations of the soul. The ethical interpretation of sacred texts, as well as intuitive methods of cognition, remained within the framework of traditional Brahminical thinking and did not satisfy it, since they did not make it possible to understand the meaning of human existence and come to terms with the idea of ​​cosmic reward - karma, which determines the fate of a person in the alternation of his births. The insight that came to Gautama allowed him to become a Buddha ("buddha" - enlightened). It was Shakyamuni Buddha ("the wise man from the Shakya tribe") who managed to express the expectations of society in an accessible and convincing way: life is suffering, one can be saved from suffering, there is a way of salvation - this way was found and described by the Buddha. The main goal of a Buddhist is to get out of the chain of reincarnations. The ideas of original Buddhism contributed to its spread. The notion of the "three treasures" of Buddhism was established: the teacher - the Buddha, the teaching - the dharma, the keeper of the truth - the sangha. According to Buddhism, life in all its manifestations is a combination of dharmas that determine the existence of a person, animal, plant, stone, etc. After the disintegration of the corresponding combination, death occurs, but the dharmas do not disappear without a trace, but form a new combination; this determines the rebirth of the individual in accordance with the law of karma - retribution, depending on the behavior in a previous life. The endless chain of rebirths (samsara or wheel of life) can be interrupted, and everyone should strive for this; the cessation of rebirths that cause suffering means the achievement of nirvana - a state of peace, bliss, merging with the Buddha. But the achievement of such superexistence is possible only by leading a virtuous life.

The main directions in Buddhism -"four great truths" proclaiming that 1) life is suffering, 2) the cause of all suffering is desire, 3) suffering can be stopped by getting rid of desires, "repaying" the latter, and for this it is necessary 4) to lead a virtuous life according to the laws of "correct behavior" and "right knowledge". "Right conduct" means living according to the following principles: don't kill or harm anyone (the principle of ahimsa), don't steal, don't lie, don't commit adultery, don't drink intoxicating drinks.

Lamaism - a special direction in Buddhism, (the concept comes from the word "lama" - the name of a monk or priest, the main figure in this Tibetan version of Vajrayana Buddhism). Synthesis different beliefs peoples of the Himalayan region was initiated by preachers from India and developed in the 7th - 15th centuries.

From the 7th century Tibet became the area of ​​distribution of Vajrayana Buddhism. Chan Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism entered China in the 1st century BC. AD and already in the period of civil strife III - VI centuries. is gaining popularity and development. In his teaching, canonical Buddhist values ​​are actually rejected: thus, according to Chan, nirvana, enlightenment can be achieved only when a person lives without a goal (wu xin) and without directed activity (wu wei). In the statement about the ignorance of the truth in words and signs, chan outwardly converges with Taoism. And yet we can rather talk about the influence of Buddhism on Taoism and the entire Chinese religious and philosophical tradition as a whole, about its assimilation into the Buddhist tradition, and not vice versa. Chan Buddhism is widespread in Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and is now spreading quite successfully in Western countries, especially in its Japanese variety - Zen.

Christianity learned and rethought the previous ideological concepts of Judaism, Mithraism, ancient Eastern religions, philosophical views. All this enriched and cemented the new religion, turning it into a powerful cultural and intellectual force capable of opposing itself to all national and ethnic cults and turning into a mass supranational movement.

God is defined as the unity of three persons (hypostases), where the son, eternally born from the father, is consubstantial with the father, is the true God and an independent person.

Christianity was not a single religious movement.

One of the biggest divisions of Christianity was the emergence of two main directions - Orthodoxy and Catholicism. This split has been brewing for several centuries. It was determined by the peculiarities of the development of feudal relations in the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire and the competitive struggle between them.

Orthodoxy. Summary, the main tenets of Christianity, formulated at the first two ecumenical councils, is called a creed. Every Christian must know it by heart. The interpretation of the creed forms the basis of " Orthodox catechism."

A distinctive feature of Orthodoxy is that since the time of the first seven ecumenical councils did not add a single dogma to its doctrine, unlike Catholicism, and did not abandon any of them, as was the case in Protestantism. Exactly this Orthodox Church considers one of his main merits, testifying to fidelity to the original Christianity. Orthodoxy attaches dogmatic significance not only to one of the most important sacraments - baptism, but also to all others (communion, repentance, priesthood, chrismation, marriage, unction) and the rites associated with them.

Rites and symbols constitute the content of the entire liturgical practice or cult.

Catholicism is the largest branch of Christianity.

The basis of the doctrine of Catholicism is the Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition.

Catholicism recognizes seven sacraments: communion (eucharist), baptism, repentance, chrismation, unction, priesthood and marriage.

Catholicism is characterized by the sublime veneration of the Mother of God - the Virgin Mary.

head catholic church, the vicar of Jesus Christ, the supreme ruler of the state of Vatican City is the Pope. The special status of the popes is justified by their inheritance of power, transferred by Jesus Christ to the Apostle Peter, according to church tradition, the former first bishop of Rome. The pope is elected for life by a conclave of cardinals. + Protestantism see question 19

Islam.(See question 22) The main provisions of the doctrine of Islam are set forth in the main "holy" book - the Koran. Muslims consider the Koran (ar. "kuran" - reading) the highest and most complete of the existing scriptures. The Muslim clergy teach that Allah transmitted the Qur'an to Muhammad through the angel Jabrail in separate revelations, mainly at night, through visions. Islam relies on five "pillars of faith" (lasso ad-din), indicating the most important duties of a Muslim. The first obligation is the confession of faith, i.e. reciting the shahada ("There is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah") aloud, understanding the meaning of this formula of dogma, sincere conviction of its truth. The second obligation is daily prayer five times (Persian, "prayer", Ar. "salyat"). Namaz played important role in fixing Islam in the minds of people - the more often a Muslim fulfilled these instructions, the deeper his religiosity became. Friday is a day of collective prayer, which is held in the main mosques and is accompanied by a sermon. The third ritual duty of a Muslim is to fast (Persian "uraza", Ar. "saum") in the month of Ramadan. For thirty days a year, a fasting Muslim from dawn until dark has no right to drink, eat or smoke. Islam provides for the exemption from fasting of the sick, the elderly, pregnant women, etc. The fourth duty of a Muslim is zakat - the obligatory payment of tax, the collection of which is prescribed in the Koran, and the amount of taxation is developed in Sharia. The initial zakat was a voluntary almsgiving in the name of Allah, then turned into a duty for cleansing from sins. The fifth duty of every Muslim (if physical and material ability allows) is the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj), which must be performed in the 12th month of the Muslim calendar. Hajj consists of visiting Mecca, primarily the Kaaba, the main shrine of Islam, the tomb of Muhammad in Medina, as well as other sacred places Hijaz and in the performance of various ceremonies. + directions Shiites, Sunnis(see question 23)