What is religious belief? The emergence of religious beliefs. Religious beliefs of primitive people

Etymology of the term

The word “religion” comes from the Latin religio, which means holiness, worship or conscientiousness. There are other versions of the origin. For example, in Latin there are the concepts religare and reeligere, which mean connection or reunion. Such a brief description of the term cannot fully convey the essence and concept of religion. Over hundreds of years, the word has acquired the greatest meaning, which is passed on from generation to generation.

So what is religious belief? This is spiritual enlightenment, recognition of the existence of the supernatural, beyond the scope of human perception. This is a culture that regularly evolves. Scientifically speaking, religion is a set of rules and established norms that are based on the sacred scriptures. Such laws establish moral boundaries for behavior in society. Violation of these rules is punishable, but not by society, but by higher powers, which are idols. Religions and beliefs belong to a single system that can unite people around the world, form the largest communities and inspire them. As a rule, the center of organized worship is temples: churches, mosques, altars.

What is religion? (+VIDEO)

Is every faith a religion? Is it possible to determine the essence of religion based on the etymology of this word? What must a religion include? And how to qualify those teachings that admit the existence of God, but do not see His connection with man and the world?

Hello! We continue the series of conversations on apologetics - and continue with a topic that at first glance may seem boring, unnecessary, academic: what is religion? But this topic is nevertheless very important in order to subsequently approach more serious, immediate problems of the relationship between religion and science, between religion and our lives.

I didn’t make a reservation: I’m talking about religion, not Christianity. We will talk, of course, first of all about Christianity, or more precisely about Orthodox Christianity, about its relationship to all areas of our life, but we must first admit that Christianity is a religion.

Can atheism be considered a “religion”?

So what is the difference between a religious worldview and a non-religious one? It would seem that the question is simple and obvious, but when trying to answer it, many difficulties, bewilderments and even gross errors arise, which lead an apologist or simply an Orthodox Christian to many serious mistakes and misconceptions. For example, very often you hear the following phrase: “All people believe. Some believe that there is a God; others believe that there is no God—both are unprovable.” We all remember these words from the wonderful Soviet film “Beware of the Car”. Yes, everything seems to be said correctly: about a person who does not believe in God, we can say that he believes that there is no God. He does not prove his unbelief. But for an atheist, these words sound like obvious stupidity: an educated atheist will never agree with such an approach. He will never say: “Why should I prove that there is no God?” He may turn to us with a demand: “Please prove that there is no Santa Claus, that there are no centaurs. Oh, you can’t prove that there is no Santa Claus?! So you probably believe it. You are a secret Santa Claus worshiper.” Therefore, an atheist will say: “I don’t need to prove that there is no God, you need to prove that God exists. And I get along just fine without God, just as we adults get along just fine without Santa Claus. Well, maybe, at a children’s party, we sometimes play the role of Santa Claus ourselves.” “Therefore, atheism is not a religion,” any savvy, literate atheist will say. “And one cannot say that non-belief in God and belief in the absence of God are one and the same thing.”

On the other hand, if we agree with the position that every person believes and all people are religious, then what is the problem? Why is preaching the faith necessary? What is the difference between a believer in Christ and a believer in the absence of Christ? No, this approach is clearly not suitable.

Albert Einstein and “his own religion”

The second question: many people call themselves religious, but at the same time they do not go to church, do not fast, do not pray, that is, they do not do what any normal believer considers necessary, obligatory to do, no matter who he is - a Christian, a Muslim, even a pagan. But at the same time such a “religious” person says: “I have my own religion!” Many such people are called among the great scientists. The name of Albert Einstein is often mentioned in this series. Some say that he is clearly religious, others say: “No, what are you talking about! Einstein is clearly an atheist!” His phrases are taken from the articles “Religion and Science”, “Science and Religion”, or from his famous letter to Maurice Solovin, where Einstein says: “I cannot find a better expression than religion to denote belief in the rational nature of reality. Where this feeling is absent, science degenerates into a sterile empiricism.” Yes, Einstein clearly says about himself that he is a religious person. On the other hand, the same Einstein says that “A God who rewards merit and punishes sins is unthinkable for the simple reason that people’s actions are determined by external and internal necessity, as a result of which people can answer to God for their actions no more than than an inanimate object for the movement in which it finds itself involved.” God does not influence us in any way; there is no God as a Person. So the question arises: was Einstein religious or not? Is the person religious who says that “God is in my soul” and therefore there is no need to go to church, and keeping fasts is all the more stupid and even harmful? So let's first understand the question: what is religion?

Connection with God or reunion with God?

“The definition of religion is complex and debatable” is the only normal definition on Wikipedia!

Oddly enough, this seemingly simple question causes enormous difficulties for religious scholars. Currently, there are dozens, if not hundreds of definitions of what religion is. I looked at Wikipedia, in its multilingual versions, to see how the word “religion” is defined. I was amused by the definition of religion in the Italian Wikipedia - it is very simple: “The definition of religion is complex and debatable.” The only normal definition that I found.

By the way, you can see for yourself how religion is defined in encyclopedias in those languages ​​in which you feel somewhat versed - you will see a huge variety.

Or maybe the word “religion” itself will help us determine what it is? It is believed that the word comes from the Latin “religare” - “to connect, bind”, therefore religion is defined as the connection between man and God. But here the question arises: if religion is the connection between man and God, then, for example, paganism, as the most striking example of erroneous teaching for us, is not a religion? Because, as the Apostle Paul writes, “When the pagans make sacrifices, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God” (1 Cor. 10:20). What kind of connection with God can there be in paganism? So it turns out that if religion is a connection with God, then paganism is not a religion. But not a single person will agree with this. Paganism is one of the religions.

St. Augustine suggests that the word "religion" comes from "re-eligere" - "to reunite"

The view that the word "religion" comes from the Latin religare is just one of many views proposed by the Roman Christian Lactantius. And the great Augustine, one of the greatest fathers of the Church, no longer agrees with Lactantius. He also does not know what the origin of this now famous word “religion” is. But in meaning, Augustine suggests, it most likely comes from “re-eligere” - “to reunite.” Religion is the desire to restore the lost connection between man and God, the connection that existed before the Fall, the connection that we lost as a result of this Fall and are seeking to restore it. Maybe we are looking for it ourselves - creating pagan, that is, folk, religions, beginning to worship the creature instead of the Creator, as the Apostle Paul writes. Someone worships the sun, sea, earth, seeing in them a manifestation of some powerful force. And someone worships the true God, because God also seeks a connection with man - He makes a covenant with him, the Old Testament, then He Himself comes to man, gives man new commandments, the New Testament. This is also a desire to restore that lost connection. Either we ourselves, or God Himself. Augustine is probably more right.

There are other versions of the origin of the word “religion”, which we will not dwell on: versions proposed by Cicero, Sulpicius Servius, etc. Therefore, modern religious scholars prefer not to pay attention to the meaning of this word, which was already incomprehensible to the ancient Romans, but to look at some of the essential features of this phenomenon.

Michelangelo. Creation of Adam. Fresco fragment

“Organized worship of higher powers” ​​– and that’s all?

And here it turns out that religion is a rather capacious, deep, extensive phenomenon, which includes so many important provisions that you can’t even immediately figure out which of them are the most important and which are not. I really like the definition of religion that was given by the famous Russian philosopher Prince Sergei Trubetskoy in the article “Religion”, written for the Brockhaus and Efron dictionary. Prince Sergei Trubetskoy writes: “Religion is the organized worship of higher powers.” Just four words, but each in its place.

Firstly, religion is always an organization. So, in Christianity we talk about the Church. On the other hand, religion necessarily includes cult, expressed here by the word “worship.” Thirdly, religion always implies the existence of some kind of supernatural world, in this definition shown by the word “supreme”. And this is not just a static world - it is an active, active world: to “higher powers.” A capacious, good definition, but there’s a lot missing here. There is, for example, no doctrine of the immortality of the soul, no doctrine of holiness. The famous German religious scholar Rudolf Otto includes this concept of “holy, sacred” in his famous book, which is called “The Sacred”.

Therefore, one of the most popular, at least in Russian religious studies, definitions of religion is given by Moscow State University professor V. Garadzha, who writes that “religion is a worldview and attitude, as well as corresponding behavior and specific actions, that is, a cult based on faith in the existence of one or more gods, the sacred, that is, one or another variety of the supernatural.” This is a scientist's point of view. I don’t know whether Garaja is a believer or an atheist, I don’t know, unfortunately, about his personal attitude towards God, and this definition seems all the more valuable to me. A definition that shows that religion includes the whole world.

A religious person cannot isolate himself - he must always be a member of the Church. A religious person should not say that some kind of inner reflection of mine is enough - this person should always observe some kind of cult. A religious person is always obliged to observe certain commandments: an immoral Christian, we agree, is the same logically meaningless expression as a round square or low-fat lard. If you are a Christian, then you must keep at least the Ten Commandments of Moses and strive to keep the Beatitudes.

If you are a Christian, if you call yourself a religious person, then you must know what you believe. So, in Orthodoxy we always sing the Creed at the Liturgy, showing at least the basic basics of who we believe in.

Without love for God, without fear of God there can be no religion

And, of course, there must be the fear of God - the basis of wisdom: without the love of God, without the fear of God, there can be no religion, otherwise religion turns into some kind of scolding, pharisaism.

It's all about

So religion is a whole world. And it is very sad to hear from our atheist opponents, opponents of the Church, calls to “not interfere in matters” - in the affairs of politics, school, sports: they say, “your business is the education of morality.” Yes, of course, moral education is an important—perhaps one of the most important—social service of a Christian.

Religion is a worldview, and a worldview is the totality of a person’s views on the world and a person’s place in this world. Therefore, a religious person always has a worldview, he always has his own views. They may be correct, they may be scientific, they may be wrong, but they must take place.

And if, returning to the topic of the previous conversation, you and I still believe in Christ, that is, we believe in the Truth, then our Christian worldview, the Orthodox worldview must include scientific truths, moral truths, aesthetic truths, and any true teachings. It is impossible, in my opinion, to be a truly religious person - a truly religious Orthodox Christian - and throw out from the sphere of one’s knowledge, life, actions that huge area of ​​cult, knowledge, sciences, feelings. And, of course, we cannot throw out an important area of ​​moral behavior - precisely because the Lord Himself, through the mouth of the Apostle John, tells us: if you say that you love God, whom you do not see, but do not love your neighbor, whom you see, then you are a hypocrite (see .: 1 John 4: 20). Love one another - this is the meaning of the new commandment that Christ gives us. Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself - this is the whole Law and the Prophets. We can find dozens of these words dedicated to love for one’s neighbor, for another person, in the Gospels and in the Epistles of the Apostles, and we understand that this is the criterion of our true faith, our true religiosity.

Victor Lega

Are pantheism and deism religions?

Therefore, returning to the problems with which I began our conversation with you today, I will repeat: religion is not just any faith. It cannot be said that an atheist is a religious person. An atheist is not religious. In much the same way as one cannot say that a blind person is a unique form of vision. No, blindness is the absence of vision, atheism is the absence of religion. On the other hand, yes, there are complex forms of relationships between man and God. The same Einstein says: “Without religion there is no science,” but at the same time he does not believe in a Personal God. It would be more correct to call Einstein’s worldview the word “pantheism” - he himself calls himself a pantheist. He is a supporter of Spinoza's religion: “God and the world are one and the same.” Yes, in pantheism there is no Personal God, God the Creator, but in pantheism there is God - this kind of religious and philosophical teaching occupies an intermediate position between atheism - a complete denial of the existence of God - and theism - the doctrine of a Personal God, about God the Creator , God the Provider.

There is no main thing in deism - there is no cult, prayer, communication between man and God

Some thinkers make another compromise: they share a doctrine called deism - from the Latin word Deus (God). Deism claims that God created the world, gave it laws, gave man the laws of morality, and then, as it were, distanced himself from the world, and the world acts like a wound-up machine, independently. God does not provide, He watches over the world He created. This concept suits many scientists: they say: “We believe in God,” but at the same time they also say: “Miracles do not happen, because God does not interfere in this world. We can calmly learn the laws of nature, we can calmly engage in science.” But deists cannot call themselves religious people, because in deism there is no main thing - no cult, no prayer, no communication between man and God, no fear of God, no love for God. How can you be afraid of someone who does not interfere in this world? How can you love someone who has distanced himself from this world and does not want the salvation of the creatures he has created?..

Concepts of this kind - deism and pantheism - are usually called religious-philosophical, distinguishing them from religion itself, which includes, I repeat, an integral complex: dogma - the basis of the doctrine, and cult, and moral principles, and an emotional attitude towards the Creator, and some kind of community, community, and attitude towards God as something sacred, and the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, etc.

***

Many other questions arise that, I’m afraid, we won’t have time to consider today. People often ask: what should we do about certain religions, for example, Buddhism? Is there a teaching about God there, or is there pure nirvana? Unfortunately, the scope of our conversations will not allow us to answer all such questions, but the main thing that you and I must keep in mind: religion is a whole complex world, and each of the modern religions answers these questions, which we have identified as essential for in order to separate the religious worldview from the non-religious. But how do all these essential features of religion manifest themselves in our world, how do they relate to specific situations - to science, to moral, to philosophical problems? We will talk about this in our next conversations.

History of religion: the beginning of the sacred path

Religious studies is a science that studies the formation of ancient culture. She seeks out the origins, comparing all the facts, theories, fictions and various treatises. Science is closely connected with philosophy and theology, because, first of all, the history of religion began with the eternal questions: “Who am I?”, “Where did I come from?”, “What is my purpose?” In search of the meaning of life in society, theories began to emerge that eventually acquired form and description.

The sacred path began with spirituality: man began to believe in the existence of the soul and its manifestations - spirits. A theory that claims that animism was the primary source in the origins of the history of religious beliefs was proposed by E. Taylor. Having chosen the scientist’s hypothesis and relying on it, he was followed by L. Sternberg, J. Fraser, and L. Levy-Bruhl. Together they suggested that the emergence of religious belief can be attributed to the impotence of our consciousness. Scientists have proposed that the acceptance of the existence of the supernatural is due only to the fact that man was not able to withstand either the human or the natural world.

Science suggests that the history of religion began not only with animism, but also with mysticism. Belief in the unusual, divine, and supernatural appeared more than two million years ago. This is evidenced by archaeological finds: rock paintings, household items of peoples and primitive people.

The Age of Animatism

The assumption that the religious belief of primitive people was animism was put forward by G. Stahl. Like Taylor in the future, he suggested that belief in souls and spirits was the beginning of the development of the entire doctrine of theology. Undoubtedly, animism is the most ancient religion, because the peoples were sure that our eyes were unaware of the secret and mystical world where the highest deities with power lived. The era of animatism also shows the origin of the concept of heaven and hell, but only in a completely different interpretation.

The reason is simple: if there is a secret world with immortal entities, and a person has a soul, then after the death of the body this energy breaks free and goes to the rest of the spirits. These thoughts gave rise to beliefs in the immaterial world and life after death.

An interesting fact, but initially the ancient peoples believed that the natural world around them was alive, had feelings and memory. The manifestation of the elements was equated with the voice of God, blessing or punishment. Everything that happened around: the change of seasons, rains and snows, floods and droughts - this was not just a biological process, but precisely the voice of immortal spirits. And with the development of society, in the process of evolution, people began to pass on these beliefs. Over time, the religious beliefs of primitive people became so strong that today it is an integral part of human culture.

Meaning of the word religious

Terms denoting opposition to religion or its individual ideas are widespread in the scientific literature: “dissent”, “criticism of religion”, “free-thinking”, “atheism”, “anti-religious skepticism”, “anti-clericalism”, “religious indifferentism”, “religious nihilism", "fight against God", etc.

At the same time, since this program is based on a non-religious, but scientific and pragmatic approach to the sphere of human problems, thus taking advantage of all the advantages of the traditional Buddhist approach, and since it is oriented towards the equality of all religions, proclaimed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and on the right of every person to choose the most optimal spiritual path, religious or non-religious, then it can be useful in an ordinary secondary school in almost any cultural context.

However, taking into account the traditional understanding of freethinking, it is more expedient to consider within its limits such forms as theomachism, religious indifference, anti-religious skepticism, anti-clericalism.

The fact is that Bur-Malotke, who was carried away by the general religious upsurge of 1945, suddenly “in the middle of the night,” in his own words, “was seized with doubts of a religious order,” he suddenly realized his share of the blame for the religious deviation into which German radio broadcasting had fallen , and therefore decided in his two half-hour speeches on the essence of art to cross out the word “god” that often appears there and replace it with a formulation more consistent with the way of thinking that Bur-Malotke adhered to until 1945, Bur-Malotke suggested to the main one that the word “god” be replaced with the expression “that highest being that we honor,” but he didn’t want to repeat the whole film again and asked only to cut out the word “god” and paste in instead the words “that supreme being that we honor.”

Thus, Islam as the only living religious institution of civilization (I use this concept not in an evaluative, but in a fundamentally simple “sociological sense”: the passionarity of humanitarian capital, the real unfolding of political processes, their outcome, that is, everything that is grasped from the surface of historical processes, and not from theological depths), a religious institution, living in anticipation of objective-historical modernization, must enter the phase of realizing its historical destiny, the phase of philosophical teaching, the phase of the Koranic university.

Anyone who knows how to feel into the spiritual act of another person he is studying has probably long ago felt, and perhaps even comprehended, that the Spirit blows and contemplates in the Apostle John the Theologian differently than in the Apostle Paul; that Macarius of Egypt has a different religious act than St. Augustine; that Gregory the Theologian “thinks” differently than the Apostle Peter; that the experience of the Apostle James is not the same as that of Origen; that the religious act of John Chrysostom is different in comparison with the act of Athanasius of Alexandria.

Only in the works of the last period of creativity will these concepts be replaced by the concepts of “religious act” and “religious experience”.

On the one hand, they feel that they should not impose human authority in their relationship with the Creator; must reject religious dogmatism, adherence to the letter of the law at the expense of its meaning, authoritarianism, and remain faithful to the teaching that “the head of every man” [5] is Jesus Christ, and not a human religious body.

If we ask ourselves, where, during the last decades, has there been an understanding of the great relationships of humanity, expressed in ideas that were of a kind of religious character, albeit crudely religious, at a time when everything else was more or less in a state of extinction?

Totemism

Totemism is an ancient religious belief where people were sure that there was some kind of spiritual connection between all living and nonliving beings. A striking example would be the ancient Indians who inhabited the northern part of America. They believed that the soul of a person could settle in a tree, stone or animal, and therefore their way of life began to change dramatically. Each tribe had its own totem - a deity who could be either a plant or a living creature. As a rule, the Indians worshiped their totem, praying for protection and mercy. Therefore, the tribes performed rituals, made sacrifices, and performed rituals. If you plunge into the depths of history, you will notice how some peoples sang to their deity, others gave dances, and still others slaughtered livestock.

Totemism marked the beginning of the emergence of a set of rules and norms. There were laws that could not be broken. For Indians it is taboo, but for Muslims it is haram. It's simple: in the oldest religious belief there is a deity who lives in a totem. Accordingly, it is prohibited to kill, eat, or desecrate it. Among many peoples, it was forbidden to copulate or show aggression in front of the totem, because it was sacred to them. We observe this behavior in modern religious movements. For example, in church you cannot make noise, use foul language, or fight.

Shamanism and mysticism

During the emergence of religious beliefs, two similar trends appeared - mysticism and shamanism. These movements combine both philosophical teaching and theology. Today, such religions are considered irrational, because they are primarily based on internal sensations and perception of the world.

Mysticism and shamanism began their development with a belief in the supernatural, as well as in the fact that man is capable of cognizing this mysterious side of life. The teachings prove that we are capable of comprehending other realities. Thus, from mysticism a new movement emerged - magic, where tribes came into contact with an unknown force, adopted it and manifested it in the real world. The magical proto-religion involved the performance of mysterious rituals and ceremonies, which often remind us of another movement - shamanism.

Shamanism is an ancient religion that also believes in spirits and deities. According to their ideas, our world is divided into two parts: spiritual (mystical) and real (material). Shamans in the religious movement are guides, so they are able to simultaneously be in the world of souls and among us. They perform magical rituals, make sacrifices, using tools and other mysterious equipment.

The meaning of the word "religion"

Fetishism as a mysterious religious movement

Another branch of the ancient religion. In fetishism, people believe that objects around them are endowed with mysterious powers. To prove this, peoples and tribes looked for things with a special mark. For example, a crescent-shaped stone. Often in fetishism, talismans were created by human hand to symbolize the elements, desires, and spirituality.

Religious fetishism should not be confused with sexual fetishism. The name comes from the French fétichisme, which means idolism. This trend suggests that people worshiped inanimate objects, which were often simply called fetishes. They were totems and talismans, looking like small amulets. The tribes believed that such things, even if it was an ordinary stone, could help people survive in a cruel world, reward them with food and warmth.

The main feature of all religious beliefs is their vitality. The same shamanism is still present in our world, but in a completely different form. People still worship idols and totems and believe in the spiritual world and life after death. Now you know how religious beliefs appeared among primitive people, so let's look at how their development occurred and in what form they appear before us today.

Paganism as a trend of the pre-Christian era

The religious beliefs of the Eastern Slavs are similar to the movements and beliefs of other ancient peoples. Like many tribes, the Slavs survived only with the help of agriculture, hunting and fishing. Their harvest, production, and feeding of domestic animals depended entirely on nature, which people could not influence on their own. In order for their lives to have an abundance of everything necessary for successful activities, they began to turn to spirits. The ancient Slavs believed that the gods protected them, and it was for this reason that they needed to be protected, pleased and thanked.

The East Slavic tribes were pagans, and they adhered to a simple truth: a person’s religious belief means an inner conviction that they are surrounded by entities that are superior to earthly inhabitants in strength and intelligence. This is how deities began to be born in paganism. For example, Veles was asked to protect cattle from predators, Yarilo was asked to give them sunlight and warmth, Perun was asked to have mercy on them and not punish them with lightning. The Slavic peoples believed that everything around was inhabited by spirits who could become angry. Therefore, they began to develop traditions: in the spring to greet Rod and ask him to give life to all living things, and when entering the forest, people needed to receive a blessing from the devil.

One can note the amazing trend of paganism. Gradually, people switched to monotheism, believing that people cannot have several patrons. Today, paganism is not the main religious belief, but the worldview and attitude that our ancestors worshiped has reached our generation. We still celebrate pagan holidays, such as Maslenitsa or Ivan Kupala Day.

What is religious faith and what is its essence?

Humanity's interest in religion increasingly makes us think about what religious faith is. Psychologists attribute it to the spiritual sphere and recognize it as one of the most important states of personality.

Translated from Proto-Indo-European, the word wēros means “true” or “truthful,” that is, this concept can be interpreted as a belief in the real existence of something supernatural. What exactly is religious faith? What is its essence?

What is religious faith?

If we turn to the Bible, we can see that by religious faith the ancient preachers understood “the substance of things hoped for and the assurance of things not seen.” What is expected? People who go to church and pray to God expect that He will help solve their problems and give them health, prosperity, and peace.

Over time, even without receiving what they expected, they still continue to visit temples, but in anticipation of something more subtle and invisible - the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, the process of endless waiting begins to dominate in their lives, which sooner or later will end in getting what they want.

Based on this, we can say that religious faith is a special mental state of a person that arises as a result of an acute lack of what is desired. It appears in relation only to those events or ideas that have significant meaning for a person.

The basis of religious faith is the possibility of communicating with certain invisible beings and influencing them (for example, through prayer) to achieve goals or receive help.

What is the essence of religious faith?

The essence of religious faith lies in the primacy of the higher world, its priority role in human life. It presupposes the presence of some hypostatized objects (for example, God or angels) and the possibility of communication with them.

For a believer, communication with deities and their intermediaries plays a paramount role, but not every person is able to recognize the existence of such objects. In Christianity, this problem was solved by the reincarnation of the impersonal Lord into a person perceived by consciousness - Jesus Christ.

Such a metamorphosis significantly strengthened faith and allowed people to gain hope for higher justice not only in the other world, but also in this world.

Who is called a believer?

Religious faith appears as a result of probabilistic situations, but easily disappears if a person achieves what he wants or realizes the falsity and impossibility of realizing his idea.

For this reason, there is a distinction between hesitant and deeply religious people. The first do not have exact confidence in the accomplishment of the expected, so in their minds there is an oscillation between atheism and religion. For the latter, religious faith occupies a central place in life and plays a large role in their behavior.

A true believer is completely devoted to serving his ideals and is distinguished by deep optimism based on love for God and all living things. He tries to imitate the most beautiful of people - the Son of God.

Faith fills him completely, so he always strives to share his wealth with others. A believer is not afraid of any trials, because he carries such a priceless treasure in his heart that, from the joy of possessing it, he abandons all other values.

How is religious faith different from other beliefs?

Unlike any other, religious faith deals with knowledge that does not require reasoning. Its objects are certain ideas (fantasies, images) about the supernatural, whose nature lies in a mysterious sphere incomprehensible to the human mind.

If, suppose, faith in another person is based on his actions and deeds, then faith in God is based on beliefs about the real other world, the existence of which does not require proof. It is for these reasons that it is considered the most durable and unshakable.

Eastern beliefs: Buddhism, Hinduism

These two practices are closely intertwined with each other, despite the fact that they developed among different peoples. Let's start with Hinduism - a modern religious belief that originated more than 4,000 years ago. Its essence is simple: there is a physical world where a person lives, and there is an eternal world that is beyond the scope of perception. The latter is called the Universe, where gods, spirits, and souls live. People are part of it, and our energy is imprisoned in the physical body. When a person dies, the soul is freed, and it can choose its path: either start a new life in any physical body, or leave our planet. The ability to move is given only to those who have lived their physical lives correctly. At the same time, all bad deeds leave a mark on karma, and ultimately it will show whether a person deserves rebirth or whether the gods should punish him. Hinduism has deities such as Vishnu and his incarnations (Krishna and Rama), Shiva and Brahma.

Buddhism, like Hinduism, is a world religious movement. Both religions began to be practiced in ancient India. The development of Buddhism began with the fact that one young man decided to find the truth and meaning of existence. He wandered the earth, talked with the sages and asked them a single question. He not only traveled, but also actively meditated and was contemplative, practiced yoga and sought enlightenment. As the scriptures say, he comprehended it and began to preach the truth to people. Buddhism says that if a person can renounce worldly goods and reflect on existence, then he will learn to control his own consciousness. Meditation, yoga, reading mantras and self-absorption allow you to develop spirituality, realizing nirvana.

Religiosity Religious

Religiosity as a personality quality is the ability to be a consistent adherent of one of the spiritual traditions.

True religiosity is not a mechanical observance of conventions during worship, it is life as if God is behind you every second, it is daily adherence to the principles and commandments of your spiritual tradition.

Once upon a time there lived a simple man. It happened that life became unbearable for him, so he came to the temple. And then one person approaches him: “You’re holding your hands wrong!” The second one runs up: “He’s not dressed like that at all!” From behind they pull back: “You’re baptizing yourself incorrectly!” In the end, one woman came up and lectured: “You know what, you should leave the temple, buy yourself a book about how to behave here, and then come in!” A man came out of the temple, sat down on a bench and cried bitterly. And Christ approaches him: “Why are you crying, child?” The man turns his tear-stained face and says: “Lord!” They won't let me into the temple! The Lord hugged him and quietly said: “Don’t cry, they haven’t let me in there for a long time.”

The 14th Dalai Lama says: “Most of those living on earth can claim to belong to one or another religious tradition, but still the influence of religion on human lives is generally insignificant. There are very few who make an honest effort daily to follow the principles and precepts of their faith.”

A truly religious person does not perceive God as a warehouse manager from whom he can beg for pleasure; he thanks God for everything he has and wants to faithfully serve God through serving people - God’s servants.

François Mauriac writes: “Many people look upon the Lord God as a servant who must do all the dirty work for them.” You need to trust God. Don't blame him for your life. Oleg Torsunov once said a very good prayer for himself: “Lord, please give me the opportunity to serve other people. Lord, please give me the opportunity to think more about others than about myself.”

There were two angels in heaven. One always rested on a cloud, and the other flew from the earth to God. A resting angel asked another: “Why are you flying back and forth?” “I carry messages to God that begin: “God help...” Why do you always rest? “I must carry messages to the Lord that begin: “Thank you, Lord...”

A religious person believes that the main thing is for a person to go to God, and it doesn’t matter how he calls Him. A truly religious person does not care which way other people go to God. God is one, therefore all spiritual traditions leading to Him are beautiful.

Radhanath Swami writes: “A dog recognizes its owner in any clothing. The owner may be in a robe, a suit and tie, or not dressed at all, but the dog always recognizes him. If we are unable to recognize God, our beloved master, when He is clothed in other clothes - clothes from another religion - then we are worse than a dog."

In other words, a true spiritual tradition is not a competitor or rival to other religions. She wants to associate peacefully and amicably with those who are also pursuing the Absolute Truth. Instead of them becoming atheists, drug addicts, drunkards and debauchees, it would be better to take another road, but they still go to God.

Theologian Vyacheslav Burmatov writes: “Those people who commit lawlessness, who kill for religion, are in fact far from it, since religion in a person’s life should act as the law of morality and morality, this is the path of love, and love is primarily manifested in giving and service. For many, love now is a desire to enjoy; many do not know how to truly love, continuing to exploit loved ones for their own selfish purposes. Often people hide behind religion and do evil, but it is not religion itself that needs to be fought, the problem is in people, religion itself does not call for hostility and violence. There are people to whom if you approach and say that you are an atheist, unfortunately, they can react to this extremely negatively - such people are far from God, since the Bible says: “Whoever says: 'I love God,' but hates his brother , he is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?

One person once said: «

God thinks about us constantly, but people remember Him only when it’s hard for them

. ” At the same time, they do not realize who their true spiritual Father is, they do not understand that they themselves are eternal spiritual beings.

At Kennedy Airport in America, a journalist conducted a survey on the topic: “What, in your opinion, is the most disgusting thing in the world?” People answered differently: war, poverty, betrayal, illness. At this time, the Zen monk Sung San was in the hall. The journalist, seeing the Buddhist robe, asked the monk a question. And the monk asked a counter question: “Who are you?” - I, John Smith. - No, it’s a name, but who are you? — I am a television reporter for such and such a company. - No. This is a profession, but who are you? - I am a man, after all! - No, this is your biological species, but who are you? The reporter finally understood what the monk meant and froze with his mouth open, as he could not say anything. The monk remarked: “This is the most disgusting thing in the world - not knowing who you are.”

In short, a religious person is civilized. Civilization is the ability to see the common in the individual, the different. A civilized person is fluent in the language of the heart. His religion is the religion of love. Any spiritual tradition is a religion of love. Sectarians and religious fanatics believe that their God is the best. Anyone who does not think so is subject to destruction. There is one God, he has thousands of names. If a person goes to God, it makes no difference to a civilized person which way he goes to Him.

Often a person thinks that he is going to God, but in fact, having become a religious fanatic, he is going in the opposite direction from God. Fanaticism cannot be confused with religiosity. It's not about religion, it's about how a person believes. A fanatic, unlike a believer, says: “My God is better” and is aggressive towards representatives of other spiritual traditions. Religion does not teach him hatred towards people of other faiths. If it teaches, then it is not a religion, but a sect. Remember the second lieutenant from Dostoevsky’s “Demons”: he smashed all the icons, extinguished all the candles and immediately hung portraits of atheist philosophers in the red corner and... reverently lit the candles again.

A religious person is modest and patient. He doesn't go to extremes. For example, he will not be able to leave his wife and children, declaring: “That’s it, I’m tired of you, I’m going to a monastery, I’ll serve God.” Religiosity presupposes fulfilling one's duty: the duty of a husband, father, brother, son, citizen. That is, religiosity forces a person to set priorities.

A religious person is a person of deep Faith.

An Indian village girl was passing through a field where a religious man was offering his prayers. The law of religion does not allow crossing such a place. When the girl was walking back, the religious man said: “What a rude thing you did, O girl, because it is a sin to walk through the place where a person offers prayers.” She stopped and asked: “What do you mean by prayers?” - By prayers? - he exclaimed. – Don’t you know what they mean? Offering prayers is thinking about God. The girl asked: “How did you see me if you were thinking about God?” When I passed here, I was thinking about my boyfriend and that’s why I didn’t notice you.

People are accustomed to looking only at what lies on the surface, without seeing or even trying to understand the depths of their spiritual tradition.

A neophyte Christian and his atheist friend once met. —Are you saying that you have become a Christian? - the atheist asked the neophyte. “Then you must know a lot about Christ.” Tell me, in what country was he born? “I don’t know,” answered the Christian. - At what age did he die? — the atheist continued to examine his friend. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. — How many sermons did he have? - I don’t know either. “You know very little for a person converted to the faith of Christ!” - concluded the atheist. “You’re right,” answered the Christian. “I’m ashamed that I know so little about him.” But I do know this: three years ago I was an alcoholic. I was completely in debt. My family was falling apart. My wife and children were afraid of my coming home. Now I don't drink anymore. We have repaid all debts. And all this thanks to Christ. That's how much I know about him!

Petr Kovalev 2021 Other articles by the author: https://podskazki.info/karta-statej/

Christianity, Islam and Catholicism

Christianity began to develop in the Roman Empire, and later spread to Greece, Palestine and Israel. There is still debate among scientists about the origin of religious belief. At the same time, Christianity is currently a world religion and adheres to monotheism, which appears to us in three guises: in the form of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This movement talks about the Messiah, who was the son of God. He traveled around the world and preached the truth. In Christianity there is the concept of hell and heaven, God and the Devil. Those who follow a religious belief must follow a set of rules and laws, such as “thou shalt not sin,” “thou shalt not kill,” “thou shalt not steal,” and others. God's commandments bring good nature, simplicity, love and light to our society. Christianity, like many other faiths, strives to eradicate evil.

Catholicism is one of the branches of Christianity that adheres to the same rules and principles. In this movement there is also Jesus Christ, and the place of worship is also the church. The reason why people in the world believe in one God and keep his commandments, but belong to different religions, is simple: at the beginning of the 11th century, a split in the church occurred. The peoples who once lived in Eastern Europe profess Orthodoxy. Catholicism spread in Western Europe, from which Protestantism subsequently separated.

Islam is in some ways similar to Christianity, because in this movement they also worship a single deity - Allah. However, Muslims have their own idea of ​​God. The preacher of this religion was the Prophet Muhammad, who once heard the voice of Allah. Muslims worship in their own spiritual center - the mosque. According to the canons, they must read prayer, make pilgrimages, and help those in need. As with many faiths, Muslims are required to keep the commandments and not break them.

Newest religious movements

What is religious belief? This is a trend that is in constant development. Old religions are being replaced by new concepts that are completely different from the old directions. Today there are more than 10 neo-religions. As a rule, they are created on the basis of old movements, but with changes in canons, commandments and names. Occult groups, mystical, phenomenal, and psychological, began to appear. For example, one young man believes in the Spaghetti Monster, he carries a colander and worships him. Over the past few years, his religion has attracted thousands of people around the world, and analogues of the Bible and other sacred scriptures have begun to be produced.

Now you know what religious belief is. The history of each movement began with a simple step: belief in the soul and spirits. Then all directions went their own way and were distorted, modified, supplemented along with the development of the people.

Religion is a reflection of human nature. For the most part, it is necessary in order to maintain the foundations and norms of our society. In the modern world, there is debate about the importance of religion: some argue that it is an excellent way to control people, uniting them with a common goal; others believe that deities exist, and we only learn about this on our deathbed.

It doesn’t matter which god you worship, because all movements are called upon to unite peoples, get rid of hatred and wars, and make our race happy, friendly and good-natured.