How does religion change a person? The influence of Christianity on society.

(A shortened version of a chapter from a textbook for universities "Beliefs of the World's Religions", St. Petersburg, Khimizdat, 2001)

The role of religion is understood as its influence on people and their environment, the “traces” that it leaves in the lives of individuals and society. The problem of the role of religion deserves many volumes of research. Let us dwell only on some aspects of this problem.

Specifics of religious studies in highlighting the role of religion.

As you know, the main commandment of a doctor is: “Do no harm!” We, teachers of religious studies, must be guided by the same moral norm. Considering that religious scholars speak to people with different, sometimes opposing worldviews, they do not have the right to condemn any religion as false and, accordingly, approve of any religion as true. The question of which worldview or which confessions are true or false should be taken outside the boundaries of lessons, lectures, textbooks and left for personal decision to each school student, university student, and reader of textbooks. In other words, value judgments based on the criterion of “truth or error” should be removed from religious information.

But if such assessments should be unconditionally excluded from teaching, then we must treat assessments of religious denominations on the “moral or immoral” scale differently. The interests of humanity require solidarity in condemning all crimes, in whatever country and by whomever they are committed. There are also actions that the world community has recognized as morally unacceptable, although not legally punishable (depraved behavior, refusal of any participation in the public life of one’s country, intolerance towards dissidents without the use of violence, etc.). This means that inhumane behavior, if it was manifested in the activities of religious organizations and religious leaders, should also be condemned in the speeches of religious scholars. This type of condemnation is not aimed only at religion: it is a condemnation of the immoral in life in general and in some religions in particular.

At the same time, we are obliged to acquaint listeners and readers with those points of view on the role of religion that exist in society. Naturally, we also have our own view of the problem and can and should present it, but only as one of the existing points of view, and not as an absolute and only possible answer to the question about the role of religion. Every student, every student, every reader of religious literature must make the final conclusion about the role of religion (as well as the final conclusion about the truth or falsity of certain religious views) for himself.

How can you evaluate the influence of religion on people's lives?

In principle (i.e., regardless of religion), the influence of any phenomenon on people’s lives can be either positive (helping them in their preservation and development), or negative (hindering them in their preservation and development), or contradictory ( carrying both positive and negative consequences). How can one assess in a generalized form (as a whole) the influence of religion on people's lives? How positive? How negative? Or how contradictory?

Clerics and theologians who divide religions into true, partially true and false believe that true religions play an unconditionally positive role, false ones - an unconditionally negative one, and partially true ones - a contradictory role.

Among atheists there are also those (we call them “extreme atheists”) who believe that any religion plays only a negative role. They, as a rule, are guided by the statement of V.I. Lenin, who called religion (religion in general, any religion) “the enemy of culture and progress.”

In the problem of “the role of religion” there is also a point of view of the so-called “golden mean”, which the authors of the book adhere to. According to this point of view, religion as a whole plays a contradictory role: there is a tendency in it that is hostile to culture and progress, but there is also a tendency of the opposite nature.

A tendency hostile to culture and progress is especially clearly manifested in the so-called religious pathology.

Religious pathology.

The Greek word pathos means disease. Pathology refers to both the study of disease processes and these disease processes themselves within living organisms and social phenomena. Religious pathology is painful processes within religious denominations. Understanding the role of religion includes understanding the nature of the influence of religious pathology on the believers themselves and on the environment in which they live. Religious pathology finds its manifestation in religious fanaticism, religious extremism and religious crime. And these three phenomena are mutually connected and mutually transform into each other.

Religious extremism, as we have already noted, is an extreme form of religious fanaticism. The essence of any extremism, including religious extremism, is the use of violence against dissidents. Facts of fanaticism (including extremism) occur in many religions. Here, for example, is what the writer Sergei Kaledin said in the story “Tahana Marquisite” about the facts of religious fanaticism in Jerusalem. One of the characters in the story, a young man named Mikhail, introduces a guest from Russia to some of the Shabbat customs in Jerusalem. In this case (and the story reflects facts that actually take place), fanaticism does not consist in the fact that believers themselves do not work on Saturday, do not drive a car, and do not make phone calls. This is not fanaticism, but behavior consistent with their religious beliefs. Fanaticism begins there when they try to force dissenters to the same behavior.

The degree of violence can also vary: from blocking the roadway on Saturday to beating dissidents and even their physical destruction. And here religious extremism develops into religious crime. Religious crime can manifest itself both in a relatively weak degree and in a very strong degree. Religious crimes can be committed by individuals, individual religious organizations (the leaders of religious organizations and specific executors of criminal “guidelines” bear the blame for such crimes, but, of course, not ordinary believers) and even entire states (again, the blame in this case is not assigned to on ordinary citizens of these states, and on their rulers and executors of criminal orders).

In the past, one of the most striking manifestations of religious crime was the so-called “Bartholomew’s Night” in Paris (the night of August 24, 1572). The French writer Prosper Merimee spoke about it very vividly in his novel “Chronicle of the Times of Charles IX.”

But even at the end of the twentieth century, religious crime sometimes expresses itself in a very cruel form. The most tragic consequences were brought to life in Japan by the criminal activities of religious fanatics from the AUM Senrikyo denomination.

A manifestation of religious pathology, of course, is fanaticism within some faiths. For example, there have been cases when in Pentecostal communities the procedure of “casting out demons” turned into painful torture of unfortunate people. In a number of communities, rituals turned into hysterical fits, and individual believers, being in a twilight state of consciousness, committed criminal offenses.

But perhaps what is called religious pathology here has nothing to do with religion? After all, religion, by definition, is a synthesis of belief in the supernatural and rituals addressed to the supernatural. Where is the faith or rituals here? But, firstly, faith is present here: for in all cases, fanatics (including extremists and criminals) were pushed to uncivilized, inhumane behavior by a peculiar understanding of faith in the supernatural. And secondly, religion, by another definition, is an activity through which belief in the supernatural is expressed and realized. And, as facts show, belief in the supernatural can be expressed not only through civilized, but also through uncivilized, pathological activities.

Is religious pathology the rule or the exception? Religious pathology has always had a place in the history of religion. History does not know periods of development free from manifestations of religious pathology. And in this sense, religious pathology is the rule.

But on the other hand, pathological phenomena (even in their weakest manifestation: fanaticism without violence) have never characterized all religions and everything in religions. The civilized form of existence of religious ideas has always taken place in religious movements. Its scope expanded more and more over time. And in our time, religious civilization greatly prevails over religious pathology. And in this sense, religious pathology has become an exception.

Religious pathology is nothing more than religious fanaticism in different forms and varying degrees of its manifestation. As the historical past of religion has shown and as its present shows, religious fanaticism is a negative phenomenon in the life of society. All civilized people - both believers and non-believers - in the name of the happiness of humanity, in the name of their own happiness, in the name of the happiness of their children and grandchildren, must fight to overcome religious fanaticism. But how?

The problem requires study. As smart people say, you need to sit down at the table, take your head in your hands and think. But one initial and mandatory step should be mentioned now. In our opinion, this mandatory step is personal example. It should be borne in mind that religious fanaticism is not an isolated social phenomenon, but a part of fanaticism in general. Fanaticism can be not only religious, but also atheistic (for example, the disrespectful attitude of non-believers towards believers), and political (intolerance towards people with different political views), and everyday (for example, when a husband and wife cannot argue with each other without irritation, when children do not want to understand their parents, but parents do not want to understand their children). And this means that people will first be able to limit and then overcome religious fanaticism only when they successfully fight fanaticism in general, with all and every type and manifestation of fanaticism. And personal example consists, in our opinion, first of all in strict, consistent adherence to two basic rules of civilized attitude towards dissidents. The first rule: you need to listen to dissidents, let them speak out. And the second rule: you cannot offend dissenters either by your behavior, or by your words, or by the irritated or ironic tone of the conversation.

Functions of religion.

The functions of religion are the ways in which religion influences people's lives. How many functions religion has and what they are called is still a matter of debate among historians. We present the view that there are four basic functions of religion. They are basic in the sense that they can be divided into second-order functions. The functions of religion differ from each other in the answer to the question through what (or how) they influence people’s lives.

The worldview function of religion is the way religion influences people’s lives through worldview ideas that are part of the content of religion.

The political function of religion is the way religion influences people's lives through political ideas and political actions of religious organizations.

The cultural-transmitting function of religion is the way religion influences people's lives through the attitude of religious organizations to culture.

The moral function of religion is the way religion influences people's lives through the promotion of moral norms.

In all cases, from our point of view, the functions of religion bring both positive and negative results into people's lives. Or figuratively speaking, they give rise to both pros and cons.

Religion and worldview.

A worldview is a set of ideas about the most general patterns and the most general problems of life. This set of ideas can also be called ideological information. Worldview information answers the questions whether God exists, what are His properties, whether miracles exist, whether the laws of nature can be violated, what is the meaning of life, whether there is an afterlife, and others. If special information is of interest only to people of a certain profession, then worldview information is of interest to everyone at once. Worldview information greatly influences people's behavior. This is a kind of personal command post.

One of the advantages of religious ideological information is that religion helps believers overcome negative emotions. Or in other words, we can say this: the plus is that religion gives people comfort. People need to overcome negative emotions. If negative emotions (fear, grief, despair, loneliness, etc.) continue for too long and are experienced too deeply, then the human body “breaks down.” From an overabundance of negative emotions, people either die or go crazy. And this is also not a prospect. Religious consolation is a great plus. This is a unique form of psychotherapy. Moreover, this form of psychotherapy is widespread, cheap and effective. Thanks to religious consolation, humanity survived in the historical past. Thanks to this consolation, many people continue to live now.

Another advantage of this function of religion is that it generates and supports communication among people with a common worldview. Communication is an important need and a high value in people's lives. Lack of communication or limited communication makes people suffer. Many pensioners especially suffer from a lack of communication. But both middle-aged people and a certain part of young people suffer from loneliness. With the help of religion this negative side of life is overcome.

Well, what are the disadvantages of the worldview function? Let us remember that only historians talk about the disadvantages. From the point of view of theologians, religion (at least the so-called “true religion”) did not have, does not, and cannot have any disadvantages.

Historians say there are two disadvantages to this function. The first disadvantage is the alienation of people from each other on ideological grounds. This means that people belonging to different religious denominations often treat each other with at least indifference, at most unfriendly, and in some cases even hostile. The more strongly the idea of ​​chosenness is propagated in a particular religion, the stronger the alienation between believers of different faiths.

However, this minus is not absolute. There is a religion (Baha'ism), the moral code of which not only does not practice alienation towards dissidents, but, on the contrary, condemns such behavior as a moral vice. The leadership of a number of religious organizations teaches their followers to have a brotherly, comradely attitude towards people with a different ideological orientation. In many religions (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Islam, etc.), the presence or absence of such alienation, or at least its degree, depends on the level of culture and the level of moral development of believers. The most civilized believers, despite dogma that pushes towards alienation, and in accordance with moral norms that call for rapprochement, behave friendly towards dissenters.

The second disadvantage of the ideological function (according to historians) is a decrease in the level of social activity of believers. Social activism refers to non-religious activities aimed at serving other people or society as a whole. This includes socially useful work, social and political activities, scientific and cultural activities, and helping those in need. Religions, through their ideological function, mainly interfere with the participation of believers in socio-political activities (participation in elections, rallies and demonstrations, in the development and discussion of political documents, in the activities of trade unions, political parties, etc.). How? Sometimes through direct prohibitions on participation in socio-political activities (this is, for example, the case in the Jehovah’s Witnesses denomination), but most often through an atmosphere of moral approval of people who, in the structure of their personal time, give the “lion’s share” to religious matters themselves. activities (prayers, other rituals, study of religious literature, its distribution, etc.). In this situation, there is either no or very little time left for activities for the benefit of “others.”

But many religions call for charity? Isn't this a call for social activism? Yes, of course, this is a call for social activity that deserves approval from society. But this call is generated by another function of religion: moral. At the same time, the power of this call is to some extent extinguished by its ideological function. From the point of view of historians, there is a real contradiction here, in which, depending on the traditions of the confession and the level of civilization of believers, either the socially passive or socially active side dominates. There is a witty saying from men about women: women inspire us to do great things, but do not give us the time to implement them. The same can be said about some religious denominations. You can agree with historians, you can disagree with them, but in any case you need to know what exactly they say about the influence of religion on the social activity of people. And they say that religion is a “brake” in the development of this form of activity.

This does not mean that believers are inferior to non-believers in terms of social activity. Why? Because in the lives of non-believers there are other “brakes”, and often stronger ones than the religious worldview. These include: a low level of culture, drunkenness, drug addiction, a criminal lifestyle, etc. For example, when a drunkard-atheist becomes a teetotaler-believer, both the individual and society benefit from this change. Compared to whom are believers inferior in terms of social activity? Compared to themselves, to what they could become. In other words, compared to the ideal.

Religion and politics.

Politics is, firstly, the relationship between parties, classes, nationalities, peoples, states, and it is, secondly, the attitude of individuals to parties, classes, nationalities, peoples, states. Political ideas reflect these relationships, and political actions express them. Politics can be progressive (these are the policies that promote social progress) and reactionary (these are the policies that oppose social progress). Political ideology and political activity arose along with the emergence of classes. From that time on, the participation of religious organizations in politics became inevitable. The only question was what policy they chose. And if a religious organization through the mouth of its leaders declares that it does not participate in political activities (as do, for example, the leaders of the International Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses), then this means only one thing: it does not participate in those forms of political activity that are offered by the state and existing There are political forces in the country (parties, trade unions, etc.). At the same time, non-participation in the proposed forms of political activity itself is a kind of political activity, the essence of which is the political boycott of generally accepted forms of politics. In other words, this is a policy of social passivity.

The “plus” of the political function of religion is the promotion of social progress by religious organizations. The “disadvantage” of this function, accordingly, is the opposition of religious organizations to social progress. Thus, in the 16th century, the Lutheran Church introduced a political “plus” into the life of believers and society by promoting the development of bourgeois relations in Europe. During the same period of time, the Catholic Church, defending outdated feudal relations, introduced a “political minus” into the life of believers and society.

Religion and culture.

Culture is divided into material and spiritual. The cultural-translating function of religion reveals the relationship of religion to spiritual culture. And spiritual culture is understood as the totality of positive achievements of humanity in the intellectual and emotional spheres of its activity. Spiritual culture includes such structural elements as the activities of museums, libraries, education, science, philosophy, art, morality... The interaction of religion with morality is especially important and fundamental. And therefore, although morality is an element of spiritual culture, interaction with it is revealed through the special, moral function of religion.

At each stage of historical development in specific religions, two opposing trends coexist: the tendency to promote the development of spiritual culture (a trend that generates “pros”) and the tendency to counteract the development of spiritual culture (a trend that generates “cons”). The “pros” and “cons” in the relation of religion to culture are especially clearly visible in the example of the relation of religion to art.

The first “plus” is the concern of religious organizations for the preservation of religious art. Religious art is an artistic activity and its results that are capable of supporting believers’ belief in the supernatural. In particular, religious art includes: temple architecture, icons, religious music, religious fiction. Religious art, like all art, contains positive aesthetic and humanistic content. The presence of religious material inside these works makes these works of art products of high demand for believers. Thus, through religious art, religion develops and strengthens the artistic perception of believers and introduces them to the world of art. Religious art gives a positive humanistic and aesthetic charge primarily to believers. First of all, but not only. In principle, consumers of this type of art, as well as art in general, are all representatives of the civilized part of humanity.

Religion has, in a certain respect, a beneficial influence on secular art (secular art refers to such artistic activity and its results that do not support belief in the supernatural). Religion, as it were, “gives” artists many images, plots, metaphors and other artistic material. Without the use of this material, secular art would be many times poorer in its artistic expression.

On the other hand, many specific religions put forward certain barriers to the participation of believers in secular artistic activities. One of these obstacles is direct religious prohibitions on certain aspects of artistic creativity and artistic perception. These prohibitions still exist, but there were especially many of them in the past. Thus, the Russian Orthodox Church, since its inception (the end of the 10th century), persecuted the folk art of buffoons and in the 17th century achieved its prohibition and destruction. And Islam in the past universally prohibited Muslims from depicting living beings. Bans on some types of art in some countries remain to this day. For example, in the main country of the Muslim world - Saudi Arabia - theater and cinema are prohibited.

Another obstacle to the participation of believers in secular artistic activities is the atmosphere created in many communities of moral condemnation of those believers who are interested in secular culture: fiction, theater, cinema, dance, etc.

Religion and morality.

The positive significance of the moral function of religion is the promotion of positive moral norms. The “disadvantage” of this function is the simultaneous promotion of some negative moral norms. However, it should be emphasized once again that only historians consider the moral function of religion to be contradictory in its results. As for theologians, in their opinion, all moral norms that religion promotes are only positive (i.e., useful for society and the individual). Historians most often illustrate their point of view using the example of Christianity. This is what their reasoning looks like.

The main way of establishing Christian moral norms was their inclusion in the text of the Bible. The norms included in the Bible are of the highest significance for believers, because their source, according to Christians, is the will of God. From the point of view of historians, there is something negative in these norms. In particular, they include the requirements set out in the Gospel of Matthew as negative norms: turn the other cheek, love your enemies, do not make vows, do not worry about tomorrow, do not judge anyone, forgive “up to seventy times seventy times,” do not get divorced).

Historians also negatively evaluate those passages in the Gospels that, in their opinion, direct believers to refuse communication with dissidents. If in the Gospel of Matthew the call to refuse communication with dissenters follows as a conclusion from the interpretation of certain passages of the text, then in the Psalms of David this call sounds directly and directly: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked...” (Ps., 1:1).

However, according to historians, positive morality occupies a leading, dominant place in the Bible. The main positive norm is the requirement of a humane attitude towards people. The Gospels contain two different formulations of this norm. The first is: “As you would have people do to you, do so to them” (Matthew 7:12). With a slight rearrangement of words, the same moral norm is repeated in the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Luke. This formulation was later called by cultural figures the “golden rule” of morality. It is both a requirement to do good and a criterion of morality, a way to find out which action is good and which is bad. The golden rule of morality is formulated in some documents of the past older than the Gospels. However, millions of people learned about this rule only from the Gospels. The second formulation of the requirement of humanism sounds like this: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 19:19, etc.).

But not only the wording of the norms is important, but also their explanations. In this case, it is important to understand what it means to love your neighbor and who exactly is your neighbor. The Gospels answer these questions in a humane spirit: to love your neighbors means to help them, and neighbors are all people who need help.

There are many other positive moral norms in the Gospels and other books of the Bible: do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie (more precisely, do not bear false witness), honor your father and mother, feed the hungry, do not insult people, do not be angry with people in vain, make peace with those with whom you have quarreled, give alms and do not emphasize this, notice your shortcomings, evaluate people not by their words, but by their deeds, do not get drunk on wine, etc. Let us especially note the famous requirement: “If anyone does not want to work, he do not eat" (3:10).

A state of logical contradiction often arises between the negative and positive norms of the Bible, because in its texts there are teachings that exclude each other in their content. For example, the Bible simultaneously teaches believers to love all people and not to have fellowship with dissenters. But one excludes the other. According to our observations, in such cases believers choose only one side of the contradiction, and temporarily “forget” about the presence of another, directly opposite indication.

As for the negative norms of the Bible, their “correctness” is recognized by the majority of Christians only in words. There is a contradiction between negative moral standards and the practical behavior of believers. This is a “good” contradiction, useful for the life of believers. While positively assessing all the norms written in the Bible, in practice both believers and even clergy often act not just differently, but in the exact opposite way than what was said in the biblical teaching. Thus, in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, in the name of Jesus Christ, believers are given the following recommendation: “Do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.” However, the clergy themselves often, for example, fight back against robbers.

Or another example. In Matthew 5, men are forbidden to look at women “lustfully.” In practice, “lust” results in an aesthetic experience - admiring the beauty of a woman. The Gospel says that a man who does not comply with this requirement must either pluck out his eye or cut off his hand. How do religious men look at beautiful women? They look normally, as men are supposed to look - they admire. But are there many one-eyed and one-armed men among believers? There are some, but not all of them.

One of the important means of preserving and strengthening positive morality is moral ideals. A moral ideal is an image of a historical figure or literary hero, whose moral qualities and actions are an example to follow. In religions, the role of moral ideals is played by religious characters, whose lives and actions are described in religious literature. Of these, Jesus Christ is the most well-known. Let us dwell on the characteristics of his moral qualities, which we encounter on the pages of the Gospels.

Christians give the person of Christ an absolute moral assessment. In their opinion, he was a perfect person who did not give a single bad recommendation and did not commit a single bad act. From the point of view of religious doctrine, Christ is not subject to criticism. A Christian who perceives any, even insignificant, errors in his words or actions, thereby immediately ceases to be a Christian.

Historians, like believers, consider the image of the Gospel Christ to be the embodiment of a moral ideal, although they make one significant reservation. They proceed from the fact that in life the moral ideal is not the one who is impeccable in all respects (such people simply do not exist), but the one who, despite individual mistakes and shortcomings, contributes more than others to the establishment of goodness in the life of society. The exponent of precisely such a vital moral ideal is Christ. He gave some wrong advice and did some wrong things. But historians believe that both people and literary heroes should be assessed not by their individual mistakes, but by their lives taken as a whole.

The good prevailed in the actions and teachings of Christ. He taught to act in such a way that it would be good for all people, i.e. taught humanism. He condemned cruelty, violence, injustice, murder, theft, debauchery, deception; called on people to love their neighbors, respect their parents, be truthful, peace-loving, accommodating, and generous. And his actions are also dominated by a good beginning. Almost all the miracles he performed were good miracles. He heals the sick, feeds the hungry, calms the storm, raises the dead. All this is done for people, all in the name of improving their lives. But the most important act in his life is a feat of self-sacrifice. He went to the cross and died for the good of people, knowing that only his suffering and death could open the way for people to a better future. In the twenties, public debates about religion took place in our country, at which Metropolitan Vvedensky spoke from the position of religion, and People’s Commissar of Education A.V. Lunacharsky spoke from the position of atheism. At one of these debates, the Metropolitan said that everyone would like to have Christ in their camp. Lunacharsky replied: “But we don’t. We don’t need Christ.” Life has shown that non-believers also need Christ, but they do not need Christ the God, but Christ the literary hero, who has become a symbol of high good in world public opinion and in world art.

How does religion influence a person's personality? How are they manipulated? Remember that People with established, but one-sided views, and religious ones as well, are quite easily manipulated when using the methods and rules of influence that are familiar to them.

Religion can significantly influence the formation of a person’s personal life concept, the type of social activity, and attitude to various everyday and work situations.. At the same time, the level of religiosity and the ability to organize life activities in accordance with religious postulates significantly depend on basic personal characteristics.

The traditional religion in Russia and Ukraine is Orthodoxy, which is the orthodox movement of Christianity. Christianity declares love for one's neighbor, tolerance, humility and forgiveness. In addition to Orthodoxy, many other religions are practiced in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, most of which arose in the early 90s pp. XX century

During the “religious expansion” a number of destructive religious sects appeared in the state. People are influenced through suggestion and self-hypnosis, carried out against the background of psychophysical exhaustion.

The latter is ensured by performing various rituals, prohibiting sleep, grueling physical work, fasting, strict adherence to a diet poor in proteins and amino acids needed by the brain.
But just the skill of manipulators is not enough. Not every person is affected this way.
The most malleable people are those who are prone to forming super-valuable ideas that are inspired, with a weak type of nervous system.

Members of destructive sects can be audiovisually diagnosed using the following signs:: indifference to one’s own appearance, comfort, often thinness, unhealthy complexion (skin with a yellowish-grayish tint, dark spots under the eyes), stooped posture, lack of interest in external events, detachment from the environment, isolation, concentration on one’s own thoughts, obvious animation during conducting conversations about important ideas preached in the sect.

For example, about the greatness of Maria Devi Christ, about the depth and significance of Roerich’s teaching of cosmic mind, the Highest Truth, yoga, etc.. The sign is an obvious obsession in the implementation of sectarian rituals: meditation, reciting illogical texts overloaded with neologisms, a sharply negative attitude to a certain type of clothing, food, etc.

Supporters of traditional and new religions, regardless of the declared values, usually live and act according to circumstances. Both the victim and the killer equally turn to God for help. A deep belief in values ​​does not deprive a person of idleness, the habit of lying, stealing or killing. Some religions openly and loudly promote national and religious superiority, the chosenness of themselves by God and, accordingly, the inferiority of others. Supporters of such a religion openly or covertly treat people with disdain, viewing them as low creatures who need to be treated like animals, not paying attention to moral standards, the requirements of society and laws, their mental and physical suffering. A person who deeply believes is not always a decent person, and sometimes vice versa.

Communication with a person imbued with religious ideals requires special training on religious issues, knowledge of the declared truths and the real purpose of the guides.

If you are well versed in matters of faith and religion, then you can quite effectively influence a person to believe, you can always find keys by pressing which you can play the desired melody.

People with established but one-sided views, and religious ones as well, are quite easily manipulated when using the methods and rules of influence that are familiar to them. We can say that religion is another factor that divides humanity, as opposed to lucrative factions, that sows discord, hatred and war.
Suffice it to recall the thousand-year-old relations between Christians and Muslims, Orthodox and Catholics, Shiites and Sunnis, Muslims and Hindus, relations within Hindu religious castes, etc.

Religion is a significant phenomenon in the cultural life of society, performing many socially significant functions. There are many definitions of the concept “religion”, combining which we can formulate a rather long definition. Religion - This

1) views of the world that are based on belief in God, deities, spirits, ghosts and other supernatural beings who created everything on Earth and man himself;

2) actions that constitute a cult, in which a religious person expresses his attitude towards otherworldly forces and enters into relationships with them through prayer, sacrifice, etc.;

3) norms and rules of behavior that a person must follow in his daily life;

4) the union of believers into one organization (in science such a union is called a confession, and among the people - a church, community, sect, etc.).

Throughout human history, religious views have changed significantly. Three main stages can be distinguished - early religious views (deification of animals and forces of nature, veneration of spirits), the formation of national religions (special ideas usually characteristic of one people) and the emergence of world religions (religious views that have adherents among people of different nationalities and are aimed at all humanity) Let's briefly look at each of them.

In ancient times, man thought of himself as an integral part of nature, inhabiting it with spirits, deities, and invisible forces. The most ancient forms of religion include animism (animation of the forces and elements of nature), totemism (veneration of animals and birds as the ancestors of the human race), shamanism, belief in the spirits of ancestors, etc. The ancient Slavs, for example, inhabited the entire world around them with spirits: house, yard, field, forest, pond.

Many peoples believed that their ancestors were once animals or plants. These sacred ancestors were called totem . Drawings, dances, holidays and rituals were dedicated to the totem. There were ideas that after death a person would again turn into this animal or plant. Echoes of faith in sacred animals and plants can be especially clearly observed in state symbols (on the coats of arms and flags of a number of settlements, regions and entire countries there are eagles, lions, elephants, wolves, bears, roses, cedars, oaks, etc.), in titles and even in people's surnames.

The influence of early religious ideas has a significant, sometimes subtle, impact on our daily lives. We believe in magical ideas about the evil eye and damage, carefully watch films about vampires and ghosts, are interested in horoscopes, tell fortunes using the lines of the hand, are afraid of “unlucky” numbers, walk around black cats, and sing hymns. Even children's games have their roots in the veneration of supernatural forces - counting rhymes with spells of the forces of nature, tag with the magical ritual of “bewitching” by touch. The richest heritage of ancient times are collections of myths. The most famous of them are Egyptian, Greek and Roman, although Scandinavian, Middle Eastern, American and many others are no less interesting. Their stories are the basis of classic works of literature, fairy tales, set to music and immortalized in sculpture. You cannot consider yourself a cultured person without familiarizing yourself with such a heritage.

Like any social phenomenon, religion performs certain social functions. Religion makes its contribution to explaining the world and clarifying the place of man in it, sometimes filling the gaps that exist in science. Her answers extend both to the origins of the appearance of all living things (each religion has its own views on the beginning of the world, which received the scientific name “cosmogony”), and to the end of human history. Science and religion have long been considered irreconcilable rivals in our country. It’s just that scientific theories use precise formulas and numbers, rely on laboratory research, and religious statements use images and symbols. Both are necessary for man and all of humanity.

Religious ideas, values, attitudes, religious activities and religious organizations act as regulators of human behavior . All sacred religious books contain a whole system of injunctions and prohibitions. For example, the holy book of the Jews, the Torah, prescribes rules for the daily behavior of people and the observance of the Sabbath.

Religion serves as a means of communication between believers. First of all, people communicate with God and His servants, and in addition they communicate with each other. Believers do not feel loneliness, have common topics for conversation, and are close to like-minded people. A single faith gives a feeling of understanding and help, which a person sometimes lacks.

Finally , religion allows a person to feel the meaning of life, gives hope for the future salvation, to get rid of suffering. An idea arises about the direction of historical development and the common fate of one’s people.

Society and religion, man and faith are inseparable concepts that allow us to talk about the unity of humanity not only in space (we all live on the same planet), but also in time (different eras are interconnected and do not disappear without a trace).

Religions called world religions play a special place in the religious world of modern humanity. Distinctive feature world religions is that they are professed by people of different nationalities. With their appearance, the interaction between different peoples strengthened. Let us characterize the world's leading religions:

Buddhism appeared in India in the 6th century. BC. as a sign of protest against the caste system of dividing society and allowed everyone the opportunity to leave the circle of rebirths immediately, without long ascents. According to legend, Prince Gautama faced poverty, illness, old age and death, which forced him to leave his home, family, honors and power. After long wanderings, he achieved the highest truths and became the Enlightened One (in Indian - Buddha). He then became both a deity and a prophet of a new religion. Buddha taught that the world is ruled by suffering, that its cause lies in the presence of numerous passions in a person (they seem to tie him to the world and force him to be reborn again and again, and therefore suffer), that one can abandon them and receive eternal bliss ( Buddhists call this state of complete peace Nirvana) and that there is a way to achieve Nirvana. These truths are very similar to the principles of healing: having a medical history, a diagnosis, recognizing the possibility of recovery and a prescription for treatment.

Buddhism imposed very strict demands on people, which turned into almost a rejection of all life's pleasures. The culture of human behavior required him to observe five strict commandments: do not kill (and the requirement applied not only to humans, but also to the entire living world, including ants, flies, midges, etc.), do not take someone else’s (that is, the requirement to be content with to your own), don’t lie, don’t drink intoxicants, beware of looking at women (treat a young woman like a daughter, a woman the same age like a sister, an older woman like a mother). Of course, a simple person was not able to fulfill all this and later the regulations were softened - only the deliberate murder of a living creature was condemned, and the last commandment was replaced by a ban on adultery.

The sacred book of Buddhists is the Tripitaka (translated as “three baskets”), since initially the texts were written down in special collections called baskets or pitakas), and the symbols are images of Buddha sitting in the lotus position and the Wheel of the Law with eight spokes . True, there are still different directions, because not everyone liked the relaxation of the original requirements. Be that as it may, Buddhism is one of the three world religions, the majority of its followers are now located in China, especially in the mountainous regions of Tibet. In our country there are peoples who profess Buddhism - Buryats, Kalmyks and Tuvans.

Christianity - the second oldest and most widespread world religion on Earth. Christians recognize the Holy Trinity as God (the unity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit), the main symbol is the cross (Jesus Christ died on the cross, atonement for the sins of people), the basic principle proclaims love for one’s neighbor (“Love thy neighbor , as himself”), the commandments of the Old Testament are recognized, and various Lives of the Saints are venerated. Most Christians recognize seven main sacraments that form the basis of external worship of God: baptism (immersion or sprinkling with holy water), anointing (anointing the body of the person being baptized with special church oil), communion (eating special bread and wine, symbolizing the body and blood of Christ), confession (the opportunity to repent of your sins before the clergyman), wedding (church consecration of marriage), priesthood (special rites before entering the priesthood) and unction (confession of a dying person).

The emergence of Christianity is associated with an attempt to overcome the ethnic limitations of Judaism within the framework of the Jewish nation. In his sermons, Christ spoke about equality regardless of origin and belonging to a particular nation. A person’s personal responsibility for his further salvation was recognized. During the first years of its existence, Christianity was banned and many of its adherents were subjected to persecution and cruel executions. More than three hundred years passed before the authorities recognized this religion. Later, different directions and currents appeared in Christianity. There are three main branches of Christianity - Orthodoxy , Catholicism And Protestantism .

The birth of Christianity marked the beginning of modern chronology - our year corresponds to the time that (according to Christians) has passed since the birth of Jesus Christ. Many monuments of world art reflect biblical images and scenes, and crosses are present on the national flags of many countries around the world (Switzerland, Finland, Greece, Great Britain, etc.).

The youngest of the world's religions in terms of time of origin appeared Islam. Its origin dates back to the beginning of the 7th century, and Muhammad is considered the main prophet. Islam originated among the tribes of the Arabian desert and then spread throughout the world. Muslims, supporters of Islam, believe in one God, Allah, and have one holy book - the Koran. The main center of veneration is the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia (wherever a Muslim is, during prayer he turns his face towards Mecca, and he must pray at least five times a day).

Islamic regulations are very strict - you cannot eat pork (even something that has come into contact with pork - a knife, fork or plate, a devout Muslim will never pick up), it is forbidden to drink wine, during prayer you must be on your knees and pray bow to the ground, infidels must be destroyed during the holy war of jihad or ghazawat (this rule arose in the years when the Arabs fought a war for their territory and faith, but today the possibility of peaceful coexistence with representatives of various religions is recognized, and only individual fanatics seek to call for merciless war with infidels).

Islam plays an important role in the modern world. Its symbols - the green color and the crescent - are necessarily present on the banners of Arab states, and the regulations even become the main laws (in a number of countries, legal proceedings are conducted according to the laws of Sharia - Muslim law - and they still use ancient punishments - blows with a stick, stoning, etc. ).

There are many Muslims in our country. They have complete freedom of religion. New mosques (sacred buildings where communication with God takes place) are opened, religious books are printed, and the opportunity opens up for studying the religion of one’s ancestors.

In relation to different religious views, all people are divided into atheists, sectarians, representatives of a certain confession and non-religious people. In the Soviet Union, atheism was recognized as state policy and consisted of a constant struggle against any manifestations of piety, superstition, and mysticism. Religious literature was banned, and special atheistic subjects were taught in educational institutions.

Now freedom of religion has been proclaimed in our country - every person can profess any religious views or not profess them at all, any persecution for faith, and therefore atheism, is prohibited. A person has the right to be non-religious, but at the same time he should not everywhere and everywhere prove from a scientific point of view “the falsity of the fabrications of churchmen,” or accuse them of fraud and theft. True, another danger has emerged - freedom of religion has given birth to a mass of very different sects, drawing people into their ranks by any means, often using psychic influence. The leaders of these sects, under the guise of fighting for simplicity of life, demand the transfer of personal property to the sect, and use their people to put pressure on others.

The world of religion is very complex. Peoples in their own way have sought and are seeking ways to understand life, answers to the main questions of the existence of mankind. Some people, and there are scientists among them, are trying to divide all religious ideas into more and less correct, independent and subordinate, primitive and complex, higher and lower. Not only militant atheism is dangerous, but also religious fanaticism and sectarianism. Humanity is strong in its diversity, and this statement can fully be attributed to the relationship between religion, politics and society. All paths are good that lead to peace and harmony between people.

Culture

There is no doubt that the life of a believer is different from the life of an atheist. The influence of religion on human life is obvious. However, You may not be aware of some of the things that have resulted from your faith in God. Moreover, this can be something positive or negative.

So, faith in God....

1. Helps you stay away from junk food

Truly religious people eat healthier foods than atheists. In January 2012, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published the results of a study in which scientists asked volunteers to take tests and play games somehow related to religion. Scientists have come to many interesting conclusions, in particular, they found that faith in God helps young people keep themselves from eating unhealthy food.

2. ... and yet contributes to excess weight

According to a study presented at the American Heart Association conference in March 2011, young people who frequently attend religious events are 50 percent more likely to become overweight as they age than those who do not attend church. Perhaps this is due to religious holidays, during which large amounts of delicious food are eaten. However, the scientists note that these results should not be taken as a statement that believers have poor health. It has been proven that believers live longer than atheists, if only because they drink less and do not smoke.

3. Makes you happier

Believers are more likely to feel happy than atheists. According to a study published in December 2010 in the American Sociological Review, the secret to happiness among religious people is that they feel part of a community and regularly interact with people who share the same interests as them. In church and at various religious events, people find friends and do not feel lonely.

4. Saves you from depression

Believers, like everyone else, suffer from depression, but it is easier for them to get rid of this condition. According to a 1998 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, elderly patients hospitalized for physical illness and also suffering from depression were more likely to recover from depression when faith in God was an integral part of their lives. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in 2010 found that belief in God leads to more successful treatment for depression.

5. Encourages you to check your health more often

In a 1998 study published in the journal Health Education & Behavior, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that people who regularly attended church were more likely to seek medical attention for preventive health care, including mammography. About 75 percent of the 1,517 women who attended church had regular mammograms (breast examinations), while only 60 percent of the 510 women who did not go to church had regular mammograms.

6. Lowers your blood pressure

People who regularly attend church have lower blood pressure than those who don't, according to a 2011 study in Norway. It has been shown that people who attend church at least three times a month have lower blood pressure compared to less religious people. Similar results were noted in a study conducted in the United States. Moreover, a certain relationship was noticed: the more often a person attends church, the lower his blood pressure. People who go to church rarely have the same pressure as those who don't go to church.

Prejudice towards people occurs all over the world. Psychologist Will Gervais came to this conclusion during the study. Residents of all continents assume that immoral acts (including even serial murder) are more often committed by non-believers. According to polls, Americans trust atheists less than representatives of any other social group. Therefore, for most politicians, going to church is a great way to secure popular support in elections, and declaring that you are an unbeliever can ruin your career. And, of course, it is no coincidence that there is not a single open atheist in the US Congress.

There is no doubt that the major world religions place considerable emphasis on morality. Hence, many conclude that religious beliefs are a sign of virtue. Others generally argue that without religion there is no morality. However, both of these statements can be questioned.

Firstly, the ethical beliefs of one movement may be unacceptable from the point of view of another. Thus, in the 19th century, Mormons considered polygamy a moral duty, while for Catholics it was a mortal sin. Moreover, the moral behavior of members of a particular group often includes aggression towards others. For example, in 1543, one of the founders of Protestantism, Martin Luther, published a treatise “On the Jews and Their Lies,” which outlined anti-Semitic ideas that have been popular among representatives of various movements for centuries. These examples also prove that religious morality must change over time. And it is really changing: for example, relatively recently the Anglican Church allowed contraception and the wedding of same-sex couples, and women bishops appeared.

In any case, religiosity is only distantly related to theology. That is, the beliefs and behavior of believers do not always fully comply with official religious doctrine. For example, Buddhism is officially a religion without God, but most of its practitioners treat Buddha as a deity. The Catholic Church actively opposes contraception, but most Catholics still use contraception. And such deviations from doctrine are the norm rather than the exception.

Scientists conducted a study in which participants were asked to evaluate their own character and behavior. The survey results showed that religious respondents consider themselves more selfless, compassionate, honest, and merciful than atheists. This dynamic continued even in the case of twins, one of whom is more religious than the other. But if you look at actual behavior, it turns out that there are no differences.

This is evidenced, for example, by the classic Good Samaritan experiment, in which researchers tracked which passersby would stop to help an injured person on the street. The researchers concluded that religiosity played no role in the participants' behavior. It is interesting that some of them were just going to speak on the topic of this parable, but this also did not affect their actions in any way.

On the other hand, human behavior can be influenced by various traditions and signals associated with religion. For example, studies of American Christians have shown that on Sundays they donate more money to charity and watch less porn. However, on the remaining days of the week they compensate on both counts, so there is no difference in the average results of religious people and atheists.

In addition, different religions have different effects on those who adhere to them. For example, if people believe that their God gives some moral guidelines and punishes for non-compliance with the rules, then they try to be more fair and are even less likely to cheat when concluding transactions. These are the results of an international study. That is, if a person believes that all his thoughts are known to God, who punishes sinners, then he tries to behave better.

But it should be noted that it is not only religion that can lead to more moral behavior, but also faith in the power of the law, a fair trial and a reliable police force. And, as a rule, if the laws are strictly observed, then religion no longer influences people as much and distrust towards atheists also decreases.