The influence of religion on the economy. Religion in the modern world and in modern society Characteristic features of ethnic religions

At all stages of the development of human civilization, religion has been and remains one of the most important factors influencing the worldview and way of life of every believer, as well as relationships in society as a whole. Every religion is based on belief in supernatural forces, organized worship of God or gods, and the need to adhere to a certain set of rules and regulations prescribed to believers. in the modern world plays almost the same important role as it did thousands of years ago, since according to polls conducted by the American Gallup Institute, at the beginning of the 21st century, more than 90% of people believed in the presence of God or higher powers, and the number of believing people is approximately the same in highly developed states and in third world countries.

The fact that the role of religion in the modern world is still great refutes the secularization theory popular in the twentieth century, according to which the role of religion is inversely proportional to the development of progress. Proponents of this theory were confident that scientific and technological progress by the beginning of the twenty-first century would cause only people living in underdeveloped countries to retain faith in higher powers. In the second half of the 20th century, the secularization hypothesis was partly confirmed, since it was during this period that millions of adherents of the theories of atheism and agnosticism rapidly developed and found, but the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century was marked by a rapid increase in the number of believers and the development of a number of religions.

Religions of modern society

The process of globalization has also affected the religious sphere, so in the modern world they are gaining more and more weight, and there are fewer and fewer adherents of ethnoreligions. A striking example of this fact can be the religious situation on the African continent - if just over 100 years ago adherents of local ethnoreligions prevailed among the population of African states, now all of Africa can be conditionally divided into two zones - Muslim (northern part of the continent) and Christian (southern part). mainland). The most common religions in the modern world are the so-called world religions - Buddhism, Christianity and Islam; each of these religious movements has over a billion adherents. Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, Sikhism and other beliefs are also widespread.

The twentieth century and modern times can be called not only the heyday of world religions, but also the period of the emergence and rapid development of numerous religious movements and Neo-shamanism, neo-paganism, the teachings of Don Juan (Carlos Castaneda), the teachings of Osho, Scientology, Agni Yoga, PL-Kyodan - This is only a small part of religious movements that arose less than 100 years ago and currently have hundreds of thousands of adherents. Modern man has a very large choice of religious teachings open to him, and modern society of citizens in most countries of the world can no longer be called mono-confessional.

The role of religion in the modern world

It is obvious that the flourishing of world religions and the emergence of numerous new religious movements directly depends on the spiritual and psychological needs of people. The role of religion in the modern world has hardly changed compared to the role played by religious beliefs in past centuries, except for the fact that in most states religion and politics are separated, and clergy do not have the power to exert significant influence on political and civil processes in the country.

However, in many states, religious organizations have a significant influence on political and social processes. We should also not forget that religion shapes the worldview of believers, therefore, even in secular states, religious organizations indirectly influence the life of society, since they shape the outlook on life, beliefs, and often the civic position of citizens who are members of a religious community. The role of religion in the modern world is expressed in the fact that it performs the following functions:

The attitude of modern society towards religion

The rapid development of world religions and the emergence of many new religious movements at the beginning of the 21st century caused a mixed reaction in society, as some people began to welcome the revival of religion, but another part of society spoke out strongly against the increasing influence of religious faiths on society as a whole. If we characterize the attitude of modern society towards religion, we can notice some trends that apply to almost all countries:

A more loyal attitude of citizens towards religions that are considered traditional for their state, and a more hostile attitude towards new movements and world religions that “compete” with traditional beliefs;

Increased interest in religious cults that were widespread in the distant past, but were almost forgotten until recently (attempts to revive the faith of our ancestors);

The emergence and development of religious movements, which are a symbiosis of a certain direction of philosophy and dogma from one or several religions;

The rapid increase in the Muslim part of society in countries where for several decades this religion was not very widespread;

Attempts by religious communities to lobby for their rights and interests at the legislative level;

The emergence of trends opposing the increasing role of religion in the life of the state.

Despite the fact that most people have a positive or loyal attitude towards various religious movements and their fans, attempts by believers to dictate their rules to the rest of society often cause protest among atheists and agnostics. One of the striking examples demonstrating the dissatisfaction of the non-believing part of society with the fact that government authorities, in order to please religious communities, rewrite laws and give members of religious communities exclusive rights, is the emergence of Pastafarianism, the cult of the “invisible pink unicorn” and other parody religions.

At the moment, Russia is a secular state in which the right of every person to freedom of religion is legally enshrined. Now religion in modern Russia is going through a stage of rapid development, since in a post-communist society the demand for spiritual and mystical teachings is quite high. According to survey data from the Levada Center company, if in 1991 just over 30% of people called themselves believers, in 2000 - approximately 50% of citizens, then in 2012 more than 75% of residents of the Russian Federation considered themselves religious. It is also important that approximately 20% of Russians believe in the presence of higher powers, but do not identify themselves with any religion, so at the moment only 1 out of 20 citizens of the Russian Federation is an atheist.

The most widespread religion in modern Russia is the Orthodox tradition of Christianity - it is professed by 41% of citizens. In second place after Orthodoxy is Islam - about 7%, in third place are adherents of various movements of Christianity that are not branches of the Orthodox tradition (4%), followed by adherents of Turkic-Mongolian shamanic religions, neo-paganism, Buddhism, Old Believers, etc.

Religion in modern Russia is playing an increasingly important role, and it cannot be said that this role is unambiguously positive: attempts to introduce this or that religious tradition into the school educational process and conflicts arising on religious grounds in society are negative consequences, the reason for which is the rapid increase in the number religious organizations in the country and the rapid increase in the number of believers.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/

Introduction

Chapter I. General characteristics of world religions in the modern world

1.1 Religion

1.2 Types of religions

1.3 The influence of religion on various areas of life

Chapter II. The influence of religion on the economies of individual countries of the world

2.2 Russia

2.3 Japan

Conclusion

List of used literature

Application

religion Christianity economics creed

Introduction

By the end of the second millennium of modern civilization, all five billion people living on earth believe. Some believe in God, others believe that He does not exist; people believe in progress, justice, reason. Faith is the most important part of a person’s worldview, his life position, belief, ethical and moral rule, norm and custom, according to which - more precisely, within which - he lives: acts, thinks and feels.

Observing and comprehending the world around him and himself in it, man realized that he was surrounded not by chaos, but by an ordered universe, subject to the so-called laws of nature. It did not require special insight to understand: man cannot change these laws or establish others. The best minds at all times have struggled with the attempt to unravel the mystery and meaning of life on earth, to find that faceless, mysterious force that reveals its presence in the world through the connection of things and phenomena; It was she who separated man from the natural world. To designate this power, man has come up with thousands of names, but their essence is one - this is God.

At this stage of our development, there are many religions and religious institutions. But they all affect various spheres of human life and activity. Historians, political scientists, and economists interpret religion as one of the factors determining the success or failure of various societies. Many scientists these days are studying the influence of religion on humans, including on economic activity.

The connection between religion and human economic activity has existed since ancient times. Religion has had and is having an active impact on the behavior of believers in the sphere of economics and production, on their attitude towards work. This is evidenced by the experience of all world religions. Economic success was achieved by those societies and countries where various religions, with their specific means, stimulated economic activity, creating the appropriate moral background, work ethic and moral standards. She can prohibit her followers from cheating and breaking promises, which, it would seem, should contribute to the development of the economy: merchants will not overcharge and shortchange, debtors will not hide from creditors. At the same time, this same religion can declare enrichment sinful and elevate humility of the flesh to the highest ideal. In general, there is a huge scope for interpretation of what real Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox, and Jewish values ​​are.

There are many studies on how religion affects the economy. Cross-country comparisons show that, firstly, the religiosity of citizens (for example, the frequency of church attendance) has a beneficial effect on economic development, and secondly, that this effect manifests itself differently for different religions. It is assumed that religious values, like belonging to a particular religion in general, are something unchangeable, one of the basic components of our identity. In history, however, there have been cases of mass changes of religious affiliation, for example, the Reformation in Europe or the mass conversion to Christianity of residents of territories colonized by Europeans in Africa, Latin America, and Siberia. One way or another, at the everyday level we mean that if a person grew up, for example, in a Muslim family, then no matter what he does - he stopped going to the mosque, received a secular education, moved to another city - his value system is the same will remain Muslim.

So, the purpose of my work is to test the relationship between the religiosity of the population and their attitude to new economic values, using the example of the attitude of believers to the organization of labor and important aspects of this sphere of human activity. I can find out whether there is a relationship between faith and new values, using the example of another sphere. In addition, I have to find out the correctness of the premise that believers mainly represent a socially disadvantaged segment of the population.

My goal thus breaks down into three tasks:

1. Check whether the religiosity of the population and attitude towards new economic values ​​are connected in the sphere of work.

2. Check whether religiosity and a person’s social status are connected.

3. Analyze literature and sources on this topic.

I will then give examples of various countries where economic development has been influenced by religion.

The object of my work is religion, and the subject is the dependence of the economy on religion. The work consists of an introduction, 2 chapters, a conclusion and an appendix.

ChapterI. General characteristics of world religions in the modern world

1.1 Religion

Religion is one of the forms of social consciousness, conditioned by belief in the existence of the supernatural (in a supernatural force or personality). This faith is the main sign and element of any religion that believers represent.

Religion is a distorted, fantastic reflection of reality. Ideologists are trying to prove that religion is eternal, that religious feeling is inherent in man by nature. In fact, religion arose only at a certain stage in the development of society. The oppression of people by the elemental forces of nature and social oppression, ignorance of the true causes of natural and social phenomena - these are the sources of the emergence of religion.

The most important feature of religion is belief in the supernatural. Being dependent on the forces of nature that dominated them, people endowed them with unearthly qualities - they turned them into gods and spirits, devils and angels. They believed that if they were not appeased, they could cause grief and suffering, and, conversely, if they were appeased and worshiped, they would help people. This is how a religious cult arose - a set of religious actions: prayers, sacrifices, etc. With the emergence of a religious cult, its servants also appeared - priests, shamans, priests, as well as various kinds of religious organizations and institutions.

Today there are a huge number of different religions. All of them are divided into global and national (see Appendix 4). The most common are Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. The most popular religion is Christianity (1.3 billion people). Second place is occupied by Islam (900 million people). The third world religion is Buddhism (400 million people).

As of 2005, more than 54% of believers on Earth are adherents of one of the Abrahamic religions. 33% of them are Christians,

21% are Muslims, 0.2% are Jews. 14% of the planet's inhabitants profess Hinduism, 6% are Buddhists, 6% profess traditional Chinese religions, 0.37% are Sikhs, 7% are adherents of other faiths (see Appendix 3).

1.2 Types of religions

Christianity.

Christianity has three main branches: Catholicism, found mainly in Western Europe and America; Protestantism, main centers in the north of Western Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa; Orthodoxy, professed by the peoples of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece (see Appendix 1).

It arose in Palestine around the personality of Jesus Christ, as a result of his activities, as well as the activities of his closest followers. The time of origin is usually attributed to 33 AD. - the year of Jesus' crucifixion. Jesus Christ was born in the small Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Christians believe that the birth of Jesus took place as a result of the virgin birth through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is known about most of Jesus' life. The last years of his life are reported in the holy book - the Bible (in its second part - the New Testament). Christianity quickly became widespread. First of all, people were attracted to Christianity by its very high humanistic principles and its appeal to all racial, ethnic and social groups. Later, it was the fact that it was Christian countries that in most cases achieved the most striking successes in their economic, social and cultural development. (3)

Currently, the number of adherents of Christianity throughout the world exceeds 2 billion, of which in Europe - according to various estimates from 400 to 550 million, in Latin America - about 380 million, in North America - 180-250 million (USA - 160-225 million, Canada - 25 million), in Asia - about 300 million, in Africa - 300-400 million, in Australia - 14 million.

The approximate number of adherents of various Christian denominations: Catholics - more than 1 billion, Protestants - about 400 million (including 100 million Pentecostals, 70 million Methodists, 70 million Baptists, 64 million Lutherans, about 75 million Presbyterians and similar movements), Orthodox and adherents of the Ancient Eastern churches ("non-Chalcedonian" churches and Nestorians) - about 240 million, Anglicans - about 70 million, and followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church - 10 million.

Islam.

Islam is divided into two branches: Shiism, whose followers - Shiites live in Iran, partly in Iraq and Yemen; Sunnism - has a much wider distribution - northern Africa, South-West and Central Asia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Russia (see Appendix 2).

Initially, Islam was spread as a religion of Monotheism and taught how to worship Allah. But the foundations of faith have been changed by people over time and have lost their authenticity. Therefore, Allah sent down the last Prophet Muhammad. Through the Prophet Muhammad, the true and perfect religion - Islam, the religion of all Prophets - was again transmitted to all people. Muhammad is the last Prophet to spread the religion of Islam. Islam consists of 5 pillars, 3 regulations and 9 prohibitions. Holy book - Koran.

In today's world, almost every fifth person professes Islam. Over the past 50 years, the world's Muslim population has increased by 235% and currently stands at 1.6 billion. There are 16 million Muslims living in Russia. The number of Muslims by country is distributed as follows: USA - 7 million, Indonesia - 182.2 million, Pakistan - 146.9 million, Bangladesh - 116.0 million, India - 109.6 million, Iran - 63.9 million.

Buddhism.

Distributed in Central and Southeast Asia. According to the Pali and Sanskrit traditions, the founder of this religion is Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama Shakya Muni), who lived on earth for about 80 years and went into “parinirvana” (final liberation from further rebirths) in 554 BC.

Buddhism is a religion of overcoming suffering. In history, Buddhism exists in two main varieties - Hinayana and Mahayana. Buddhism arose in India in the 6th - 5th centuries. BC. But it did not gain much popularity in the country itself and became a world religion outside its borders - in China, Japan, Central Asia, Korea, Vietnam and other countries. The rejection occurred because Buddhism rejected caste, the authority of the Vedas and Brahmins, religious ritualism, and therefore did not fit into the social structure and culture of Indian society, which was based precisely on the tradition rejected by Buddhism.

Buddhists believe that the bearers of high knowledge are Buddhas - beings whose mind is in a free, not bound, state, and the highest manifestation of these beings is the historical Buddha. The teachings of Buddha are proposed to be perceived through a religious model of the universe: the one God, by separating heaven from earth, creates three-dimensional space and self-realizes in it with the help of acts of creation, and then this is a space inspired by God, in which God manifests himself through His names and real forms: Buddha, Jesus Christ The Koran becomes a testing ground for the development of the human mind.

Today Buddhism exists in two main forms. Hinayana is common in Sri Lanka and in the countries of Southeast Asia - Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Mahayana is predominant in China, including Tibet, Vietnam, Japan, Korea and Mongolia. Significant numbers of Buddhists live in the Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan, as well as Sikkim in northern India. Much fewer Buddhists (less than 1%) live in India itself, Pakistan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Outside of Asia, several thousand Buddhists live in the USA (600 thousand), South America (160 thousand) and Europe (20 thousand).

Universal logical connection of religious doctrines.

Based on a review of the world's religions, the question naturally arises of what unites them all. Both at the theoretical and empirical level it was established that they contain the answer to the question of the meaning of life. In all religions, it turns out that a person’s life can be determined not only by the manifestations of world forces, but also by his own efforts. Efforts can somehow influence his life. This means that a person cannot completely submit to fate, but must exercise his freedom and bear responsibility, since his life depends on the nature of these efforts. All religions claim that a person should strive to achieve everything pleasant and avoid everything bad in life in order to receive a worthy reward in the future. Thus, human life is determined by the arbitrariness of God, who alone rules in the world, therefore a person must strive to be pleasing to God in order to achieve everything that is pleasant in life or to avoid everything that is unpleasant in it. This unites all the religions that exist in our world, but in essence they have many differences and have different effects on human activity and life.

1.3 The influence of religion onvarious areas of human life

Religion exists in society not as a body alien to it, but as one of the manifestations of the life of the social organism. Religion is a part of social life, from which it cannot be isolated, since it is firmly woven into the fabric of social relations. Nevertheless, the nature and degree of this connection in different spheres of human life are not the same. And in order to see the degree of influence of religion on a person’s life, it is necessary to consider this issue from several positions:

1) religion and science

2) religion and society

3) religion and economics

Religion and Science

The relationship between “religion and science” consists of two questions: 1) what is the relationship between the subject of religion and the subject of science; 2) how science can study religion.

The first question arose when science suddenly began to claim to refute or at least verify the dogmas of various religious doctrines. However, already at the end of the 19th century. They began to express the idea that these sciences have nothing in common with religious knowledge. The answers contained in religious doctrines can neither be confirmed nor refuted by scientific data. Thus, science and religion are completely different in their focus. Knowledge of science and knowledge of religion do not intersect; they belong to different spheres, serve different purposes, arise in different ways. But still, nowadays scientists are constantly trying to prove the doctrines of religion from a scientific point of view. And the fact that religion and science have different subjects does not mean that science cannot study religion itself.

But on the other hand, the role of religion is also manifested in the fact that it is deeply hostile to science and the scientific worldview. For many, many centuries the church mercilessly stifled science and persecuted scientists. He prohibited the dissemination of progressive ideas, destroyed the books of progressive thinkers, and imprisoned them and burned them at the stake. But despite all efforts, the church was not able to delay the development of science, which was urgently dictated by the needs of material production. In our time, being powerless to refute the greatest scientific achievements, the church is trying to reconcile science with religion, to prove that scientific achievements do not contradict faith, but are consistent with it. Science gives a person reliable knowledge about the world, about the laws of its development. And religion, in turn, gives an idea of ​​the meaning of this person’s life. Today, religion is studied in almost all humanities.

Religion and society

The question of the relationship between religion and society is, first of all, a question of the role of religion in motivating social behavior. Religion is a link in sociocultural connections, the functioning of which makes it possible to understand their structure and emergence: it acts as a factor, firstly, in the emergence and formation of social relations, and secondly, in the legitimization of certain forms of social actions and relationships. Religion helps maintain the stability of society and at the same time stimulates its change. Religion makes human life meaningful, it gives it “meaning,” it helps people understand who they are by showing the meaning of the group to which they belong among other people inhabiting our world. Religion also contributes to the stability of society by establishing norms that are beneficial to a given social structure and creating the conditions for a person to fulfill moral obligations. In addition to interreligious ones, religion causes conflicts related to its existence in a secular society. Religious commitment can lead to conflict between adherence to the requirements of faith and the law. In turn, religious conflicts can promote change, and social changes can cause changes in the religious sphere. One should also keep in mind the fact that religious affiliation can serve as a means of uniting certain groups.

In modern society, the relationship between religious and political institutions is considered in two aspects. The first is associated with the functions performed by religion to substantiate and maintain the values ​​of a given society. These values ​​are also involved in political activity: their influence and attitude towards law and authority is reflected in support or opposition to them. The second aspect concerns the correlation of religion with politics as an institution representing the interests of certain social groups associated with strengthening their influence.

Religion andeconomics

At different historical periods, religious groups, wishing to influence the economic views and behavior of their followers, were faced with a dilemma: on the one hand, they tended to consider poverty a virtue. For example, the Bible states, “Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earth,” and the Buddhists exalt the mendicant monk who travels easily, unencumbered by economic concerns, and can therefore easily plunge into a life of observation and reflection. However, as soon as the organization of a religious group becomes more complex, a problem arises - funds are needed for its activities. Then the group begins to get involved in economic affairs, whether it wants to or not. She begins to demand contributions from her followers and is grateful for the donations she receives from wealthy members. If a member of such a group manages to get rid of poverty, he is not condemned; on the contrary, he is even praised for his hard work and frugality.

Thus, religion influences the economic sphere. Firstly, when economic life emphasizes such personal and business virtues as honesty, dignity, respect for obligations, and religion successfully instills these virtues in its followers. Secondly, religion sometimes encourages consumption - religious holidays encourage the consumption of certain material things, even if they are just special candles or special foods. Third, by emphasizing human work as a “calling,” religion (especially Protestantism) has elevated work, no matter how degrading, and this is associated with increases in productivity and income (see Table 1). Fourth, religion can justify and validate specific economic systems and activities.

Table 1 Ratio of income of believers

Theory and history of religion. Ethnic religions. Introduction to the course “Ethnic Religions”. Goals, objectives and structure of the course; The concept of “ethnic religions”. Characteristics of ethnic religions; Types of ethnic religions; Fundamentals of doctrine, structure and cult; Problems of modern ethnic religions. Rudolf Otto “The Sacred,” “On the emotional in the idea of ​​the social and its relationship with the rational.” Concepts of ethnic religions. Character traits. Ethnic religions existed everywhere. At different stages of human development they existed constantly. Ethnic religions are also called “folk” religions, state religions, because they are typical for one state, without going beyond its borders. Their significance lies in the fact that such religions have a significant influence on the formation of the mentality of the people. Ethnic religions regulate the behavior and life of its representatives. Contribute to the development and preservation of the corresponding ethnic group. Prevents his cultural and linguistic assimilation. Ethnic religions are those religious beliefs that cover with their influence all segments of the population within one nationality or state. Character traits: Small numbers (from several hundred and thousands to several million people); Limited geographical distribution area; Traditionally oral reproducibility; Types of ethnic religions Ancient Greek religion is a system of polytheistic beliefs. Ancient Egyptian religion Ancient Indian religion - as a set of religious views and rituals Ancient Iranian religious beliefs Ancient Roman religion Confucianism Synthism Fundamentals of doctrine, structure and cult in ethnic religions Kinship. The ethnic community comes first. Religion and people represent a single whole, therefore the concept of missionaryism is not familiar in tribal religions. Elderly people play an important role in the ethnic community. They are the ones who pass on their experience to younger generations. Gods and ancestors are present (mostly polytheism). There are two languages ​​- within faith, the language of initiates (shamans, priests) and the language of everyone else. Cult is an action that expresses worship (faith). European Congress of Ethnic Religions and World Congress of Ethnic Religions. The first congress of the World Congress took place in 1998, the city of Vilnius. Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes. In Iceland there is the Asatrup organization, in Poland - the “Association of Native Faith”, etc. Modernization for folk religions in Europe is their improvement in relation to others. Definition and classifications of religion Definition and philosophical meanings of religion; Problems and principles of classification of religion; Yablokov “Textbook and educational dictionary minimum”; Hegel “Philosophy of Religion”; Tylor "Primitive Culture"; Freud, Obsessions and Religious Rites, Totem and Taboo. Religion is a special form of awareness of the world, conditioned by belief in the supernatural. The religious point of view goes back to Lactantius, who defined religion as the doctrine of the reunification of man with God. Man initially had a direct connection with God, but then, in the course of some events, he lost it. Irreligious. Religion – as one of the forms of social consciousness, a set of spiritual ideas based on belief in the supernatural; religion as organized worship of higher powers. Religion is understood in a subjective and personal way. Religion is seen as a personal belief. Objective general plan. Religion is viewed as a general institutional phenomenon. Problems and principles of classification of religion Principles: Consolidation of pre-existing historical communities The unification of similar religious phenomena (allowing us to reveal the structure of the religious experience of mankind) Signs: ethnographic, philosophical, morphological, phenomenological, normative, geographical, linguistic. Normative characteristics are the most common and divide religions into two groups: true and false. The disadvantage is that it is not scientific. The truth of a religion is mainly supported by apologists, who in turn may believe that only one religion is true. It's also not tolerant. Geographic principles are based on the geographic distribution of communities. There are such religions as oceanic, American, classical religions of ancient Greece and ancient Rome (their Hellenistic variants are added to the same group). Many religions are not limited to existing in one region. Ethnographic and linguistic principles. There are such races as Oceanic, American, Mongoloid (Semites, Aryans). Geography of world religions Religion is an essential element in the differentiation of human cultures. At different stages of history, in different countries and regions, the positions and influence of religion on the life of society and economic activity vary significantly. Religions and beliefs are widespread in clearly localized geographic areas and have a specific influence on the social, political and economic life of people, on psychology, moral and legal consciousness and behavior. The influence of religion on the patterns of resource use and receptivity to innovation is especially great. Religious reasons gave rise to most of the major political conflicts in the history of mankind, and territorially they were confined to the borders of areas with different beliefs. The religions of the world existing today are divided into two large groups - monotheistic, which are characterized by belief in one main deity, and polytheistic who have an extensive pantheon of gods. Geographically, religions are divided into local traditional beliefs held by scattered isolated tribes; national, as a rule, widespread within state borders or areas of residence of ethnic groups, and World religions"> world, which transcended national boundaries and became the common religion of many ethnic groups and states. Local traditional beliefs They arose at the very dawn of humanity and in conditions of geographical isolation of communities. The objects of their worship are varied: Animism"> animism- belief in the soul, its immortality and the existence of spirits; cult of ancestors - belief in the existence of people after physical death and their influence on those living today; Totemism">totemism is the belief in the origin of all members of a given tribe from a plant or animal that is considered sacred; Fetishism"> fetishism- belief in inanimate objects and their supernatural power; shamanism is the belief in the ability of shamans to communicate with spirits. Many of these beliefs, having arisen at the dawn of the primitive system, persist today in isolated and inaccessible areas of Southeast Asia, Latin America, in the Arctic latitudes of North America and Eurasia. By the beginning of the 21st century. the total number of followers of traditional beliefs was about 200 million people. The evolution of early religious beliefs followed the evolution of society. The unification of disparate tribes into a single state was accompanied by the emergence of the cult of the human leader, who in early class society was transformed into the image of an abstract human god. By the 2nd millennium BC. e. refers to the emergence of religions that have survived to this day. Zoroastrianism (Parsism). This is one of the oldest religions, which originated in Central Asia in the 1st millennium BC. e. Its origin is associated with the name of the prophet Zoroaster. The teaching is based on the belief in two divine principles - the good god Ahuramazd and the evil god Andromache. The divine service includes rituals of priests with sacred fire in a metal bowl (hence another name for Zoroastrians - fire worshipers). Fear of desecration and the need for purification gave rise to many prohibitions: restrictions on communal meals and bathing, on eating food from the hands of strangers, on contact with garbage and sewage. The number of Zoroastrians does not exceed 200 thousand people. National religions Judaism">Judaism is considered one of the earliest beliefs that has survived to this day. It arose on the territory of modern Israel, first as a polytheistic religion, which later turned to monotheism. Judaism, in addition to belief in one god, is characterized by belief in the immortality of the soul, posthumous reward, to heaven, hell and God's chosenness of the Jews. This last circumstance, as well as the fact that only those born of a Jewish mother can be considered a Jew, prevented the transformation of Judaism into a world religion. Judaism in its orthodox form is the dominant religion of the state of Israel; it is professed by Ashkenazi Jews (Jews - immigrants from Western, Northern and Eastern Europe) and Sephardim (Jews - immigrants from North Africa, the Middle East, the Balkan and Iberian Peninsulas), as well as Jews living on all other continents. By the beginning of the 21st century there were about 14 million in the world followers of Judaism, with about half of them living in America. In Judaism, a large place is occupied by prayers, fasting, the rite of circumcision, and numerous holidays (Easter, Judgment Day, New Year, Saturday, etc.). Rabbis are actually teachers of the law, judges in Jewish communities, and not priests of the cult. Some followers of Judaism do not recognize the Talmud. These are, for example Karaites- descendants of those who migrated to Crimea from Khazaria in the 11th century. children of Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, who, according to the dogmas of nudaism, are not “real” Jews. Samaritans, mainly living in the Samaria region (Israel) and in Jordan, recognize only some parts of the Old Testament (Torah and Nebim). Hinduism"> Hinduism. In the second half of the 1st millennium BC. e. developed from Brahmanism, which appeared in South Asia, sanctifying the caste system of India. It is practiced by a significant part of the population of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Large communities of Hindus live in Indonesia, Guyana, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, and Mauritius. The spread of Hinduism beyond the Hindustan Peninsula was hampered by two main factors: geographical (Himalayas) and conservative dogmas of the religion itself, and, first of all, its basis - the caste system. In Hinduism there is no single dogma, ritual, or organized church. It includes elements of Brahmanism, Vedic and local religions, primitive beliefs: the veneration of water (“sacred waters” of the Ganges River), animals (“sacred cows”), and the cult of ancestors. Followers of Hinduism recognize the Vedas as sacred books and follow the doctrine of samsara - the journeys of the soul, reincarnating after death into various living beings according to the law of karma, i.e., depending on the deed. Hinduism affirms the inequality of people before the gods and the divinity of caste division. People are obliged to follow the order of life established for each caste, choose a profession and social circle. The caste system is transforming very slowly. The law abolishing the caste system, passed after Indian independence, changed little in the life of Hindu society. Rajiv Gandhi government in the late 80s. XX century introduced the reservation of 30% of places in the state apparatus and in higher educational institutions for representatives of the untouchable caste, which caused protests from almost all sectors of Hindu society - both representatives of the upper castes and the untouchables themselves. The pantheon of Hindu gods is large. The main God in Hinduism is the Triune God (Trimurti), who has the properties of creation (Brahma), preservation (Vishnu), destruction and creation (six-armed Shiva). Many temples were built in their honor. Jainism arose as an “opposition” to the caste system in the 6th century. BC e., he proclaimed the main principle of faith is the non-killing of living beings. In the XV-XVI centuries. At the intersection of the cultural influence of Islam and Hinduism in the territory of the modern state of Punjab (India), Sikhism arose, rejecting the caste system and incorporating elements of Islam and Hinduism. The dogmas of Hinduism indirectly contributed to the penetration of Islam into Hindustan. There were few representatives of the Kshatriya caste (warriors) in the western regions, and other castes did not have the right to engage in military affairs, so the Muslim conquerors did not receive a worthy rebuff here. To distinguish themselves from Hindus and Muslims, Sikhs wear the “five Ks”: kesh (long hair), kachha (short underpants), kanha (comb), kara (steel bracelet), kirpan (dagger). The colorful turbans and beards of Sikhs are clearly visible in the street crowd. The number of Sikhs is about 15 million people; they are the third largest religious community in India (after Hindus and Muslims). Since the mid-60s. Sikhs are fighting for the creation of an independent state of Khalistan. Sikhs have influential communities in many countries in Asia and Africa, where they control the tailoring business and trade. Religions of East Asia: Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism. Philosophical systems arose on the territory of modern China - Confucianism"> Confucianism and Taoism"> Taoism. Over time, these systems acquired the status of religions. They did not have a strict church hierarchy and did not oblige believers to think and act in a certain way. Unlike Christianity and Islam, Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism were never propagated by sword and fire, nor did they resort to missionary activities. Confucius Confucianism. Confucius - a statesman of Ancient China (V - VI centuries BC) and his followers wrote the treatise "Lun Yu" ("Conversations and Judgments") - the main literary source of Confucianism. Strictly speaking, Confucianism is not a religion, since it never had the institution of a church, priesthood, or mystical elements. The ideas of Confucius are the ideas of earthly man, not of God. A person must comply with the norms of social behavior and traditional rituals. Other ethical norms of Confucianism are mandatory moral self-improvement and adherence to the rules of etiquette - to act in accordance with one’s social position, and to unconditionally obey superiors. The power of rulers is considered to be granted by heaven, and therefore sacred, and the division of people into “higher” and “lower” is considered a fair law. Confucian morality preaches five cardinal virtues: humanity, justice, self-improvement, nobility and loyalty. From the 2nd century n. e. before the Xinhai Revolution of 1911-1913. Confucianism was the official state ideology of China, an authoritative ethical system that determined the thinking and character of millions of people. Nowadays, Confucianism is followed by about 300 million people in China, on the Korean Peninsula, in Japan, in countries with a large Chinese diaspora (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.). Confucian values, incorporated into economic activities and education, have significantly contributed to economic success in the territories where this religion is practiced. Temple in China Taoism- one of the religions of China, the ideological source of which was the philosophical teaching of Lao Tzu, who lived peacefully at the same time as Confucius. Unlike Confucianism, Taoism is focused on the individual. According to this teaching, people should follow the natural course of events and not try to change it. The ideal of this religious and philosophical school is a life that does not violate the harmony of the surrounding world, achieving unity with nature and gaining immortality. In Taoism, fortune-telling and rituals that drive out evil spirits occupy a central place. The highest deities are recognized as Shang Di (the Lord of Jasper - God of Heaven and Father of Emperors), Lao Tzu and the creator of the world Pan Gu. Taoism had a strong influence on culture, contributed to the development of chemistry and traditional medicine based on the principle of harmony of the human body (acupuncture, physiotherapy, pharmacology). Closely related to Taoism is the doctrine of opposite principles - yin and yang. Yin - feminine, weakness, passivity, north, even numbers, yang - masculine, strength, activity, south, odd numbers. Their unity creates a perfect whole. Ancient books preserved recipes for medicines and descriptions of the properties of metals and minerals. About 30 million residents of China, Singapore and other countries where the Chinese live consider themselves adherents of Taoism. Shinto shrine in Japan Shintoism">Shintoism - a philosophical religious system - was formed in Japan, based on the cult of deities of nature and ancestors. The main deity is the Sun Goddess Amaterasu - the ancestor of all Japanese emperors. Gods and spirits inhabit and spiritualize all nature, are able to incarnate in any object that becomes an object of worship. The religious goal is considered to be the achievement of salvation in this, and not in the other world, through spiritual merging with the deity through prayers and rituals. Shintoism is characterized by magnificent holidays with sacred dances and processions. Shintoism partially coincides and peacefully coexists with Buddhism. The Japanese, for example, they are adherents of both Shintoism and Buddhism.For almost a century (from the mid-19th century), Shintoism was the state religion of Japan. Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism did not become world religions and did not spread beyond the areas of their formation. Yezidis (Yazidis). The basis of the creed, which followers try to keep secret, is the belief in one God, Ezd. At the same time, followers recognize Jesus Christ as God and revere the Muslim prophet Muhammad and the Jewish Abraham. They recognize the Bible and the Koran as sacred books; Christian baptism and circumcision of boys are common among them, like Muslims and Jews. Yazidis are Kurds living in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Armenia. World religions Buddhism- the oldest world religion. Appeared in the 6th century. BC e. as an opposition to the caste system enshrined in Brahmanism: a person’s dignity and his social status depend not on his origin, but on his behavior. All people, regardless of class and ethnic differences, can accept the teachings of the Buddha and find the path to salvation. According to Buddhist canons, life is a continuous chain of suffering, which can be alleviated by righteous behavior and non-killing living beings. Buddhism is widespread in China, Japan, Korea, and is the dominant religion in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia, Bhutan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Large Buddhist communities live in India, Nepal, Singapore, Indonesia and Russia, where it is practiced by Buryats, Tuvans and Kalmyks. Followers of Buddhism are vegetarians: they do not eat meat products. These ethical standards have a direct impact on economic life, especially on the specialization of agriculture. There are two main schools of thought in Buddhism. Adherents of Hinayana (which means “narrow path”) consider the Buddha to be a real historical person and strictly follow the principles of early Buddhism; those who want to achieve salvation must leave worldly life. Followers of the Mahayana (“broad path”) deify Buddha and believe that monasticism is not necessary for salvation. The three most important values ​​of Buddhism are the teacher Buddha, the teaching of drachma, the guardian of truth - sagha, who points out and facilitates the path of the believer. These ideas of Buddhism, as well as the relative indifference to ritual and adaptation to local conditions, contributed to its spread beyond India. In the southern and southeastern direction, Buddhism spread mainly in the form of the Hinayana teachings (in the 3rd - 1st centuries BC). From the beginning of our era, its movement to the north and northeast began in the form of the Mahayana teachings. In India itself, Buddhism was supplanted by Hinduism with a caste system that did not accept equality. IN Lamaism, a later form of Buddhism, places special emphasis on magical spells and meditation, with the help of which one can achieve nirvana - a state of supreme bliss and detachment from life's worries. Lamaism is widespread among the population of Mongolia, in eastern Buryatia, among Kalmyks and Tuvans. Christianity appeared at the beginning of the first millennium AD in the east of the Roman Empire, on the territory of modern Israel, as a protest against Judaic exclusivity. It quickly spread among slaves and the poor. Having proclaimed the equality of all people, Christianity rejected the existing slave-owning social order, giving the desperate hope of gaining freedom through the knowledge of the divine truth that Christ brought to earth. Craftsmen, traders, farmers, and nobility began to join Christian communities. Emperor Constantine (c. 285 - 337) with his edict of 324 marked the beginning of the transformation of Christianity into the state religion of the Roman Empire. The creeds were defined at the first seven Ecumenical Councils. They have been preserved unchanged in the Orthodox Church, which gives it additional arguments as a truly Christian doctrine. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of the Sourozh Monastery of the 11th century. in Pskov (Russia) According to Christianity, God exists in three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God the Son accepted martyrdom to atone for the sins of people and come to Earth a second time to establish the kingdom of heaven. The holy book of Christians is the Bible, consisting of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The main ethical standards are patience and forgiveness. In 1054 there was a complete break between the Roman (western) and Constantinople (eastern) branches of Christianity, it was divided into Catholicism">Catholicism and Orthodoxy">Orthodoxy. The main differences between them lie in the question of the origin of the Holy Spirit: Catholics believe that it came from God the Father and God the Son, Orthodox believe that it came from God the Father. Catholics, unlike Orthodox Christians, believe that in addition to hell and heaven, there is also purgatory. In the Orthodox Church, only choral singing without music is allowed; in the Catholic Church, services are accompanied by organ music. There are also differences in rituals, in the architecture of church buildings, in the organization of the church (strict centralization and the omnipotence of the Pope in Catholicism). The Orthodox Church is not governed by a single center; it is represented by 15 autocephalous (independent) churches: Constantinople, Alexandria (Egypt and some African countries), Antioch (Syria, Lebanon), Jerusalem (Palestine), Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Hellenic (Greek), Albanian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, American. From a number of autocephalous churches, autonomous churches have been identified that have greater rights of self-government (Sinai - the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Japanese - the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'). In the 90s XX century As a result of the collapse of the USSR, the question arose about the formation of an independent Ukrainian Church and its separation from the Russian Orthodox Church. In the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Macedonia, and in Cyprus, those professing Orthodoxy make up the majority of the population. There are large Orthodox communities in the USA, Kazakhstan, the Baltic countries, Kyrgyzstan, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, and the countries of the Middle East. Uniate(or the Greek Catholic Church), which recognizes the primacy of the Pope, appeared in the areas of “contact” between the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity, and absorbed the ethical norms and rituals of both branches. It is most widespread in Western Ukraine. Monophysite Church, which considers Jesus Christ not a god-man, but a god, is common among Egyptian Copts, Ethiopia, and Armenia. Catholic Church strictly centralized, has one center - the state of the Vatican City, a single head - the Pope (Jesus' vicar on Earth). The clergy in Catholicism takes a vow of celibacy. For many centuries, services in Catholicism were performed in Latin; only the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) allowed services in national languages. In most countries of Western Europe, Catholicism is the dominant religion, and in a number of countries - Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland - there are large communities. In all American states, the majority of the believing population professes Catholicism: almost a third of the US population and half of Canadians are Catholics. The Catholic Church has a huge army of clergy, subject to strict discipline, numerous monastic orders, and charitable organizations. The spread of Christianity, primarily Catholicism, beyond Europe and its transformation into a world religion began with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Colonization was often explained by the need to bring true faith to new territories. Outside European countries, Christian rituals were modified in accordance with local conditions. In the 16th century Catholicism spread to Latin America, to the Philippines, where the position of this religion is strong to this day. In the 19th century Together with the settlers, Catholicism penetrated into Australia and New Zealand. Colonial governments declared Catholicism the state religion in a number of countries in Southern and Tropical Africa (Cape Verde, Reunion), about 50% of the population of Equatorial Guinea, Seychelles, Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, Cameroon are Catholics. More than a third of the population of Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Congo, the Central African Republic, Kenya and Uganda adhere to the Catholic faith; 20% of Mozambique's population. There are large groups of Catholics in Namibia, Lesotho, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Madagascar. In Asia, Catholic countries are the Philippines and East Timor, there are many Catholics in Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. At the beginning of the 20th century. Catholicism spread to the Pacific Islands: Guam, Samoa, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia. As a result of the Reformation in Europe in the 16th century. separated from the Catholics Protestants, who rejected the primacy of the Pope as a mediator between God and believers. They began to recognize the atonement of sins only by faith in God, and considered the Bible to be the only source of doctrine. Protestants, in turn, were divided into Church of England, Lutheranism, Calvinism, from which they broke away Reformers, Presbyterians, Baptists and others. Protestants predominate among the population of Northern Europe, Canada, the USA, Austria, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, and Switzerland. Islam. The founder of Islam is a real historical figure, the Arab merchant Muhammad (509-623). The Archangel Gabriel appeared to him in 609 or 610 in the month of Ramadan and announced that Muhammad had been chosen by God to give people the true faith and save them from the Last Judgment. Muhammad's homeland, Hijaz, lay on a mountain-framed coastline between the Sinai Peninsula and Mecca. This area, where Bedouin tribes had previously roamed and caravans passed slowly, gradually became a place of permanent residence for merchants and moneylenders. Wars required a constant influx of goods, and the inhabitants of Mecca, located at the crossroads of the most important trade routes, did everything possible to develop trade. “Holy months” were introduced, when blood feud and any military action near the city walls were prohibited. The situation in the vicinity of Mecca was unstable: nomads robbed peasants and caravans, Bedouins were at enmity with each other over pastures and wells. Thus, circumstances required an ideology that would smooth out social contradictions, put an end to civil strife and robberies, and direct the militancy of the inhabitants to external goals. Muhammad gave all this. At first ridiculed for his obsession, he united his countrymen under the green banner of Islam. In Islam, unlike other religions, there are provisions that promote geographical discoveries, this is a “holy war”, mandatory pilgrimage to holy places and the recognition of trade as a charitable activity. For example, sura 17 of the Koran directly insists on sea voyages, claiming that Allah drives forward the ships of the faithful, on which they strive for abundance. Muhammad himself, being a merchant, argued that those who leave their homeland in search of knowledge follow the path of God. The main center of Islam is Mecca, where the black stone of the Kaaba is located. Muslims pray five times a day, facing this place. In Europe, Islam spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula - in southern and eastern Spain. Here, Arab-Moorish rule lasted for almost eight centuries - from 711 to 1492. A distinctive feature of Arab palaces is the abundance of carpets, the division into ceremonial halls, services and the female half (harem), where unauthorized men are prohibited from entering. There was always a park adjacent to the palaces. Islam was brought to North and Tropical Africa by Arab trade caravans. We owe the description of the “land of gold” to Arab travelers - the West African empire of Ghana (in the south of modern Mauritania), the kingdoms of Bornu and Kanem, the East African coast, where the Azanian civilization was formed under their influence. Unlike all other religions, Islam spread among all peoples who were ready to accept it, regardless of skin color and local beliefs. The result of this campaign was the flourishing of Islamic culture, due to the joint actions of Indians, Persians, Egyptians, united by Arab power. In Islamic literature, along with research on mathematics, medicine and astronomy, descriptions of travel became especially popular. Muslims, or Mohammedans, believe in one god, Allah, and Muhammad is considered his messenger on earth. The Holy Book of Muslims is considered the Koran, which consists of sermons, regulations regulating property, legal, family relations, it also contains everyday rules and teachings. Three main directions have emerged in Islam, differing in their approach to the question of the head of the Muslim community. Followers Sunnism in addition to the Koran, the “sacred tradition” of the Sunna is recognized, and worthy representatives of the elite are elected as the head of the Muslim community. For followers Shiism The role of Muhammad's son-in-law, the prophet Ali, is important (only his descendants can inherit power). Kharijism- Orthodox Islam, close to Sunnism, requires adherence to strict rules of conduct in life. The Kharijites condemn luxury, prohibit games and music, and choose a worthy leader of the community. Almost 90% of the world's Muslims are Sunni. Shiism predominates in Iran, Bahrain, Yemen, and Azerbaijan. Large Shiite communities live in Lebanon, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. At the end of the twentieth century. - beginning of the 21st century. The world witnessed a sharp increase in the role of Islam in the economic, political, and spiritual life of countries. There are Muslim communities in almost 120 countries around the world. In almost 30 countries, Islam is recognized as the state (official) religion. In 43 countries, Muslims make up the absolute majority of the population. These are 16 countries in North and West Africa, 26 countries in South-West and Central Asia, Albania. In almost 30 countries, Muslims form an influential minority of the population. These include the Russian Federation, in which many peoples of the North Caucasus, Tatars and Bashkirs, profess Islam. Religions and social life Most religions of the world attach special importance to continuity, traditions, and adherence to certain norms of behavior. From this point of view, religions definitely play a conservative role in society. Religions are often an obstacle to demographic policy. Religions have an indirect influence on agricultural development by limiting the consumption of certain foods (at certain times of the year) and by attaching symbolic significance to domestic animals. More than 260 million Buddhists are vegetarians, Hindus do not eat beef, and Muslims do not eat pork.

	Ratio of income per person in countries where religious adherents predominate and in other countries	A comment
Christians in general		Christian countries are five times richer than all other countries in the world. Christianity has the most positive impact on the economies of the world compared to other religions and ideologies.
Protestants		Protestant countries are eight times richer than all other countries in the world.
Catholics		Catholic countries are one and a half times richer than all other countries in the world.
Orthodox		Orthodox countries are 1.24 times poorer than all other countries in the world.
Muslims		Muslim countries are 4.4 times poorer than the rest of the world.
		Buddhist countries are 6.7 times poorer than the rest of the world.
		Hindu countries are 11.6 times poorer than the rest of the world. Of all the world's religions, Hinduism has the most negative impact on the economies of the world.
		Atheist countries are 11.9 times poorer than the rest of the world. The more atheists in countries, the poorer those countries are. Atheism as an ideology has the worst impact on the economies of the world.

American researchers also came to the conclusion that religion affects the rate of economic growth. And, as a rule, belief in hell spurs growth more than belief in heaven.

Harvard economics professor Robert Barro, together with a number of scientists, conducted a series of studies on the connection between the religiosity of the population and the economic growth of different countries. The main conclusion is that faith in God can increase the rate of economic growth.

Robert Barro divided having a belief in God, a belief in an afterlife, a belief in heaven and a belief in hell. His study, based on data from 59 countries, showed that the contribution of these factors to economic growth is always positive, although unequal. For example, belief in heaven has a much smaller impact on economic growth than belief in hell. The scientist himself expressed it this way: “The stick in the form of potential hell turns out to be much more effective than the carrot of potential heaven.” However, it has long been known that fear is the strongest stimulus. He spoke about the role of religion, in particular Protestantism, in creating ethical and moral incentives for effective work at the beginning of the twentieth century. Max Weber. According to scientists from Canada Ulrich Bloom and Leonard Dudley, religion influences the economy not so much through incentives to work more efficiently, but through the positive effect of the ban on lies and deception, which is especially important in economics.

Banks and religion

Banks are an integral part of the economic sphere. And here, too, there is interference of religion. There have been some studies that have shown that Protestants are indeed more responsible in their dealings with banks. And this once again proves that religion is an integral part of personality and largely determines a person’s behavior in society. For a long time, science and government institutions in many countries classified religion exclusively as a matter of private life. It is now clear that such a position does not correspond to the realities of life. From the history of Italy, Germany, and other European countries, we observe a situation where a certain part of the financial system was formed under the influence of religious beliefs and with the direct participation of the church. In a number of cases, the principle of religious solidarity worked, this concerned, in particular, issues of lending. In the West, at one time they believed that religion was disappearing, moving more and more into the sphere of private life, but now they understand that religion concerns many spheres of public life.

The influence of religion on many banks, for example in Italy, is very strong. It has developed historically and remains significant today. Related to this is the phenomenon of “ethical banking business,” that is, a business that complies with the ethical standards established in society. The formation of ethical standards is influenced by bank clients and public institutions, including the church. Now we see how the requirements to take into account moral, ethical and religious values ​​in the banking business are gradually growing. This is a very interesting phenomenon, and banks must respond to it in their practices.

The face of a bank, as is known, is largely formed by its clients. To be successful, he must take into account the peculiarities of the culture (and religion is an integral part of it) of the region where he works. Without this, he is disconnected from life, and as a result, the quality of service will suffer - one of the important tools for maintaining customer loyalty.

ChapterII. The influence of religion on the economies of individual countries of the world

2.1 USA

The USA is the largest exporter of capital. The United States has the world's largest economy and many natural resources, including energy and raw materials. High-tech production and research are the best in the world. The service sector and competitive industry are well developed. Leading software manufacturer. Excellent higher education system, especially in the field of high-tech. American firms prosper due to the widespread dissemination of American culture throughout the world. The world's largest exporter of goods. Political stability, qualified personnel.

Is all this influenced by religion?

The American government does not keep official statistics on religion. According to the CIA World Fact Book for 2007, 51.3% of the US population consider themselves Protestants, 23.9% Catholics, 12.1% unaffiliated, 1.7% Mormons, 1 .6% - other Christian denomination, 1.7% - Jews, 0.7% - Buddhists, 0.6% - Muslims, 2.5% - other or not specified, 4% - none ( see Appendix 4).

It is well known that America is a highly multi-religious country: people from almost all countries of the world live here, bringing with them their religions. That's why America is often called the "marketplace of beliefs," where numerous religious organizations actively compete with each other for the attention of citizens. Data from a major survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that this is indeed true, in a very literal sense. Different denominations, like competing firms, are indeed poaching clients and adherents from each other on an unprecedented scale and at an unprecedented pace. As it turned out, today 28% of American citizens identify themselves with a religion other than the one in which they grew up. And this is only if we consider the transition of believers between the main religious traditions, such as Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, etc. If we also take into account the transition of believers between individual traditions within these faiths (for example, between different Protestant denominations), then the share of Americans who changed their faith in adulthood is 44%.

And the point is not that some religions are more attractive than others: all faiths simultaneously lose and attract followers. A significant number of Americans who grew up Catholic have converted to other faiths or consider themselves “unaffiliated” with any of them. However, no less than 2.6% of the US population, on the contrary, converted to Catholicism at a conscious age. The picture is similar for Protestants. On the one hand, 8.5% of American adults are now former Baptists and 4.4% are former Methodists. On the other hand, 4.5% and 2.4% of US citizens, respectively, joined these churches as adults. For small groups like Anabaptists, Adventists or Quakers, the influx and outflow of believers is generally comparable to the number of hereditary adherents of the denomination. In other words, within the lifetime of one generation, a denomination loses half of its believers, but attracts the same number. Interestingly, the situation is similar with American Muslims: they are actively losing fellow believers, but in return they are successfully gaining new ones. Among today's adherents of Islam in America, 24% grew up Protestant, 4% grew up Catholic, and 8% were born into “unaffiliated” families.

American society has experienced a surge in religiosity in recent decades, similar to what is happening now in Russia, where many citizens who grew up in Soviet times in families completely indifferent to religion are now turning to Orthodoxy and Islam. In the United States, the ranks of “born again Christians” who have found faith in adulthood are also growing - President George W. Bush, as we know, belongs to them. However, it's not so simple: research shows that fundamentalist Protestant groups (such as evangelical Christians) are also losing adherents. And most of all people from other religious groups today are among the so-called unaffiliated (who do not identify themselves with any of the faiths, including atheists). And at the same time, they are also experiencing a strong outflow: more than half (54%) of those who grew up in non-denominational families today identify themselves with one religion or another. There is no need to talk about a clear trend here. Notably, the highest proportion of converts in the United States is among Buddhists, 32% of whom grew up Protestant and 22% raised Catholic. It seems that more and more Americans today are accepting a change of religion without any drama, choosing the denomination that better suits their current problems, spiritual quests and lifestyle.

As it turned out, American Hindus are losing the least number of followers: 84% of those raised in Hindu families still adhere to the faith of their fathers. In second place in terms of the stability of believers are Jews, for them this figure is 76%. Both of these confessions are mononational: religious identity here is intertwined with ethnic identity. This probably explains their stability. In third place in terms of stability are the Orthodox (73%), whose religiosity and nationality are also closely connected: unlike the same Catholics, they have Russian, Armenian, Greek, Bulgarian, etc. churches, each of which serves its own ethnic community. But supranational confessions are actively losing members - Protestants, Muslims, Buddhists, for whom there really is “neither Jew nor Greek.” The sustainability rate for Catholics is 68%. Their church, although formally supranational, in practice for people from many European countries (for example, Poles, Irish, Italians) Catholicism has become part of national identity, a sign of belonging to their ethnic community. The downside to this resilience is the inability to attract new members: only 10% of Hindus and 15% of Jews in the United States were born into another faith. However, even these few converts came to the new faith through marriage with those who were born into it.

There are two models available. In some cases, confessions retain their stability thanks primarily to traditions and historical memory. In others, when there is no such ethnic foundation, a new type of religiosity takes shape, in which belonging to a particular confession is not fixed once and for all and there is a constant circulation of believers. In both cases, it is probably difficult to talk about special Protestant ethics or Confucian values.

The most highly educated denomination in the United States is Hindus: 74% of them have higher education, and 48% also studied in graduate school. It is Hindus who are the richest denomination in America (along with Jews): 44% of them receive more than $100 thousand a year. Among Protestants, despite their notorious capitalist ethics, only 15% have such income, while every third earns less than $30 thousand a year. The same Hindus turn out to be insufficiently entrepreneurial in India, but extremely successful in the United States, and Christians set an example of business activity in India, but for some reason lag far behind other faiths in the traditionally Protestant States. It can be assumed that the fact is that both Christians in India and Hindus in the USA are religious minorities, outsiders, even if they are not in the first generation living in this country. Such minorities often turn out to be more economically and socially active than conservative natives. But Hindus in the United States are not the only religious minority: people from a variety of countries and adherents of a variety of religions live here. It turns out that not all religions are equally useful for the economy. But it’s impossible to predict how each of them will manifest itself in certain conditions. Abstract values ​​that always and everywhere determine the economic behavior of a Catholic, Protestant or Hindu probably still do not exist.

2.2 Russia

Religious composition of the population of the Russian Empire and modern Russia; the population of Russia consists of 160 nationalities, therefore, such a “motley” population will profess more than one religion. Russians profess almost all world religions, but the most widespread are the three world ones: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism. About 30 million profess Islam, which is 20%. Most of about 70% of Russians profess Christianity, and more specifically, Orthodoxy (see Appendix 5).

More than 60% of Russian residents consider themselves believers. This was shown by a survey by the independent research center ROMIR, the results of which were provided by ITAR-TASS.

Since the majority of Russians profess Christianity. In the future, it is advisable to consider the influence of religion on the economic development of Russia. Christianity is based on the Bible, which contains the 10 commandments. They are very similar to some situations in economics. In order to conduct serious research into the influence of Christian commandments on the economy, it makes sense to build a mathematical model of the economy of a society in which:

· steal or not steal;

· take bribes while holding any government positions, or do not;

· are engaged in racketeering, extortion and other types of “attacks” on businessmen or are not involved;

· deceive superiors and subordinates or do not deceive,

Let's look at a few commandments:

1. “Thou shalt not steal” If members of a society do not adhere to the commandment “Thou shalt not steal,” they steal not only from each other. It turns out that they are robbing their society, they are stealing from themselves. In this development scenario, the programming community will remain as poor as it was a year ago. This example shows that the GDP of a society decreases by the total amount stolen. The more people steal in a society, the less GDP there will be in society and vice versa. The question is, is there any benefit to the economy of any country if the citizens of that country adhere to the commandment “thou shalt not steal”? Undoubtedly.

2. “You shall not covet… anything that is your neighbor’s” Here we can look at bribery of government officials. Bribery of government officials can have a simply catastrophic (it’s hard to find another word) impact on the economy of a society. One of the reasons for the depressing influence on the Russian economy and the poverty of the Russian people is the large scale of corruption of government officials.

3. “Do not kill” From an economic point of view, murder is an irreparable loss for society, one of the most serious crimes. If stolen property can somehow be replenished through, say, more intensive labor, then a murdered entrepreneur is a completely irreplaceable loss. It is obvious, therefore, that the economy of a society where the commandment “thou shalt not kill” is fulfilled has significantly greater advantages than the economy of a society in which this commandment is not fulfilled. Crime in Russia has reached alarming proportions. In terms of murder rates, we rank third in the world, behind only Colombia and South Africa.

2.3 Japan

Why is Japan's economy thriving despite the fact that Japan is not a Christian country?

As for Japan, the commandment “honor your father and mother” is strictly observed in this country. It seems that more than 90% of the Japanese have never heard that such a commandment is written in the Bible, nevertheless, they fulfill it. What is the result? The Japanese people are one of the longest living people on Earth, and this is no coincidence, because in the Bible there is a promise: “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long, and so that it may go well with you in that land.” which the Lord your God gives you" (Deuteronomy 5:16). Respect for parents and care for them is embedded in Japanese culture, and the Japanese absorb this attitude towards their ancestors “with their mother’s milk.”

The Japanese also follow another Biblical commandment, “thou shalt not steal,” and pay taxes faithfully (see Appendix 5).

And most importantly: they are better than others at fulfilling the Christian commandment “as you want people to do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:31). The Japanese are literally obsessed with the quality of the goods they produce for others. This is the secret of their success. They manage to make goods better than others, they are better than others at “doing to others as they want to be done to them.”

Who wants low-quality goods produced for him and sold to him? Nobody. But who wants the highest quality goods produced and sold to him? All. And the Japanese do it. This is the secret to the prosperity of the Japanese economy.

The Japanese economy has the same laws as the economy of, say, Hong Kong or Russia.

This example shows that the Japanese may not have been aware, and were not aware, of the Biblical principles that lead to a prosperous economy in this country. But they have “found” those that really ensure prosperity.

The British National Economic Development Council analyzed the activities of winning firms that manage to far outstrip their competitors in the global market. Here are the two main principles that guide the winners:

1. Take care of the goods. Winning companies take much greater care of their products than other companies.

2. Always think about your customers. Winning companies constantly think about their customers. They have special teams that study not only the needs of customers today, but also the trends in their lifestyle in the future.

Conclusion

In my work, I examined the most basic world religions and their influence on various spheres of human life, including the economy. And she found that religion really influences economic development. To prove this, I looked at 3 countries and established a connection between their economy and the religion dominant in that country.

Religions of the world differ in age, prevalence, influence, complexity and systematization. Some of them served as government officials, others were forever persecuted. Some have existed for thousands of years, while others have disappeared before they could arise. Religions compete with each other for dominance over the consciousness of people. And yet, all religions are equal. It cannot be said that one religion is unconditionally better than another. All religions have the same value and significance for the development of world culture and economy. All of them are viable and have the right to exist. Every religion is suitable for ensuring the life of people.

WITHlist of used literature

1. Ambartsumova, E.M. Geography. Big reference book / E.M. Ambartsumova, V.V. Barabanov. - M.: Bustard, 2004. - 172 p.

2. Afanasyev, V.G. Fundamentals of philosophical knowledge / V.G. Afanasiev. - M.: Mysl, 1976. - 316 p.

3. Tishkov, V.A. Peoples and religions of the world. Encyclopedia / V.A. Tishkov. - M.: 1999. - 695 p.

4. Munchaev, Sh.M. Religion. History and modernity / Sh.M. Munchaev. - M.: 1998. - 20 p.

5. Tikhonravov, Yu.V. Religions of the world / Yu.V. Tikhonravov. - M.: 1996. - 20 p.

6. Rutkevich, E.D. Religion and society / E.D. Rutkevich. - M.: 1996. - 339 p.

7. Ethnology / ed. E.V. Miskova, N.L. Mehedova. - M.: 2005. - 196 p.

8. Wikipedia. http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity

9. Our world. http://nm2000.kz/news/2008-10-11-9978

10. Buddha and Buddhism. http://www.krugosvet.ru/enc/istoriya/BUDDA_I_BUDDIZM.html

11. http://www.sociumas.lt/Rus/Nr2/religija.asp

12. Interfax - Religion. http://www.interfax-religion.ru/national/?act=print&div=7884

13. http://www.nideya.narod.ru/razdel4.htm#_Toc57015426

14. http://www.spbgid.ru/index.php?news=111563

15. Banks and religion. http://www.bdm.ru/arhiv/2005/04/38-39.htm

16. http://www.nideya.narod.ru/razdel2.htm#_Toc56914105

Annex 1

Spread of Christianity in the world:

Red -- 50-100% of the population

Yellow -- 11-49% of the population

Blue -- 1-10% of the population

Gray -- 0-0.9% of the population

Fig.1. Spread of Christianity in the world

Fig.2. Christianity icons

Appendix 2

Red - Shiites, green - Sunnis, blue - Ibadis.

Fig.1. Spread of Islam in the world

Appendix 3

Table 1

	Time and place of origin	Number of adherents, million people.	Countries of distribution
Christianity	1st century AD, Palestine
Catholicism			Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Latin American countries, USA, Philippines
Orthodoxy			Russia, Southern countries And Vostoch. Europe, Georgia
Protestantism			Great Britain, Northern countries Europe and the Baltics, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
	7th century, Arabian Peninsula
			Countries of the Middle East and North. Africa, Center Asia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Brunei, Albania, in Russia - Bashkiria, Tatarstan, rep. North Caucasus
			Iran, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Yemen
	VI century BC, Hindustan Peninsula		South, South-East And Center. Asia, in Russia - Buryatia, Tyva, Kalmykia

Appendix 4

Fig.1 World religions

Fig.2 Religion in the USA

Appendix 5

Fig.1 Religion in Russia

Fig.2 Religion in Japan

Posted on Allbest.ru

Similar documents

Types of public debt. The causes of its occurrence, consequences and methods of managing it. The impact of taxes, borrowing and corporate debt on the economy. The impact of the growth of public debt of foreign countries on macroeconomic indicators. Debt policy of the Russian Federation.

course work, added 12/08/2013


Prerequisites for development and the current state of the crisis of the global financial system, its dangers and unpredictability. The impact of the crisis situation on the Russian economy, its transformation from an industrially developed one to an energy resource economy and ways to overcome the crisis.

report, added 12/04/2009


The main features and features of the development of the economy of Germany, a country that is one of the leading powers of the world, ranks third after the USA and Japan in terms of industrial production. The impact of the global financial crisis on the German economy.

course work, added 10/25/2011


Reasons for the cyclical nature of the economy, types of economic cycles. Phases of the industrial cycle and the mechanism of their change. The essence of the acceleration effect. Anti-cyclical policy of the state. The global financial crisis of 2008 and its impact on the economy of the Russian Federation.

course work, added 04/16/2012


Features of the modern economic crisis. The reasons for its occurrence in the world. The impact of the crisis on the Russian economy. The main ways out of it. Anti-crisis measures taken by the Russian government. Financial origin of the global crisis.

course work, added 12/13/2009


Theoretical features of public debt as the debt of the central government. Examples of monetary sovereign governments (USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia). The impact of the government debt of the Russian Federation on the economy.

course work, added 07/19/2015


The concept and classification of foreign investments, their types and sources of receipt, methods of implementation and assessment of the impact on the economy of the host state. Dynamics and structure of capital inflows into the Russian economy by type of activity.

test, added 05/08/2015


Prerequisites for the emergence and state regulation of a market economy. Development of productive forces as a factor in the social division of labor. Interdependence of concentration, monopoly and competition. The impact of unemployment on the Russian economy.

cheat sheet, added 05/08/2011


Economic theories and systems in the light of Christian teaching in a historical context. The influence of religion on economic theory: precepts of moral economics. The relationship between the tax rate and revenue to the state budget, the Laffer curve.

abstract, added 04/23/2010


The structure of property relations, subjects and objects of property. Methods of realizing property, the place and role of property in the system of social relations. Forms and types of property. Analysis of forms of ownership in the modern Russian economy.

Ethnicity as a sociocultural community; its system-forming features. Ethnic mentality. Ethnicity among types of social identification.

Merging ethnic and sociocultural identity.

The presence of religious and non-religious individuals in ethnic groups.

Monocultural and multicultural socioethnic space. Ethnicization of world religions. The formation of religious syncretism in the history of ethnic cultures. Religious orientations of ethnic consciousness and behavior.

The main modern trends in the development of ethno-religious processes in Russia and abroad.

The use of the religious factor in the activities of nationalist formations. The connection between religious and ethnic extremism; religious and ethnic extremism.

Affirmation of the tolerant nature of interreligious and interfaith communication is an important factor in achieving agreement in interethnic relations.

Lecture text .

Lecture plan.

1. The relationship between religious and ethnic.

2. The concepts of “ethnicity” and “ethnicity”.

3. Religious and non-religious individuals in the ethnic group.

4. The social identifying function of ethnicity.

5. Ambivalence of religious-ethnic symbiosis.

6. Use of religion by nationalist forces.

7. Features of religious-ethnic extremism.

8. The need to promote tolerance in interreligious and interethnic relations.

At present, replete with ethnic and religious problems and contradictions, the need and importance of taking into account the relationship between ethnonational and religious factors is becoming increasingly obvious. An interesting phenomenon is emerging: the greatest influence on real life and current politics is exerted not so much by individual religious or national factors, but by their symbiosis. National (ethnic) and religious feelings and ideas, having the same carriers, are closely related to each other. The interaction and interpenetration of national and religious factors contributes to the growth of their influence on public consciousness. That is why the historical connection between ethnic and religious, sympathy for co-religionists and ethnically related people is used to their advantage by figures of national and confessional social movements. The problem under consideration is of particular relevance for multi-ethnic (about 160 ethnic groups) and multi-confessional (over 70 religious movements) Russia, where there is currently a growth and activation of both religious organizations and national movements, sometimes coinciding with regional separatism. In this regard, let us recall this feature of our country: for the non-Russian part of the population, constituting less than 1/5 of the total number of Russians, almost 1/2 of the territory of Russia is their historical homeland.

The delicacy of the issues discussed in this topic determines the special need for a clear, clear understanding of the concepts and terms used, which is often absent in everyday vocabulary, and even more so in politicized rhetoric. And in Russian social science, as is known, there is no generally accepted understanding of ethnicity, nation, or their classification. Sometimes they are used as synonyms; the national is interpreted as a national one (“national interests of Russia”), etc. Ethnicity is a historically stable sociocultural community formed in ancient times on the basis of a common territory, language, material and spiritual culture, and a single identity. With the development of civilization, a more complex formation is formed from one or a group of ethnic groups - a nation, which, along with ethnicity, also has socio-political content. Thus, in modern Russia, representatives of such national communities living in their ancestral historical territory are Russians, Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Ossetians, Chechens, Yakuts, etc. In contrast to the purely political, civil understanding common in the West and shared by a number of domestic scientists nations (as a collection of citizens of one state), in this case, when speaking about national traditions, we mean their original ethnocultural foundations, that is, not their all-Russian characteristics and preferences, but purely ethnic consciousness and culture.

When considering the relationship between ethnicity and religion, it is important to take into account the fact that there is no complete coincidence in the number of their speakers. Even in the case of a mononational religion (in Russia these are Judaism and the Armenian Apostolic Church), many representatives of a given nation are followers of other religions, indifferent, skeptics, non-believers. The above is even more true in relation to large nations (Russian, Tatar), traditionally existing in Russia multi-ethnic (Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism) religious systems. In this regard, let us pay attention, for example, to the following phenomenon: recently, pre-Christian pagan cults have been spreading among a certain part of Russians, especially young people. Thus, we can only talk about the dominant religion for a given nation, the dominant religious tradition, which are: for Russians - Orthodoxy, for Tatars - Islam, for Buryats - Buddhism.

When analyzing the relationship between religious and national factors, the circumstances that influence their connection, making it strong, long-term, it is inevitable to turn to such a key concept for this topic as tradition. Without this category, which reflects various phenomena from a certain angle, without taking into account the peculiarities of the manifestation of historical inertia in various spheres of personal and public life, it is difficult to reveal the mechanism of transferring previously accumulated values ​​and skills, passions and preferences to new generations.

Traditions operate differently in different areas. In such areas as economics, politics, and the management system, the influence of tradition on the reforms being carried out is quite noticeable, but at the same time it is also observed that tradition evolves relatively quickly in them, while its positive components are often thoughtlessly discarded. But in the sphere of consciousness - especially in such forms that are more distant from material, economic relations, such as religious and national consciousness - the power of traditions and elements of constancy are manifested to an incomparably greater extent. Over the centuries, ethnic and religious ideas have remained unchanged, which are little affected not only by the change of the political regime, but also of the social system as a whole.

The stability of religious and national values ​​over a long historical time and their conservation is facilitated not only by their conscious support by representatives of a given people and a given confession, but also by still insufficiently studied subconscious attitudes that activate the mechanism of reproduction of cultural traditions and skills by representatives of a given ethnic group.

Indicative in this regard, for example, is documentary evidence of the long socio-political tradition that exists in Chechnya (let’s not call it national culture). The media periodically reported on the facts of hostage taking here, demands for ransom, placing prisoners in a pit, specific punishments for attempting to escape, exploitation of slave labor, etc., which reproduce the morals and customs of the distant past, including those described by L. N. Tolstoy in the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus”. It would be wrong to make general conclusions that all “Chechens are evil”; The noble and wise customs of the Chechen people, not the easy fate of the mountain people, are no less than those of others. However, one cannot abstract from the fact that a number of traditions and characteristics of upbringing predispose representatives of a given ethnic group to these actions.

Similar facts cited in modern media once again confirm that in the consciousness and subconscious of representatives of a particular ethnic community, certain attitudes and skills are firmly preserved, which remain latent for a long time, and under certain conditions are reanimated and begin to act.

Our country is experiencing the impact of the general unstable transitional situation, which gave rise, in particular, to a certain archaization and criminalization of political culture in certain areas of the post-Soviet space in the 90s. XX century The attraction to archaic methods of action is especially clearly reproduced during the aggravation of interethnic conflicts. Thus, the methods of reprisal, the nature and forms of violence against their victims, manifested several years ago, for example, in Sumgait, are very similar to those described in the literature on the genocide that took place in the same regions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The power of tradition is reflected, of course, not only in the conservation of negative customs and mores. It is clearly manifested in the self-awareness, self-determination of representatives of the ethnic group, and their attitude towards their traditional religions. In them there is a fusion of ethnic and sociocultural identities. The results of sociological research document the close connection between religious and national identity. Thus, mass surveys invariably reveal differences in the number of actual believers and the number of adherents of confessions in our country. Denying their religiosity in ideological self-identification, usually about 20% of representatives of various peoples of Russia at the same time consciously consider themselves adherents of certain traditional religious associations. For example, 60% of respondents declared their religious affiliation during research in 2000 and 58% of respondents in 2001, and 43 and 37% of respondents, respectively, turned out to believe in God. Thus, Orthodoxy or Islam is perceived not only as a religious system itself, but as a natural cultural environment for these respondents, a national way of life (“Russian, therefore Orthodox,” “Tatar, therefore Muslim”). Research confirms that traditional religions help preserve and strengthen the sense of belonging and loyalty of many citizens to their ethnic group.

This tendency to follow ethnic traditions and their sustainable veneration is confirmed by the inconsistent (from the point of view of ideological ideas) behavior of non-religious respondents. Monitoring materials recorded that almost half of non-religious respondents participate in the celebration of religious holidays, and every fifth one periodically visits a temple. The motives for such actions are non-religious, but such behavior of the majority is a serious confirmation of the significant role of confessional customs and traditions, which have simultaneously become national, in the behavior of non-religious people. However, this does not mean that any significant part of society is ready to follow confessional instructions in everything. When during monitoring the question is raised: would you like public life to be built on the basis of the instructions of the church (that is, when talking about the clerical version of public life), then such an idea is rejected, including by believers. Thus, the clerical model in the Orthodox version is supported by only about 5% of Orthodox Christians, while the attitude of heterodox, non-believers and non-believers is extremely negative.

The explanation of phenomena and actions that do not follow from declared orientations and beliefs largely lies in the peculiarities of human consciousness, the human psyche. The spiritual world of man is a complex structure, including, along with the conscious, an element of the unconscious. Therefore, it is impossible to explain all human actions and actions only by existing conscious beliefs at a given time; the latter are also influenced by such ideas, attitudes, skills, and psychological processes that occur outside the control of consciousness. These elements are more durable. than realized ones, especially systematized by theorists. The mechanism of their inheritance has not been sufficiently studied, but they, as if absorbed with “mother’s milk,” manifest themselves in deep attitudes, automatic skills, stable stereotypes, which sometimes determine the real behavior of a person, a stratum, a nation. Of course, their genesis is connected with their habitat, with historical, social, cultural, and natural conditions; they are also subject to evolution, but this requires “a long period of time.”

A complex of deep hidden attitudes, ideas, value orientations, denoted by the capacious term “mentality”, being the object of special research by scientists of various profiles, allows us to achieve more adequate knowledge of the mentality of the masses in a particular era, the behavior of various layers, ethnic groups, their ideas about themselves, their culture, features of its historical development. The theory of mentalities, aimed at studying the static (rather than dynamic) elements of consciousness and the unconscious, being a means, a method of revealing the essence of mass ideas about social and cultural phenomena existing in different eras, can be fruitfully used in analyzing the relationship between religious and ethnic consciousness. In fact, when certain religious and ethnic values ​​are “mastered”, recognized as integral qualities of an ethnos, when they receive the status of attributes of national culture (based on a strong connection between the rational and the emotional, the conscious and the unconscious), then in such cases there is already one Logic, conscious motives, rational ideologemes cannot explain personal and social behavior, people’s predilections in matters relating to their religion, their nation. With regard to ethno-religious problems, the long-standing statement seems to be most applicable: what people believe determines reality. Attempts to dissuade them on these issues by appealing to arguments about “false consciousness” are, as a rule, doomed to misunderstanding.

A worldview postulate or moral value, in order to become “protected” in mass psychology, must be recognized as “one’s own.” This is a long, difficult and ambiguous process. As for the values ​​of early ethnic and then national self-awareness, they develop among members of such primary social communities as clans and tribes, thanks to consanguinity, joint farming, common territory, culture, and a common language. Over time, the feeling of belonging to a specific ethnic group, the understanding of the importance for a person to be involved in the common affairs and fate of his native ethnic group acquire a broader and more conscious character. Today, perhaps, this is one of the most widespread forms of consciousness of the peoples of Russia, closely intertwined with emotions, latent habits, inherited stable psychological components. And she, as a rule, rejects any “encroachment” on the dignity, culture, and identity of the people. Characteristic, for example, were the responses of respondents during monitoring on the eve of the introduction of new passports to the question: do you consider it necessary to retain the “nationality” column in the new Russian passport? Twice as many respondents were in favor of retaining this column than against it.

The situation is somewhat different with the genesis of religious self-identification of the broad masses. The introduction of peoples and ethnic groups to developed religious systems that are new to them is a long and difficult process. This was precisely the long and complex process of Christianization of ancient Russian society, accompanied by a gradual, sometimes harsh displacement of early Slavic pagan beliefs. The Christianization of each social group took place differently, but for the bulk of the population - peasants - it lasted until the 15th-16th centuries. As shown in specialized literature, a role here was played - along with the acquaintance and familiarization of former pagans with Christian dogma and rituals - by combining ritual actions that were new for peasants with the calendar agricultural cycle, connecting them with a complex of centuries-old observations of an agrarian and meteorological nature.

However, to this day, remnants of pagan culture have been preserved among the Russian people (Yuletide fortune-telling, divination, walks, etc.), and the combination of the Christian religion with the life of the Russian people, its ethnicization (for example, the Feast of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is of Greek origin, has become established specifically in Russia; in Greece itself it is practically not celebrated) is accompanied by the fact that the actually existing confession in a number of issues has its own characteristics (as in other countries and other peoples), unusual for official Orthodoxy. The point is not only in the preservation of elements of the so-called dual faith, but also in a certain indifference to purely theological problems, for example, to the theological interpretation of the essence of the Trinity, the filioque, etc.; in bringing to the fore, greater popularity of their own - accessible to perception by ordinary believers - images and ideas (the Last Judgment, reward after death). Religious and moral norms dominate in the minds of the masses of believers.

The diverse, complex process of ethnicization of religion gives rise to a rather loose attitude towards theological-dogmatic rigorism in a number of issues. There is a kind of dialectic at work here: thanks to ethnicization, the popularity of religion among a given people increases, but at the same time the possibility of an unorthodox interpretation increases. This problem faces various churches, especially in their missionary activities.

To increase the effectiveness of missionary activities and attract new supporters among various strata and peoples, church organizations usually try to purposefully link together religious and national components. How strict, for example, the Roman Catholic Church was in relation to its traditions, but, as the activities of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) showed, in order to intensify missionary activity, it made significant innovations. In the conciliar documents, primarily the Decree on the missionary activity of the church, it is recommended, for example, to widely use in countries where missionary work is carried out, forms of art characteristic of local ethnic groups as more consistent with the mentality, habits and psyche of the population. In particular, attention is drawn to the need to use national songs, melodies, and music in church practice; elements of local beliefs and customs are included in the traditional cult; it is recommended to use local languages ​​in worship. The establishment of specific local churches with their own hierarchy should also contribute to the rooting of Catholicism among the local population. Other measures are also provided for better adaptation of the Catholic Church to local conditions, taking into account local customs, national psyche, and culture.

Similar issues are being discussed - at the official or unofficial level - in other churches, including the Russian Orthodox Church. The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, held at the end of 1994 in Moscow, drew attention to the need to “create such a synthesis of an integral Christian culture that would be a creative reflection of the eternal and unchanging truth of Orthodoxy in an ever-changing reality.” Developing these ideas, the anniversary Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000, in the program document “Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church,” explained in detail that the church combines the universal principle with the national, and Christians have the right to national identity and national self-expression. “The cultural differences of individual peoples find their expression in liturgical and other church creativity, in the peculiarities of the Christian way of life. All this creates a national Christian culture.”

No matter how complex the process of introducing an ethnic group to a certain religion may be, the latter, having become “one of its own” for it, enters into all pores of the national culture and begins to largely determine the national identity, way of life, style and way of life of the people, despite the change of socio-political regimes and orders. Having gone through the process of ethnicization, it is firmly preserved in the memory of peoples, helps not to lose the originality of their culture, and supports their morality. The interaction between national and religious takes place at different levels - personal, everyday, socio-psychological, ideological, political.

The close connection of traditional religions with the political, everyday, and spiritual culture of the Russian peoples has the most diverse manifestations. It can be traced in holidays and customs, vocabulary, folklore and literature, architecture and music; behavioral skills and moral standards; everyday and political culture, etc. It should be especially emphasized that the influence of Christian spiritual values, images, plots on literature is observed not only among believing writers (Gogol, Dostoevsky, Leskov, Tyutchev), but also among those who did not consider themselves believers . A similar influence can be observed among more radically thinking writers (Belinsky, Chernyshevsky).

The impossibility of joining the national, as well as the entire world culture, without understanding the role of its religious component is widely discussed and comprehended not only in our country. It is significant that during a recent similar discussion in France, the need to introduce schoolchildren to Christian culture was explained by the fact that “otherwise they will not understand anything in the Louvre.”

Disclosure of this connection in each area deserves special research. Thus, fairly wide sections of the Russian population (and not only believers) celebrate Christian religious holidays - Christmas and Easter, as well as Maslenitsa, which is especially revered among the Orthodox in Russia; Eid al-Adha and Kurban Bayram - in Muslim regions; Tsagaalgzn and Maydark - in the Buddhist communities of Kalmykia, Tyva, Buryatia; Purim, Passover or Rosh Hashanah - among the Jews of Russia. Likewise, many representatives of the respective peoples are guided by moral precepts drawn from the Bible and the Koran, the Talmud and the Tipitaka.

These observations and conclusions are supported by the results of representative studies by VTsIOM, conducted, for example, in 2003 on the eve of Easter, according to which more than 80% of Russians were preparing to celebrate Easter in one way or another, which gives reason to believe that today for Russia Easter has, in fact, become , a national holiday.

Research shows that the spread of supra-ethnic, world religious movements, for example, Christianity, which, as stated in the New Testament, includes people

“..from all nations and tribes and peoples and languages...” (Rev., Apoc. 7:9) - among groups of peoples, in turn, contributes to the rapprochement of their culture, way of life, helps to feel solidarity with each other (Orthodox in Russia are - in addition to the Slavic peoples, the majority of believers are Karelians, Komi, Mari, Mordovians, Ossetians, Udmurts, Chuvashes, Khakassians, Yakuts, etc.; Muslims are Tatars, Bashkirs, Dagestan peoples, Kabardins, Chechens, Ingush, Adyghe, Circassians, Balkars, Karachais, etc.; Buddhists - Kalmyks, Buryats, Tuvans). It should be emphasized that we are talking specifically about spiritual and cultural solidarity. However, there is reason to assert that a single faith also affects political sympathies and orientations (for example, the majority of Orthodox North Ossetia today is not susceptible to the ideas of separatism in the North Caucasus). In such situations, foreign political scientists use the concept of “fraternal peoples syndrome.”

It is also worth saying that ethno-confessional symbiosis contributes to the formation of a number of essential features of certain local civilizations. We cannot ignore the fact that the culture of such large entities in time and space as civilizations is strongly influenced by religions: Arab Islam, Tibetan Buddhism, North American Protestantism, and Russian Catholicism Orthodoxy and Islam.

Thus, traditional religion acts as an integral part of ethnic culture, but the latter, in turn, gradually begins to influence some of the cultic and dogmatic features of the religion widespread among a given ethnic group. In general, such articulations create the opportunity to determine, in many cases, the social consciousness and behavior of a significant part of the people.

The rootedness of religion in the people's environment, its support of national traditions common to different ideological groups, the identity of ethnic groups plays an important positive role, especially in periods of crisis (war, occupation, radical disruption of social foundations). The history of many peoples who fell under a foreign yoke or were forced to live in dispersion (Jewish, Russian, Greek, Serbian, Montenegrin, Bulgarian, Polish, Armenian, Georgian, Arab, etc.) convinces that if they preserve the basic elements of their traditional culture - religion and book and written culture, then they manage to avoid complete assimilation and, despite all the tragic vicissitudes, regain their statehood. It is no coincidence that aggressors in different countries of the world, seeking to “develop” foreign territory and displace the autochthonous population, purposefully destroy these components of their national culture, especially temples, other religious institutions and symbols. Clear evidence of this is the pogroms in Kosovo, where on March 17-20, 2004, Albanian extremists destroyed 35 Orthodox churches and monasteries; in total, since 1999, 112 churches and monasteries have been destroyed here. In order to more effectively carry out the ethnic cleansing of the Serbs remaining in the region, the most important element of their historical culture - religious monuments - is being destroyed.

In today's Russia, which is going through a difficult transition period, the positive function of traditional religions (Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and other faiths) is manifested very clearly. They contribute, first of all, to the preservation, protection and aggravation of national feelings and self-awareness, and they themselves sometimes act as authoritative ethnic institutions. The activities of religious organizations in Russia, related to the preservation of national identity, traditions and values ​​of the people, are accompanied by an active rejection of the currently intensively promoted attitudes of the consumer society, individualistic, purely utilitarian, pragmatic orientations. Such rejection is characteristic of both the leaders of traditional faiths and the believers themselves. The results of sociological research reveal a high degree of adherence of the majority of the population, especially believers, to traditional Russian spiritual values, which - we especially emphasize - contrary to the speculations expressed, do not at all oppose the reforms and modernization of the country, but preserve its identity. (Indicative in this regard is the experience of those countries - Japan, Singapore, South Korea and others, where modernization was carried out very effectively and where they did not at all abandon their historical traditions and did not try to forcefully change the mentality of the people.) At the same time, in many cases it was revealed that the main spiritual values ​​and social orientations of Russians, regardless of their ideological and ethnic differences, which also confirms their civilizational identity. In this process, traditional religions, rejecting national nihilism, act as a unifying factor that overcomes various barriers, including social ones, drawing strength from sources deeply rooted in the national mentality.

The difficulties of the transition period in our multinational and multi-confessional society, associated with difficult and ambiguous processes in the economy, socio-political and spiritual spheres, are accompanied by certain centrifugal tendencies, hypertrophy - real or imaginary - of national interests. There are a number of reasons for this - historical and modern, economic and socio-political. The activation of an ambitious and sometimes criminal local elite, which uses national and religious factors in the struggle for power, for ethnic and regional privileges, and ultimately for material and property interests, also has a serious impact. Such phenomena are recorded in the public consciousness and rejected by it. Sociological research consistently shows that quite a significant mass of believers of different faiths (more than 60% of respondents) are concerned that interethnic conflicts could lead to the collapse of the Russian state, seeing the causes of interethnic tensions and conflicts primarily in the provocative actions of the political elites existing in Russia - the central and locals fighting for power and privileges.

In the context of the incitement by certain forces of a sense of ethnic egoism and national superiority, the desire to elevate one ethnic group by trampling on the interests of another, with an abundant flow of disintegrating, destructive declarations and the absence of national ideas uniting society, the position of religious organizations takes on special importance. After all, if clashes on religious grounds are added to ethnic conflicts, the consequences can be tragic. That is why it is important to analyze, first of all, those aspects of the activities of religious organizations that can help mitigate or, conversely, intensify interethnic tensions and conflicts.

In an effort to make maximum use of the authority of a religious institution to neutralize various, including new global challenges that threaten the well-being and life of believers and the entire people, leaders of traditional Russian religious organizations in their oral and printed speeches and in program documents invariably reveal the peacemaking potential of religion, condemn any aggressive xenophobic actions.

The “Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church” clearly expresses the understanding that, under certain conditions, national feelings can cause such phenomena as aggressive nationalism, xenophobia, national exclusivity, interethnic hostility, even wars and other manifestations of violence. The document emphasizes that “the division of nations into better and worse is contrary to Orthodox ethics,” and that the church carries out the mission of reconciliation between nations involved in hostility and their representatives. Thus, during interethnic conflicts, she does not take anyone’s side, except in cases of obvious aggression or injustice shown by one of the parties.

Similar ideas are developed in the document “Basic Provisions of the Social Program of Russian Muslims” prepared in 2001 by the Council of Muftis of Russia. It states that “a true believer will not be a source of discord and conflict in relations with other people,” that the Muslim clergy, scientists and preachers “stand in the position of strengthening interethnic harmony, peace and tranquility in society.” Similar considerations are found in program documents of other religions and denominations.

At the same time, it can hardly be disputed that in reality, in the area under consideration, the real role of each religious organization depends on a number of circumstances - numbers, historical traditions, integration into public culture, position in a given confession, features of interfaith relations in the region, ethnic composition of the country's population, specifics of the church-hierarchical structure itself. Thus, the Russian Orthodox Church, which, despite the state “divorces” that have taken place, retains its traditional structure, stands for the integrity of historical Russia, and rejects any attempts to further dismember it. For decades, its foreign activities helped preserve the national identity of Russian emigrants who found themselves in a foreign land. And even today, for example in the neighboring countries, its protection of the interests of compatriots in a number of cases is perhaps more effective than the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In this regard, the firm position of Patriarch Alexy II deserves attention, refusing, for example, to visit Latvia, despite repeated invitations from the Latvian state authorities, until the infringement of the rights of the Russian-speaking population, which is actually deprived there of the opportunity to receive education in their native language, is stopped in this country. The Patriarch’s position regarding Estonia was similar. He refused to visit Estonia for more than ten years, until the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate received official legal status.

Of particular importance for Russian reality is the relationship between two religious confessions - Orthodoxy and Islam, for they are not only the most numerous (75% and about 20% of the believing part of the population, respectively), but their followers are more or less compactly interspersed, including constituting the majority of believers population in a number of republics and national autonomies - subjects of the Federation, into a single state organism (the peoples of Muslim culture are titular in the eight republics of the Volga region and the North Caucasus). If there is a certain tension abroad - “West” - “Muslim world”, then Eurasian Russia was initially “doomed” to exclude such confrontation, especially since there are centuries-old traditions of tolerant existence (this tradition was largely borrowed from Muslims in Russia and from the Golden Horde, under which the Orthodox clergy did not pay taxes, the Russian Orthodox Church had the right to exercise judicial functions over its people, and enjoyed freedom in electing to spiritual positions).

And at present, the leaders of various Orthodox and Muslim organizations strive to build their relationships on the principles of goodwill and cooperation. Such a tolerant and constructive policy is fueled by joint actions against bloodshed, and real cooperation on the ground, including in the charitable field, and a balanced interpretation of the negative aspects of historical events, etc. Thus, recently the confessional press has published materials in which - unlike a number of secular publications, coverage of the history of relations between Slavs and Turks, Orthodox and Muslims in Russia is free from exaggerating past mutual grievances. Based on factual material, they reveal what was good in relations between peoples, what they owe to each other, what borrowings were made in the field of state organization, political culture, business skills, trade, etc. In other words, the idea of ​​mutually enriching dialogue is promoted cultures, the traditions of interreligious tolerance, joint defense of a single fatherland, and common work for the benefit of all Russian ethnic groups and confessions are emphasized.

In this regard, monitoring data on the national composition of religious groups is also of interest. The Orthodox group is naturally dominated by Russians (88.8%), but there are also representatives of peoples of Muslim culture (about 1%), respectively, Russians are also represented in the Muslim group (2%), with a predominance of representatives of peoples of Muslim culture (94%) . This “non-standard” combination of national and religious affiliation is a consequence of the close contact of Orthodox and Muslim peoples within the united Russian state, the low level of conflict between them, and also the result of mixed marriages.

The above-mentioned tendency towards the ethnicization of religion and the cultivation of the idea of ​​a “national religion” can give rise to various political consequences. Correlation and identification

 

---

Read:
How to cook asp at home: recipes for delicious fish dishes Social mortgage for young specialists of budgetary institutions They give a mortgage to workers in the village machine How to cook barley porridge in water? Units of measurement of physical quantities International System of Units SI The essence and basic principles of flow organization of construction production