What is the role of religion in the life of each individual and society as a whole is a question that many philosophers ponder over, from ancient times to the present day. How have religious views changed over time? Or do they stay the same?
Do the achievements of scientists, the benefits of civilization, changes in lifestyle, occupations and needs of people influence religious ideas? What is it like to be a believer today? All these and many other questions arise not only among philosophers or students, but also among those who want to understand whether there is still room for faith in God in the modern world or not.
What is religion?
Religion is a set of views, worldviews, feelings, based on the absolute belief in something supernatural. In addition to certain emotional manifestations and ways of thinking, it also includes social, managerial functions, and is also an integral part of people's culture.
Due to the versatility of this phenomenon, religion has several definitions. The main ones are:
- shapepublic consciousness, which is based on a combination of beliefs, views that have arisen due to belief in the same supernatural power;
- a variant of organizing relationships between people, characterized by its own rules, traditions, ethical norms and other features inherent in society;
- spiritual essence - a special type of a person's vision of himself, his own personality and the value of life, the world around him, everyday life and other things.
It is impossible to give an exact and unambiguous definition of such a phenomenon as religion. It directly depends on which aspect of it is being considered.
Can religion be classified?
Religious views, without a doubt, refer to a particular denomination of a person. However, regardless of the nuances given to this phenomenon by a particular religion, there is a general division - into two large types.
According to this division, each religion can be of two types:
- objective general;
- personal.
The subjective, personal type is the individual religious views of a person, his direct perception of God. That is, this type is understood as everything that relates to personal thoughts and feelings associated with religion. For example, the way a person prefers to pray, which saints he addresses, whether he goes to a large temple or a small one - these are elements of the manifestation of religiosity, attributed to the subjective type. Of course, what a particular person thinks about God, the degree of his faith, etc.refers to thinking, is also included in the concept of the subjective type of religiosity.
Objective, or general type, includes all those characteristics that relate to religion as an institution, social and cultural phenomenon. That is, this type includes the formation of public consciousness, traditions, norms of morality and behavior adopted in society, and much more. Everything that unites people, is common to them, can be included in the objective type of religiosity.
What does the word itself mean? How and where did it appear?
Religion is a word whose origin and exact meaning have been debated since ancient times. For example, Cicero believed that the term "religio" was formed from one of the Latin verbs, namely "relegere".
The word "religio" is translated into Russian as follows:
- object of worship, cult;
- piety, belief;
- piety.
One of the meanings of this term is conscientiousness, due to the traditions and ideas of the confessed faith.
The verb "relegere" has the following meaning:
- "collect again";
- "reconnect";
- "bind";
- "special use".
It is impossible to accurately translate this word, there is no analogue in Russian, with all its richness. The most accurate meaning in the context of religion is considered to be "to contact the Highest", that is, to belong to a cult.
Split the dotview of Cicero Lactantius and Augustine, interpreting religion as a connection between man and God. In other words, the lights defined the meaning of the term "religion" as a connection or reunion, a fusion of man and God.
In Sanskrit, the related term is dharma. Its value can be passed like this:
- order of the universe;
- the doctrine of the highest;
- law of being;
- sample, standard of lifestyle.
In Islamic cultures, religion corresponds to the term "din". Its main semantic difference is that the main meaning is "submission". It is about submitting man to the will of God.
Every language or culture has a term similar to the word "religion". Of course, there are differences in the subtleties and nuances of the meanings, but the general meaning is the same.
In Russian, the term "religion" has been used only since the 18th century. Prior to this, there were own Slavic expressions in use, for example, the word "faith".
What is the role of religion in life?
The role of religion in the life of man and society is diverse, its functions are related to literally all spheres. Religion influences how each individual and society as a whole act under certain circumstances.
For example, faced with theft or violence, a Christian will act differently than a Muslim. At the same time, neither one nor the other will begin to think about their actions, they will act intuitively. Thus, one of the roles of religion in people's lives is the formation of mentality, characteristics, stereotypes of perception andbehavior.
Another example of how religious beliefs affect people and public consciousness are traditional norms regarding appearance, behavior and lifestyle, family arrangements and everyday life. And often they exist in parallel with a completely different perception of reality. For example, divorce is still a terrible disaster for Catholics and is not approved by the church. The same applies to this phenomenon in Orthodoxy. Along with this, in the secular relationships of people, this is an absolutely normal event that does not become a shame or stigma. Developing the theme of marriage, it should be noted that in different religions, the relationship of people is not the same. Mormons believe in Christ, but polygamy is practiced in their society. Catholicism, on the other hand, requires people to choose a single partner and be faithful to him.
Thus, religion dictates what is considered normal in society. This is her role. Modern realities do not change the fundamental foundation of public consciousness, ethics, norms accepted in society, but only supplement and correct it.
This is clearly seen in the example of family organization. Christianity considers it normal to build relationships with one partner. And secular registration of marriage in countries with Christian cultures is also carried out with one person. After all, it is impossible, for example, in Moscow or London to register an official family union with several partners at once. However, modern realities, in which the individual has much more opportunities, rights and freedoms than in ancient times, allow for the possibility of an official changepartner, i.e. divorce.
But the main thesis of the norm of building a family, embedded in the mentality of a person by religion, does not change from this. At the same time, family relationships with several partners are not officially built. Since the family is a cell of society and a miniature reflection of everything that is accepted in it, then, based on this example, conclusions can be drawn regarding other processes inherent in society.
Thus, the role of religion in the life of society and individuals can be defined as fundamental, forming norms, traditions, rules and mentality, influencing behavior, thinking, culture and relationships.
What is the function of religion?
Religious views of a person form his behavior, attitude to the surrounding reality, perception of reality.
It is possible to distinguish the following main functions of religion for society:
- regulating;
- legitimizing;
- ideological.
Each of these functions has specific features depending on what religious teachings they are based on.
About the worldview function
The formation of a worldview is one of the most important social functions of religion. Various religious teachings in this context are nothing more than the primary system of human values, which take the form of unconditional reactions.
In other words, this is a meaningful component of thinking, that is, a combination of views and stereotypes through whicha person perceives objective reality. They form the traditions, rules and norms that characterize a particular society.
About the legitimizing function
The meaning of this term is the legality, legality of something. In practice, this concept is expressed in restrictions on specific actions, deeds and even thoughts. An example of the restriction of thought can be medieval religious education and other persecution of scientific activity.
In the modern world, this function is reduced to the observance of religious precepts, which underlie the criminal law of any state. Most of them are described by the books of the New Testament and other sacred ancient texts. These are prohibitions against murder, theft, adultery, debauchery and other similar actions.
About the control function
In the context of this function, religion is perceived as an orientational, normative system that gives integrity to society.
In other words, religious relations become the foundation of secular relations in all spheres and areas of people's life. They regulate even areas far from spirituality, for example, a typical diet. In countries with a Muslim culture, it is impossible to find pork dishes on the menu of restaurants or cafes. India will not serve beef salad in catering establishments.
That is, the regulatory function of religion lies in generally accepted standards, guidelines that every member of society follows.
What are religious centers?
This conceptseveral meanings. As a rule, it means the direct place where religious rituals are performed, that is, sanctuaries, temples, cathedrals, mosques, etc.
However, the concept of "religious centers" has other meanings. These are governing bodies, administrative formations that regulate spiritual work, determine its goals and actually lead church activities. An example of this is the Vatican, the religious center of Catholicism.
Also, this term refers to certain places in the world that are traditional for pilgrimage. For example, the monasteries of Mount Athos or Jerusalem are places that many Christians aspire to see.
What is the significance of religious views and ideas in the life of a modern person?
Despite the fact that religiosity is not the main feature of most modern people, they experience and demonstrate its influence almost constantly.
In today's world, religiosity, beliefs about the world order, views on the relationship between people are a kind of stabilizing factor that gives solidity and meaning to everything that happens around.
