Fire marriage affects religious feelings. Religious feelings
Vague religious feeling. Rice. 14 shows us another shapeless rotating cloud, but this time it is blue instead of crimson. It indicates a vaguely experienced religious feeling - more piety than faith. In many churches one can see a huge cloud of dull blue hovering over the heads of the congregation - vague in its outline due to the indistinct nature of the thoughts and feelings that cause it. Very often it is covered with spots of brown and gray, as ignorant faith absorbs with deplorable ease the oppressive mixture of fear and selfishness; but no less great potential prospects for the future emerge, revealing to our eyes the first faint fluttering of one of the pair of wings - faith and wisdom, through which the soul rises to God, from whom it came.
A sublime impulse of faith. Shape in Fig. 15 in is in the same relation to the form in Fig. 14, in which the clearly outlined rapid form in Fig. 10 - to the undefined cloud in Fig. 8. It is difficult to find a more striking contrast than between the nebula in Fig. 14 and the courageous energy of the magnificent peak of highly developed religious feeling that appears before us in Fig. 15. This is not a vague half-formed feeling, it is a rush into the manifestation of a sublime emotion, deeply rooted in the knowledge of a fact. The person who experiences such a feeling is one who knows in whom he believes; the one who creates such a thought form is the one who has learned to think. The definiteness of the upward thrust indicates courage, as well as the conviction of its creator, while the sharpness of the lines shows the clarity of the concept, and the immaculate purity of color testifies to his extreme unselfishness.
Response to religious feeling. In Fig. 17 we see the result of the previous thought - the response of the Logos to the call directed to him - the truth on which the highest and best part of the persistent belief in answer to prayer is based. This requires a few words of explanation. On every plane solar system The Logos pours out its light, its power, its life, and naturally on the higher planes the divine power can be given most fully. Each descent to the next plane below signifies an almost paralyzing limitation - a limitation completely imperceptible except by those who have experienced the highest possibilities. human consciousness. Thus the divine life flows with incomparably greater completeness on the mental plane in comparison with the astral plane; and splendor mental level indescribably surpassed by the splendor of the buddhic plane. Typically, each of these powerful waves of influence spreads horizontally across its corresponding plane, but does not pass into the darkness of a plane lower than the one for which it was originally intended.
There are, however, conditions under which the grace and power inherent in the higher plane can in some measure be carried into the lower and spread widely there with wonderful effect. This seems possible only when a special channel is temporarily opened, and this work must be done from below through human efforts. It was previously explained that whenever a person's thought or feeling is selfish, the energy which produces it moves in a closed curve, and thus inevitably returns and is expended on its own level; but when the thought or feeling is absolutely unselfish, the energy rushes out in an open curve and thus does not return in the ordinary sense, but penetrates into the plane above, because only in these higher conditions, with its additional dimension, can it find space for its expansion . But with this breakthrough, such a thought or feeling, figuratively speaking, leaves open door of a size corresponding to its own diameter, thus providing the required channel through which the divine force corresponding to the higher plane can pour into the lower with marvelous results, not only for the thinker, but for others as well. In Fig. 17 an attempt is made to express this and indicate great truth that an endless stream of the highest type of force is always ready and waiting to flow through the channel provided, one might say, just as water is waiting to flow through the first open pipe.
The result of the descent of divine life causes an influx of strength and spiritual uplift in the one who created the channel and the spread of the most powerful and beneficial influence all around him. This effect is often called an answer to prayer and is considered "special by Providence" instead of the necessary operation of the great and immutable divine law.
Self-denial. Rice. 16 presents us with another variety of religious feelings, producing an exquisite and beautiful thought-form of a type completely new to us - in which at first glance we can take these graceful outlines as an imitation of living nature. For example, fig. 16 somewhat resembles a half-opened flower bud, while other shapes may resemble shells, leaves or the outline of trees. However, in reality they are not and cannot be copies of plant or animal forms, and it seems likely that the explanation for this similarity lies much deeper. A similar and even more remarkable fact is that certain very complex thought-forms can be imitated by the action of certain mechanical forces, as stated above. While with our present knowledge it would be unwise to try to find a solution to this very fascinating problem represented by this remarkable resemblance, it seems likely that we are getting a glimpse of a great mystery on the threshold - for if by the help of certain thoughts we produce forms which are also created and natural processes, then at least we can make the assumption that these forces of nature act along lines somewhat similar to the action of these thoughts. Since the universe itself is a mighty thought-form called into existence by the Logos, it may well be that its small parts are also the thought-forms of lesser beings engaged in the same work; Thus perhaps we can make progress towards understanding what the three hundred and thirty million devas of the Hindus mean.
This thought-form of the most beautiful light azure color, with the splendor of white light shining through it, required all the skill of an indefatigable artist, who worked hard to capture it as truly as possible. This is what Catholics call a certain “act of faith,” or better, an act of extreme selflessness and self-denial.
Intelligence
Rice. 18 and 18a
Vague mental pleasure. Rice. 18 represents an indeterminate cloud of the same order as those observed in Figures 8 and 14, but in in this case yellow, instead of raspberry or blue. Yellow in each of the human bodies always indicates intellectual abilities, but its shades vary and this can be complicated by the admixture of other tones. Generally speaking, the darker and duller the hue, the more the intellect is directed into the lower channels, and the more selfish the objects of intellect are. In the astral and mental bodies of the average man it appears as a yellow ocher, while the pure intellect devoted to the study of philosophy or mathematics appears often golden and rises gradually to a beautiful clear and luminous lemon or primrose yellow shade, when the powerful mind works completely disinterestedly for the benefit of humanity. Most yellow thought forms have clear outlines, and vague clouds of this color are relatively rare. They signify intellectual pleasure—an appreciation of ingenuity, or the joy felt in mental work. Such pleasure as received a simple person in contemplating a picture, usually depends mainly on the feelings of admiration, love or pity that it evokes in him; or sometimes, if it depicts a scene familiar to him, its charm consists in its ability to awaken memories of past pleasures. The artist, however, may derive pleasure from a painting of a very different nature, based on his recognition of the work well done and the subtle intelligence displayed in achieving such results. Such pure intellectual satisfaction shows itself as a yellow cloud; the same effect may be produced by the pleasure of a musical design or the insight of an argument presented. A cloud of this nature indicates complete absence any personal emotions, because if they were present, they would inevitably tint the yellow with their own, inherent color.
Intent to find out. Rice. 19 is interesting as telling us something about the growth of the thought-form. The early stage, which is shown in the upper form, is not uncommon, and indicates the intention to solve some problem - the desire to learn and understand. A thought-form of this kind often accompanies a question, and if, as sometimes unfortunately happens, the question is asked less with a sincere desire to know than with a view to showing the insight of the questioner, the form is strongly tinged with a deep orange, which indicates conceit. This particular form was noticed in the meeting and was accompanied by a question that showed deep thought and insight. The answer given at first was not entirely satisfactory to the questioner, who seemed to get the impression that the lecturer was trying to avoid the problem. His decision to obtain a complete and comprehensive answer to his question became even more definite and the thought form acquired a more saturated color and changed into a second type, much stronger than before, resembling a corkscrew. Forms similar to these are constantly created by idle and frivolous curiosity, but since the intellect is not involved in this case, the color is no longer yellow, but resembles something like that shown in Fig. 29, expressing the desire for alcohol.
High ambition. Rice. 20 gives us another manifestation of desire - the desire for office or power. This ambitious quality is shown by the rich and deep orange color, and desire by the hook-shaped appendages that are in front of the thought form as it moves. This thought is one of the good and pure thoughts of this kind, for if it were based on something base or selfish, it would inevitably show itself as a darkening of the clear orange with dull tones of red, brown or gray. If this man desired high position or power, it was not with a view to his own gain, but from the belief that he could do a good and honest job for the benefit of his fellow men.
Selfish ambition. Ambition of the lowest type is shown in Fig. 21. We have here not only a large dull brownish-gray patch of egoism, but also a significant difference in form, although it has the same definiteness in outline. In Fig. 20 the form is constantly rising in the direction of a certain object, since it can be seen that the central part of it definitely resembles a projectile, as in Fig. 10. In Fig. 21, on the other hand, is a floating form, and well expresses the usual tendency to capture - the desire to seize for oneself everything that is within sight.
Anger
Rice. 23 and 22
Homicidal rage and lasting anger. In Fig. In 22 and 23 we have two terrible examples of the terrible effect of anger. The gloomy flash from the dark clouds (Fig. 22) was taken from the aura of a rude and partially drunk man in the East End of London when he knocked down a woman; a flash darted in her direction the moment before he raised his hand and caused such a feeling of trembling with horror, as if it could kill. A precisely aimed stiletto-shaped dart (Fig. 23) was a thought of constant malice, strong desire revenge, nurtured over the years, and directed towards the person who inflicted serious injury on the one sending it. It should be noted that both thoughts take the form of lightning, but the upper one is unstable in its appearance, while the lower one represents the constancy of the impulse, which is much more dangerous. The basis of extreme egoism from which the upper form arises is very characteristic and instructive. The difference in color between them is also worth noticing. At the top, the dirty brown color of egoism is so noticeable that it even colors the outburst of anger; at the same time, in the second case, although selfishness undoubtedly lay at the root, the original thought was forgotten in constant and concentrated anger. Studying 13th century illustration will be able to imagine the state of the astral body from which these thought forms protrude, and surely even a simple glance at these pictures, even without studying them, will give an object lesson about what evil the feeling of anger brings.
Explosion of anger. In Fig. 24 we see how anger of a completely different nature is presented. There is no constant hatred here, just an energetic outburst of irritation. It is immediately clear that while each of the creators of the forms shown in Fig. 22 and 23, directed his anger against a specific person, the person responsible for the explosion in Fig. 24, was temporarily at war with the whole world.
It is instructive to compare the emissions from this illustration with those shown in Fig. 11. Here we see a real explosion, instantaneous in its passage and disorderly in its consequences; an empty center shows that the feeling that led to it is a thing of the past, and the force is no longer generated. In Fig. 11, on the contrary, the center is the strongest part of the thought-form, showing that it is not the result of a temporary flash of feeling, but there is a constant influx of energy, while the rays demonstrate by their quality, length and uniformity of spread the constantly maintained effort that creates them.
Vigilant and angry jealousy. In Fig. 25 we see an interesting, although unpleasant, thought form. Its peculiar brownish-green color immediately indicates to the experienced clairvoyant that this is an expression of jealousy, and its curious appearance demonstrates the ardor with which a person examines its object. The remarkable resemblance to a snake raising its head suitably symbolizes the foolish approach of this man, vigilantly trying to detect signs of what he would least like to see. The moment he sees it, or imagines he sees it, the form changes into the much more ordinary one shown in Fig. 26, where jealousy is already mixed with anger. It should be noted that here jealousy is usually a vague cloud, however, dotted with very clear outbursts of anger, ready to strike those who allegedly wounded the person, while in Fig. 25, where there is still no anger, jealousy itself has very definite and very expressive contours.
Sympathy
Vague sympathy. In Fig. 18And we have another of the indeterminate clouds, but this time its green color shows us that this is a manifestation of sympathy. We may infer from the vague character of its outline that it is not an open and active sympathy, capable of turning immediately from thought to action; This is rather an ordinary feeling of condolences that can be experienced by a person who reads a message about an accident, or who stands in the doorway of a hospital room and looks at the patients.
Fear
Sudden fear. One of the most wretched objects in nature is a man or animal in a state of humiliated fear, and a study of an illustration of the 14th century "To man visible and invisible" shows that under such circumstances the astral body does not make a better impression than the physical. Thus, when the astral body of man is in a state of frenzied trembling, his natural tendency is to throw out formless explosive particles, like a mass of rock thrown out by an explosion, as can be seen from Fig. 30; but when a person is not in a state of terror, but is seriously frightened, an effect similar to that shown in Fig. 27 is often produced. It is noticeable here that all the crescents on the right side, which were apparently released earlier than the others, show nothing but the dove-grey color of fear , but in the moment later man has already partially recovered from the shock and is beginning to feel angry that he allowed himself to be scared. This is indicated by the fact that the later crescents are marked with crimson, indicating a mixture of anger and fear, while the latter crescent is purely crimson, telling us that fear has already been completely overcome and only irritation remains.
Greed
Selfish greed. Rice. 28 gives us an example of selfish greed - of a much lower grade than rice. 21. It should be noted that there is nothing even as sublime here as ambition, and the shade of dirty green indicates that the person in whom this unpleasant thought was born is ready to use deception in order to obtain the object of his desire. While the ambition in Fig. 21 was of a general nature, the desire in Fig. 28 is directed towards a specific object to which it is drawn; After all, you need to understand that this thought form, like the one in Fig. 13, remains attached to astral body, which can be assumed to be to the left of the figure. Such thought-forms may vary in color according to the exact amount of envy or jealousy which is mingled with the lust for possession, but a form very close to that shown in our illustration will be found in all cases.
Thirst for drink. In Fig. 29 we are presented with another version of the same feeling, perhaps in even greater degradation. Once again the hooked projections show greed, while the color and rough texture indicate the base and sensual nature of desire. Sexual desires often manifest themselves in exactly the same manner. As men ascend the scale of evolution, the place of this thought-form will gradually be occupied by something resembling that shown in Fig. 13 and very slowly, as it develops, will in turn pass through the stages shown in Fig. 9 and 8, until at last all selfishness is abandoned, and the desire to have is transmuted into the desire to give, and we achieve the magnificent results shown in Fig. 11 and 10.
Various emotions
In a shipwreck. A very serious panic gave rise to a very interesting group of thought forms, which are shown in Fig. 30. They were seen simultaneously, positioned exactly as shown. Although, amid indescribable confusion, their relative positions have been preserved, yet in explaining them it will be more suitable to take them in reverse order. They were caused by a terrible accident, and they are instructive in showing how people are affected differently by sudden and serious danger. One of them shows nothing but a rash of bluish-gray fear that occurs against a background of extreme selfishness, and unfortunately, there were many like this. The scattered nature of the thought form shows the strength and completeness of the explosion, which in turn indicates that the whole soul of this person was gripped by blind, frenzied horror, and that an overwhelming sense of personal danger excluded for a time any higher feelings.
The second thought-form represents at least an attempt at self-control and shows the attitude adopted by a person who has some amount of religious feeling. She seeks consolation in prayer, thus trying to overcome her fear. This is evidenced by a point of grayish-blue, which, oscillating, rises upward; the color shows, however, that the attempt is only partially successful, and we see also from the lower part of the thought-form, with its uneven outlines and falling fragments, that there is in fact almost as much fright as in the previous case. But at least this woman had enough presence of mind to remember that she should pray, and she tries to imagine that she is not so afraid at all, whereas in another case there was absolutely no thought behind the selfish horror. One retains the ability to restore self-control, while the other is a slave to overwhelming emotions.
In striking contrast to the weakness shown in these two forms is the magnificent strength and determination of the third. What we have here is not a shapeless mass with trembling contours and explosive fragments, but a powerful, clearly defined and definite thought, obviously full of strength and determination. Since it is the thought of the officer on duty - the person responsible for the lives and safety of the passengers - he meets the danger in the most satisfactory manner. He didn't even show a hint of fear - he didn't have time for that. However, the redness of the tip of his weapon-like thought form shows his anger at what he carried special case happened, the thick orange curve directly above it indicates complete self-confidence and confidence in one’s ability to cope with difficulties. The brilliant yellow makes it clear that his intellect is already working on the problem, while the green running alongside denotes the compassion he has for those he intends to save. A very impressive and instructive group of thought forms.
At the premiere. Rice. 31 also presents an interesting pattern - perhaps unique in that it represents the thought form of an actor waiting to go on stage for a premiere production. The wide stripe of orange in the center is very clearly defined, and it is an expression of justified self-confidence - the result of many previous successes, and a reasonable expectation that in this case another will be added to the list. Despite this, there is also a fair amount of inevitable uncertainty about what impression this new play will make on the public; and on the whole doubt and fear outweigh confidence and pride, for there is more pale gray than orange, and the whole thought-form wavers like a flag flapping in a gale. It should be noted that while the orange outlines are superbly sharp, the gray outlines are much murkier.
Players. The shapes shown in Fig. 32 were observed simultaneously in a huge gambling house. Both represent some of the worst human passions, and there is little choice between them, despite the fact that they represent the feelings of the lucky and unlucky gambler respectively. The form below bears a strong resemblance to a dark, glimmering eye, but this must be merely a coincidence, for after analyzing it we will find that there is no difficulty in understanding the meaning of its constituent parts and colors. The background of the whole thought is a ragged cloud of deep depression, marked significantly by the dull brown-gray color of selfishness and the bluish tint of fear. In the center we find a clearly marked purple ring, showing deep anger and resentment at hostile fate, and within this there is a clearly defined black circle, expressing the hatred of the ruined man for those who won his money. A person capable of sending such a thought-form is undoubtedly in imminent danger, for he is seen to have descended to such depths of despair that it is possible that he will seek the imaginary refuge of suicide, only to discover on awakening into the astral life that he has only changed his condition for the worse instead of for the better, as always happens in suicide, since his action cut him off from the happiness and peace that usually follows death.
The upper form represents a state of mind that is perhaps even more harmful in its consequences, since it is the exultation of a successful gambler. Here the contours are completely definite, and a person’s decision to continue his line of behavior is undeniable. The wide strip of orange in the center shows very clearly that although when a person loses, he attributes it to the fickleness of fate, when he wins, he completely attributes this success to his own genius. Perhaps he invented some system on which his faith rests, and of which he is unusually proud. But it should be noted that on each side of orange there is a solid line of egoism, and we see how it in turn dissolves into stinginess and becomes the usual animal greed of possession, which is also very clearly expressed by the claw-shaped ends of the thought form.
In case of a street incident. Rice. 33 is instructive as showing the different forms that the same feelings can evoke in different individuals. These two evidences of emotion were seen simultaneously among those observing a street incident - a case in which someone was hit by a passing carriage and received minor injuries. Both who created these thought forms reacted with keen interest and deep sympathy to the victim of the incident, and therefore their thought forms show exactly the same colors, although their outlines are completely different. The one over whom that vague spherical cloud floats is thinking, "Poor guy, what a pity," while the one who gives birth to that clearly defined disk has already rushed forward to see how he can help. One is a dreamer, albeit with keen sensitivity, the other is a man of action.
At the funeral. In Fig. 34 we have an extremely impressive example of the advantage of knowledge and the fundamental changes in human respect resulting from a clear understanding of the great laws of nature that govern our lives. Extremely different in every respect in color, form and meaning, these two thought-forms were seen simultaneously, and they represent two points of view regarding the same incident. They were observed at a funeral and show the feelings evoked in the minds of two participants in the funeral procession by contemplation of death. Both had the same relationship with the deceased, but while one was ignorant of the superphysical life, the other had the advantages of Theosophy. In the thoughts of the first we see no expression of anything other than deep depression, fear and selfishness. The fact that death was approaching so close clearly brought into his mind the thought that one fine day it might also come to him, and the anticipation of this is terrible for him; but since he does not know what it is that he is so afraid of, the clouds in which his feeling is manifested are very vague. His only definite sensations are despair and a sense of personal loss, these show themselves as regular stripes of brown-gray and lead-gray, while a very curious outgrowth on the lower side actually descends into the grave and envelops the coffin - the expression of a strong selfish desire to return the deceased to physical life.
It will be very refreshing to move from this gloomy picture to the surprisingly different effect produced by the same circumstances in the mind of a person who understands the essence of what happened. It can be seen that these two did not have a single common emotion at all; in the previous case everything was horror and despondency, while in this case we find nothing but the highest and most beautiful feelings. At the base of the thought-form we find the full expression of deep sympathy; light green shows understanding of the suffering of the funeral participants and condolences to them, and a stripe of deeper green shows the attitude towards the deceased himself. The deep pink shows love for both the deceased and the living, while the upper part, consisting of a cone and stars rising from it, indicates the feeling arose when thinking about the subject of death - blue expresses its religious aspect, while purple shows the thought of a noble ideal and the ability to live up to it, and gold stars reflect the spiritual aspirations that these thoughts evoke. The stripe of clear yellow which is seen in the center of this thought-form is very significant as showing the whole attitude of a person based on the intellectual perception of the situation, it also shows the regularity of the arrangement of colors and the definiteness of the lines of division between them.
A comparison of the two illustrations shown in this figure is certainly a very impressive testimony to the value of the knowledge given theosophical teaching. Surely this knowledge removes all fear of death and makes life easier, since we understand its purpose and its end and realize that death is a completely natural incident in its course, a necessary step in our evolution. There is no dark impenetrable abyss beyond the grave, but instead there is a world of life and light that can be known to us as clearly, completely and in detail as this physical world, in which we live now. We have created darkness and horror for ourselves, like children who bully themselves. scary stories, and we only have to study the facts of the phenomenon, and all these artificial clouds will dissipate in a moment. We have an evil legacy associated with this, since we have inherited all kinds of funeral horrors from our ancestors, and since we are accustomed to them, we do not see their absurdity and monstrosity. The ancients were wiser than us in this respect, since they did not associate all this phantasmagoria of darkness with the death of the body - partly, probably, because their method of getting rid of the body was more rational - a method that is not only infinitely better for the dead and healthier for the living, but also free from the disgusting assumptions associated with slow decay. They knew much more about death in those days, and because they knew more, they mourned less.
Meeting a friend. Rice. 35 gives us an example of a good, clearly defined and expressive thought-form, with each color well separated from the others. It represents a person's feeling when meeting a friend from whom he has been separated for a long time. The convex surface of the crescent is closer to the thinker, and its two ends extend towards the approaching friend, as if trying to hug him. Pink, naturally, speaks of the love experienced, light green shows the depth of sympathy for him, and pure yellow is a sign of intellectual pleasure with which the creator of this thought looks forward to the revival of delightful memories of days long past.
Evaluation of the painting. In Fig. 36 we have a rather complex thought form representing admiration beautiful picture on religious theme. The strong pure yellow marks an enthusiastic recognition of the artist's technical skill, while all the other colors are expressions of the various emotions evoked in him by studying this magnificent work of art. Green shows his sympathy for the central figure of the picture, deep religious feelings are manifested not only in the broad stripe of blue, but also in the contours of the entire figure, while violet tells us that the picture caused the viewer to think about a high ideal, and made it, although would be for a while, answering him. We have here the first example of an interesting class of thought-forms, of which we will find numerous examples later - those where light of one color shines through a network of lines of a completely different hue. It should be noted that in this case numerous wavy lines, flowing like streams across the golden plain; from this it is clear that high aspirations are not at all vague, but are firmly based on an intellectual perception of the situation and a clear understanding of the method by which they can be realized.
RELIGIOUS FEELINGS - emotional. the attitude of believers to sacred beings, connections, and sacredness. things, persons, places, to each other and to ourselves, as well as to religiously interpreted natural phenomena and to the world in general. Not every experience can be considered a religious experience, but only those that are welded together with religion. representations, ideas, myths and, because of this, acquired corresponding. direction, meaning and significance. Ch.r. arise on the basis of relativity, needs and, in turn, themselves become the object of need - attraction to their experience, to religion. emots. saturation. They are an essential element of religions. consciousness. Ch.r. essence of “social product” (K. Marx), as well as in general, incorrectly express the relationship of people to those ruling over them in everyday life alien to natural and societies. forces. Theologians believe that he is the bearer of “religion.” feelings”, which has supernatural qualities. source. In reality, Ch. r. are generated by certain social conditions. In its physiological basis and psychological. properties they do not contain anything specific. From religion representations can be fused and obtained corresponding. the direction and meaning of various human emotions - fear, love, admiration, reverence, joy, hope, expectation, etc.; in this case, “love for God”, “a feeling of sinfulness, humility, submission”, “the joy of communion with God”, “hope for the other world”, etc. are experienced. Religion deforms the emotions of believers. In the value scale, the “highest” levels are occupied by feelings experienced about the supernatural, and experiences of relationships to real people, about nature, fall into the category of secondary, derivative. Certain emotions are condemned as hostile to religion. worldview and morality. Ch.r. reduce social activity of people in non-religious circles. spheres, and the most fanatically minded believers can be encouraged to asceticism, to withdraw “from the world.”
Atheistic Dictionary. - M.: Politizdat. Under general ed. M. P. Novikova. 1986 .
See what “RELIGIOUS FEELINGS” is in other dictionaries:
RELIGIOUS FEELINGS - emotional states caused by belief in the supernatural. Some researchers believe that only admiration, reverence, delight, etc. can be classified as religious feelings, since they are the ones who most fully express the attitude... ... Eurasian wisdom from A to Z. Explanatory dictionary
Religious motives of L.'s poetry.- Religious motives of L.'s poetry. RELIGIOUS MOTIVES of L.'s poetry arise against the general background of atheistic sentiments (see God-fighting motives). It is important to distinguish R. m. from the usual one for romantic ones. poetry of the 19th century Christian symbolism, heaven organically enters into... Lermontov Encyclopedia
List of films opposed by religious organizations - Religious organizations both churches and societies close to them often openly criticize certain films that they think painfully offend the religious feelings of their adherents or are directed against their religion... Wikipedia
THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR (1941-1945) AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE USSR- Religious organizations and the Soviet state on the eve of the Great Patriotic War Immediately before the start of the Great Patriotic War (WWII), which became a turning point in the relationship between the state and most religions. associations in... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia
Primitive religious ideas- Monuments of primitive art testify to the development of human consciousness, about his life at that distant time. They also talk about beliefs primitive man. To the fantastic ideas from which the most ancient religious... ... World History. Encyclopedia
Encroachments on the foundations of religion, property and other interests of the priests. corporations, the personality and privileges of clergy, deviation from religions. dogmas and rituals, various violations of religions. prohibitions and lack of faith. Slave owners were strictly persecuted... Atheist Dictionary
Religious beliefs of the peoples of the Volga and Urals regions- In the Volga-Ural region, Finno-Ugric (Mordovians, Mari, Udmurts), Turkic (Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvash), Slavic (Russians, Ukrainians) and other peoples live in close contact. The ancient settlers of the region are the Finno-Ugric peoples. They …
Ukrainians in Russia religious and cultural traditions- The basis of the ethnonym “Ukrainians” was the word “kraina” (i.e. country), which goes back to the name “Ukraine” (“region”), which was used to designate the south. and southwestern parts of ancient Russian lands in the 12th–13th centuries. In the 16th–17th centuries. in the official Russian documents... ... Religions of the peoples of modern Russia
Scientific Committee of the Ministry of Public Education- According to Art. 17 the current institution of the Ministry of Peoples. education (approved by the Emperor on June 18, 1863), the U. Committee of the Ministry of Public Education has the purpose of considering, on behalf of the minister, a) those entering the ministry ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
- (lat. rcligio piety, shrine, object of worship) one of the forms of societies, consciousness, a reflection of reality in illusory fantastic. images, ideas, concepts. In its essence, “every religion is nothing more than fantastic... ... Atheist Dictionary
Books
- Museum 10. Russian Art Nouveau Art,. The collection is devoted to the attribution and publication of monuments of the Russian Art Nouveau era, as well as various issues of museum work. In the middle of the 20th century, a wave swept through the countries of Europe and America...
Noting common points, characteristic of religion and art, one cannot fail to mention the special role of emotional processes in these forms public consciousness. Both aesthetic and religious attitudes toward myth necessarily include certain feelings and experiences. At the same time, what is common is not only the presence of emotional processes, without which neither art nor religion are possible, but also some psychological mechanisms of their occurrence.
Aristotle noted that a person present at the performance of an ancient Greek tragedy in a theater experiences a complex set of experiences, which the Greek philosopher designated by the term “catharsis” (literally “purification”). No matter how difficult and tragic the events about which we're talking about in tragedy, the viewer ultimately experiences a kind of emotional release, accompanied by feelings of enlightenment and liberation. As a result of catharsis, contradictory, sometimes difficult, painful experiences, in the words of the Soviet psychologist L.S. Vygotsky, as if they find their discharge and “self-combust in short circuit". This mechanism for the flow of aesthetic feelings is characteristic not only of people who perceive tragedy in the theater. Given the presence of originality in each special case catharsis is typical in general for aesthetic experiences that are present both in the process of artistic creativity and in the act of perceiving works of art.
The religious experiences experienced by believers in the process of collective or individual prayer are to a certain extent similar to catharsis. From an emotional-psychological point of view, prayer is a means of “relieving” negative experiences with the help of emotional release. The believer turns to God in the hope that the latter will deliver him from suffering and failure, will satisfy his prayers and desires. And since he believes in the reality of God and his omnipotence, prayer brings him psychological relief and consolation. One should not just forget that the psychological relief that prayer and religion in general gives, in essence. affairs, is self-deception. It is based on false premises, on faith in the reality of the supernatural, God, instead of directing the energy and will of a person to change the conditions of his life, to a genuine solution to his problems and difficulties, religious faith turns all his thoughts and hopes towards divine providence, that is, dooms him to passivity, obedience and humility.
The similarity between aesthetic and religious feelings mainly affects the form of emotional processes. As for their content, their orientation, between aesthetic and religious experiences there are fundamental, fundamental differences.
Aesthetic feelings are aimed at real objects: natural phenomena, objects of labor and everyday use, people, and finally, works of art - paintings, statues, novels, poems, poems, films, etc. In all these cases, the aesthetic feeling arises in the process aesthetic development a man of the objective world. And it promotes a deeper knowledge of the objective world, people, human relationships and characters.
Religious experience has a different content, a different orientation. Religious feelings are always directed towards supernatural, i.e. illusory, really non-existent objects: God, spirit, etc. In some cases, a real object or person can become the object of religious feelings (for example, miraculous icon"or "saint" among the Orthodox, pope among the Catholics, etc.). But at the same time, religious feelings are aimed at the supernatural properties of this object (the ability to “work miracles”) or at its connection with the supernatural, God. Thus, here, too, the direct object of religious feelings is illusory in nature. Consequently, feelings associated with belief in the supernatural, directed, in essence, into emptiness, they represent a fruitless waste of people’s mental and physical energy. Aesthetic feelings elevate a person, develop his horizons, enrich him. spiritual world. Religious feelings, on the contrary, humiliate a person, distract him from reality, lead him into the world of illusions, that is, they interfere with his social activity, his creative creative activity.
Introduction
In the religious sphere, feelings play a special role.
Many theologians, philosophers and sociologists have long noticed the fact that in the sphere of religion, feelings play important role. Christian theologians, starting with the “father of the church” Augustine (IV-V centuries), emphasized the importance of religious feelings and sentiments.
The traditional position of theologians and most bourgeois philosophers is that every person has a certain innate religious feeling, a special desire, a gravitation towards God, and that this religious feeling differs from all other emotional processes that a person experiences in its uniqueness.
Many theologians and idealist philosophers emphasize that religious feeling is essentially incomprehensible to reason. They try to assure that “communion with God”, initiation into religion is an act of mystical insight, which is based on religious feeling.
They see the source of religious feeling in God.
Specifics of religious feelings
religion feeling believer society
In reality, there is no innate “religious feeling” that is fundamentally different from others human emotions The emotional processes of believers, from the point of view of their physiological basis and basic psychological content, do not contain anything specific. The most common human feelings are associated with religious beliefs: fear, love, hatred, anger, admiration, etc. Therefore, an attempt to psychologically isolate a religious feeling by contrasting it with all others is untenable.
But, objecting to the understanding of religious feeling by theologians and idealists, we must not forget that, being associated with religious ideas, the emotions of believers acquire a certain specificity.
The uniqueness of the psychology of believers should not be sought in the area of their neuro-physiological mechanisms. There are no special physiological processes or mechanisms that would underlie religious consciousness, that would be inherent exclusively to religious people. The physiological laws of higher nervous activity that underlie mental processes and phenomena are the same for both believers and non-believers. Therefore, with the help of the physiology of higher nervous activity, it is impossible to detect the specifics of religious consciousness. Attempts made in this direction inevitably led to the biologization of religion.
This does not mean that the data from the physiology of higher nervous activity are useless and unnecessary for atheists. Since physiological laws underlie all mental activity, including the mental activity of believers, knowledge of them is necessary to find the correct ways and methods of influencing people’s consciousness. But the physiology of higher nervous activity is powerless to reveal the peculiarities of religious consciousness.
This problem cannot be solved by general psychology. General psychology studies those general patterns of human mental activity that are characteristic of him in any special conditions, in any society.
Only with the help of social psychology can one identify the main feature of religious feelings, which is that they are directed at a fictitious, illusory, supernatural object. This determines the specific social orientation of religious emotions, their role in the life of society and the individual. The object of religious feelings of believers is God, spirit, “evil spirits” and similar fictitious, created human fantasy images. Since the object of religious feelings does not really exist, all the feelings experienced by a believer are directed into emptiness and represent a fruitless waste of his energy, his spiritual and physical strength.
In cases where religious feelings seem to be directed at a really existing object, for example, at a person (“saint”, “righteous person”, etc.) or at a material object (a “miraculous” icon, a “holy” source and etc.), they are in fact always associated not with the object itself, as such, but only with the supernatural properties attributed to it - the ability to perform miracles, heal the sick, etc.
In all circumstances, religion directs a person's emotions towards fiction, which is attributed to reality. This is precisely what leads to the deformation of ordinary human feelings
Believers themselves do not realize the harm of religious emotions. They often say that religious emotions bring them a certain relief, “forgetfulness of the hardships of life,” and help them overcome life’s difficulties and adversities. Indeed, purely subjectively, psychologically, religious feelings act as a means of overcoming conflicts in a person’s mind; they create a certain psychological resistance to external traumas, and in some cases provide a special emotional “release” to accumulated negative impressions. But such overcoming of life conflicts and difficulties is illusory, because religious emotions do not contribute to changing the real living conditions of people, but only temporarily “switch off” a person from the world around him. The “resolution” of life’s contradictions, which religion offers, is an escape from them into the world of illusions and fictions. Although it seems to the believer that religion has brought him relief, in reality the conditions of his life remain the same. Religious feelings lead a person away from reality and thereby interfere with its transformation, obscure social antagonisms and contradictions.
Emotional processes are among the most mobile elements of religious consciousness. Religious sentiments and religious feelings of the masses react very sensitively to changes in social conditions of life. Let us recall, for example, the surge of fanatical religiosity of the masses during the era of the Crusades, or the sudden widespread spread of so-called heresies.
The rapid spread of religious feelings and sentiments is largely due to the action of socio-psychological mechanisms of imitation and suggestion. The mechanisms of psychological suggestion and imitation were skillfully used and are being used by clergy to enhance religious emotions. A special role is played by these mechanisms in the collective prayers of some sects, where religious feelings are artificially aroused with the help of some special means of psychological influence (during prayer, for example, long-term collective repetition of individual words, rhythmic body movements, etc. are practiced). As a result of such frantic prayers, a person sometimes reaches ecstasy, he ceases to perceive his surroundings, and shouts out meaningless words. Pentecostals consider this very state of a person to be the “highest spiritual illumination”, the descent of the “holy spirit” upon him.
What feelings are used by religion, what feelings are most characteristic of believers? The feelings of believers of different faiths and different historical eras differ significantly from each other. However, if we keep in mind modern monotheistic religions, and in particular modern Christianity, then we can identify several emotions that play a dominant role in the experiences of the “average”, the most typical representative believers.
In the 1990s, a direction was formed in Western religious studies that returned the study of religion to the mainstream of explanatory theories. Their authors connect the origin of religious consciousness not with something metaphysical, but with the peculiarities of language and thinking. I believe in supernatural powers they view it as a form of cognitive activity that is explained by evolutionary processes.
Back in 1979, researcher Stuart Guthrie wrote an article “The Cognitive Theory of Religion,” which caused widespread resonance among anthropologists and religious scholars. Stewart put forward the idea of religious anthropomorphism, according to which people tend to imagine forces unknown to them as living and similar to them.
In 1980, anthropologist Pascal Boyer outlined an alternative concept in his book The Naturalness of Religious Ideas. In his opinion, belief in a higher power is a special case of combining explicit and intuitive ideas.
“Some forms of religious thinking appear to be the path of least resistance for our cognitive systems. In contrast, disbelief in general is the result of deliberate and difficult work against our natural cognitive predispositions,” writes Boyer.
Thus, it is recognized that faith is inherent in almost everyone, that atheism is rather an anomaly, but at the same time the analysis of the origin of religiosity is reduced to biopsychic mechanisms. Some cognitive scientists even compare religion to a virus that thrives on brain functions not originally designed for religious thinking.
At the same time, experts emphasize that the hypothesis about the natural nature of religion does not assert, as some may think, that religiosity is something innate or instinctive.
“She argues that religious behavior and religious ideas, in all their splendor, grow rapidly and are transmitted from generation to generation for thousands of years because they perfectly correspond to innate, instinctive psychological mechanisms and processes. Religious ideas are not a matter of conscious choice. They survive because they conform to traits selected by the process of evolution itself,” says Marianna Shakhnovich, Ph.D.
Who thinks more, believes less?
In 2012, Will Gervais and Ara Norenzayan from the University of British Columbia (Canada) conducted a study with students and came to a conclusion that may support the cognitive theory of religion. Scientists have said that when people think analytically, they are less likely to express strong religious beliefs.
In the first experiment, participants took a test of analytical abilities and answered questions about their attitude towards religion, after which the researchers compared the subjects' religiosity and rationality. Experience has shown that people with an analytical mind and high cognitive abilities have less faith in supernatural forces compared to students who tried to solve problems using intuition.
In the second experiment, scientists asked volunteers to perform intellectual tasks, switching their brains into analytical mode, or showed them attributes of mental activity, after which they conducted a questionnaire. The results showed that the strength of belief of participants with intuitive thinking decreased slightly and approached the values characteristic of people with innate analytical abilities.
“Our study reinforces previous experiments in this area that have found a link between intuitive thinking and religion. The findings from our work indicate that activation of the analytical thinking system in the brain can undermine intuitive belief, at least temporarily,” concludes Norenzayan.
Stone in the garden of cognitive scientists
However, a new study conducted by a team of scientists from Oxford and Coventry University (UK) proves that religious beliefs are not associated with intuition or rational thinking.
The participants were people making a pilgrimage to the supposed tomb of St. James (Santiago de Compostela, Spain). The experiment consisted of brain stimulation and testing. The subjects were asked how strong their religious beliefs were, how much time they spent in pilgrimage trip and so on.
Then the scientists assessed the level of intuitive thinking of the pilgrims. They were asked to take a test to assess the likelihood of a particular phenomenon.
The test was designed in such a way that each question could be answered logically or intuitively. Researchers have been unable to establish a relationship between religiosity and intuitive or analytical thinking.
In the final experiment, two electrodes were connected to the subjects' heads, between which an electric current flowed. The procedure was painless and harmless. Thus, the volunteers were encouraged to suppress unwanted thoughts (the function of analytical thinking).
The experiment showed that the pilgrims had an increased level of thought control, but the level of belief in the existence of higher powers did not change.
“Why do we believe in God? Is this a rational or intuitive choice? Do we choose with our hearts or with our minds? There was and is a lot of controversy on this score. Our research shows that a person's religiosity is not determined by how much they rely on intuitive or analytical thinking. People are not born with a predisposition to faith and atheism. A person’s religious beliefs develop in the process of his upbringing, and they are in no way connected with the peculiarities of a person’s thinking. A person's innate intuition is not a prerequisite for religiosity. This is entirely a matter of human upbringing,” says Miguel Farias, one of the study’s authors.
What is faith?
However, the question arises: if the origin of religious consciousness is not explained by biopsychic mechanisms, does everything come down to social factors?
Doctor medical sciences and psychiatrist Fyodor Kondratiev gives a negative answer to this question. In his opinion, the idea that belief in supernatural forces can be instilled and imposed is more than ridiculous.
“Religion cannot be taught: if there is no religious feeling, then a person cannot become religious. Knowing the details and subtleties of any religious teaching does not make a person religious. For example, the militant atheist Stalin was a religiously educated person; he studied at a theological school and a theological seminary. A religious scholar, an expert in the fundamental principles and subtleties of his science, may not have a religious feeling, and, therefore, he will not religious person. Knowledge of religious teachings in the absence of a religious feeling does not make a person religious, just as the knowledge of musical notation acquired as a result of training in the absence of hearing and feeling for music does not make a person musical,” notes Kondratiev.
At the same time, the scientist emphasizes: the feeling of connection with the extramaterial, spiritual world is the basis of faith, and the highest manifestation and main evidence of religiosity is not the acceptance of any creed, but the feeling of the reality of this connection.
From death to meaning
This point of view is close to another direction in religious studies - phenomenological. His supporters give special meaning the views of adherents of religion and strive to identify its essence, abstracting from scientific and generally accepted values and prejudices.
One of the representatives of this approach is the historian of religion Andrei Zubov. Emphasizing that belief in a higher power is characteristic of almost any nation, he connects the nature of religiosity primarily with the spiritual sphere. Namely, with the experience of three existential problems - the inevitability of death, the deep alienation of people from each other and human imperfection.
Feeling his helplessness in front of these existential facts, a person seeks a connection with what rules over them - the immortal, unifying and perfect absolute, the knowledge of which exists in the ancestral memory, notes Zubov. According to his concept, where there is a desire to overcome death, alienation and imperfection through connection with a transcendental force felt on the existential level, religion begins.
Zubov's conclusions correlate with the views of existentialist psychologists. For example, psychotherapist Irvin Yalom, analyzing his many years of experience working with clients and the results various studies, writes that human life tied to four ultimate givens - death, freedom, loneliness and meaninglessness. Confrontation with them, Yalom emphasizes, gives rise to deep intrapersonal conflicts.
In turn, psychologist Viktor Frankl, who went through four concentration camps and created logotherapy (meaning therapy), argues that the key motivational factor manifested in a person is the will not to pleasure (Sigmund Freud) or power (Alfred Adler), but to meaning .
Frankl writes that life becomes meaningful in one of three cases - through activity, through love, or finding meaning in suffering when it is inevitable. Religion, according to the scientist, gives a person an unprecedented opportunity that he is not able to find anywhere else - the opportunity to strengthen and establish himself in the transcendental and absolute.
