Religion and faith. How is faith different from religion? Basis of Religious Faith

a kind of faith in which, without proof and individual verification of reality, the supernatural is recognized in one or another of its manifestations (God, gods, spirits, angels, etc.). A synonym for religion is the Christian faith, Islamic faith, etc. Religious faith is a specific state of a religious person, and therefore calls himself a believer.

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faith religious

FAITH RELIGIOUS- personal self-determination of a person in relation to his knowledge of the world and the place of a person in it, arising from a religious worldview. Religious self-determination is a person’s worldview and way of life, generated by a sense of connectedness, dependence on some entity elevated above him, a sense of reverence and reverence for a force that provides support and prescribes norms of behavior in relation to other people and to the world as a whole. There are two approaches that form two images, or appearances, V. R.: an approach, as it were, from the inside, from the state faith with the point of view of a believing person, convinced of the existence and active influence of the Deity on man and on everything that exists; and approach, as it were, from the outside, from the side of an external observer. This distinction is always present in V. p. with the leading role of the state of faith. But under certain historical conditions, it can acquire the character of opposition to each other. Within the framework of each of these approaches, a large number of more specific concepts of the nature of V. r. have developed, which can be grouped into 4 proto-concepts. In authoritarian concepts, the essence of V. r. is seen in the direct assimilation of all that is affirmed by Holy Scripture and church tradition (if we mean Christianity). In the second protoconcept of V. r. is considered as hypothetical knowledge that does not have and cannot have reliable grounds for it to turn into reliable knowledge. In concepts of the third kind, faith is interpreted as a special kind of internal mental or spiritual state of a person (for example, moral consciousness), which cannot be made the subject of objective theoretical consideration. In the concepts of the fourth kind of V. r. derived from personal religious experience, which can be supplemented and expanded thanks to the cumulative religious experience of people belonging to the same church tradition. In all these concepts, an important place is given to the interpretation of the cognitive status of V. r. This problem appears to be the most profoundly thought out in the concepts of spirituality, which derive it from the characteristics of religious experience and the religious knowledge that arises on its basis in comparison with philosophical and scientific knowledge. In religious cognition, the transformative activity of the subject is associated with the self-revealing activity of the object. The methodology of religious knowledge is based on the principles of dialogue. In the sphere of religious knowledge, the classical trichotomy is not respected: object-subject-means of cognition. The object of religious cognition becomes accessible to cognitive effort only to the extent that it enters into the human world. A person can use here only himself as an ontological "instrument" of cognition, a person, in principle, cannot be excluded from the act of cognition here. It follows from this that V. r. qualitatively differs from philosophical and scientific knowledge not by the fact that it is not argued or is not sure of its subject, but by the methods of obtaining and substantiating its content. IN AND. dried apricots

Religion contains four main parts: faith, creed, cult and organization. religious faith- this is the most complex cultural phenomenon that combines high intellectuality, inspiration, humility in front of a world that is spiritually superior to you, awareness of your creatureliness and, at the same time, special pride in belonging to this real world.

In world religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam), faith is a complex cultural complex that includes the subject of faith, the doctrine of faith, the practice of religion, dogma and other elements. So, in Islam, faith consists of three elements (verbal recognition of God,

ry deeds and virtuous intentions) and includes five main subjects: 1) faith in the one and only God; 2) angels; 3) God-revealed Books (five such Books are named in the Koran: the scrolls of Abraham, the Torah of Moses, the Psalter of David, the Gospel of Jesus, the Koran of Muhammad); 4) God's prophets and messengers; 5) Judgment Day, heaven and hell, retribution and punishment. Later, to these five articles of faith, a sixth one (of non-Quranic origin) was added - faith in predestination (everything that happens in the world - both good and evil, and also all the deeds of people are conditioned by the will of the Almighty).

The main features of faith are:

♦ ultimate individualization, since any religion implies the presence of a certain organizational structure that acts as an intermediary between God and man;

♦ personal attitude to the object of faith (in the form of any kind of supernatural), since the believer, as a rule, subconsciously evaluates it positively, considers it appropriate to the system of norms and values that he shares;

♦ emotional-sensual character.

creed

From the word "faith" comes the concept "creed" which denote a systematic doctrine, concept, set of ideas, which are based on faith in the supernatural world, deity. But even this - belief in the supernatural - is the main thing in the dogma. Much more important in the dogma is the fact that it is a systematic presentation of the content of faith in dogma- recognized once and for all as immutable truths that are not subject to criticism.

In this sense, Christianity, Buddhism or Islam are creeds. The source of the doctrine is the system of fundamental principles set forth in the Holy Tradition or in the Holy Books - for Muslims this is the Koran, and for Christians - the Bible. Holy Scripture is essentially considered the Revelation with which God turned to people, because one can only believe in the truth of this Revelation. The main source of doctrine is understood as the eternal, uncreated "word of God", revelation.

The totality of religious doctrines and teachings about the essence and action of God is called theology(from Greek. theos- God and...logia), literally meaning theology. It presupposes the concept of an absolute God who communicates to man knowledge of himself in revelation. In the strict sense, it is common to speak of theology in relation to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Thus, in theology, which form the basis of the Christian doctrine, three components can be distinguished: ontological doctrine(how the world works) epistemological doctrine(how to know the world) and revelation(revelation).

The new quality that religious faith has acquired in comparison with mythological faith is that it has moved from the realm of feelings into the realm of knowledge. Faith becomes epistemological basis of religious morality and practice.

REVELATION- in monotheistic religions, the direct will of the deity or the knowledge emanating from him as an absolute criterion of human behavior and knowledge. It is expressed in the text of "scripture" (in Judaism and Christianity - the Bible, in Islam - the Koran) and in "tradition", which also receives written fixation (in Judaism - the Talmud, in Christianity - the writings of the "fathers of the church", in Islam - the sunnah).

Religion

From the word "faith" comes the term "religion". Religions in Christianity are understood as its denominations, formed after the schism (Greek. schisma- schism) - a schism in the Christian church, which led to the separation of the churches (Orthodox and Catholic), which arose about the clarification of the divine and human nature in the person of Jesus Christ (the so-called Christological disputes). As a result of doctrinal differences in V-VII centuries several religions were formed, in particular, “non-Chalcedonites”, Nestorians, “Christians of St. Thomas", Monothelites and Monophysites. IN XI 11th c. Another religious division of the Churches - Orthodox and Catholic - took shape, behind which was a conflict of state ideologies, complicated by doctrinal and ritual differences. In XVII in. the Old Believers separated from Orthodoxy, which itself was divided into many "interpretations". During the Reformation, Protestantism broke away from Catholicism, within which many confessions and so-called denominations developed: Lutheranism, Calvinism, the Anglican Church, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, etc. In modern times (XVI-XVII centuries) several confessional branches were formed within Catholicism: Jesuits, Piarists, Redemptorists.

Defenders of religion declare belief in God an innate property of every person, a gift from God, which, due to its divine origin, cannot be explained from materialistic positions. The atheistic conviction of a scientist, any certainty of a person that is not connected with religion, is considered by them as an imperfect, distorted manifestation of religious faith.

The task of atheists is to give a truly scientific explanation for such a complex psychological phenomenon as faith, confidence, to show the inconsistency of theological explanations of this phenomenon, to clearly reveal the opposite of religious faith and confidence and conviction inherent in materialists and atheists. The very concept of faith is very complex, it includes at least two interrelated elements - epistemologically and emotionally-psychologically. Therefore, the analysis of faith involves both epistemological and psychological aspects of the consideration of this phenomenon.

The epistemological element of faith
In epistemological terms, faith is associated with the characteristics of both the social and individual processes of cognition. The classics of Marxism repeatedly emphasized the complexity and inconsistency of the process of cognition, justified the close connection of cognition with social practice and with its most important element - the production activity of people. Social practice, being the basis and criterion of knowledge, is historically limited in nature and cannot at any given moment fully and finally confirm or refute certain assumptions. In the volume of knowledge that humanity has at its disposal in each period of its development, there is such knowledge that has been confirmed by practice and has acquired the value of absolute truths, and such that cannot yet be practically verified.

Each new generation inherits from the previous one not only a certain level of development of the productive forces and the nature of production relations, but also the entire body of knowledge and errors. Along with practically substantiated and truly scientific information, religious-fantastic ideas are also assimilated. But in its practical activity, each new generation checks the inherited information, which was previously taken for granted; it discards ideas and assumptions that are not confirmed by practice, clarifies and deepens truly scientific knowledge about the world. In contrast to this real enrichment of knowledge, defenders of religion have always demanded the preservation of faith in the religious myths inherited from previous generations. They did not hesitate to directly ban scientific research in the name of preserving religious faith.

The need to navigate the diverse and complex phenomena of nature and society that surround a person every day gives rise to the desire to develop the most general principles for explaining and classifying phenomena. Each person creates for himself a mental model of the world, based on information received from society, and on his personal experience. The wider and deeper a person's knowledge, the more diverse his ties with society as a whole and the more active his social activity, and, consequently, the richer his personal experience, the more correct is his idea of the world. But if a person does not have sufficient scientific knowledge about the world around him, and his practical ties with the world are limited by the narrow confines of everyday and monotonous life, then a significant part of his ideas will be based on faith either by virtue of the opinion existing in his everyday circle, or in one or another other authority. Not surprisingly, in such situations, a religious explanation of the world can be perceived.

As we can see, the real process of assimilation and development of knowledge includes the moment of faith. In epistemological terms, faith can be defined as the acceptance by a person as true of certain ideas and representations that cannot be, due to objective or subjective reasons, unambiguously and convincingly proven at the moment. Such a definition characterizes any faith in a formal sense. It emphasizes that the concept of faith characterizes the state of the internal thought process of a person, the object of faith appears not in its material form, but in the form of ideas and ideas.

In other words, a person does not believe in some object or thing, but in the truth of this or that understanding of this object or thing. True, some idealist philosophers and philosophizing theologians sometimes called faith and conviction of people in the objective existence of the material world outside of man. However, such a broad interpretation of faith aims to confuse faith and knowledge, to present all knowledge in the form of faith, and faith as the starting point of knowledge. In reality, in this case, we are dealing not with faith, but with knowledge, because the thesis about the objective existence of material reality outside and independently of man has been proven by the entire practice of mankind and is constantly confirmed by the experience of each person. The object of faith, as noted above, can be those ideas and representations, the truth of which cannot be unambiguously substantiated and proven. In cases where an idea or idea has a practically confirmed strictly scientific proof, it belongs to the field of exact knowledge. Such a division of the areas of faith and knowledge is clearly seen in the analysis of both social and individual consciousness. People in their practical production activities have always proceeded from the amount of knowledge obtained in the process of mastering reality, by proven practice, placing the area of faith on the border of the mastered and the unmastered, the known and the unknown. Once, watching a thunderstorm, people were not able to know the essence of this phenomenon, giving it a religious interpretation. After scientists have managed to explain the nature of this phenomenon, it never occurs to anyone except very illiterate people to explain thunder and lightning by the actions of Elijah the Prophet.

Thus, with the development of social practice and the increasing accumulation and dissemination of knowledge about the world around us, the sphere of faith is increasingly moving away from the boundaries of everyday human existence, finding its object in little-studied areas of science and practice. The consideration of faith itself as a moment of the real process of cognition puts an end to the attempts of some theologians to present any faith as a supernatural phenomenon, as a gift from God.

But such a characterization of faith by no means removes the question of the difference between religious and non-religious faith. With a purely formal similarity between these types of faith, there is not only a difference between them, but also a direct opposite in the object of faith. In theological writings, the words from the Epistle to the Hebrews are usually cited to characterize religious faith: “Faith is the substance of what is hoped for and the certainty of the invisible ... By faith we know that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that out of the invisible came the visible” (ch. 11, art. 1, 3. In their sermons, theologians often emphasize that religious faith requires believing not in what can be seen, not in what can be demonstrated visually, but in what a person cannot comprehend and know. whether a person believes that the world was created by God, in the divine origin of the human psyche, or in the afterlife and the afterlife retribution - all this is based on the recognition of the determining role of supernatural forces and beings in relation to everything real, material the world and all the processes that take place in it.

Theologians declare that God and the entire supernatural world cannot be known by the human mind, they must be believed in, regardless of the arguments of the mind that rejects the existence of God. The statements of Catholic theologians about the possibility of rational knowledge of God do not change the above assessment of the ways of Christian knowledge of God, for they also believe that reason will only lead to God when a person agrees to seek him, i.e., first believes in his existence. Faith in religious systems has been transformed from an auxiliary element into an independent, most important feature of consciousness, which, according to theologians, has decisive advantages over rational knowledge, over systems of logical proofs. Ultimately, all Christian theologians come to recognize the thesis expressed by Tertullian: "I believe because it is absurd." The human mind is assigned a service role in relation to faith: it must substantiate it as far as it can, and be silent when it turns out to be powerless to substantiate the object of religious faith.

It should be emphasized that if in hypothetical knowledge certain ideas are considered as ideas and are not identified with objective things and processes, then a characteristic feature of religious faith is that the object of faith that exists in consciousness is objectified. Both theologians and believers insist that the object of their religious faith is not the very thought or concept of God, but it is God himself, the supernatural itself as really existing. In contrast to religious faith, non-religious faith has as its object certain hypothetical positions that are formulated on the basis of a generalization of social practice and proceed from scientifically established and practically verified truths. Being the basis for further activity, the content of such a belief is either recognized as false or confirmed in the course of practical, experimental scientific verification, acquiring the value of scientifically based knowledge. Such faith acts as a side, auxiliary element in the process of knowledge development.

The Psychological Side of Faith
In addition to the epistemological aspect, faith also has a psychological aspect, because faith is characterized not only by knowledge about something, but by an emotional attitude towards it. One must, apparently, distinguish between faith and conviction. for conviction is usually called the belief of a person in the truth of such ideas and representations, which can be scientifically proven, although at the moment they are not recognized by everyone. In other words, belief and belief differ in their object, and the object of belief is usually a provable proposition. On the psychological side, that is, as personal confidence in the truth of a given proposition, they manifest themselves in the same way. Such a distinction between faith and conviction seems necessary in connection with the fact that theologians, declaring faith a gift of God, inherent in every person, call the faith and conviction of scientists who defend their theories. In reality, the conviction, for example, of Galileo that the Earth revolves around the Sun, that the Moon is a celestial body revolving around the Earth, was based on strict scientific formulas, experiments and astronomical observations. It was knowledge, not faith, but knowledge that needed to be defended, protected, and, naturally, therefore, firmness, a personal emotional attitude to this knowledge, were required from the scientist.

Of the totality of information that a person has, only those that are important for his personal daily activities become the object of faith or belief. The range of such information is determined by the characteristics of the very activity of a person, his practical and spiritual interests. What gives rise to such an emotional attitude to ideas and ideas, or, in other words, how to explain the psychological aspect of faith? Theologians assure that this ability to believe is inherent in the human soul by God himself when he was created. And the point, according to their ideas, is only in what this thirst for faith inherent in man finds satisfaction - whether in true faith in the greatest value, in God, as among Christians, or in faith in certain earthly and, therefore, transient values. In reality, this phenomenon is explained by the psychophysiological features of the human structure, on the one hand, and the specifically human features of mastering the surrounding reality, on the other. Let's start from the last moment.

A distinctive feature of all human activity, with the exception of purely reflex acts, is that it is purposeful. Before acting, a person first sets a goal, outlines ways and means to achieve this goal. A similar feature of a person has been developed in the process of social labor and is constantly reproduced in the labor process. In the process of social practice, as well as in the course of individual practical activity, not only certain ideas are confirmed, but new, previously not taken into account problems arise before a person. The practical activity itself puts a person in front of new problems and requires their resolution. Thus, a person proceeds to the practical implementation of his goal, sometimes experiencing a lack of information about the ways and means of achieving it. Since the goal itself is of vital importance for a person, such as hunting for hunting peoples or growing crops for farmers, insofar as he is required to persevere in achieving the goal, to be sure that he will achieve the final result. He has to sort through and try many techniques, means, only some of which can lead to the desired result. Such progress along a partly unknown path requires a person's confidence, which helps to mobilize his spiritual and physical forces.

The ability to emotionally relate to one's ideas and ideas is connected, as mentioned above, with the psychophysiological characteristics of a person. Here it is appropriate to refer to the concept of the nature of emotions put forward by the doctor of medical sciences P. V. Simonov. Leaving aside the problem of the physiological processes underlying emotions in this case, let us emphasize those aspects of his concept that are of direct importance for our problem. P. V. Simonov considers emotions as an important factor in the adaptive actions of higher animals and humans. Emotions compensate for the lack of information and thus help a person (or animal) to withstand the unknown circumstances. Emotion arises with a lack or excess of information - this is the main thesis of the concept of P. V. Simonov. A characteristic feature of emotions is the acceleration and intensification of reactions, due to which emotions ensure the continuation of actions and, with a lack of information, contribute to the search for new information.

Therefore, it is precisely those ideas and ideas that either do not have an unambiguous justification or are refuted and which are at the same time important for a given person, acquire an emotional coloring, become an object of belief or faith. In cases where the action is performed on the basis of accurate knowledge and the achievement of the goal is not in doubt, then emotions do not appear. Therefore, they do not accompany such representations and ideas that are generally recognized as true. All this shows that the existence of the psychological aspect of faith has a completely materialistic explanation and, contrary to theological ideas, does not need recognition of God for its understanding.

Features of Religious Faith
However, the following question may arise: if the presence of faith is connected with the labor process, as indicated above, and the objects of faith are ideas and ideas that are vital for a person, then how can ideas and ideas about the supernatural, about an omnipotent and unknowable God, i.e., e. ideas that go beyond the daily interests of a person can turn into an object of deep religious faith? Theologians often pose this question, believing that it can be answered only on the basis of the recognition of the divine nature of faith itself.

Modern psychology gives a completely materialistic explanation for this fact. One of the features of the mental reflection of reality by a person is that reality is revealed to a person regardless of the person’s attitude towards it. This is the process of consciousness itself, the transformation of an unconscious psychic relationship into a conscious perception. Depending on the specific goals and conditions of action, a person has a certain attitude towards perception at any given moment. He is not aware of all external influences on his senses, but only some. Let's take an example. A person, carried away by a conversation with a companion, walks down the street and, as it were, does not notice his surroundings, although his behavior is in full accordance with what is happening around him. But he does not have a conscious image of the street. However, having reached the desired house, he stops, realizes that this is the house he needs. Now the environment is clearly conscious of them.

In the sphere of thinking, we can talk about a similar process - a person can have, perceive many ideas, but some of them turn out to be indifferent to him, while others acquire personal meaning for him. In order to instill in man the idea of God, apparently, it is necessary that this idea be closely connected with the daily life needs of man. Such a connection can be established only when, on the one hand, the person himself is prepared by the experience of his life for the perception of such an idea. As K. Marx noted, a believer is a person who either has not found himself or has already lost himself, that is, a person who, due to certain social reasons, has come to realize his weakness in the struggle against the forces around him and alien to him. Thus, a person is already predisposed to the perception of such an idea. On the other hand, the very idea of God must be presented in such a form that it has a personal meaning for a person, affects his vital interests, and thus evokes certain emotions. Each religion has a corresponding system of argumentation, which ensures the "grafting" of the idea of God into human consciousness. The idea of God is associated with the success of man's productive activity, with his moral sense, with aesthetic experiences. But the main link that makes it possible to connect the idea of God with the daily interests of man is, at least in Christianity, the idea of personal salvation. The thought of his fate, of what awaits him after death, cannot but excite a person. But as a condition for such salvation, an afterlife reward for the hardships and sufferings of life, theologians put forward faith in God, faith that does not reason, which should be preserved, despite the fact that reason rebels against it.

While striving to make faith in God the basis of a believer's life, theologians are nonetheless compelled to note that such faith is not inherent in everyone. They most often distinguish between three stages of religious faith, external faith, or it is sometimes called "faith by hearing," indifferent faith and living, ardent and passionate faith. This division of degrees of faith is carried out depending on what role the idea of God plays in the daily behavior of a person. Faith external, or "from hearing", is characteristic of that group of believers who have heard about God, and the idea of God is recognized by them, but this idea has not become an object of constantly acting emotions, does not motivate their behavior. They treat the idea of God as a possible hypothesis, which seems to them very plausible, but the idea itself is not "inherent" in their consciousness, and in connection with this, the emotions aroused by it are so weak that they do not force them to properly comply with religious precepts. Such believers hardly attend churches, do not observe fasts and holidays, and remember the church in those cases when it becomes necessary to observe a stable ritual - in connection with the birth of a child and his baptism, in connection with the death of relatives and their funeral. Another group of believers, who have an indifferent faith, observes the basic prescriptions of the church concerning the actual cult, that is, they attend church more or less regularly and perform other church rites. But their daily behavior, like the representatives of the first group, is determined not by religious ideas, but by other motives. They believe in God, have knowledge of religious teachings, but believe that their duty to God is limited to the fulfillment of a number of formal prescriptions. As for everyday behavior, it is determined by the real conditions of life, and the believers themselves perceive these conditions of their life as a direct given and have almost no connection with God. Such believers in our country make up a significant majority It is no coincidence that one of the modern Orthodox theologians admitted that the idea of God in the minds of believers has moved from the center to the periphery of consciousness.

A third group of believers who have a living faith associate religious ideas closely with their daily behavior. These people accepted the idea of personal salvation as the main goal of their lives, and in order to ensure salvation, they strive to implement religious prescriptions in their behavior, subordinate the efforts of reason to this goal, appealing to it only in those cases when it helps them justify their faith.

Speaking about the specifics of religious faith and its emotional and psychological aspect, one cannot help but dwell on the emotional significance of faith for the believer himself. When a person, tormented by grief, personal adversity, tired of life, turns to religion, begins to join the life of a religious community and religious ideas, he receives consolation. Many believers say that religious faith gives them peace, brings a sense of satisfaction. Faith can really give emotional release, calm, but this does not happen at all because a person supposedly found God, found the truth, a voice that sounded in his soul, as theologians explain this phenomenon. The matter is different. If, according to the concept of emotions mentioned above, the latter are called upon to make up for the lack of information, then, consequently, when receiving information about phenomena, the strength of emotional stress is also weakened. If misfortunes fall upon a person one after another, then it can be difficult for him to explain to himself such a combination of circumstances, and, not having firm worldview principles, he seeks relief in what he can give some peace of mind. Some turn to a religion that claims to have the answer to everything. This answer of religion is simple and does not require special knowledge: "This is the will of God. God sends a test, but he can also reward." For lack of another explanation, people accept it.

For such a person, communication with other believers, the psychological tone that exists in the community and is consonant with moods of personal helplessness, is of great importance. In the community, this feeling is no longer only personal, the spirit of human helplessness before supernatural power permeates the entire community, and this removes from a person the feeling of his own loneliness. Getting into a religious community, a believer, in addition to the psychological impact of the community itself, also experiences the influence of the means of emotional influence developed by this religious organization. The experiences caused by the influence of these means are perceived by the believers themselves not in their immediacy, but are associated with the religious idea. But in addition to these means of mass influence, religious organizations have developed many methods designed for individual, so to speak, self-strengthening of faith.

Among these means, first of all, daily prayer should be noted. In prayer, a kind of self-hypnosis takes place, a person again and again convinces himself of the existence of God. When presenting his troubles and requests to God, a person involuntarily thinks through his worries, re-awares them, and from this alone they cease to seem so burdensome to him in a number of cases. In addition, the hope that some of the worries are shifted to God, to some extent, weakens the emotional tension of a person, bringing relief to him. This very fact is perceived by believers as a new proof of the reality of God and the truth of religion.

Such a rite as the sacrament of repentance in Orthodoxy and Catholicism has a similar effect on the psyche of believers. By this rite, a person is ordered to rethink his actions, his behavior in the light of religious precepts. Repeated repetition of this rite leads to the fact that a person develops a stable religious principle for the analysis of all phenomena, a specifically religious structure of thinking is formed. On the example of some of these means of strengthening religious faith, the conclusion suggests itself that the irrational idea of God, which, according to the theologians themselves, is inaccessible to logical justification, is reinforced in the practice of religious organizations by carefully selected means of emotional influence. The idea of God, receiving an emotional coloring, becomes the object of religious faith.

Thus, religion, which is one of the elements of the cognitive process and plays an auxiliary role, has been turned into a self-sufficient means of comprehending God, opposing faith to truly scientific knowledge as the highest gift of God that man possesses. And no matter how theologians try to reconcile the methods of scientific knowledge with religion, the position that for religion the process of real knowledge and transformation of the world seems to be a secondary, unimportant problem remains indisputable. Atheism opposes to religious faith not unbelief, but a deep conviction in the creative abilities of mankind, faith in the possibility of building a beautiful society on earth. This faith has as its foundation the whole experience of mankind's struggle for its happiness, it is based on knowledge confirmed by practice about the natural ways of development of human society.

In this article, we will look at the difference between religion and faith.

Faith is the willingness to accept something without evidence. On the other hand, it is confidence in luck without any guarantees. Hope that the object of belief will help us. What then is religion?

Religion is a connection with otherworldly forces. But belief still includes belief, because it is pointless to establish a connection with something that you do not believe in. As in every activity, there are quite a few details in religion: from postulates to rules of conduct. Such activity can be supported without faith, only then it will no longer be religious activity. It's just a hoax. Now let's take a closer look at faith and religion.

Faith and understanding

Belief is the recognition of something or someone as true by one's own conviction without proof of logic and facts.

Belief, that is, religion, is the doctrine of faith. This is how society realizes its connection with the higher forces. But faith is more important.

Faith is the acceptance of something unproven, an idea, a phenomenon, whether based more on inner sensation, intuition. It is justified subjectively and does not require proof. According to Russell, faith disappears when evidence appears, and turns into knowledge.

The object of faith exists only in a state of possibility. It can be felt psychologically, emotionally and figuratively. It depends on the characteristics of the organism. How is faith different from religion?

The concept of religion

What is religion? This is a kind of social phenomenon, one of the forms of perception, understanding of everything that exists, the world, the Universe. It is usually based on the belief in some supernatural beings. According to theologians, religion connects God and people. Religion is an official affiliation to a particular denomination, as well as a creed with rituals.

The philosopher Jung considered confession a method, a method of psychological analysis and appropriate therapy. Freud, on the other hand, considered it only a great illusion, a deception that replaces misunderstanding. Karl Marx saw it as a "" (drug) for ordinary people (a way of deceiving, misleading and exploiting).

The sociological components of religion are as follows. This is, firstly, activity (cult or non-cult), external manifestation, ritualism. As well as internal self-awareness (attitude towards the concept of God, moral standards, prohibitions and restrictions).

Religious activity, one way or another, is present in all peoples, all continents and countries around the world. People belong to different religions. Despite the differences between religious denominations, there are concepts that are common to them: good and evil, moral ideals, the meaning of human life.

Distinguish between religion and denomination! Faith: primary - we choose it, able to exist independently. It can be lost, but it is in a state of progress. It is inside, depends on the characteristics of our psyche. Unites people. Disinterested, it is an attribute of religion.

Religion: we accept it, without faith it does not exist. You can change, but there is no progress. It is a template of belief, consists of dogmas. Often leads society to disagreements. Always pursues a certain goal, not always noble. It is not an attribute of faith.

Religion and Faith: A History of the Past

Religious activity is part of a belief, perhaps even from another. For example, Christianity is based on the history of the creation of the world and the Jewish people. Temple services are held according to Jewish traditions. Jewish holidays were replaced by Judeo-Christian ones. Christians burned their own and Western libraries. However, many holidays have retained their pagan roots. The initial letter of the ancient Slavs was replaced by the Church Slavonic alphabet.

Distortion of religion

According to the Slavs, life and faith are one and the same. Faith cannot be distorted. Religion can be modernized with new rules, dogmas and postulates.

Sometimes people discuss things they don't understand. Does a woman have a soul? This question does not confront the Slavs, since they endow the soul, in addition to living beings, with objects and phenomena.

The concept of reincarnation (re-birth) was canceled by Christians, because it is easier for churchmen to manage the people: eternal torment or eternal heavenly bliss, without a third option.

Faith: reflected in various religions

Let's take a closer look at the main ones:

Christianity is the most widespread denomination in the world. The meaning is the desire for salvation. Priests say that people live with inconsistencies in the desires of the body, spirit and mind. Therefore, life is given in order to prevent these contradictions, in order to gain salvation in paradise. The basis of religion is original sin. Belief in Russia from time immemorial rushed to holiness. This is how miracles happen in cells, God's people travel with the ability to heal and preach;
Islam is a strict denomination: a Muslim, without the slightest offense, must pray five times a day, and know all six "pillars". If he is guilty, then he must immediately repent sincerely, having read the shahada, while understanding every word of it. It is believed that Allah wanted only the best for people. Therefore, everything that happens to them bad is perceived as lessons. By belief, Muslims cannot change their fate (fatalism);
Judaism - this religion seems to be opposed to others. It is based, rather, not even faith, but trust in the Lord. Therefore, the Jews believe that God has chosen the best for them. In Judaism, truth can only be reached by answering many questions;
Buddhism is a philosophical denomination. The basic law here is not original sin, but karma. Sin in Buddhism, unlike Christianity, is only a mistake and a kind of obstacle on the path to enlightenment. If you follow the postulates, then you can go to enlightenment, avoid rebirth and reach nirvana.

Beliefs of ancient societies:

Primitive society endowed living beings, natural phenomena, etc. with souls. This is animism. Magic and - the belief that humanity can control the forces of nature;
Atheists. Atheism (translated as “godlessness”) is a worldview based on materialism, science, logic, facts and evidence. Based on science and progress. That is, atheism does not affect the concept of faith and God. Only the material world, which contemplates around;
Materialists ‘is a philosophy, but proponents have labeled materialism as a belief in science, progress, a person who is able to control the world, and even more so, the universe. Addressed the foundations of atheism;
Theology. In theology, close attention is paid to personal relationships, the inner, spiritual interaction of humanity and God. Belief is like a practice of life. Mankind can comprehend the essence of God only through the opportunities provided by the Lord. These are, of course, "revelations". God is unknowable. One can only know what it gives, allows us to know, meaning the human ability to know;
Psychology. Faith for psychology is its complete opposite, because faith cannot be analyzed, calculated, measured. Faith correlates with the “human factor”, which most often leads to unpredictable consequences;
Sociology. Christianity is the basis of modern society in the West. Religion suppresses our individuality, therefore it is separated from faith. The truth is that human desires are hardly altruistic towards the church or the priest, because the believer is more interested in his own consumer interests. Selfishness is the exclusive basis of natural human thoughts, it does not go beyond the boundaries of the behavioral norms of the public. Sociology perceives faith in this way. Scientists are only interested in what the phenomenon of belief will lead us to. Studying religions, sociologists try to draw a conclusion about the desire of people to create conditions for personal happiness through religious groups, sects and other similar associations.

So, we talked about the concepts of faith and beliefs, found similarities and differences in them, reflected on belief as its meaning for scientists, as well as for people of various faiths. In our country there is freedom of conscience - that is, freedom of religion. Therefore, it is up to you to decide, dear readers, which confession to profess. But remember that religion without faith cannot exist. In any case, without any belief it is hard. After all, only it can immediately support us in difficult life circumstances. Every belief is associated with a belief. It is accepted as trust. All relationships in society must be built on trust. Breach of trust leads to betrayal.

a kind of faith in which, without proof and individual verification of reality, the supernatural is recognized ...

Faith Religious

Belief in the existence of the Higher personal principle of being, the connection with which is fundamentally important for a person's life, when ...

Belief in the existence of the Highest personal principle of being, the connection with which is fundamentally important for a person's life, when he realizes himself called to coordinate his actions and deeds with the invisible order of being created by his Creator. This faith is not only the conviction of the mind, but also the openness of the heart to God, it is an expression of a person’s spiritual thirst and his love for God, the self-opening of the human heart towards God, sensitive attention to His Word, a response to His call. In Christianity, self-giving to God, manifested in Christ, to God, who called to accept as brothers all who loved Christ and His path. Faith is a person's response to the Word of God addressed to him. Faith is also a connection with Christ. Faith is secondary in relation to the spiritual experience of encounters with God, and in the mature forms of faith, life with God and in God. The fullness of faith is achieved in the revelation of the powers of the Spirit of God in the life of the believer.

Faith Religious

Confidence not based on logical conclusions and scientific data in the real existence of supernatural beings. creatures...

Confidence not based on logical conclusions and scientific data in the real existence of supernatural beings. beings, properties, relations. V. r. represents the main sign of religion consciousness, determines the cult of religions, experiences and behavior of believers. In the theology of V. r. considered either as an integral property of human. soul, or as God-given grace, that is, as a phenomenon of a transcendental nature. In fact, the ability to believe is due to social. human nature, and the transformation of this ability into V. r. caused by social conditions that give rise to the need of the masses for religion. V. river, as an element of the psyche of believers, is a complex formation, including intellect., emots. and volitional moments. Intelligence, element V. r. is a collection of religions. ideas, images that are in the minds of believers. Since these ideas cannot be scientifically proven and substantiated and at the same time are evaluated by believers as vital, then a large role in V. r. acquires emotion. element. Theologians, trying to elevate V. R., declare it the highest. manifestation of humanity. consciousness: higher. morals. a value higher than reason, a form of knowledge, which contradicts the data of science and practice. The elimination of social factors of religiosity, the assimilation of scientific. knowledge leads to overcoming V. p.