Religious faith occupies an important place in religious ideology and in the practice of religious organizations. All theological systems ultimately serve to substantiate and justify faith, and the main goal of liturgical practice is to use various means of influencing people to excite and strengthen faith in God.
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 amount of knowledge that humanity has in each period of its development, there is such knowledge that is confirmed by practice and has acquired significance. absolute truths, and those 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 didn't stop at a direct ban scientific research in the name of preserving the 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 explanations and classifications of phenomena. Each person creates for himself a mental model of the world, based on information received from society, and on his own 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 one, the most important feature 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, the scientist was required to have firmness, a personal emotional attitude towards this knowledge.
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 to 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. characteristic feature 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 at the same time are 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 right 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 either who has not found himself, or has already lost himself, that is, a person who has come, due to certain social causes, to the realization of his weakness in the fight against the forces surrounding 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 allegedly 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.
Case studies of contemporary religious beliefs. M., 1967.
Platonov K. Psychology of religion. M., 1967.
Popova M. On the psychology of religion. M., 1969.
Ugrinovich D. Psychology of religion. M., 1986.
IN modern world definitions of faith and religion are almost indistinguishable. Few people think that they carry a completely different semantic load. A person has practically stopped thinking about his spiritual life quite seriously, paying tribute to momentary fashion trends and absolutely not thinking about the inner component. So, let's take a closer look at what faith and religion are, what is the difference between these concepts.
Definition of “Faith”
It should be noted that the term "faith" is of more ancient origin than "religion". Our ancestors really did not distinguish between these two concepts. However, today, when there are so many different religious movements and just different beliefs, this is of fundamental importance. Let's consider in more detail.
Faith is personal belief in the truth of something, even if they do not have logical or factual evidence. For example, if your neighbor is convinced that little invisible people live on the planet Mars, then this is faith. There is no evidence that this is the case (as well as vice versa). The same convinced people can join him, and after a while some kind of doctrine about these little men may well be formed (this was the case with the ancient gods in pagan times, when people tried to explain various natural phenomena).
Faith can easily exist without religion. If a person is not a follower of any denomination, then he can absolutely believe in any higher powers. And, oddly enough, the Universe reciprocates even in this case. However, if a person is alone on his path to spiritual knowledge, then it is easier for him to stumble, because in any religious movement you can always ask for help, and it will be provided.
Also, faith does not imply certain practices. And in general, you can just believe, i.e. be convinced that higher powers exist and do nothing towards the development of one's spirituality. It is possible to communicate with God only in difficult or joyful moments of your life, but at the same time not significantly change your way of life. And you can completely entrust your life to God and believe that he does everything right. In the latter case, everything is subject only to Him.
Definition of “Religion”
Religion is a certain set of rules, rituals and laws that are aimed at developing the spirituality of a person, the possibility of his contact with a higher power, but necessarily based on faith. If there is no faith in a religion, then it can be considered dead. A simple set of rules for human life (by the way, they are almost always highly moral).
Religion is always a certain type of worldview. It should also be noted that some researchers consider religion, with its traditions, laws, rituals, etc., to be a doctrine of various knowledge of our Universe. However, this applies only to true religions. For example, the Vedas, which contain all the laws that can make a person's life easier and reasonably interpret the cause-and-effect relationships of each person's act, without requiring blind faith. Of course, the worship of the Deities is practiced, but the principle itself differs significantly from the same Christianity, and the whole life of a person is built on spiritual development, but by virtue of its capabilities at the moment.
Be that as it may, each religion unites people into communities, and each of the followers usually studies certain rules, prayers (mantras), scriptures, etc. It is through prescribed actions that a person communicates with God, usually a prayer or chant. Moreover, deviation from the canon is considered unacceptable, because each religious movement offers its own form of service to God (even giving it completely different names), considering it to be true. On this ground in ancient times there were many wars.
As you can see, the difference between faith and religion is significant. Faith without religion can quite exist for itself, but on the contrary, problems are already arising, which is confirmed by history, citing as an example ardent and intolerant fanatics who have only the opinion imposed on them by the so-called spiritual leaders, but not by God. And people often have their own goals, even those who are at the head of the spiritual current.
On our site you can find various information about religious movements, spiritual practices and much more.
So what is the difference between religion and faith? Let's highlight some important points in answering this question.
- As mentioned above, faith may well exist without religion, but vice versa - it is impossible. Religion is always the basis of belief in some deity, higher intelligence, spiritual possibilities, etc.
- True faith in itself is disinterested, it cannot be instilled in a person by force. Religion, on the other hand, is often chosen by our ancestors, and future followers are brought up in its environment.
- Very important point is that faith is dynamic, i.e. it can increase or decrease in a single individual, it can generally be lost as a result of shocks. Religion is static, because There are certain canons and rules that must not be violated.
- Faith makes the soul “move”, reflect, increase its spirituality. But religion is rather a norm of behavior, a social component of human life.
Of course, everything is quite subjective, because each religion has its many saints who have reached spiritual heights not only by observing the rules. Sincere faith, prayer, their own approach to communication with God helped them completely change. But this can happen not only in traditional well-known religions, but even if you are a follower of pagan culture, and your heart is open, while being ready to accept God, and also work for your spiritual development.
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.
Faith is one of the fundamental philosophical concepts, without necessarily implying religious faith. It takes place in the event that a person is convinced of something, although he does not currently have evidence that meets the requirements of knowledge. At the same time, complete evidence that does not require proof makes it redundant. A number of philosophers pointed out that any worldview is based on a certain minimum of prerequisites that are not verified at all or that a person does not require verification. According to them, human knowledge is not presuppositional, and it is based on faith.
Faith can be directed to the most different objects- from material things to spiritual entities and abstract constructions and principles.
For example, the German philosopher I.-G. Jacobi(1743-1819) believed that the existence of things in the surrounding world is guaranteed by faith, since there can be no other reliable guarantees. The Englishman D. Hume was close to similar views, but he did not draw religious conclusions from the above position. Faith is of exceptional importance in almost all spheres of human life, regardless of whether it is of a religious nature. K. Jaspers pointed to its role in science, citing the examples of G. Galileo and J. Bruno. The former could, with a clear conscience, renounce the views that he considered true because they rested on rational scientific conviction. The second died not so much because of his principles, but because one hundred beliefs were largely based on scientific faith, and this also implies such behaviors as martyrdom.
Religious faith is understood as the belief in the existence of a transcendent personal essence, which is the source of being and represents an unconditional value for a person (the latter implies the need for a personal connection with this essence, the presence of contacts, including organized ones). This feature, the belief in the necessity, importance and value of connection with a higher being, it differs from what a number of authors call "philosophical faith." At the same time, according to the researchers, one can be sure of the existence of the beginning-creator, but not be interested in communication with him or even believe that it is impossible, since the creator and creation are separated (in particular, supporters of deism believe so) . In religions where the otherworldly principle appears less distinctly, faith takes on somewhat different characteristics. In particular, it may not require such a close, personal, sincere connection with the absolute beginning. Religious faith determines a number of psychological attitudes and experiences, including certain types of behavior.
Thus, religious faith has two closely related components. One involves the recognition of the existence of the otherworldly beginning and, in some respects, is closer to philosophical faith, the other is the acceptance of personal dependence on this beginning and the need for it. The latter gives religious faith its originality.
The objects of religious faith can be angelic and demonic beings, one's own soul and the souls of other people, events of a miraculous nature, fate, nirvana.
In contrast to scientific faith, which has a stating character, albeit associated with appropriate emotions, religious faith has a special salvific (soteriological) character, clearly expressed in monotheistic religions. It not only certifies the fact of the existence of God and establishes certain relations with him, as well as the duties of a person arising from them, but also makes it possible eternal salvation those. eternal life in the blissful contemplation of God as an absolute and perfect good. Such a faith surpasses, in its dignity and content, its more ordinary forms. At the same time, it is both a means and a condition for salvation.
The described nature of faith also determines interfaith disputes about its features - about the role of grace in the emergence of saving faith (can a person acquire it without God's special graceful help) and about the relationship between faith and deeds in achieving salvation.
A famous controversy of this kind is the controversy of the Reformation (see ch. 8). In Christianity, faith in God is inseparable from faith in the incarnate God - Christ and his saving mission. Christian theology, which goes back to the Bible, has defined it as part of the triad of basic virtues: faith, hope and love (love is understood as spiritual attraction, the prototype of which is love for God). The lower levels of faith are recognized as having no saving power. Thus, it is connected with the will, which must be applied, especially in periods of cooling and crises, reason and divine grace, and without whose help it is inconceivable, since it is a divine gift. In Judaism, faith is associated with the expectation of the coming of the Messiah; in Islam, with the experience of obedience to God and the absoluteness of the will of the latter, etc.
A lot of controversy and ambiguity caused the question of the relationship between faith and reason. If we consider faith as a pure act, without specifying its object, then the role of reason seems insignificant. But if faith is taken into account as directed to its object and realized, then the place of the rational principle becomes a problem that requires definition. There is an extreme point of view according to which faith does not need reason at all. There is a well-known attitude that goes back to the early Christian writer Tertullian, "I believe, because it is absurd, absurd." Otherwise, faith loses its dignity. However, the point of view that links faith with reason and gives it an epistemological significance prevailed.
Religion doesn't care what you believe. To protect a person from gullibility and delusions, it is the mind that should to a large extent. In addition, the already acquired faith itself is included in the system of cognitive processes, forms answers to a number of questions, removes worldview ambiguities and harmonizes the picture of the world, in which religious ideas and values should take a certain and verified place. That is why the loss of a religious worldview, in the center of which was faith, can turn into a severe shock for a person, hitting even his physical well-being. Ideas about faith as a fanatical conviction that “turns off” all rationality, or as an absurd infantile gullibility, do not correspond to its understanding by religion itself, which is studied by religious science. The idea of the harmonious coexistence of faith and reason is firmly rooted in Christian theology, although far from every act of its manifestation can and should be provided with reason (for example, a series of actions where a person relies on faith in the good will of God), and some truths are initially super-reasonable and require to the advantage of faith (see paragraph 2.6). Reason, too, is understood to be given by God and not contrary to faith, so that their mutual exclusion becomes unnecessary.
Graduations of faith exist in different religions (for example, in Islam and Judaism), we are used to meeting with their representation within the framework of religions of the monotheistic type.
Faith is the core component of the structure of religion. Other components (for example, emotions) are secondary and represent its original "frame".
The subject of faith is the believer. For religious studies, the question of its object is important. From the point of view of some people, he can act as a non-existent (otherworldly personal god for an atheist), for a believer he is an absolute reality. Russian philosopher S. L. Frank(1877–1950) was inclined to believe that ideological disputes in such a situation are fruitless, since they resemble disputes about music between people, one of whom is endowed with absolute musical pitch, and the other is deprived of it.
If we turn to the fundamental philosophical category of "reality", then it should be recognized that even such phenomena as dreams, hallucinations, etc., have a certain share of it (if only because they can sometimes influence human behavior even more than material incentives and motives). For this reason, even from the position of consistent atheism, it is irrational to completely deny the objects of religious faith in reality. You can also point to relatively new philosophical concepts related to "possible worlds", i.e. with the state of things that does not exist in our world, but could be under certain circumstances. The idea of God is included as an essential element in the worldview of a religious person, determines his appearance, the attitude of the subject to the world.
If faith is the center of the inner structure of religion, then ritual is its outer correlate. However, their ratio is not arbitrary. The nature of faith and ritual are interdependent (if, of course, we do not take into account the secondary features of essentially identical rituals that arose for unprincipled, historical reasons). The latter consistently expresses and formalizes the former with the help of the system of signs of which it consists, and also, what is especially important, concretizes it. As a result, a complex system arises, the main element of which is the coordinated relationship "faith - cult - ritual" (a kind of simple structure, "molecule" of religion). A change in the first element of the structure is associated with a change in the nature of the second and should cause a transformation of the third, albeit delayed in time. Conversely, a change in the latter usually signals a transformation of the former, or at least such a threat. Therefore, the ritual cannot be considered as some kind of addition to faith and there is no religion that would exist from one faith with total absence ritual.
The origin of the very act of faith in different religions can be interpreted in different ways.
The most famous is revelation model. Faith arises as a response to the revelation of the deity about himself. In this case, the latter is recognized as unconditional primacy. The model of revelation has been consistently implemented in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Some representatives of religious philosophy, as well as supporters of religious modernism, suggest free faith model when the latter arises primarily, as a result of the subjective search for the divine principle. Such a model emphasizes the individual's original inclination to religious search, seeing in this one of the fundamental features that make a person such, but reduces or completely obscures the role of revelation.
Faith can have different degrees of expression. It may represent faith-conviction. It is normative for religion, and, as a rule, not exclusive, but on the contrary, implying a powerful rational component that strengthens faith. At the same time, a number of religious philosophers emphasize that it is not guaranteed by any evidence, and even in oneself a person cannot find solid principles for it. Such faith is dramatic and becomes courageous balancing between its extinction and strengthening. Similar views were expressed, in particular, by existentialist philosophers - S. Kierkegaard, G. Marcel, M. Buber(1878–1965). The latter also belongs to the interpretation of faith as an eternal "risk": it is not secured by anything and that is why it is genuine. In this case, it is extremely dramatic, requires the strongest exertion of spiritual strength and courage, turns into kind of feat.
The act of faith, being subjective (despite the focus on a specific object), requires concretization, rational expression, expansion. Therefore, the word "faith" often implies the presence of certain well-articulated provisions, set in a system that allow a person to give an "account" for his faith. These goals are served by a system of dogma and a set of basic dogmatic provisions (the so-called "creed" in a broad sense, not correlated with a particular denomination), provided by theology. The definition of faith within the framework of a dogma does not exclude moments of love, trust in the object of faith, fear of it. Its rationalization is necessary not only for external expression, but also for streamlining the religious worldview of people.
Religious faith has a function making sense(sometimes called nootic). The fact that believers are generally less susceptible to despair and frustration of meaning (the state of experiencing the lack of meaning in their own being, the being of the world as a whole, from which the loss of purpose follows), is an objective fact, even if we take into account the judgments of those who consider it a manifestation of weakness a situation when a person cannot find support in himself (in fact, support is not found in "himself" in such cases, a person seeks support in other spheres of life, for example, in social ones, when debt to loved ones does not allow him to fall into despair, unwillingness to seem weak, etc.). Thanks to the confidence in the existence of a principle that cannot do evil, even capable of providential use of it for good, determining the mission of a person, it is possible to strengthen vitality, the ability to endure hardships and not lose the experience of having meaning in life.
A feature of religious faith is the possibility of its expression to varying degrees, as well as susceptibility to hesitation and doubt, which are not considered the norm from a religious point of view, but are inevitable. Religion involves the strengthening of faith. "Growing in faith", strengthening of conviction is a process in which there may be periods of crises and weakenings (at the same time, religious asceticism dictates certain rules of behavior in such a situation so that the crisis does not drag on and faith would not be completely lost). For example, in Christian mysticism, states of sudden cooling, weakening of faith are known that occur without negligence or other fault of a person, which are sent precisely as a means of testing and strengthening faith (in the Western Christian Catholic tradition, such states are called "gloomy night"). It is assumed that the supply of spiritual strength and experience allows a person to withstand such a period. Similar attitudes can be found in other religions.
As already pointed out, faith, being subjective, cannot but be expressed outwardly. In addition to the religious ritual, it is reflected in the system of actions. According to the degree of dependence of the latter and the faith declared by him, one can approximately judge its seriousness, depth and consistency.
Religious faith, which does not affect the sphere of affairs, becomes defective, degenerate and is in danger of dying out altogether. It, especially due to the realization of a personal connection with God, obliges a person to commit acts that can be described as heroic. The latter are the religious norm. We can talk about "small heroism", associated with the struggle with oneself in matters not very significant, and about heroism in the common sense of the word, when religious conviction obliges and gives a person the strength to endure persecution, unfair treatment, and finally, physical suffering and death . The acts of suffering for the faith and martyrdom have always been regarded as the highest proof of its power and authenticity. Manifestations of such heroism make it possible to speak of holiness (especially in those religions and denominations where this category is clearly developed and widely used).
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 powers. 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 in her “ ” (drug) for ordinary people(method of deception, misrepresentation and exploitation).
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 foundation 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.
