Religious Security

The socio-political situation in recent years is characterized by dramatic changes in the public consciousness of the Russian population. The overthrow of communist ideology, which occupied a dominant place and determined the formation of the spiritual image of Soviet people, led to an ideological vacuum, which, on the one hand, contributed to the polarization of public consciousness, and on the other, to the revival of religious consciousness. Today, religion is increasingly perceived as an essential element of national culture and as the embodiment of universal moral values. This trend is typical for all sectors of society.

The reasons and nature of the increase in interest in religion, as well as the increase in related phenomena, are multifaceted. These are, first of all, socio-political and legal changes in the country. The renunciation of the monopoly of communist ideology, the proclamation of pluralism in the field of spiritual life, eliminated the official and unofficial prohibitions in the religious sphere that had existed for decades, administrative and moral persecution of believers, and the adopted progressive legislation on freedom of conscience and religion. All this allowed religious communities and organizations to emerge from a state of oppression and stagnation, and believers to freely perform religious rites.

However, along with the flourishing of traditional religions, a huge number of various religious sects emerged, exercising control over the consciousness of people. The state of consciousness reflects everything that happens in the individual and interpersonal interaction, in the micro- and macroenvironment surrounding it. There are quite a few factors that contribute to consciousness becoming an object of manipulation.

TO objective factors that facilitate the manipulation of consciousness include the following.

Firstly, the deepening of the stress state in the context of a sharp change in the socio-economic conditions of Russia, political instability, which lead to an increase in people's anxiety, confusion, and desire to search for quick solutions. And this pushes a person to believe in magical, supernatural forces, with the help of which he tries to get out of the difficult situation created for him. In other words, this belief acts on a person as a defense mechanism to get rid of increased anxiety.

Secondly, many people, especially older people, have retained certain sentiments since Soviet times in terms of the idea that someone should organize communication for them. Indeed, trade unions, parties and others used to do this public organizations, whose activities were ideological in nature, but still solved communication problems. The person received visible evidence of his group affiliation, which is very important for the individual. This human attraction is skillfully used by religious organizations, offering him emotionally rich actions at their meetings. In destructive cults

The tradition of mass gatherings, imparting a high degree of emotionality and spiritual content to them, is strictly observed.

Thirdly, totalitarian cults are very diverse both in ideological orientation and in form. However, most of them have many common features. They are united by the fact that they address the unsatisfied spiritual needs of people - the need to feel the meaning of life, understand their place in society, strive for improvement, and hope for the immortality of the soul. None of this official Russia currently unable to give. Her spiritual life is characterized by a spiritual vacuum, a lack of clear, understandable and attractive spiritual values ​​and guidelines. There are also no public institutions that would be able to successfully form such guidelines. Can't solve this problem and Orthodox Church. The place of these institutions is instantly taken by destructive religious organizations.

On subjective factors that facilitate the manipulation of consciousness The following may be included.

Firstly, personal characteristics of a person that increase the degree of influence of destructive religions on him:

Ø search for thrills, a penchant for mysticism;

Ø difficulties in self-expression;

Ø the desire to become “initiated”, i.e. stand out from the crowd;

Ø mental imbalance or reduced mental stability, including temporarily reduced (after divorce, illness or loss of loved ones, etc.);

Ø experience of loneliness, insecurity;

Ø perception of your life situation as difficult.

Secondly, a very significant factor is ideological immaturity, difficulties in finding the meaning of life. Social practice shows that only one’s own vision of a life situation can help one understand and feel the meaning of life, for this is not only a verbal formulation. The meaning of life is also concentrated in images, feelings, experiences, memories that cannot be transferred from one person to another. The inability to understand the meaning of life largely contributes to mystical moods and avoidance of solving pressing problems.

Third, humans have a fairly strong tendency to find simple solutions to complex problems. The desire to correct oneself, to rebuild, arises less often than the desire to look for someone who will fix everything without our intervention. Complex problems cannot have simple solution, but the desire to find it is often too great. Hence the desire for beliefs, magic, supernatural forces, recognition of their influence on a person, his behavior, feelings, thoughts. This is based on the reluctance, inability or lack of skill to take responsibility for one’s actions, for one’s choices, the habit of avoiding problems, and a tendency to self-deception.

Fourth, a considerable number of people tend to wander for a long time in search of possible life goals and have difficulty choosing them. Analyzing and thinking about various options does not give the desired result. Often, decision-making is facilitated by an emotional state - acquaintance with a bright idea, meeting with a charismatic person. This moment can also become a turning point - the waste of energy on the search stops, all forces are directed towards moving towards the goal, which sometimes has a pronounced religious or mystical overtones.

Having found out the objective and subjective factors, contributing to the manipulation of consciousness, let us dwell on the mechanism of manipulating it. First of all, let's look at how this happens. at the recruitment stage.

The key point to establishing control over the consciousness of those converted to a particular faith is directed correction of it mental state . The subjective feelings of the convert at the initial stage of communication with recruiters are characterized by emotional comfort, satisfaction from the fact that there is an opportunity or hope to experience those feelings that were previously missing. Joining a cult organization gives the adherent a feeling of belonging to something big, beautiful, bright. The cohesion of the group makes it possible to feel protected, which is reinforced by the authority of the spiritual leader, who plays the role of a strict but fair father. A cult allows a person to believe in his chosenness, acquire evidence of his ability to find something exceptional, and make the right life choice. At the same time, the content of cult ideas, their constructiveness, and logic are not particularly important. The more significant the need, the satisfaction of which is promised in the sect, the stronger the emotional response will be.

Another means of establishing control over consciousness is to accept cult vocabulary and terminology, which leads to a change in the style of thinking, perception and evaluation of people drawn into simplified schemes and stereotypes.

The next remedy is transformation of the world picture, disappearance of halftones, dominance of black or white. The structure of the world is perceived exclusively in accordance with cult interpretations; the activities of the cult become the core of all human history. In this case, the most important function of consciousness - the integration of all incoming and stored information in memory - turns out to be upset, since there is no holistic picture of the world, the consistency of its constituent parts. Contradictions are inherent in the worldview of any destructive cult, which most often manifests itself in a double morality towards “their own” and other people. Awareness of contradictions is prohibited, but even when repressed from consciousness, they do not stop their destructive impact on the psyche.

An important means of mind control is selection of information about the outside world, which supports the attitude of perceiving criticism of the cult as a lie, as the wiles of the devil. In sects, the importance of intelligence is deliberately and deliberately belittled, attempts by adherents to independently and rationally comprehend the impact that befalls them are suppressed. The proclaimed thesis of expanding consciousness to the scale of the Cosmos, merging with Truth, Spirit actually leads to its deformation. The space of consciousness occupied by the social world narrows, interest in events occurring in society, at work, in the family, etc. weakens. The breakdown of consciousness also occurs at the psychophysiological level, which is facilitated by sensory deprivation and monotony (hours of prayer, meditation, repetition of simple verbal formulas, physical immobility or a rigid rhythm of movements). Overwork, restriction of many familiar sensations for a person, even a normal psyche can quickly lead to disorders: hallucinations, obsessive thoughts, narrowed consciousness, etc. Subjectively, the deformation of consciousness is perceived as a “sensation of an opening consciousness.”

Techniques are also used to control consciousness: stopping thinking" To do this, the fullest possible loading of perception (primarily visual and auditory) is organized in combination with some kind of monotonous activity, for example, long chanting. This disrupts the normal flow of thought processes, reduces the criticality of thinking and the independence of the individual.

Also used group pressure and concealment of the true goals of communication. The tool of manipulation in this case is the appearance of a feeling of guilt for arising suspicions or a feeling of intellectual insufficiency to understand what is happening around. At the same time, any attempts to understand what is happening are met with disapproval. A newcomer with a significant look may be told some incomprehensible, mysterious phrase, something like this: “The secret knowledge will be revealed when your consciousness is ready to accept the Truth.”

As a result of the above manipulations, a person involved in a totalitarian religious organization experiences cult personality change. Thanks to the flexibility of consciousness, these changes primarily occur in it. At the initial stage they are unstable and reversible. The deformation can be fixed by changes in other personality structures, which include the following.

1. Changes in value orientations, life goals and meaning

life. The values ​​of the cult group become dominant, and attitudes towards service arise (salvation, witnessing, merging with the deity, etc.).

2. Deepening shifts in the affective sphere, a change in the dominant mental state, which manifests itself in exaltation of feelings or their mutedness, impoverishment of the emotional range. The feeling of guilt towards the organization increases due to the fact that one does not meet the required standards of a good follower. There is a fear of being rejected by the cult group, shame for one’s “sins.” Over time, a person begins to feel maladjusted, unable to live outside the group. This increases fear and anxiety. This happens because cult members are allowed only those feelings whose manifestation helps create an attractive image of the group. As a result, when leaving the sect, adherents, as a rule, are in a severe state of stress. And until someone who decides to break with the cult shows a willingness to openly discuss what is happening inside him, he remains maladapted to normal social life.

3. Changes in a number of personal qualities, self-concept, social perception, because In destructive cults, only those personality traits are approved that facilitate total control over consciousness and behavior. These qualities intensify, which leads to loss of individuality. Suppression of individuality, in turn, inevitably leads to rigidity in behavior and cruelty in relation to other people. Most often, these changes are expressed in a cold attitude towards close people, in rejection of family, in an aggressive attitude towards others who have an opinion different from cult attitudes. Deindividualization and increasing rigidity and intolerance mutually reinforce each other.

4. Changing interpersonal relationships in the direction of limiting the circle of communication only with cult members. Contacts with the outside world remain only for the recruitment of new members or for conducting commercial transactions. Irony and humor are excluded in communication and interpersonal interaction, because they are elements of human self-expression, which is unacceptable in a sect. Here, a sense of superiority over the uninitiated, the idea of ​​being chosen, is implanted, which strengthens the isolation of adherents from the world around them, their intolerance, aggressiveness, and this is contrary to the purpose of “saving humanity.”

5. Changes in lifestyle, work activity, everyday behavior, which is associated with a lack of free time, personal life outside the organization, subordination of professional interests to the goals of the cult organization. All this helps control consciousness, leaving no time for solitude, reflection, awareness of what is happening. Under such conditions, an adherent of a destructive cult loses the ability to think critically, adequately evaluate the people around him, and reaches the point of physical and emotional exhaustion. And in this state, a person is characterized by increased suggestibility, which is what the cult leaders achieve.

The considered personal changes lead to a serious deformation of cult consciousness. In the normally functioning consciousness of a free person, the entire time perspective of the individual is reflected - past, present and future. This is not typical for cult consciousness, because it is deformed. Leaders of totalitarian cults inspire followers with the need to forget about the past, which is not connected with the ideas of the cult and serving it. The events of the present are reflected in fragments; not all events of the surrounding world reach the adept. Such consciousness is necessary to make people easier to manage.

Endless prayers, reciting the same verbal formulations, psychophysical exercises, the whole world of life of an adept generate monotony, which leads to protracted stressed state and neuroticism of personality. And in a neurotic consciousness, the range of perception of the present is narrowed, the ability to fully experience human joys is weakened. The past is perceived as a series of mistakes and bad luck. A future in which everything will finally be resolved and dreams will become reality is eagerly awaited. A ban is imposed on statements about one’s poor physical condition in cults, and therefore it is repressed from consciousness, but at the same time an adequate idea of ​​one’s own physicality is also violated. And without this component, a full sense of the present time, its clear awareness, is impossible. The focus of cult consciousness has been moved to the future, where, as a well-deserved reward for a long and persistent struggle with evil forces environment, with your own imperfections a completely different life will begin. This attitude to life arises in people with an underdeveloped or suppressed sense of initiative, with a faded desire for life goals.

And in conclusion, I would like to dwell on how a person can avoid falling into the networks of totalitarian religious organizations, and if this has already happened, how can he get out of them?

There can only be one piece of advice regarding the first question: “Think, think and think, when suddenly people on the street come to you with offers to help you achieve health, happiness and harmony, they offer to go to meetings and debates, where they will talk about the fight against evil and the triumph of justice, or rent an apartment at half price from some “kind” grandmother, get a job in a Scientology or other religious center to do clerical work with the prospect of growth, etc.” Such proposals can become a “mousetrap” from which it will be very difficult to get out.

As for the second question, experts offer the following recipes for leaving sects of this kind. In their opinion, sects are a disease not only of an individual, but also of society, which means that it is necessary to think about healing this illness together, taking into account the experience of people who have gone through this, who have gotten rid of their influence themselves and want to help others. And their experience shows that help should consist of the following.

First of all, we need complete isolation of a person fleeing contacts with sectarians, just as they isolate their victims from outside world, not allowing you to watch TV, listen to the radio, read the press, books, answer the phone, etc., but just the opposite. It is necessary to provide a person with information about the world around him. However, in this case, there is often a need for an apartment in which a person could be hidden from intrusive “brothers and sisters.”

The initial stage of a person’s entry into normal life should become a period of rehabilitation - restoration of physical and spiritual strength. To put it simply, a person needs to be warmed, fed, and given the opportunity to sleep. Here you cannot avoid the help of a psychotherapist, because... the person is in a state of stress and fear of persecution, he is tormented by doubts about the correctness of his action in leaving the sect. But his communication with a psychotherapist should not be associated with the practice of his former “teachers”. You may also need help from other specialists - lawyers, sectologists, doctors, etc.

And even after rehabilitation, a person needs constant help from specialists, family, loved ones, and friends. The process of entering normal life is not so simple.

Thus, one of the means of protection against sects and cults of a totalitarian orientation is knowledge of the mechanisms of involving people in organizations of a similar orientation, which are based on both objective and subjective factors of manipulation of consciousness. The impact of these factors leads to serious personality deformation. Preventing people from being drawn into destructive sects is one of the most important tasks of society, acting as an element of ensuring personal security.

In this article, the author defines the religious security of the Russian Federation. The author of the article also puts forward the idea of ​​the need to study the place of religious security in the national security system of the Russian Federation, as well as its constitutional and legal foundations.

In offered article the author makes definition of religious safety of Russian Federation. Тhe author of the article also puts forward the idea about the necessity of research of a place of religious safety for the system of national safety of the Russian Federation, and also its constitutional-legal bases.

Key words (Criterions):

constitutional-legal - constitutional

religious crimes- religious crimes

religious safety - religious safety

religious sphere

national security - national security

For the first time, legislators in Russia started talking about religious security in the context of national security in the mid-90s of the last century. An example is the appeal of the State Duma of the Russian Federation “To the President of the Russian Federation about the dangerous consequences of the influence of some religious organizations on the health of society, families, and citizens of Russia” dated December 15, 1996. This appeal suggested “ consider the religious security of Russian society an important priority of national security along with military, political, economic, environmental and social" The reason for this appeal was numerous facts of anti-social and anti-state activities of some religious associations, which is a direct threat to the national security of the Russian Federation.

Today, there is numerous evidence that some religious associations are actively used as a cover and often as an instrument for the activities of foreign, in particular Western, intelligence services on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The following statements can serve as confirmation that the religious sphere in the West has always been given high importance in strategic planning, including when planning military operations.

In 1941, when developing plans for the destruction of the USSR, Goebbels wrote: “We can crush the Red Army, we can chop off huge territories from them, we can stop their factories, but until we put our own priest in every village, until they let us divide by faith, this people will in any case be able to rise from the ashes.” Former assistant to the US President for National Security Z. Brzezinski stated: “After we ended communism, our main enemy is Orthodoxy...”.

In 1997, a meeting took place between Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The only task that Albright set for herself at the meeting was to ensure that foreign religious associations have complete freedom of action in Russia, which is proof that and today Western states, in their anti-Russian activities, rely not least on the religious sphere .

And this is not surprising, since, in our opinion, religious motivation in human activity is the most stable and strong, and the fate of entire nations often depends on it. We are convinced that in modern society the geopolitical potential of religion is underestimated, which threatens to approach us completely unprepared for the moment when the religious factor will decide the fate of the entire world community.

Thus, today we can say with confidence that the Russian national security system is vulnerable without identifying religious security as a separate institution.

IN last years Various authors are increasingly turning to the problems of religious security. In particular, the political, social, philosophical, and military aspects of this issue were studied. Attempts have been made to study the legal mechanisms for ensuring religious security. At the same time, the term religious security itself has not yet been introduced into scientific circulation and has no official definition., which is a complex and controversial issue. In addition, none of the researchers have practically studied the place of religious security in the national security system of the Russian Federation, as well as its constitutional and legal foundations.

In Art. 6 “National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020” contains following definition national security: “national security” is the state of protection of the individual, society and the state from internal and external threats, which allows for ensuring constitutional rights, freedoms, decent quality and standard of living for citizens, sovereignty, territorial integrity and sustainable development of the Russian Federation, defense and security of the state ".

In the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Security” dated 03/05/1992 N 2446-1 (as amended on 06/26/2008) in Art. 1 contains a legal definition of security, according to which security is “the state of protecting the vital interests of the individual, society and state from internal and external threats.” The legislator further explains that vital interests are “a set of needs, the satisfaction of which reliably ensures the existence and opportunities for the progressive development of the individual, society and state.”

The legislator includes the following as security objects: the individual - his rights and freedoms; society - its material and spiritual values; the state - its constitutional system, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Thus, the legislator distinguishes three levels of security objects - the individual, society, and the state, respectively, and religious security must be ensured at all of the above levels - at the level of the individual, society and the state as a whole.

In addition, in the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Security” in Art. 3 also provides a definition of a threat, which is understood as “a set of conditions and factors that create a danger to the vital interests of the individual, society and state.” We believe that it is necessary to include religious ones in this set of conditions and factors.

It should be noted that when studying all security problems, including religious ones, the problem of security threats arises as a fundamental one. An analysis of regulatory legal acts dedicated to security shows that “threat” is the starting point of all reasoning and definitions.

On this basis, we believe that religious security objects must be considered in connection with the threats that pose a danger to these objects.

Threats in this case can be defined as a set of conditions and factors that create a danger to the vital interests of the individual, society and the state in the religious sphere. The religious sphere includes all social relations where religion is a condition orfactortheir origin and existence.

In Art. 37 of the “National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020”, religious extremism, as well as the growth of criminal attacks against individuals, are highlighted as the main sources of threats to national security.

The Federal Law “On Combating Extremist Activities” dated July 25, 2002 No. 114-FZ [as of April 29, 2008] defines religious extremism as: “...incitement of religious hatred; propaganda of exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of a person on the basis of his religious affiliation or attitude to religion; violation of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of a person and citizen, depending on his religious affiliation or attitude towards religion; obstruction of the legitimate activities of religious associations, coupled with violence or the threat of its use; committing crimes for the reasons specified in paragraph "e" of part one of Article 63 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation;..."

Analyzing the above definition, we can conclude that religious extremism largely concerns the sphere of intolerance towards representatives of a particular religion, but then the activities of numerous Satanist associations, whose members commit a lot of different crimes, in particular sacrifices, remain behind the “brackets.” animals and people which we consider it appropriate to call religious crimes.

Concerning religious crimes, in particular, human sacrifices, then for a Satanist it does not matter who the subject of the assassination attempt is a believer, or even an atheist, anyone can become a victim. From this we can conclude that religious crimes, in particular, human sacrifice remains outside the field of religious extremism, but also poses a significant threat to society.

It must be noted that developing a list of threats to religious security in itself seems to be an extremely difficult task, which should be the subject of a separate study.

Also, threats within the meaning of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Security” can be divided into external and internal.

Threats external to the individual in the religious sphere traditionally include violations of freedom of religion. As we noted above, a person may be in danger in the religious sphere even if this person has nothing to do with religion. In particular, people can suffer when an extremist religious association commits a terrorist act, or, for example, followers of a Satanist association can use almost any person as a victim. In both cases, the victims may be people who have nothing to do with religion, which, however, is unimportant for the subjects of the crime. Or, for example, in some religious associations, such rights of citizens as the right to physical and mental health, to have and raise children in a family, decent education, the right to property, etc. may be violated. But nevertheless, these offenses will relate to the religious sphere, since the conditions, motives and factors for their commission will be purely religious.

But, in addition, in our opinion, the individual is also threatened by internal endogenous dangers. For example, the danger of misunderstanding the laws of spiritual and religious life, which could result in the emergence of another inherently destructive religious association.

The state should be involved in the prevention and elimination of such dangers, since according to Art. 2 Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Security”, it is precisely this that is the main subject of ensuring security.

In particular, the state can solve this problem by organizing high-quality religious education for the entire population of the country or, in some cases, by isolating from society persons who understand religious life perverted.

Society may be threatened by various kinds of dangers in the religious sphere. This, in particular, is the activities of various religious associations of extremist and destructive orientation of foreign and domestic origin. At the same time, special attention should be paid to the fact that the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Security” especially highlights the spiritual values ​​of society among security objects. It is noteworthy that in the few works dealing with the problems of religious security, society in the narrow sense of the term is most often considered as an object of security, but often such objects of security as the state and the individual are not considered at all.

In particular, S.V. Kozlov defines religious security as “ state of stable existence, reproduction and original development of confessional traditions of all peoples of Russia". And further he explains that “the main object of protection in the course of ensuring religious security is confessional identity, which is based on stable systems of moral and value preferences. The loss of authority of traditional religious organizations leads to the fact that destructive religious experience gains unlimited influence on society. In this regard, not only the indisputable significance of religious traditions as a social constructive component must be recognized, but also the exclusivity of the religious experience of the nation whose security is in question.”

Despite the unacceptably narrow understanding of religious security proposed by S.V. Kozlov, we completely agree with him that the loss of the existence, reproduction and original development of confessional traditions poses a serious danger for Russia. This danger can be caused by both external and internal factors in relation to Russian society. Wherein negative impact on Russian society in the religious sphere can be twofold.

On the one hand, this is the activity of numerous foreign destructive religious associations, which can lead to a split of society into small groups based on religious principles, and on the other hand, this is the activity of inherently secular structures of foreign states, which, using religious factors, actively contribute to the process of maximum polarization Russian society in this area. But this question concerns the next security object - the state.

Today we can clearly state the fact that the dangers arising in the religious sphere can threaten the constitutional order, sovereignty and territorial integrity of any state and, in particular, the Russian Federation. A study of the internal documents of some religious associations shows that many of them strive for global domination or the creation of new theocratic states on the territory of existing ones. In this sense, a follower of such a religion will under no circumstances defend the interests of the Russian state.

Thus, we can conclude that religious security has the same objects as security in general: the individual, society, and state. At the same time, the state acts as the main subject of ensuring religious security.

Before formulating the final definition of religious security, let us turn in particular to the proposed definitions that exist in this regard.

A.I. Kazannik proposed to consider religious security as “ system of guarantees of freedom of conscience andreligions within the country, the state of protection of vitalinterests of the individual, society and state from religious extremism and spiritual aggression". But the system of guarantees of freedom of conscience and freedom of religion is component legal basis of religious security, in connection with which, this definition may not be considered entirely correct.

EAT. Shevkoplyas proposes to use the following concept of religious security: “ state of protection of vital interestsindividuals, communities and states from religious extremism, occultism and spiritual aggression". In this case, in our opinion, the author narrows the list of threats to religious security, in particular, does not take into account religious crime, from which security objects need protection.

According to E.S. Suslova, religious security is “ Security from threats and protection of national interests in the spiritual sphere". In this case, as, indeed, with E.M. Shevkoplyas, in the proposed definitions it is supposed to protect objects of religious security in the spiritual sphere, which gives us a number of questions, in particular, what do these authors understand by the term “spiritual”.

As we mentioned above, the legislation of the Russian Federation has the term “spiritual”. In particular, it is used when defining one of the areas of national security in the Federal Law “On Security” when defining security objects at the societal level. In this connection, the question arises about the identity of the terms “spiritual” and “religious” and the question about the appropriateness of using the term “religious security”; wouldn’t it be more correct to use the term “spiritual security”?

It must be said that these terms are not identical. The term spiritual is more comprehensive in content than the term religious. The religious sphere (from the Latin religio - piety, shrine, object of worship) usually includes a worldview and attitude, as well as corresponding behavior and specific actions (cult), based on belief in the existence of God or gods, the supernatural. In addition to the religious component itself, the spiritual sphere usually includes music, fine arts, philosophy and other objects of the world of culture, which, in fact, constitute the objects of security in other spheres, in particular information. Therefore, it seems to us more acceptable to use the term not spiritual, namely religious security.

Accordingly, E.M. Shevkoplyas and E.S. . It would be more correct for Suslova to use the term “religious” in the definitions they propose.

In addition, E.M. Shevkoplyas notes in his definition that security facilities must be protected from the occult, with which we agree. But occultism and various occult trends are part of the threats in the religious sphere, and there is no need to highlight them specifically in defining religious security.

Yu.V. Slastilina offers the following definition of religious security: “the state of protection of the right to freedom of religion from undue influence from other persons, religious associations and the state.” With this definition Yu.V. Slastilina unjustifiably narrows the list of objects of religious security to the right to freedom of religion, which needs protection.

But, in most of the definitions analyzed above, there are the objects of religious security that we have identified - these are the individual, society and the state.

Thus, based on the above reasoning, we can formulate the concept of religious security. Religious security is a state of protection of the vital interests of the individual, society and state from internal and external threats in the religious sphere.

In conclusion, it should be noted that various areas of national security are closely interconnected and mutually complement each other. Each type of national security can manifest itself quite clearly in the sphere of action of the other. Religious security is no exception.

Thus, there cannot be military security if followers of religious associations used by foreign intelligence services for intelligence purposes penetrate into the armed forces. A person will never be safe if satanic organizations openly operate in a given society. Or you can’t talk about information security if there are religious associations in society that claim that TV and computers are tools of the devil. There are quite a lot of similar examples.

We noted that security also presupposes the possibility of developing a security facility. And in this case, the religious factor can also be decisive. Thus, modern experimental science could only emerge in societies dominated by Christianity. Whereas in societies with a different religious orientation, for example, in pagan ones, the necessary prerequisites for the emergence of experimental science were absent. And in modern society one can observe a certain correlation between the dominant religious worldview and the level of development of science and technology. A similar situation can be observed in the economy.

Thus, the religious sphere covers a huge volume of social relations, on the security of which national security as a whole depends. The modern world is giving rise to new threats to religious security that require comprehensive neutralization. In this sense, religious security is one of the key elements of national security and needs to be separated into a separate institution.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Weber M. Selected works / Trans. with him. Comp., total. ed. and after. Yu. N. Davydova; Preface P.P. Gaidenko. - M.: Progress, 1990. - 808 p.

2. Kozlov, S.V. Legal mechanisms for ensuring religious security: dis. ...cand. legal Sciences: 23.00.02. - Rostov n/d: RSL, 2007. - 138 p.

3. Kuraev A., deacon. Tradition, Dogma, Ritual. Apologetic essay. - M.: Publishing House of the Brotherhood of St. Tikhon, 1995. - 416 p.

4. Nikiforov A.K. God is betrayed by silence. Voronezh: Publishing department of the Voronezh-Lipetsk diocese, 2002. - 210 p.

5. Slastilina, Yu.V. Freedom of religion in the Russian Federation: legal regulation and ensuring religious security: dis. ...cand. legal Sciences: 12.00.02. - Omsk: RSL, 1999. - 215 p.

6. Soviet encyclopedic Dictionary/ Ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. 2nd ed. - M.: Sov. encyclopedia, 1983. - 1600 p.

7. Suslova, E.S. Religion and problems of national security in the North Caucasus: dis. ...cand. Philosophical Sciences: 09.00.13 - Moscow: RSL, 2004. - 152 s.

8. Shevkoplyas, E.M. Criminal legal protection of freedom of conscience in Russia: dis. ...cand. legal Sciences: 12.00.08. - Omsk: RSL, 1999. - 194 p.

Resolution of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation dated December 15, 1996 N 918-II State Duma “On the appeal of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation “To the President of the Russian Federation about the dangerous consequences of the influence of some religious organizations on the health of society, families, citizens of Russia” // Collection of legislation of the Russian Federation. 1997. No. 1. Art. 52.

Quote by: Nikiforov A.K. God is betrayed by silence. Voronezh: Publishing department of the Voronezh-Lipetsk diocese, 2002. P. 60.

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 12, 2009 N 537 “On the National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020” // “Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation”, 05/18/2009, N 20, art. 2444.

It should be noted that this definition is much more specific than what was given in the “Concept of National Security of the Russian Federation”, which stated: “The national security of the Russian Federation is understood as the security of its multinational people as the bearer of sovereignty and the only source of power in Russian Federation". See: Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated January 10, 2000 N 24 “On the Concept of National Security of the Russian Federation” // Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation. 2000. No. 2. Art. 170; In addition, the “National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020” eliminates many of the shortcomings of the previous document, the “National Security Concept of the Russian Federation.” Thus, there is no longer talk about the harmful consequences for Russia of the expansion of only foreign religious associations, as a result of which religious associations of domestic origin that are dangerous to society were left out. The new document talks about the danger that religious associations in general can pose, without limiting their circle only to foreign ones.

Slastilina, Yu.V. Freedom of religion in the Russian Federation: legal regulation and ensuring religious security: dis. ...cand. legal Sciences: 12.00.02. - Omsk: RSL, 1999. - P. 75.

Science was born at the turn of the 16th - 17th centuries in Christian Western Europe. Despite the fact that some pre-scientific knowledge existed in other cultural communities, science was not born there. This was due to the lack of necessary conditions in them. And only Christianity had all the necessary conditions for the birth of a scientific picture of the world. In Christianity, it was testified that the world was created by God, therefore it is real and accessible to study, that the world is not evil, since it was created by the Merciful God, the God of Love. At the same time, the world itself is not God, therefore the study of the world is not blasphemy and not a desecration of the sacred, as it could be interpreted, for example, in ancient society. The world is one, because it was created by one God, which gives confidence in the unity of the laws operating in the Universe.

But all the above prerequisites turned out to be insufficient. All of them were present in some other religions, but, nevertheless, science could not develop there. They lacked faith that the world was sufficiently independent of God. For the birth of science, faith in God Love is necessary, Who gives the world the freedom to be itself. Such faith fully existed only in Christianity.

The prerequisites for the emergence of science existed in antiquity. But here, too, the sacralization of nature, its deification, made scientific activity impossible. Here, too, man was not free in his actions in relation to the surrounding reality.

A similar thing happened in the Chinese tradition. The loss of faith in a single Creator led to the fact that the human mind could no longer lay claim to knowledge of nature.

And only in Christianity does the world, including the human world, have a much greater degree of freedom than in other traditions. See for more details: Kuraev A., deacon. Tradition, Dogma, Ritual. Apologetic essay. M.: Publishing House of the Brotherhood of St. Tikhon, 1995. 416 pp.; Tarasevich I.A. Christianity and the emergence of European science. Tobolsk, 2002. 68 p.

See for more details: Weber M. Selected Works / Trans. with him. Comp., total. ed. and after. Yu. N. Davydova; Preface P.P. Gaidenko. M.: Progress, 1990. 808 p.

As a manuscript

KULAKOV Vladimir Vasilievich

RELIGIOUS FACTOR AND

NATIONAL SECURITY OF RUSSIA

(based on materials from the Southern Federal District)

Speciality 09.00.13 – religious studies,

philosophical anthropology, philosophy of culture

for an academic degree

candidate of philosophical sciences

Moscow 2006

The work was carried out at the Department of State-Confessional Relations of the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation

Scientific adviser - Candidate of Historical Sciences

Official opponents - Doctor of Philosophy, Professor

Candidate of Philosophy

Leading organization– Border Academy of the FSB of Russia

Scientific Secretary

dissertation council

general description of work

The relevance of the research topic about caused by the emergence at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries of qualitatively new threats to Russia’s national security associated with the change in the role and influence of the religious factor, both in the foreign and domestic policies of the state.

The strengthening of the role of the religious factor in our country in recent years is due to the whole complex of socio-political changes that have occurred. The collapse of the USSR, economic instability and stratification of society, the emerging ideological vacuum, and the value disorientation of large sections of the population intensified the influence of the religious factor on the country's population.

The liberalization of state-confessional relations was accompanied by the active penetration of missionaries of various religious movements into Russia. This contributed to the formation of a special type of threat to national security. The Russian national security concept directly states that: “Threats to Russia’s national security in the border area are caused by economic, demographic and cultural and religious expansion neighboring states onto Russian territory,” and further: “In the domestic political sphere, Russia’s national interests consist... in neutralizing the causes and conditions that contribute to the emergence of political and religious extremism, ethnic separatism and their consequences.”

In the Southern Federal District, problems associated with the development of extremist activities of religious organizations of the two most active directions are particularly acute.

From the south and southeast, the spread of Islamic radical fundamentalism began, claiming to establish its influence not only in traditionally Muslim regions, but throughout the country. Propaganda and the use of violence to achieve one's political goals are clothed here in a religious form. The religious and political extremism of these movements in recent years has become one of the most serious threats to the national security of our state.

On the other hand, no less a threat to Russia’s national security is posed by certain part the so-called “new religious movements” (NRMs) or syncretic “New Age” religions. Exported primarily from the USA and Western Europe, they are instilling a new globalist, anti-Russian and anti-state ideology. At the same time, Russian analogues of this kind of movements began to emerge.

The extremist wing of the NRM is represented by organizations that promote the rejection of traditional morality and socially useful work and often lead to the destruction of families and harm to the physical and mental health of people. Many of these religions have a hidden commercial orientation and operate on the principle of network marketing.

These changes dictate the need to develop adequate approaches and effective methods to ensure Russia’s national security.

Currently, the study of new non-traditional threats to national security is just beginning. In each specific region of Russia, the influence of the religious factor has its own characteristics.

Religious situation in the Southern Federal District is particularly complex and at the same time insufficiently studied.

The relevance of the dissertation research is determined by the need to study both theoretical and practical aspects of the influence of the religious factor on national security and to develop recommendations for overcoming emerging threats.

The degree of research of the problem. Special scientific works devoted to the consideration of new threats associated with the religious factor, and, above all, with the expansion of religious forms that are non-traditional for Russia, began to appear at the turn of the 20th – 21st centuries. These are the works of A. G. Krivelskoy,

The relationship between religious and political factors in public life, their mutual influence, was discussed in the works of All authors point to the interconnection and certain conditionality of the political, economic, ethno-national component in the system of general political processes and the relationship of the religious factor with them.

The authors of these works point to the large-scale multidimensional changes taking place in the modern world and consider the content and direction of geopolitical processes. Particular attention is paid to the place and position of Russia in the changing globalizing world.

The problems of Russian national security at the present stage in connection with new geopolitical realities have been studied in works. These researchers highlight various factors associated with globalization and the struggle of various forces for the redistribution of spheres of influence. Among the various threats to Russia's national security at the present stage, almost all authors point to the emergence of informational, ideological, and including religious threats.

Extremism appealing to religion has become the subject of scientific consideration by such authors as, , and others. Discussive issues continue to be the development and use of a special terminological apparatus, criteria and characteristics of the phenomenon under consideration, its origins and transformation trends.

The problem of extremism associated with the activities of radical Islamic fundamentalists has acquired particular prominence in recent years. An analysis of this phenomenon was carried out in research by Malashenko A. V. In these works, a division is made according to a number of identified characteristics between Islam, as a world religion, and radical Islamic fundamentalism, as an extremist distortion of the foundations of traditional Islamic culture.

The nature and characteristics of new religious movements that have signs of extremist activity were studied by Khvyli, Deacon A. Kuraev.

In the 90s, several collections of conference materials devoted to the consideration of this problem were published.

The works of Suslova E. S. Analyzing various aspects of the religious situation in the Southern Federal District and, above all, in the North Caucasus, the named authors show the ways of expansion of the radical Islamic fundamentalism, methods of activity, features of manifestation and transformation at the present stage.

Thus, these works touch on many issues and aspects of problems related to this topic. However, the categorical apparatus necessary for a clear and clear understanding of the essence of the issues under study still requires clarification and justification. The problems associated with the threats of religious extremism in the south of Russia, and specifically in the Southern Federal District, have been extremely poorly studied. There is no coherent vision of the problem, the content and direction of the necessary countermeasures from the state and society.

Object dissertation research is the influence of the religious factor on national security.

Subject of study- forms and methods of influence of the religious factor, generating threats to national security in the form of extremism of radical Islamic fundamentalism and extremism of new religious movements.

The purpose of the dissertation is a comprehensive study of the forms and methods of influence of the religious factor on the emergence of threats to national security in the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation.

Research objectives:

Consider and clarify the concept of “religious factor”;

- explore the place and role of the religious factor in the context of qualitatively new threats to Russia’s national security at the present stage;

To identify the specifics of manifestations of religious extremism in the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation;

Analyze the reasons and features of the formation of extremist religious groups and movements;

Develop and justify a system of measures to overcome threats to Russia’s national security caused by religious factors.

METHODOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL BASIS OF THE RESEARCH:

The theoretical and methodological basis of the research consists of the principles of complexity, comprehensiveness, objectivity and specificity of consideration of problems, methods of comparative historical and sociological analysis. The study is based on the work of domestic and foreign researchers on issues related to the influence and characteristics of the religious factor in the context of problems of ensuring national security.

Particular importance is attached to the completeness and differentiation of the characteristics of the objects under study, using the empirical and analytical basis of the study.

The main scientific results obtained personally by the applicant:

This dissertation is one of the first attempts to comprehensively study the multidimensional influence of the religious factor on the state of national security in Russia using the example of the Southern Federal District.

The scientific novelty of the dissertation lies in the fact that it:

The concept of “religious factor” is considered and clarified;

- the role and place of the religious factor in modern Russia is analyzed in connection with the emergence of new threats to national security;

The reasons and features of the formation of extremist religious groups in the Southern Federal District have been identified;

The process of spread and forms of manifestation of religious and political extremism have been studied (using the example of organizations of radical Islamic fundamentalism and one of the unregistered New Age cults - the Anastasians movement in the Southern Federal District);

A system of measures to overcome the threats of religious and political extremism has been developed and justified.

Theoretical and practical significance of the research is to substantiate comprehensive approaches to the study of threats to national security associated with the religious factor. The dissertation materials can be used to compile methodological and educational manuals, teach general lecture courses on the problems of religious and political extremism to law enforcement officers, government and administrative authorities, sociologists, political scientists and religious scholars. The results of the study can form the basis for developing a system of methods to counter religious and political extremism, both in the studied region and beyond.

Approbation of research results. The dissertation was discussed and recommended for defense at a meeting of the department of state-confessional relations.

Reports and messages on the research topic were voiced by the author at the All-Russian conference “Islam and Christianity: on the way to dialogue” (Moscow, November 24, 2005) and at the international conferences “Dialogue of cultures and interreligious cooperation” (Nizhny Novgorod, September 7-9 2006), “Traditional religions, sovereign democracies and Russian civilization”, (Moscow November 22, 2006).

Structure and scope of the dissertation: the dissertation consists of an introduction, three sections, a conclusion, a list of references and applications.

MAIN CONTENT OF THE WORK

The introduction substantiates the relevance of the research topic, analyzes the degree of its development, formulates the purpose, objectives and methods of the research, reveals the scientific novelty, theoretical and practical significance of the work.

First section - « The place and role of the religious factor in the system of threats to Russia's national security" - is devoted to the analysis of the concept of “religious factor”, types of religious factors, their role and features of the manifestation of new threats to Russia’s national security in the system.

“Religious factor” (from the Latin factor - doing, producing) is a term that defines the influence of religion, as a social institution, on other, non-religious aspects of social life. Religion, as a social institution, performs a number of functions in society. The most important functions of religion are, inter alia, ideological, regulating, integrating and disintegrating. The religious factor can play a different role, depending on the specific historical and socio-political situation in society. During periods of social crises, the religious factor becomes one of the most influential forces used by various social and political groups in their own interests. In this work, the researcher’s attention is focused on identifying the reasons for the change in the role of the religious factor in modern Russia and its influence on the situation in the southern Russian regions.

The fundamental change in the place and role of religion in the life of the peoples of our country is associated, according to the researcher, with a number of reasons. The most important among them are internal, political-ideological and external, geopolitical. The first must include the collapse of a single, powerful state of the Soviet Union, the weakening of the power vertical at the level of government of the country, the weakening of local socio-economic policy, the emergence of nationalist separatism, the loss of previous ideological ideals and guidelines, the emergence of an ideological vacuum, the search for new national-political and worldview identities. The second group of reasons is associated with the new world geopolitical realities that emerged at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, a new round of struggle between the major powers for spheres of influence and control on a global scale. Having examined in detail the causes and consequences of the changing geopolitical realities, the author notes that the situation is becoming significantly more complicated due to the growing influence in recent times of radical Islamic fundamentalism and the extremism of new religious movements.

One of the theses of the National Security Concept is that today “...threats to the national security of the Russian Federation in the international sphere are manifested in the attempts of other states to counteract the strengthening of Russia as one of the centers of influence in a multipolar world.” Consequently, the most important condition for national security is the independence of its internal and foreign policy from the influence and pressure of other states.

The concept highlights the quality the most important condition security: “...ensuring civil peace and national harmony, territorial integrity, unity of legal space, law and order,” and further: “National interests in the spiritual sphere consist in preserving and strengthening the moral values ​​of society, traditions of patriotism and humanism, the cultural and scientific potential of the country”

In other words, we are talking about preserving and strengthening the integrity of the state in its territorial, cultural, historical and spiritual space.

This presupposes freedom from the threats of extremism, terrorism, any forms of violence, interethnic and interreligious hostility. Meanwhile, the current situation shows that the use of the religious factor by foreign states has created in modern Russia a set of problems associated with the emergence of threats to national security at all of these levels. The active work of Arab and Turkish emissaries representing specific organizations and movements of radical Islamic fundamentalism, various NRMs of foreign and domestic origin use the religious factor to achieve other, non-religious goals. These goals are, first of all, political goals that create threats to the preservation of the integrity of Russia, the independence of its foreign and domestic policies, the stability and balance of social life.

In modern geopolitics, issues of control over territory have begun to be understood as control over space. This form of control is understood as the subordination and use of not only geographical, natural, but also human resources. Consequently, no less effective than the conquest of territories is the subjugation of geopolitical spaces through the use of informational, ideological, and religious factors. The establishment of geo-ideological and geo-missionary control is becoming new tools for conquering spheres of influence.

A feature of the modern international situation is the growing confrontation between secular ideologies and religious and political ideologies that are increasing their influence. First of all, this concerns the ideologies of radical Islamic fundamentalism. On the other hand, this includes the globalization ideology of the West, which appears in the religious sphere in the form of universalist commercial cults. Consequently, in the modern world the religious factor acts as an effective weapon of political influence.

In this regard, social security should include the concept of “spiritual security”. It should be noted that the very definition of the concept of “spiritual security” is just beginning to be developed in the humanities, although the issue of spiritual threats in Russia today is especially acute.

The religious factor has not only an indirect, but also a direct influence on social attitudes. Thus, under the influence of these attitudes, the fundamental spiritual foundations of society are formed, ensuring the national security of the country or, conversely, creating the most effective threats in the context of modern geopolitics.

In the second section - “The reasons for the emergence and forms of manifestation of religious and political extremism” - the reasons for the emergence of new threats to Russia's security related to the religious factor are analyzed from the point of view of external, geopolitical and internal, socio-political prerequisites. This section provides a detailed analysis of the religious situation in the Southern Federal District, identifies and shows the methods and forms of activity of extremist associations of two types: radical Islamic fundamentalism and the extremist wing of new religious movements, using the example of one of them.

The practical influence of the religious factor depends, first of all, on its political orientation. From this point of view, Islam, like any religion, does not pursue exclusively political goals. Being one of the world's oldest religions, modern traditional Islam itself is becoming an object of aggression from radical associations of Islamic fundamentalists. Groups and movements hiding behind Islamic slogans in fact pursue not religious, but political goals, threatening stability, including traditional Islamic territories and peoples.

The current geopolitical situation is determined by the ideological expansion of radical Islamic fundamentalism from two main centers: Saudi Arabia and Iran. The dissertation author analyzes in detail the most typical methods of penetration and introduction of extremist organizations into territories previously not under their control.

The Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation is one of the most indicative territories in connection with the problem of the emergence and escalation of religious and political extremism in the form of radical Islamic fundamentalism.

1. Confession of the principle of “takfir”, that is, accusing everyone who is not part of this direction of unbelief. Even believing Muslims are considered “kafirs”, “guiaurs”, “jahillis”, that is, atheists and pagans, if they do not share the views and positions of this extremist group.

2. Preaching of necessity, legality and religious obligation use any form of violence against the “infidels” up to and including their complete destruction. Extremists preach cruelty and aggression as the main virtues of a fighter for the purity of faith.

3. Complete denial of everything modern, aggressive rejection of the ideas of rights and freedoms of citizens, as it is understood in the ideology of modern Western liberalism and democracy.

4. Active propaganda of the complete subordination of “true Muslims” to the rules and orders preached and implanted by radical fundamentalists.

Analyzing the specific situation in one of the largest regions of Russia, the dissertation author presents a detailed picture of the religious situation currently existing in the Southern Federal District, taking into account both officially registered and a number of unregistered religious associations, some of which can be characterized as extremist.

The author examines the situation in those territories of the Southern Federal District in which the activities of radical Islamic fundamentalists have become most widespread in recent years. The work provides detailed review situations by territory, identifying the characteristics of extremist activity of the type under consideration and measures taken to overcome it.

However, it is not only radical Islamic fundamentalism that poses the threat of religious and political extremism in modern Russia. According to the dissertation author, no less dangerous is the extremist wing of new religious movements.

Both trends, associated with the active use of the religious factor, pose threats to Russia’s national security at the present stage in different ways, but to the same extent.

The work examines the phenomenon of new religious movements in modern Russia, as one of the religious factors that create new external and internal threats to the country's national security.

By “new religious movements” in this case we mean the so-called “religions of the new century” or New Age movements, reflecting the ideology of the globalizing West. The threats to national security they generate include: strengthening the influence of the West, erosion of the traditional historical spiritual foundations of Russian society, replacement of the historically established model of national and cultural self-identification with a motley spectrum of various pseudo-eastern, neo-pagan, universalist and other worldview models. A negative consequence of the emergence and spread of various NRMs in post-perestroika Russia, according to the author, was the strengthening of disintegration processes in society.

Fostering tolerance through the education and enlightenment system.

The dissertation author points out that the fight against extremism in all forms, levels of its manifestation by all possible ways should be accompanied by widespread propaganda of the traditional spiritual heritage of the peoples of Russia. One of effective methods ensuring Russia's national security can be the formation of public opinion regarding religious and political extremism, its essence and threats.

IN conclusion The main results of the study are summarized, conclusions and practical proposals based on its content are formulated.

THE MAIN PROVISIONS OF THE DISSERTATION ARE REFLECTED IN THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATIONS:

1. Kulakov extremism: on the issue of the admissibility and scientific correctness of the term // Civil service: Scientific and Political Journal, 2006. No.6(44). 0.4 p.l.

2. Kulakov and religion // United Scientific Journal. 2006. No. 15(29). 0.6 p.l.

3. Kulakov, the role of the religious factor and geopolitical aspects of Russia’s national security // United Scientific Journal. 2006. No. 25 (185). 0.5 p.l.

The concept of national security of the Russian Federation. Approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 24 dated January 1, 2001. As amended on October 5, 1999. Section 1.

See: Kolosov geopolitics: traditional concepts and modern challenges // Social sciences and modernity. 1996. No. 1; Krivelsky expansion against Russia. M., 1998; and others. The religious factor in the socio-political life of Russia // Renewal of Russia: a difficult search for solutions. Issue 2. M., 1994; Nikitin religion // Questions of philosophy. 1994. No. 3; Trofimchuk and problems of national security of Russia // State, religion, church in Russia and abroad: Inf.-analyst. Bulletin No. 1.M: RAGS, 2002; , Svishchev. Chelyabinsk, 2004.

See: State, politics and religion: an evolutionary process. M., 1999; him. Army and religion. M., 1999; him. Religious factor and geopolitical aspects of security. M., 1999; About terror and terrorism: nature, essence, causes, manifestations // Security. Information collection. 2001. No. 7-12; Kudrina terrorism: essence, forms of manifestation, methods of counteraction. Diss. ...cand. watered Sci. St. Petersburg, 2000; The religious situation in Russia: realities, contradictions, forecasts // Free Thought. 1993. No. 5; The insight of the religious factor into the emergence of political extremism and terrorism // Modern terrorism: state and prospects. M.: Editorial URSS, 2000; , Saidbaev and religion // Socio-political sciences. 1991. No. 9; , Furman and politics in the mass consciousness // Sociological research. 1992. No. 7; Shvedov V. Religion and politics // International life. 1992. No. 5.

See: Vozzhenikov security of Russia: methodology of comprehensive research and policy of ensuring. M., 2002; , Zolotarev conceptual provisions of Russian national security in the twenty-first century. M., 2000. Zolotarev paradigms of national security of Russia. M., 1999; Mayorov L. Priorities of the concept of national security of Russia // International life. 1997. No. 10; Manilov of national security // Military thought. 1996. No. 1; Panarin – psychological support of Russian national security. M., 1998; Pirumov problems of ensuring national security of Russia. M., 1996; Passerby safety: a problem of theory. M., 1997; Schubert security of Russia: constitutional and legal aspects (comparative legal research). M., 2001.

See: Bashirov - political extremism and terrorism as a threat to Russia’s national security // Peace and Harmony. M. 2005. No. 1(22); Burkovskaya with extremism and problems of protecting human rights // Human rights in Russia and human rights activities of the state. St. Petersburg: Legal Center Press, 2003; Vlasov: essence, types, prevention. M.: RAGS, 2002.; Zhuravsky extremism: reality or fiction? // http: /www. /article2080.htm; his Religious extremism and fundamentalism: problems of definitions // http /www. /article2269.htm; his own Religious extremism in the conflict of interpretations // Information and Analytical Center “Sova” 10.29.2003; Zaluzhny problems of countering extremist activities in the sphere of state-confessional and interfaith relations//Legal problems of state-confessional relations in modern Russia. M., 2004; Kudryavtsev legal counteraction to extremist manifestations in the activities of religious associations // Freedom of conscience in Russia: historical and modern aspects: conference materials M., 2005; Kurbanov and the politics of terror // Makhachkala: peoples of Dagestan. Makhachkala, 2002; Lopatkin is religious // Political Encyclopedia. T.2. M.: Mysl, 2001; Nikulin religious and political: socio-psychological aspect//http:/www. /rus/f14/k2/students/hopes/13.htm; Nurullayev – political extremism: concept, essence, ways to overcome // Ten years on the way to freedom of conscience. Problems of implementing the constitutional right to freedom of conscience and the activities of religious associations. M.: Institute of Religion and Law. 2002; Pain nature of extremism and terrorism // Social sciences and modernity. 2002. No. 4; Ponkin I. In Incitement of religious hatred: legal analysis. Diss. Candidate of Sciences, Political Science Sci. M., 2002; Telyakavov as an object of political science research. M., Border Academy of the FSB of the Russian Federation, 2003: Extremism in the religious sphere. M.: Border Academy of the FSB of the Russian Federation, 2003; Labels of religiously motivated extremism //http ///page/stream-exchange/index-5960.html.

See: Political struggle in the CIS countries. M.: Panorama, 1992; Abdulatipov of Islam in Russia. M.: Mysl, 2002; Aruchs in modern Islam. Makhachkala, 1999; Bashirov: theory and practice // Peace and harmony. 2005. No. 4(25); Gereykhanov, the situation in the North Caucasus and its consideration in the management activities of the bodies and troops of the Federal Border Guard Service of Russia (philosophical and political analysis): Abstract of thesis. dis... . Ph.D. Philosopher Sci. M.: AFPS, 1999; Dobaev and radicalism in modern Islam in the North Caucasus // Islam and politics in the North Caucasus. Rostov-on-Don, 2001; Kudryavtsev of religious extremism in the North Caucasus // Central Asia and the Caucasus. 2000. No. 3(9); Malashenko is being turned into a weapon of ethnopolitical conflicts // Russia and the Muslim World. 1995. No. 6; him. Political deadlock or development alternatives // Asia and Africa today. 1994. No. 1; Saidbaev and religion. Socio-political sciences. 1999. No. 9.

See: Balagushkin of modern non-traditional religions: origins, essence, influence on the youth of the West. M., 1983; Prophets of the "New Truth". M., 1986; Satan rules the roost there. Kyiv, 1990; Garaja and religion // Science and religion. 1991. No. 3, 5; Grigoriev "New Age" and modern state. Krasnoyarsk, 2000; Grigoriev religious movements and the state in modern Russia // Legislation on freedom of conscience and law enforcement practice in the sphere of its action: Materials of seminars. M.: Institute of Religion and Law, 2001; Gurevich religions in Western countries and their influence on youth. M., 1985; Khvylya-Olinter crime and destructive religious sects // News of the methodological center for vocational education on coordination scientific research. 1997. No. 1; Bajan religiosity. Krasnoyarsk, 2000; Dvorkin. Nizhny Novgorod, 2002; (I. Kulikov). New religious organizations in Russia of a destructive, occult and neo-pagan nature. Belgorod, 1999; Kuraev A. Lessons in sect studies. M., 2003.

See: Arukhov conflicts in the North Caucasus in the light of the theory and practice of jihad // Islam and politics in the North Caucasus. Collection scientific articles, Rostov-on-Don, 2001; Ivanov of social threats and instability // Social security of the state, society, personality: state, problems, prospects. M., 1996; The Kritsky factor in the ethnopolitical situation in the North Caucasus / Religion and politics in modern Russia. M., 1997; Kisriev E. Islam in the socio-political life of Dagestan // Muslims of a changing Russia. M.: ROSSPEN, 2002; Kublitskaya factor in the ethnopolitical situation in the North Caucasus // Religion and politics in modern Russia. M., 1997; Levshukov extremism in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic // Islam and politics in the North Caucasus. Rostov-on-Don, 2001; Malysheva factor in modern armed conflicts: Developing countries of Asia and Africa in the 70-80s. M., Nauka, 1991; Matsnev: genesis, essence, evolution. M., 1995; National harmony and national extremism in modern Russia: historical roots, realities, prospects. Materials from the “round table”. Saratov, 2000; “Enclavization” of the territories of the North Caucasus region: the content of the process and research problems // Violence in modern Russia: Abstracts of reports of a scientific conference Rostov-on-Don, 1999; Suslov and problems of national security in the North Caucasus. Diss. Ph.D. philosopher n. M.: RAGS, 2004; Khanbabaev in Dagestan // Islam and politics in the North Caucasus. Collection of scientific articles, Rostov-on-Don, 2001.

National Security Concept of the Russian Federation, Section 1.

Ibid., section 2.

Svishchev. Chelyabinsk, 2004.

480 rub. | 150 UAH | $7.5 ", MOUSEOFF, FGCOLOR, "#FFFFCC",BGCOLOR, "#393939");" onMouseOut="return nd();"> Dissertation - 480 RUR, delivery 10 minutes, around the clock, seven days a week and holidays

Tarasevich Ivan Anatolyevich. Constitutional and legal foundations of religious security of the Russian Federation: dissertation... Doctor of Law: 12.00.02 / Tarasevich Ivan Anatolyevich; [Place of defense: Tyumen State University]. - Tyumen, 2014.- 376 p.

Introduction

Chapter 1. Institutionalization of religious security of the Russian Federation 32

1.1. Religious institutions in modern Russia 32

1.2. Definition of Religious Security Russian Federation 45

Chapter 2. Threats to religious security of the Russian Federation 58

2.1. Classification of threats to Russia's security in the religious sphere 58

2.2. Characteristics of religious and pseudo-religious associations of a destructive nature that are non-traditional for Russia and pose the greatest potential danger 79

Chapter 3. Constitutional and legal basis for religious security of the Russian Federation 108

3.1. The system of legal sources for ensuring religious security in Russia and its main elements 108

3.2. Constitutional and legal problems of ensuring religious security in Russia 130

Chapter 4. Constitutional and legal characteristics of the elements of the religious security system of the Russian Federation 156

4.1. The role of the head of state in the system of religious security 156

4.2. Parliament as an element of the religious security system 164

4.3. The role of the government in the religious security system 170

4.4. Judicial protection in the religious security system 187

4.5. Powers of state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the system of religious security 204

4.6. Bodies, forces and means of ensuring religious security 212

Chapter 5. Improving the constitutional and legal Mechanism for ensuring religious security of the Russian Federation 224

5.1. Model of state-religious relations as the main factor in ensuring religious security 225

5.2. The concept of the constitutional and legal doctrine of religious security of the Russian Federation 257

Conclusion 301

List of sources and literature used

Definition of religious security of the Russian Federation

The issues of correlation between the degree of religious security of society and the constitutional and legal norms that determine the model of religious-state relations in a particular state have been studied. In the presented dissertation research, the constitutional principle of ensuring the religious security of Russia at the international level has been developed for the first time, according to which it is necessary to everywhere cultivate and support Russian traditional values ​​as contributing to the maximum provision of human and civil rights. The study examined the processes, both in Russia and abroad, occurring as a result of the increasing impact of globalization on the religious development of society, which made it possible to draw conclusions about the negative significance of globalization for the religious security of the Russian Federation. A methodology has been developed to improve Russian legislation in order to reduce the negative impact of globalization on the religious sphere of society.

The methodological basis of the study was a set of methods and tools, which made it possible to comprehensively study the subject of research and draw appropriate scientific conclusions.

As a general scientific method, a dialectical method was used, which made it possible to study the constitutional and legal basis of religious security in Russia in dynamics, in organic connection with the development of political, social, cultural and other processes in society; identify and resolve contradictions that arise in the process of ensuring the religious security of society, reveal the dialectical connections of threats to religious security with specific historical conditions and the national and religious specifics of Russia.

The dialectical method of cognition is complemented by private scientific methods, which made it possible to comprehensively reveal the meaning and content of constitutional and legal relations that determine the essence of religious security of the Russian Federation and its provision.

The historical method made it possible to study the institution of religious security in Russia in its development, to consider the dynamics of the traditions of ensuring religious security in Russia, in particular, to study the role of traditional religions for Russia in this process. Using the historical method, it was possible to study the dynamics of the development of the RDN, as well as understand the logic of limiting their activities by Russian and foreign legislators and law enforcers. In developing constitutional and legal problems of religious security in Russia, we widely used the method of comparative legal research. If the historical method allowed us to study constitutional and legal phenomena in a kind of “vertical plane,” then the comparative legal method allowed us to study the phenomenon in a “horizontal plane,” from the point of view of comparing various constitutional and legal institutions. We used the comparative research method when studying and comparing the experience of state-religious relations in foreign countries, which made it possible to draw conclusions about the nature and patterns of the future development of constitutional and legal legislation in this area in individual countries.

The dialectical methodology for studying constitutional and legal problems requires approaching any phenomenon as a system. Therefore, an important place in our research is played by the systematic method and the method of logical analysis, which involves considering constitutional and legal phenomena in the totality of their social connections, identifying the whole and the particular, and studying individual constitutional and legal institutions in the structure of Russian law, taking into account the national characteristics of their development. These methods made it possible to talk about new integrative qualities of religious security that are not characteristic of its constituent parts. The systematic method made it possible to determine the place of religious security in the Russian national security system as a whole.

Using the functional method, we were able to explore the role of the President, the Government, the Parliament of the Russian Federation, bodies, forces, public associations and individuals in the process of ensuring religious security.

Characteristics of religious and pseudo-religious associations of a destructive nature that are non-traditional for Russia and pose the greatest potential danger

The importance of religion in human life and religious motivation was not denied even by Soviet researchers, who noted that different religions, due to their inherent characteristics, have different potential influences on human self-awareness. They influence the most diverse spheres of life - psychological, social, political, economic and, finally, cultural. Religions determine a person’s worldview at the individual psychological level, forming a person’s value orientations in his attitude to certain actions, events, processes, phenomena, which ultimately determines the model of his political and legal behavior73.

We also include other acts committed in the religious sphere, the elements of which are established by the norms of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, as religious offenses. We consider it appropriate to call such acts, as already indicated above, religious crimes.

In our opinion, there are other threats in the religious sphere that go beyond religious extremism. A threat to the religious security of Russia, undoubtedly, is the activity of religious associations in which such rights of citizens as the right to physical and mental health, to have and raise children in a family, decent education, and the right to property are violated. There are religious associations whose doctrine contains the ideas of cosmopolitanism, whose followers refuse to serve in the army, which is also a threat that arises in the religious sphere74.

In addition, religious associations are often a convenient tool for intelligence activities of foreign intelligence services, and some of them were specifically created for this, which is also a threat in the religious sphere75.

The list of illegal acts of religious associations, which may be grounds for the liquidation of a religious organization and a ban on the activities of a religious organization or religious group in court, is fixed by the norms of Part 2 of Art. 14 of the Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations”. This is coercion to destroy the family; encroachment on the personality, rights and freedoms of citizens; causing damage to the morality and health of citizens established in accordance with the law, including the use of narcotic and psychotropic drugs, hypnosis, and committing depraved and other illegal acts in connection with their religious activities; inducement to suicide or refusal for religious reasons to provide medical care to persons in a condition dangerous to life and health; obstruction of compulsory education; forcing members and followers of a religious association and other persons to alienate their property in favor of the religious association; preventing a citizen from leaving a religious association with the threat of harm to life, health, property, if there is a danger of its actual execution or the use of force, or other illegal actions; inducing citizens to refuse to fulfill civil obligations established by law and to commit other illegal actions.

As we can see, the list of illegal actions remains open. But, in our opinion, the legislator incorrectly used the term “action” in this case. It would be more correct, from the point of view of legal theory, to use the term “act”, which implies both the actual action and inaction. In our opinion, it is also possible to hinder the receipt of compulsory education through inaction. In addition, we believe that the individual in the religious sphere is also threatened by internal endogenous dangers. For example, the danger of misunderstanding the laws of spiritual and religious life, which could result in the emergence of another inherently destructive religious association76. A study of the internal documents of various religious associations shows that many of them strive for global domination or the creation of new theocratic states at the expense of the territory of existing ones. A follower of such a religion will not defend the interests Russian state, as, indeed, any other77. Today we can clearly state the fact that dangers arising in the religious sphere can threaten the constitutional and state system of any state, and in particular the Russian Federation.

Constitutional and legal problems of ensuring religious security in Russia

In addition, the Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” defines the rights and conditions for the activities of religious organizations and contains norms regulating the nature of the activities of religious organizations in accordance with their internal regulations, if they do not contradict the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Some of the provisions of this Law are of a referential nature. For example, the norm giving the right to a religious organization to conduct public worship, other religious rites and ceremonies (Part 5 of Article 16) appeals to the norms established for holding rallies, processions and demonstrations. In particular, this procedure, enshrined in the Federal Law “On meetings, rallies, demonstrations, processions and pickets” dated June 19, 2004 No. 54-FZ (as amended on June 8, 2012)155, obliges local authorities to be notified in advance of the relevant religious activities and obtain appropriate permission (clause 1, article 4). In turn, parts 1 and 2 of Art. 20.2 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses of December 30, 2001 No. 195-FZ (as amended on April 20, 2014)156 establish that violation of this procedure entails a fine.

The norm obliging a religious organization as any legal entity to keep accounting records redirects the law enforcer to the norms of the Federal Law “On Accounting” dated December 6, 2011 No. 402-FZ (as amended on December 28, 2013)157. The Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” establishes legal norms establishing state supervision to ensure the legality of the activities of religious organizations and their participants as individuals, carried out by the relevant authorized bodies. Part 1 art. 25 of the Federal Law “On freedom of conscience and religious associations” establishes the norm: “Supervision over the implementation of the legislation of the Russian Federation on freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and religious associations is carried out by the prosecutor’s office of the Russian Federation.”

In addition to prosecutorial supervision, there is and is used in practice a special type of supervision in the Russian Federation, which consists in checking the compliance of laws and other regulations with the Constitution of the Russian Federation. In the Russian Federation, these functions are entrusted to the Constitutional Court, which, within its competence, has repeatedly considered cases in open sessions to verify the constitutionality of certain legal norms of the Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations.”

Judicial supervision is another possible type of supervision in the procedural activities of courts; its specificity lies in checking the legality and validity of determinations and decrees, decisions and sentences of courts of various instances, resolving disputes between courts, issuing guidelines on the application of legislation on freedom of conscience and on religious associations .

Control over compliance with the charter regarding the goals and order of activity of religious associations is assigned in accordance with Part 2 of Art. 25 of the Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” on the body that registered it158.

Article 26 of the Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” establishes that violation of the relevant legislation entails criminal, administrative and other liability.

158 See: Letter of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation “On the application of legislation on religious associations” dated December 24, 1997 (together with “Methodological recommendations on the implementation by judicial authorities of control functions in relation to religious organizations”, “Methodological recommendations on the application by judicial authorities of certain provisions of the Federal Law “On freedom of conscience and religious associations”) // Bulletin of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. 1998. No. 7.

Violation of legislation on freedom of conscience and religion, including the rights of religious associations to various non-commercial activities (in particular charitable activities), entails, depending on the nature and consequences, civil and disciplinary liability. Part 3 Art. 50 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (part one) of November 30, 1994 No. 51-FZ (as amended on November 2, 2013)159 specifically establishes that legal entities that are non-profit organizations can be created in the form of religious associations, which are covered by the concept legal capacity and guarantees of the legal activities of a legal entity.

Since in 1998 the Russian Federation ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the text of which contains a mechanism that allows member states of the Council of Europe not only to monitor compliance with its provisions, but also to exert certain influence on countries that violate European standards in area of ​​human rights and freedoms, Russian citizens have the opportunity to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Thus, an additional instrument for protecting the right to freedom of conscience was created. In practice, there are already known cases of citizens of the Russian Federation turning to this body160.

The legislation of the Russian Federation also provides for the responsibility of religious associations themselves.

In particular, Art. 14 of the Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” regulates the suspension of the activities of a religious association, the liquidation of a religious organization, and a ban on the activities of a religious association in case of violation of the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Part 1 art. 14 of this Law provides the following grounds for the liquidation of a religious organization: 159 of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation. 1994. No. 32. Art. 3301. 160 See: Nikishina v. Russian Federation // Religion and Law. 1999. No. 1. P. 26. 123 - by decision of its founders or a body authorized to do so by the charter of a religious organization; – by a court decision in the case of repeated or gross violations of the norms of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, this Law and other federal laws, or in the case of a religious organization systematically carrying out activities that contradict the goals of its creation (statutory goals); – by court decision in the case provided for by this Law.

Part 2 Art. 14 of the Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” defines the following grounds for the liquidation of a religious organization and a ban on the activities of a religious organization or religious group in court: – violation of public safety and public order; – actions aimed at carrying out extremist activities; – coercion to destroy the family; – encroachment on the personality, rights and freedoms of citizens; – causing damage to the morality and health of citizens established in accordance with the law, including the use of narcotic and psychotropic drugs, hypnosis, and the commission of depraved and other illegal acts in connection with their religious activities; – inducement to suicide or refusal for religious reasons to provide medical care to persons in a condition dangerous to life and health; – obstruction of obtaining compulsory education; – forcing members and followers of a religious association and other persons to alienate their property in favor of the religious association;

The role of government in the religious security system

The state, called upon to organize the life of society in the most rational way and to protect the constitutional order established in it, in reality represents a contradictory unity of various political principles. Power, institutionalized as a state, is both a cause and a consequence of social relations. A special mechanism that guarantees the stability of the state is law, ensured by force, including military force. Many thinkers have emphasized the duty of the state to rely on force243. Democratic values ​​in any state are reinforced by its willingness to use violent means if necessary. For example, the US Constitution guarantees “to every State... a republican form of government, and to the security of each of them from foreign attack and from internal violence”244. The right to use force is exercised with the help of bodies specially created for this purpose.

Any state is in danger of developing the state security system into its opposite, which is due to a number of reasons. Like any social organism, law enforcement agencies are objectively interested in creating the most favorable conditions for their functioning. But this desire can develop into a desire for a self-sufficient position in the state and excessive self-affirmation in it. Local totalitarianization of certain departments occurs when the civil authorities of the state fail. Another danger is that the state can turn into a blind mechanism, alienated from society. ON THE. Berdyaev noted that under certain conditions “from a means and function it becomes an end in itself, it lives own life and does not want to be a subordinate function of people’s life”245. In this case, the interests of the ruling conservative groups begin to prevail over the interests of the entire society: the state turns from a guardian of social foundations into a usurper and assigns more and more tasks to its power structures to suppress and counter undesirable manifestations of public life. This situation can be caused by the lack of an ideological foundation among the state leadership or its change under the influence external factors. The leadership of a particular state may fall under the influence of religious doctrines, the implementation of which will have unpredictable results for a given society.

In conditions of social instability and polarization of society, as well as permanent confrontation, situations are quite possible when each of the warring parties will find arguments justifying its resort to force. In such a situation, security agencies and forces may fall under the influence of certain religious movements and be used to influence the government or to suppress some social groups over others.

The next danger, due to the specifics of the security agencies and forces, is that leaders may arise within them who are ready to use the forces and means at their disposal to implement their religious views to change the existing constitutional system.

In this regard, one of the primary tasks facing Russian society, is the formulation of a constitutional and legal doctrine of religious security of society, which should clearly indicate the vector of Russia's movement in the religious sphere, which will eliminate the danger of a seizure of power by entities preaching the doctrine of RDN and PRDN.

The relevance of the problem of monitoring the activities of bodies ensuring religious security, for example, the activities of special services, is associated with the role and place of these bodies in the overall system of ensuring national security, with their use of specific forms and methods of activity to solve legally established tasks. One of the fundamental principles of the activities of the intelligence services of any state, regardless of its socio-political orientation, is the use of covert methods and means, which most seriously affects the problems of ensuring human rights. At the same time, society as a whole and any individual citizen must be sure that invasion of the personal sphere is possible only on absolutely legal grounds and under conditions of effective control by the relevant government and public structures. Therefore, the concept of control over the activities of the special services should be based on respect for individual rights when the special services perform the functions assigned to them, namely: restriction of rights and freedoms is permissible only on the basis of the law and only in relation to persons who actually violate the law, i.e. committing real offenses aimed at harming national security.

| R | Religious Security

The reader, I hope, has already noticed that there is no politics or ideology in our encyclopedia. We will also consider relationships with religion only from the point of view of personal safety. First, some statistics. At the end of 1995, about 12 thousand different religious associations belonging to more than 40 faiths were registered on the territory of Russia.

The Russian law “On Freedom of Religion” has made very not an easy task to single out sectarian communities among the registered communities, but we can assume an approximate order of numbers, if in France there are about 800 sectarian organizations, in Britain - about 2000. German researchers have calculated that "new gods" More than 2 million Germans pray with them.

It is also known that the Muna sect (one of the most powerful in the world) had its representatives in more than 50 cities of Russia. According to Western estimates, in Moscow and St. Petersburg alone it included about 20 thousand people. By the unceremonious manner in which preachers from various countries behave in Russia with its thousand-year-old Christian tradition, one can draw a conclusion about how they actually relate to other people’s faith and history.

The various sect groups can be divided into several main groups:
- foreign Protestant movements (American ones are especially numerous);
- exotic sects of non-traditional (“eastern”) persuasion - both foreign and Russian;
- “new religions” - posing as “improved” traditional faiths (including “improved” Orthodoxy) or a successful combination of all faiths;
- small occult groups, usually associated with psychics, magicians, sorcerers, etc.
- Satanists.

A seemingly harmless event - a visit to a sect out of curiosity - most often quickly turns a person’s life into an extreme situation. A well-developed method of managing a person leads to a loss of will and a complete change of interests.

It is incredibly difficult to leave the sect; very often such attempts end in suicide or mental illness. It is believed that the time allotted for leaving is about six months. But as in protecting against most other dangers, the best measures here can be considered preventative.

How do sects differ from world religions?

Experts usually name several main signs:
- rigid internal organization; Moreover, personal subordination does not immediately become noticeable to a member of the sect - ultimately, the believer begins to be led not by God, but by the one who speaks on behalf of God; By the way, usually the complete structure of a sect is not known to everyone who is part of it;

Personal cult of the head of the sect: as a rule, he calls himself the only one to whom the truth was revealed; under the pseudonym Maria Devi Christos, the head of the Yusmalian Marina Tsvigun declared herself “the living God” and the mother of the Universe (!) in 1993; the official self-name of the head of the Japanese sect “the teaching of truth Aum” is His Holiness the Reverend Teacher Shoko Asahara; even little-known “prophets” do not deprive themselves of titles - so a certain El Oachim Monoshes modestly introduces himself as the Master of Universal Consciousness, etc.;

World religions preach the unification of people, sects sharply separate them (often hiding behind talk of universal brotherhood), and not only the rest of humanity, but also loved ones are declared “strangers”: only like-minded people become the family of a sectarian, and in some sects the mother is declared the worst enemy and even long-dead relatives;

Extensive economic requirements for the ordinary member of the sect; when talking about the uselessness of material wealth, it somehow still turns out that a person brings his own property (or even someone else’s) to the sect or works for the sect: sometimes this is the imposition of literature or tickets to religious shows on passers-by, sometimes prostitution, and in the Muna sect - there was even free work on his unique “collective farms” and factories.

In 1995, German “teachers,” for example, received over 18 billion marks only from the sale of shirts from their bodies and other wearable items. The psychophysical technique of influencing people that sectarians use is very interesting. For example, such a technique as “love bombing” (by Moon): a person who carelessly gives his phone number to a benevolent preacher is literally bombarded with offers to come to meetings, seminars, etc.

And if he comes, he is bombarded with compliments, surrounded by a dense wall of attention and love. The heart thaws, and the first “lessons” are easily laid into it. Often “truths” are embedded in the human psyche, having previously treated his body with many days of fasting and lack of sleep, and exhausting exercises - “plastic prayers” or “meditations”. There is information that some sects use hypnosis and not yet entirely clear mechanisms, which can most accurately be called programming of people.

There are also those who use drugs and other “chemicals” in rituals. The criminal methods of the Aum Shinrikyo sect, which became known in 1996, can be considered a typical variant. Traditional sectarian technique - religious shows. Holy inspiration is recognized here as a psychophysical reaction familiar to any disc jockey to simple crowd control techniques (joint chanting, loud compliments to the audience, general swaying, holding hands, exposure to sound and light, etc.). Often, simultaneously with the shepherd on stage, the hall is processed by his associates, who now conduct individual conversations with the audience and agree on the next meeting.

How to protect your will and property from sects?

Without risking giving advice in such special issue, I offer an abbreviated summary of the technique of religious security proposed by the Dean of the Orthodox University, Deacon Fr. Andrey (Kuraev). Of course, the advice is addressed primarily to the Russian (in particular, Orthodox) reader, but much here is useful for a representative of any other world religion.

Rule one. Always remember that spirituality is a two-faced word. Vysotsky sang: “not everything that is above is from God.” Not everything that speaks of spirituality leads to God. Not all religious paths lead to good.

Rule two. If you have not yet found the determination or inner experience necessary to enter a serious religious life, still make your choice. (For example - “If I come to faith, it will be Orthodoxy” or “I will be a Muslim”, “I will be a Catholic”). Immediately tell yourself what you don’t want to believe.

More than a dozen years may pass, but if you, for example, decided (not even because of theological arguments, but simply because of family or national tradition) that you will be Orthodox, all these coming years you will be able to protect yourself from the intrusive proposals of sectarians .

Rule three. If they talk to you about faith, immediately ask your interlocutor to clearly introduce himself. Do not be satisfied with the name (such as the Church of Christ, the Church of Unification, New Holy Rus', etc.). If you are “just a Christian”, ask them to clearly express their attitude towards Orthodoxy and icons. This way you will protect your freedom of choice and avoid direct deception: many preachers precisely want you not to notice at first that they are asking you to renounce the traditional faith of your people.

Rule four. Sectarians often hide behind secular names and goals. Be especially careful if you are invited to FREE courses English: It is very likely that you will simply have the Bible or the Book of Mormon read to you in English. Another favorite cover is “ecological forums”, communication schools, seminars on spiritual self-improvement, etc.

Steiner's occultism, for example, calls itself the humanitarian movement "New Acropolis", and the Moon sect (which, by the way, is still called the "Association of the Holy Spirit for the Unification of World Christianity" - although a special commission of the US National Council of Churches concluded back in 1975 that the teaching Muna has no relation to Christianity) loved to organize pedagogical seminars.

Rule five. When talking with a preacher, try to find out not only what his faith has in common with other faiths, but also the differences. If the differences are minor (the preacher can say so), then why separate from the whole Church because of them? Remember the French saying, “The devil is in the details.”

Rule six. Listen to more than just one side if the arguments of a certain preacher seem convincing to you. When you are told that the Bible prohibits painting icons and praying for deceased parents, find a priest or a person knowledgeable in the basics of Orthodox theology. Don't rely on incomplete knowledge.

Rule seven. Do not judge this or that denomination only by stories about the shortcomings of its ministers. Compare not the sins of people, but the fundamentals of creeds.

Rule eight. Do not consider talking about religious differences a manifestation of “religious fanaticism” or “intolerance.” A philosopher who explains how Kant’s teaching differs from Nietzsche’s philosophy will not seem to you to be a bearer of totalitarian consciousness.

Rule nine. When they tell you that Teacher so-and-so has found the way to the unification of all religions, pay attention to the strange fact that by preaching unification, for some reason people are led primarily to isolation and division. Be able to notice the hidden goal - to tear you out of your usual religious environment.

Rule ten. Recognize everyone religious community the right to determine your own boundaries. If the Pope declares some teaching to be outside the scope of Catholicism, do not assume that you know Catholicism better than the Pope and do not argue with him. If Orthodox theologians do not agree with some teaching of the Pope, believe that they also have the right to determine what is consistent and what is incompatible with Orthodoxy.

Rule eleven. Just be sober. Don't give in to the crowd effect. Do not confuse the psychic inspiration that is natural during large gatherings with music and energetic speech with the sacrament of Christ’s entry into the shrine of the human heart. If you find yourself at a meeting of sectarians, then at least do not go out in response to their final call to the stage to accept their “baptism” - the consequences will be more serious than it might seem in a room full of enthusiasts. Don’t rush to give your phone number and address to unexpected “friends.”

The dean of the Orthodox University supplements these rules with a simple sign by which one can distinguish the preachers of numerous anti-Orthodox Protestant sects: ask to cross themselves and kiss the icon of the Mother of God. The sectarian will refuse. And for many other sects (especially the exotic eastern sense), a clear criterion can be considered the question - why Christ died on the cross and why he was called the Savior. A non-Christian will most likely say that Christ is one of the teachers who saves from ignorance and immorality. For a Christian, Christ is the Savior from non-existence, and this salvation comes at the price of the sacrifice of the Cross.

The relatives of a person who has fallen into a sect must, first of all, not make the main mistakes: hope that it will “go away on its own,” waste time, and also sharply and rudely deny his new hobby. Instead, you can show the attractiveness of traditional values. Try to recall the attractiveness of previous secular interests, create a new joyful environment, awaken consciousness to reality, “ground” perception - including family events, travel, and general activities. Create a situation in which this person must urgently help someone, etc.

Only after signs of doubt appear (for example, about the purity of the goals or the personality of the sect leader) can you very carefully - preferably using the example of another - begin to talk about why the chosen path leads to error. At the same time, you will have to hide your emotions and your personal pain.

Contact public organizations that unite relatives of those who suffered from sectarians, seek help from priests. In Moscow, for example, a center for the rehabilitation of victims of non-traditional religions was created by Fr. Oleg (Stenyaev) and a group of parishioners of the Church of All Who Sorrow Joy on Bolshaya Ordynka. The catechesis department of the Moscow Patriarchate is also dealing with this problem.

And reliable information about Islam can be obtained at the Historical Mosque, which is located on Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street in Moscow. Well, in order to have enough strength to rescue a person from a sect, from the very beginning you need to come to terms with the fact that it will take a lot of time, tune in to a difficult and long struggle - it cannot be different, because this is a real struggle for the soul of a person.