Currents of world religions. Types of world religions

Throughout history, man has believed in something. Various kinds of offerings were brought to various deities, who every now and then sent misfortunes or, on the contrary, bestowed a generous harvest. The beliefs of people in different regions could differ radically and each of them had something original. Today there are many different kinds of religions and beliefs and it is very difficult to navigate them. However, every educated person should know at least a little about them, so in this article we will look at the three main religions of the world, and for scholars, I suggest reading the article - an overview of the most widespread religions of the world, which is in the next section.

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CHRISTIANITY - one of the three world religions (along with Buddhism and Islam). It has three main directions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism. It is based on faith in Jesus Christ as the God-man, the Savior, the incarnation of the 2nd person of the triune Godhead (see Trinity). The introduction of believers to Divine grace occurs through participation in the sacraments. The source of the doctrine of Christianity - Sacred Tradition, the main thing in it is the Holy Scripture (Bible); as well as the “Creed”, decisions of ecumenical and some local councils, individual works of the church fathers. Christianity arose in the 1st century. n. e. among the Jews of Palestine, it immediately spread to other peoples of the Mediterranean. In the 4th century. became the state religion of the Roman Empire. By the 13th century. all of Europe was Christianized. In Rus', Christianity spread under the influence of Byzantium from the 10th century. As a result of the schism (division of churches), Christianity in 1054 split into Orthodoxy and Catholicism. From Catholicism during the Reformation in the 16th century. Protestantism emerged. The total number of Christians exceeds 1 billion people.

ISLAM(Arabic, lit. - submission) - a monotheistic religion, one of the world religions (along with Christianity and Buddhism), its followers are Muslims. Originated in Arabia in the 7th century. Founder: Mohammed. Islam developed under the significant influence of Christianity and Judaism. As a result of the Arab conquests, it spread to the Middle and Middle East. East, later in some countries of the Far East, Southeast. Asia, Africa. The main principles of Islam are set out in the Koran. The main dogmas are the worship of one god - the almighty God-Allah and the veneration of Muhammad as a prophet - the messenger of Allah. Muslims believe in the immortality of the soul and afterlife. The five fundamental duties (pillars of Islam) prescribed for adherents of Islam are:
1) the belief that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah (shahadah);
2) five times daily prayer (salat);
3) alms in favor of the poor (zakat);
4) fasting in the month of Ramadan (sauna);
5) pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj), performed at least once in a lifetime.

Sacred tradition is sunnah. The main directions are Sunnism and Shiism. In the 10th century a system of theoretical theology - kalam - was created; The legal system of Islam is developed in Sharia law. In the 8th-9th centuries. a mystical movement arose - Sufism. The number of followers of Islam is estimated at 880 million (1990). In almost all countries with a predominantly Muslim population, Islam is the state religion.

BUDDHISM - one of the three (along with Christianity and Islam) world religions. Originated in Dr. India in the 6th-5th centuries. BC e. The founder is considered to be Siddhartha Gautama (see Buddha). Main directions: Hinayana and Mahayana. The rise of Buddhism in India in the 5th century. BC e. - beginning 1st millennium AD e.; spread to the Southeast. and Center. Asia, partly in Wed. Asia and Siberia, having assimilated elements of Brahmanism, Taoism, etc. In India by the 12th century. dissolved into Hinduism, greatly influencing him. He spoke out against the predominance of external forms of religious life (including ritualism) inherent in Brahmanism. At the center of Buddhism is the teaching of the “4 Noble Truths”: there is suffering, its cause, the state of liberation and the path to it. Suffering and liberation are subjective states and at the same time a certain cosmic reality: suffering is a state of anxiety, tension, equivalent to desire, and at the same time a pulsation of dharmas; liberation (nirvana) - a state of unbound personality outside world and at the same time the cessation of the disturbance of dharmas. Buddhism denies the otherworldliness of liberation; in Buddhism there is no soul as an unchanging substance - the human “I” is identified with the total functioning of a certain set of dharmas, there is no opposition between subject and object, spirit and matter, there is no God as a creator and, of course, a supreme being. During the development of Buddhism, the cult of Buddha and bodhisattvas, ritual gradually developed in it, sanghas (monastic communities), etc. appeared.

A very long time ago such a wonderful feeling as faith in God and higher power, which determine the destinies of people and what they will do in the future. There is a huge number, each of which has its own laws, orders, calendar dates, and prohibitions. How old are the world's religions? - a question to which it is difficult to give an exact answer.

Ancient signs of the birth of religions

It is known that in different forms began to exist a huge number of years ago. Previously, people tended to sacredly and blindly believe that life could be given by 4 elements: air, water, earth and sun. By the way, such a religion exists to this day and it is called polytheism. How many religions are there in the world, at least the main ones? Today there are no prohibitions on one religion or another. Therefore, more and more religious movements are being created, but the main ones still exist, and there are not so many of them.

Religion - what is it?

It is customary to include a certain sequence of rituals, rites and customs in the concept of religion, performed either daily (an example here is daily prayer), or periodically, and sometimes even once. This may include wedding, confession, communion, baptism. Any religion, in principle, is aimed at uniting completely different people in large groups. Despite some cultural differences, many religions are similar in the message they convey to believers. The difference lies only in the external design of the rituals. How many major religions are there in the world? This question will be answered in this article.

You can consider Christianity, Buddhism and Islam. The latter religion is practiced more in Eastern countries, while Buddhism is practiced in Asian countries. Each of the listed religious branches has a history that lasts more than several thousand years, as well as a number of unbreakable traditions that are observed by all deeply religious people.

Geography of religious movements

As for geographical fragmentation, here about 100 years ago it was possible to trace the predominance of any confession, but now there is no trace of this. For example, previously more convinced Christians lived in Africa, Europe, South America, Australian continent.

Residents of North Africa and the Middle East could be called Muslims, and people who settled in the territory of the South-Eastern part of Eurasia were considered believers in Buddha. On the streets of Central Asian towns, you can now more and more often see Muslim mosques and Christian churches standing almost side by side.

How many major religions are there in the world?

Regarding the question of knowledge of the founders of world religions, most of them are known to all believers. For example, the founder of Christianity was Jesus Christ (according to another opinion, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit), the founder of Buddhism is considered to be Siddhartha Guatama, whose other name is Buddha, and, finally, the foundations of Islam, as many believers believe, were laid by the Prophet Muhammad.

An interesting fact is that both Islam and Christianity conventionally come from the same faith, which is called Judaism. Isa Ibn Mariyama is considered the successor of Jesus in this faith. Others are also related to this branch of faith. famous prophets that were mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. Many believers believe that the Prophet Muhammad appeared on earth even earlier than people saw Jesus.

Buddhism

As for Buddhism, this religious denomination is rightfully recognized as the most ancient among all that are known to the human mind. The history of this faith averages about two and a half millennia, perhaps even much more. The origin of a religious movement called Buddhism began in India, and the founder was Siddhartha Guatama. Buddha himself achieved faith gradually, step by step moving towards the miracle of enlightenment, which Buddha then began to generously share with sinners like himself. The Buddha's teachings became the basis for writing a sacred book called Tripitaka. Today, the most common stages of the Buddhist faith are considered to be Hinayama, Mahayama and Vajayama. Adherents of the faith in Buddhism believe that the main thing in a person’s life is a good state of karma, which is achieved only by doing good deeds. Every Buddhist himself goes through the path to purifying karma through hardship and pain.

Many people, especially today, wonder how many religions there are in the world? It is difficult to name the number of all directions, because new ones appear almost every day. In our article we will talk about the main ones. The following religious trend is one of them.

Christianity

Christianity is a faith that was founded thousands of years ago by Jesus Christ. According to scientists, the religion of Christianity was founded in the 1st century BC. This religious movement appeared in Palestine, and the eternal flame descended to Jerusalem, where it still burns. Nevertheless, there is an opinion that people learned about this faith even earlier, almost a thousand years ago. There is also an opinion that for the first time people became acquainted not with Christ, but with the founder of Judaism. Among Christians one can distinguish Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants. In addition, there are huge groups of people who call themselves Christians, but believe in completely different dogmas and attend other social organizations.

Postulates of Christianity

The main inviolable postulates of Christianity are the belief that God has three faces (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), belief in saving death and the phenomenon of reincarnation. In addition, followers of Christianity practice belief in evil and good, represented by angelic and devilish forms.

Unlike Protestants and Catholics, Christians do not believe in the existence of a so-called “purgatory”, where the souls of sinners are selected for heaven or hell. Protestants believe that if faith in salvation remains in the soul, then the person is guaranteed to go to heaven. Protestants believe that the meaning of rituals is not beauty, but sincerity, which is why the rituals are not distinguished by pomp, and their number is much smaller than in Christianity.

Islam

As for Islam, this religion is considered relatively new, as it appeared only in the 7th century BC. The place of origin is the Arabian Peninsula, where the Turks and Greeks lived. The Orthodox Bible takes the place of holy quran, which contains all the basic laws of religion. In Islam, as in Christianity, there are several directions: Sunitism, Shiiteism and Kharijiteism. The difference between these directions from each other is that Sunnis recognize “ right hand"of the Prophet Mohammed of four caliphs, and besides the Koran, the sacred book for them is considered to be a collection of instructions of the prophet.

Shiites believe that only blood heirs can continue the work of the prophet. The Kharijites believe almost the same thing, only they believe that only blood descendants or close associates can inherit the rights of a prophet.

The Muslim faith recognizes the existence of Allah and the Prophet Mohammed, and also holds the opinion that life after death exists, and a person can be reborn at any time. Living being or even an object. Any Muslim firmly believes in the power of holy customs, and therefore annually makes a pilgrimage to holy places. Jerusalem is truly the holy city for all Muslims. Salat is a mandatory ritual for every adherent of the Muslim faith, and its main meaning is prayer in the mornings and evenings. The prayer is repeated 5 times, after which believers try to observe fasting according to all the rules.

In this faith, during the month of Ramadan, believers are prohibited from having fun, but are allowed to devote themselves only to prayer to Allah. Mecca is considered the main city of pilgrims.

We have discussed the main directions. To summarize, we note: as many religions in the world as there are so many opinions. Unfortunately, representatives of not all religious movements fully accept the existence of another direction. Often this even led to wars. IN modern world Some aggressive figures use the image of a “sectarian” or “totalitarian sect” as a bogeyman, promoting intolerance towards any non-traditional religiosity. However, no matter how different religious movements may be, they usually have something in common.

Unity and differences of major religions

The commonality of all religious faiths is hidden and at the same time simple in that they all teach tolerance, love of God in all manifestations, mercy and kindness towards people. Both Islam and the Christian faith promote resurrection after earthly death, followed by rebirth. In addition, Islam and Christianity jointly believe that fate is predetermined by heaven, and only Allah or, as Christians call him, the Lord God, can correct it. Although the teachings of Buddhists are strikingly different from Christianity and Islam, these “branches” are united by the fact that they glorify a certain morality, which no one is allowed to stumble upon.

The instructions given by the Almighty to sinful people also have common features. For Buddhists these are dogmas, for Christians these are commandments, and for adherents of Islam these are excerpts from the Koran. It doesn't matter how many world religions there are in the world. The main thing is that they all bring a person closer to the Lord. The commandments for each faith are the same, they just have a different syllable of retelling. Everywhere it is forbidden to lie, kill, steal, and everywhere they call for mercy and tranquility, for mutual respect and love for one’s neighbor.

WORLD RELIGIONS

The most widespread of the world's religions is Christianity (it includes three branches - Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox), which is practiced by approximately 2.4 billion people, mainly in Europe, America and Australia. The second place in the number of believers (1.3 billion) is occupied by Islam (Muslim), which is declared the state religion in many countries of the world, located mainly in Asia and Africa. Nowadays the Muslim world includes more than 50 countries, and there are Muslim communities in 120 countries. In Russia, almost 20 million people profess Islam. The third place among world religions in terms of the number of adherents belongs to Buddhism (500 million), widespread in Central, Southeast and East Asia.

IN Lately Very big influence The Islamic factor began to influence the entire world development. Today the Muslim world includes more than 50 countries, and there are Muslim communities in 120 countries.

Geography of world religions.

The largest Islamic states in terms of population are Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria (from 100 to 200 million believers), Iran, Turkey, Egypt (from 50 to 70). In Russia, almost 20 million people profess Islam; This is the second most important and popular religion in the country after Christianity.

The Arabic word "Islam" literally means "submission". However, many acute political and religious conflicts are associated with this religion. Behind him stands Islamic extremism, which seeks to replace civil society with an Islamic one organized according to Sharia law. On the other side, moderate Islam can easily get along with civil society.

Tasks and tests on the topic "World Religions"

• Races, peoples, languages ​​and religions of the world - Population of the Earth 7th grade

  Lessons: 4 Assignments: 12 Tests: 1

• World Ocean - general characteristics Nature of the Earth 7th grade

  Lessons: 5 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1

• Relief of the ocean floor - Lithosphere - the rocky shell of the Earth, grade 5

  Lessons: 5 Assignments: 8 Tests: 1

• Population of Africa - Africa 7th grade
• Population of Eurasia - Eurasia 7th grade

  Lessons: 3 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1

Leading ideas: The population represents the basis of the material life of society, an active element of our planet. People of all races, nations and nationalities are equally capable of participating in material production and in spiritual life.

Basic concepts: demography, growth rates and population growth rates, population reproduction, fertility (birth rate), mortality (mortality rate), natural increase (natural increase rate), traditional, transitional, modern type reproduction, population explosion, demographic crisis, demographic policy, migration (emigration, immigration), demographic situation, age and sex structure of the population, age and sex pyramid, EAN, labor resources, employment structure; resettlement and placement of the population; urbanization, agglomeration, megalopolis, race, ethnicity, discrimination, apartheid, world and national religions.

Skills and abilities: be able to calculate and apply indicators of reproduction, security labor resources(EAN), urbanization, etc. for individual countries and groups of countries, as well as analyze and draw conclusions (compare, generalize, determine trends and consequences of these trends), read, compare and analyze age-sex pyramids of various countries and groups of countries; Using atlas maps and other sources, characterize changes in basic indicators across the world, characterize the population of the country (region) according to the plan using atlas maps.

Have a good day everyone! The concept of religions appears quite often in exams in the humanities. Therefore, I would recommend looking at these religions of the world, their list, in order to better navigate them.

A little about the concept of “World Religions”. It often refers to the three main religions: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. This understanding is incomplete to say the least. Since these religious systems exist different currents. In addition, there are a number of religions that also unite many people. Before publishing the list, I also recommend reading the article about that .

List of world religions

Abrahamic religions- these are religions that go back to one of the first religious patriarchs- Abraham.

Christianity— briefly about this religion you can. It is represented today in several directions. The key ones are Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. Holy book Bible (mostly New Testament). It unites about 2.3 billion people today

Islam— how religion took shape in the 7th century new era and absorbed the revelations of Allah to his prophet Muhammad. It was from him that the prophet learned that one must pray a hundred times a day. However, Muhammad asked Allah to reduce the number of prayers, and in the end Allah allowed prayers five times a day. By the way, the ideas about heaven and hell in Islam and Christianity are somewhat different. Paradise here is the quintessence of earthly blessings. Holy book Koran. Today it unites about 1.5 billion people.

Judaism- a religion predominantly of the Jewish people, unites 14 million adherents. What struck me most was the worship service: during it you can behave quite casually. The holy book is the Bible (mainly the Old Testament).

Other religions

Hinduism- unites about 900 million followers and includes belief in an eternal soul (atman) and in a universal God. This religion and others like it are also called dharmic - from the Sanskrit word “dharma” - things, the nature of things. The religious priests here are called Brahmins. The key idea is the rebirth of souls. For those interested, jokes aside, look at Vysotsky: a song about the transmigration of souls.

Buddhism- unites over 350 million adherents. It comes from the fact that the soul is bound by the wheel of samsara - the wheel of reincarnation, and only work on oneself can allow it to break out of this circle into nirvana - eternal bliss. There are different branches of Buddhism: Zen Buddhism, Lamaism, etc. The sacred texts are called Tripitaka.

Zoroastrianism(“Good Faith”) is one of the oldest monothetic religions, incorporating faith in the one god Ahura Mazda and his prophet Zarathushtra, uniting about 7 million people. Religion embodies belief in good and evil thoughts. The latter are the enemies of God and must be eradicated. Light is the physical embodiment of God and is worthy of veneration, which is why this religion is also called fire worship. Thus, in my opinion, this is the most honest religion, since it is thoughts that determine a person, and not his actions. If you agree with this, please like at the end of the post!

Jainism- unites approximately 4 million adherents and proceeds from the fact that all living beings are eternally living in spiritual world, calls for self-improvement through the cultivation of wisdom and other virtues.

Sikhism- unites about 23 million adherents and includes an understanding of God as the Absolute and as a part of every person. Worship occurs through meditation.

Juche is a North Korean political ideology that many consider a religion. It was formed on the basis of the transformation of the ideas of Marxism-Leninism and synthesis with traditional Chinese philosophy.

Confucianism- in the strict sense of the word, it is a more ethical and philosophical teaching than religion and combines ideas about proper behavior, ritual and tradition, which, according to Confucius, must be represented. The main treatise is Lun-yu. Consolidates about 7 million people.

Shintoism- this religion is widespread mainly in Japan, so read about it.

Khao Dai- a fairly new religious system that appeared in 1926 and combines many tenets of Buddhism, Lamaism, etc. Calls for equality between the sexes, pacifism, etc. It originated in Vietnam. In essence, religion embodies everything that has been missing in this region of the planet for a long time.

I hope you got an idea about the religions of the world! Like and subscribe for new articles.

Best regards, Andrey Puchkov

World religions – Buddhism, Christianity and Islam appeared in eras of great historical turns, in the conditions of the formation of “world empires”. These religions became global due to the so-called universalism, i.e. their appeal to everyone and everyone, regardless of class, estate, caste, nationality, state, etc. affiliations, which led to a large number of their adherents and the widespread spread of new religions throughout the globe.

2.1. Buddhism- the oldest world religion that arose in India in the 6th century. BC. The origins of Buddhism go back to Brahmanism- religions of the ancient Hindus. According to these views, the basis of the universe is a single world soul - Atman (or Brahman). She is the source of individual souls. After death, people's souls move into other bodies. All living things are subject to law karma ( posthumous reward for actions during life) and is included in the chain of continuous incarnations - the wheel Samsara. The next incarnation may be higher or lower. Everything that exists has at its core dharma, - the flow of these immaterial particles, their various combinations determine the existence of inanimate objects, plants, animals, humans, etc. After the disintegration of a given combination of dharmas, their corresponding combination disappears, and for a person this means death, but the dharmas themselves do not disappear, but form a new combination. The individual is reborn in a different form. Highest goal of these beliefs - to escape from the wheel of samsara and achieve Nirvana. Nirvana- this is a state of eternal bliss, when the soul perceives everything, but does not react to anything (“nirvana” - from Sanskrit: “cooling, fading” - a state beyond life and death, the moment of connection human soul with Atman). According to Buddhism, you can enter nirvana during life, but it is fully achieved only after death.

Founder of Buddhism - Prince Siddhartha Gautama (564/ 563 – 483 BC), the first Buddha(in translation from Sanskrit - “enlightened”), the son of the king of the Shakya tribe (hence one of the names of Buddha - Shakyamuni- a sage from the Shakya family). The turning point in Siddhartha's life came when he was 29 years old and left the palace in which he lived. Face to face with old age, illness and death, he realized that these are all integral elements of life that must be accepted. He became acquainted with various religious teachings in the hope of comprehending the meaning of life, but, having become disillusioned with them, he concentrated entirely on meditation(deep reflection) and one day - after 6 years of wandering - he finally discovered the true meaning of the existence of all things. Siddhartha outlined his credo in the so-called Benares Sermon. It is akin to the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ. In it he states "4 great truths": 1) life is suffering; 2) the cause of suffering is our desires, attachment to life, thirst for existence, passion; 3) you can free yourself from suffering by getting rid of desires; 4) the path to salvation leads to compliance with 8 certain conditions - "Eightfold Path of Self-Improvement" which involves mastering the art of having righteousness: views, aspirations, speech, actions, life, efforts, contemplation, reflection.

Essentially, Buddhism is a religious and philosophical teaching. Many researchers consider Buddhism to be a polytheistic religion, since one who is able to go through all the stages of the eightfold path and achieve nirvana becomes a Buddha. Buddha- these are the gods of the Buddhist religion, there are many of them. There are also on earth bodhisattvas(bodisattvas) - saints who almost achieved nirvana, but remained to live earthly life to help others achieve enlightenment. Buddha Shakyamuni himself, having achieved nirvana, preached his teachings for more than 40 years. Buddhism affirms the equality of all people and the possibility for anyone, regardless of caste, to achieve “enlightenment.” Buddhism does not require asceticism from its adherents, but only indifference to worldly goods and hardships. The “middle way” of Buddhism requires avoiding extremes in everything and not making too stringent demands on people. The main tenets of Buddhism are concentrated in the texts Tripitaka(Tipitaka) – (translated as “Three Baskets”: Basket of the community charter - sangha, Basket of Doctrine, Basket of Interpretation of Doctrine). There are a number of directions in Buddhism, the earliest are Hinayana and Mahayana, took shape in the first centuries of our era. Hinayana(Sanskrit - “narrow chariot”, narrow path of liberation) promises liberation from suffering, from samsara only to monks, members of the sangha . Mahayana(Sanskrit - “broad vehicle”) believes that not only a monk, but also any believer who observes the vows of spiritual perfection can achieve liberation from samsara.

In the 3rd century. BC. The ruler of the largest state of India, Ashoka, declared himself the patron of Buddhist monasticism and defender of the doctrine of Buddhism. Having reached its peak in India at the end of the 1st millennium BC, Buddhism by the 13th century. AD lost its influence in this country and became widespread in the countries of South, South-East, Central Asia, Far East. There are now about 800 million Buddhists in the world.

2.2. Christianity - one of the world religions that arose in the 1st century AD in the eastern province of the Roman Empire (in Palestine) as the religion of the oppressed. Christianity is a collective term to describe three main movements religions: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. Each of these large movements, in turn, is subdivided into a number of smaller faiths and religious organizations. All of them are united by common historical roots, certain tenets of doctrine and cultic actions. Christian teaching and its tenets have long become an important part of world culture.

Christianity got its name from Jesus Christ(he acts as the Messiah predicted by the Old Testament Jewish prophets). Christian doctrine is based on Holy Scripture - Bible(Old Testament – ​​39 books and New Testament – ​​27 books) and Sacred Tradition(resolutions of the first 7 Ecumenical Councils and local councils, the works of the “Church Fathers” - Christian writers of the 4th-7th centuries AD). Christianity originated as a sect within Judaism in conditions of deep economic, political, social and ethnic inequality and oppression of peoples on the territory of the Roman Empire.

Judaism was one of the first monotheistic religions. A biblical legend from the Old Testament tells about the three sons of the Jew Jacob who ended up in the Nile Valley. At first they were well received, but over time their lives and the lives of their descendants became increasingly difficult. And then Moses appears, who, with the help of almighty God, leads the Jews from Egypt to Palestine. The “Exodus” lasted 40 years and was accompanied by many miracles. God (Yahweh) gave Moses the 10 commandments, and he actually became the first Jewish legislator. Moses is a historical figure. Sigmund Freud believed that he was an Egyptian and a follower of Akhenaten. After the ban on the religion of Aten, he tried to introduce it in a new place and chose the Jewish people for this. The biblical campaign coincides in time with the reforms of Akhenaten, as evidenced by historical chronicles.

Arriving in Palestine, the Jews created their own state there, destroying the culture of their predecessors and devastating the fertile lands. Exactly in Palestine in the 11th century BC. The monotheistic religion of God Yahweh emerges. The Jewish state turned out to be fragile and quickly disintegrated, and in 63 BC. Palestine became part of the Roman Empire. At this time, the first communities of the Christian type appeared in the form of heresies - deviations from the dogmas of Judaism.

God of the ancient Jews, God Old Testament(he is known as different names– Yahweh, Jehovah, Hosts) was a prototype of the Christian God. As a matter of fact , for Christianity this is the same God, only his relationship with the person changes. The content of the sermon of Jesus of Nazareth went far beyond the national religion of the ancient Jews (as the Bible indicates, Jesus was born into a Jewish family. His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, were devout Jews and sacredly observed all the requirements of their religion). If the God of the Old Testament is addressed to the entire people as a whole, then the God of the New Testament is addressed to each individual. The Old Testament God pays great attention to the fulfillment of complex religious law and the rules of everyday life, numerous rituals accompanying every event. The God of the New Testament is addressed, first of all, to the inner life and inner faith of every person.

Having asked the question why the peoples of the Roman Empire, among whom Christianity first began to spread, were so receptive to this teaching, modern historical science came to the conclusion that by the middle of the 1st century AD. the time had come when the Romans' belief that their world was the best of all possible worlds was a thing of the past. This confidence was replaced by a feeling of imminent catastrophe, the collapse of centuries-old foundations, the imminent end of the world. In the public consciousness, the idea of ​​fate, fate, and the inevitability of what is destined from above acquires a dominant position. Discontent with the authorities is growing among the lower social classes, which periodically takes the form of riots and uprisings. These protests are brutally suppressed. The mood of discontent does not disappear, but seeks other forms of expression.

Christianity in the Roman Empire was initially perceived by most people as a clear and understandable form of social protest. It awakened faith in an intercessor capable of establishing the idea of ​​universal equality and the salvation of people regardless of their ethnic, political and social affiliation. The first Christians believed in the imminent end of the existing world order and the establishment, thanks to the direct intervention of God, of the “Kingdom of Heaven”, in which justice would be restored and righteousness would triumph. Exposing the depravity of the world, its sinfulness, the promise of salvation and the establishment of a kingdom of peace and justice - these are the social ideas that attracted hundreds of thousands, and later millions of followers to the side of Christians. They gave hope for consolation to all those suffering. It was these people, as follows from the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus and the Revelation of John the Theologian, who were first of all promised the Kingdom of God: “Those who are first here will become last there, and those who are last here will be first there. Evil will be punished, and virtue will be rewarded, the Last Judgment will be carried out and everyone will be rewarded according to their deeds.”

The ideological basis for the formation of Christian associations was universalism - appeal to all people, regardless of ethnicity, religion, class and state affiliation. “There is neither Greek, nor Roman, nor Jew, neither rich nor poor, before God all are equal" On the basis of this ideological position, the opportunity was created to unite representatives of all segments of the population.

The traditional view sees Christianity as the result of the actions of one man, Jesus Christ. This idea continues to prevail in our time. The latest edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica devotes twenty thousand words to the personality of Jesus - more than Aristotle, Cicero, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Confucius, Mohammed or Napoleon. In scientific works devoted to the study of the problem of the historicity of Jesus Christ, there are two directions - mythological and historical. The first considers Jesus a mythological collective image created on the basis of agricultural or totemic cults. All gospel stories about his life and miraculous deeds are borrowed from myths. The historical direction recognizes that the image of Jesus Christ is based on a real historical figure. Its supporters believe that the development of the image of Jesus is associated with mythologization, the deification of a really existing preacher from Nazareth. The truth is separated from us by two thousand years. However, in our opinion, from doubts about the reliability of individual biographical details, one cannot conclude that the preacher Jesus never existed as a historical person. In this case, the very emergence of Christianity and the spiritual impulse that (despite all particular disagreements) unites and leads the authors of the Gospels (they took shape in the late 1st - early 2nd centuries AD) and unites the first Christian communities becomes a miracle. This spiritual impulse is too brilliant and powerful to be simply the result of a concerted invention.

Thus, under the influence of a number of sociocultural factors, at the end of the 1st - beginning of the 2nd centuries, Christian communities began to appear and spread on the territory of the Roman Empire - eclessia. Word "eklessia" translated from Greek means assembly. In Greek cities, this term was used in a political context as a people's assembly - the main body of city government. Christians gave the term a new twist . Eklessia is a gathering of believers to which everyone who shared their views could freely come. Christians accepted everyone who came to them: they did not hide their belonging to the new religion. When one of them was in trouble, the others immediately came to his aid. At the meetings, sermons and prayers were delivered, the “sayings of Jesus” were studied, baptism and communion rituals were performed in the form of collective meals. Members of such communities called each other brothers and sisters. They were all equal to each other. Historians have not noticed any traces of a hierarchy of positions in early Christian communities. In the 1st century AD. There was still no church organization, officials, cult, clergy, dogmatists. The organizers of the communities were prophets, apostles, preachers, who were believed to have charisma(the ability “given by the spirit” to prophesy, teach, perform miracles, heal). They did not call for struggle, but only for spiritual liberation, they waited for a miracle, preaching that heavenly retribution would reward everyone according to their deserts. They declared everyone equal before God, thereby providing themselves with a strong base among the poor and disadvantaged population.

Early Christianity is the religion of the dispossessed, disenfranchised, oppressed and enslaved masses. This is reflected in the Bible: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Of course, this could not please the ruling Roman elite. They were also joined by Orthodox Jews who did not want to see Jesus Christ as the messiah. They were waiting for a completely different deliverer, a new Jewish king. This is confirmed by the texts of the Gospels, which place responsibility for the execution of Jesus on the Jews. Pontius Pilate, according to the Gospels, tried to save Christ, but the crowd snatched his consent to execution by shouting: “His blood is on us and on our descendants!”

But despite all the “openness” of their communities, Christians did not perform public services and did not take part in city celebrations. Their religious meetings were for them a sacrament that could not be performed in front of the uninitiated. They internally separated themselves from the world around them; this was precisely the secret of their teaching, which worried the authorities and caused condemnation from many educated people of that time. The charge of secrecy therefore became one of the common accusations hurled at Christians by their opponents.

The gradual growth of Christian communities, the increase in their wealth with a change in class composition required the performance of a number of functions: organizing meals and serving its participants, purchasing and storing supplies, managing the community’s funds, etc. This entire staff of officials had to be managed. This is how an institution arises bishops, whose power gradually increased; the position itself became lifelong. In every Christian community there was a group of people especially respected by members for their devotion to the church - bishops And deacons. Along with them, early Christian documents mention elders(elders). However, it should be noted that at the early stage of development (30 - 130 AD) of Christian communities, these persons were in “living unity with the church”; their power was not of a legal nature, but of a gracious nature, freely recognized by the congregation. That is, their power in the first century of the church’s existence rested only on authority.

Appearance clergy dates back to the 2nd century and is associated with a gradual change in the social composition of early Christian communities. If earlier they united slaves and the free poor, then in the 2nd century they already included artisans, traders, landowners and even the Roman nobility. If previously any member of the community could preach, then as the apostles and prophets are replaced, the bishop becomes the central figure in propaganda activities. The wealthy part of Christians is gradually concentrating in their hands the management of property and the direction of liturgical practice. Officials, first elected for a fixed term and then for life, form the clergy. Priests, deacons, bishops, and metropolitans displace charismatics (prophets) and concentrate all power in their hands.

The further development of the hierarchy led to the emergence of the Catholic Church, to the complete abandonment of the sovereignty of communities that existed before, to the establishment of strict intra-church discipline.

As already noted, Christianity in the first three centuries of its existence was a persecuted religion. Christians were originally identified with Jews. At first, the hostility of the local population of different provinces towards Christians was determined not by the essence of their teaching, but by their position as strangers who rejected traditional cults and beliefs. The Roman authorities treated them in much the same way.

Under their own name, Christians appear in the minds of the Romans in connection with the fire in Rome under Emperor Nero. Nero blamed the arson on Christians, and as a result, many Christians were brutally tortured and executed.

One of the main reasons for the persecution of Christians was their refusal to make sacrifices in front of the statues of the emperor or Jupiter. The performance of such rituals meant the fulfillment of the duty of a citizen and subject. Refusal meant disobedience to the authorities and, in fact, non-recognition of these authorities. Christians of the first centuries, following the commandment “thou shalt not kill,” refused to serve in the army. And this also served as the reason for their persecution by the authorities.

At that time, there was an active ideological struggle against Christians. Rumors spread in the public consciousness about Christians as atheists, sacrileges, immoral people who performed cannibalistic rituals. Incited by such rumors, the Roman plebs repeatedly carried out massacres of Christians. From historical sources, cases of martyrdom of some Christian preachers are known: Justin the Martyr, Cyprian and others.

The first Christians did not have the opportunity to openly hold their services and were forced to look for hidden places for this. Most often they used catacombs. All catacomb churches (“cubiculae”, “crypts”, “chapels”) were rectangular in shape (basilica type), in the eastern part there was a large semicircular niche where the tomb of the martyr was placed, which served throne ( altar ) . The altar was separated by a low lattice from the rest of the temple. Behind the throne there was a bishop's pulpit, in front of him - soleya ( elevation, step ) . The altar was followed by the middle part of the temple, where worshipers gathered. Behind it is a room where those wishing to be baptized gathered (catechumens) and repentant sinners. This part later received the name porch. We can say that the architecture of Christian churches developed mainly during the period of early Christianity.

Christians experienced the last, most severe period of persecution under Emperor Diocletian. In 305, Diocletian abdicated power, and his successor Galerius in 311 ordered the persecution of Christians to be abolished. Two years later, the Edict of Milan of Constantine and Licinius recognized Christianity as a tolerant religion. According to this edict, Christians had the right to openly practice their worship, communities received the right to own property, including real estate.

In the conditions of crisis in the Roman Empire, the imperial power felt an urgent need to use the new religion for its political and ideological purposes. As the crisis deepened, the Roman authorities made a transition from brutal persecution of Christians to support for a new religion, up to the transformation of Christianity during the 4th century into the state religion of the Roman Empire.

At the center of Christianity is the image godman- Jesus Christ who, through his martyrdom on the cross and suffering for the sins of mankind, atoned for these sins and reconciled the human race with God. And with his resurrection, he opened for those who believed in him a new life, a path to reunification with God in the Divine Kingdom. The word “Christ” is not a surname or a proper name, but rather a title, a title assigned by humanity to Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is translated from Greek as "anointed one", "messiah", "savior". This common noun Jesus Christ is associated with Old Testament legends about the coming to the land of Israel of a prophet, a messiah, who will free his people from suffering and establish there a righteous life - the kingdom of God.

Christians believe that the world was created by one eternal God, and created without evil. Man was created by God as a bearer of the “image and likeness” of God. Man, according to God's plan, endowed with free will, still in paradise fell under the temptation of Satan - one of the angels who rebelled against God's will - and committed an offense that fatally influenced the future fate of humanity. Man violated God's prohibition and desired to become “like God.” This changed his very nature: having lost his good, immortal essence, man became susceptible to suffering, illness and death, and Christians see this as a consequence of original sin, passed on from generation to generation.

God expelled man from paradise with the parting word: “... by the sweat of your brow you will eat bread...” (Gen. 3.19.) The descendants of the first people - Adam and Eve - populated the earth, but from the very beginning of history there was a gap between God and man. In order to return man to the true path, God revealed himself to His chosen people - the Jews. God more than once revealed himself to the prophets, concluded covenants (alliances) with “His” people, gave him the Law, which contained the rules of righteous life. The Holy Scriptures of the Jews are imbued with the expectation of the Messiah - the one who will save the world from evil and people from the slavery of sin. For this, God sent his Son into the world, who redeemed through suffering and death on the cross. original sin of all humanity - past and future.

That is why Christianity emphasizes the purifying role of suffering, any limitation by a person of his desires and passions: “by accepting his cross,” a person can defeat evil in himself and in the world around him. Thus, a person not only performs God's commandments, but he himself is transformed and ascends to God, becomes closer to him. This is the purpose of the Christian, his justification of the sacrificial death of Christ. The resurrection of Christ marks for Christians victory over death and newfound opportunity eternal life with God blessing. It was from that time that the story of the New Testament with God began for Christians.

The main direction in the rethinking of Judaism by Christianity is the affirmation of the spiritual nature of man’s connection with God. the main idea The gospel preaching of Jesus Christ was to convey to people the idea that God - the Father of all people - sent him to bring people the news of the imminent establishment of the Kingdom of God. The good news is the news about the salvation of people from spiritual death, about the introduction of the world to spiritual life in the Kingdom of God. The “Kingdom of God” will come when the Lord reigns in the souls of people, when they feel a bright, joyful feeling of the closeness of the Heavenly Father. The path to this Kingdom is opened for people by faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the mediator between God and man.

Basic moral values ​​of Christianity are Faith, Hope, Love. They are closely related to each other and transform into one another. However, the main one among them is Love, which means, first of all, a spiritual connection and love for God and which is opposed to physical and carnal love, which is declared sinful and base. At the same time, Christian love extends to all “neighbors,” including those who not only do not reciprocate, but also show hatred and hostility. Christ urges: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you and persecute you.”

Love for God makes faith in Him natural, easy and simple, not requiring any effort. Faith means a special state of mind that does not require any evidence, arguments or facts. Such faith, in turn, easily and naturally turns into love for God. Hope in Christianity means the idea of ​​salvation.

Those who strictly follow the commandments of Christ will be awarded salvation. Among commandments- suppression of pride and greed, which are the main sources of evil, repentance for sins, humility, patience, non-resistance to evil, the requirement not to kill, not to take someone else’s, not to commit adultery, to honor parents and many other moral norms and laws, the observance of which gives hope for salvation from the torment of hell.

In Christianity, moral commandments are addressed not to external affairs (as was the case in paganism) and not to external manifestations of faith (as in Judaism), but to internal motivation. The highest moral authority is not duty, but conscience. We can say that in Christianity God is not only love, but also Conscience.

Christian doctrine is based on the principle self-worth of the individual. The Christian person is a free being. God endowed man with free will. Man is free to do either good or evil. Choosing good in the name of love for God and people leads to spiritual growth and transformation of a person’s personality. The choice of evil is fraught with the destruction of personality and the loss of human freedom itself.

Christianity brought into the world the idea of ​​equality of all people before God. From the point of view of Christianity, regardless of race, religion, social status, all people as bearers of the “image of God” are equal and, therefore, worthy of respect as individuals.

Of fundamental importance for the establishment of Christian dogma was the adoption of the Nicene-Constantinople “Creed” (1st Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325, 2nd Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 381). Symbol of faith is a brief summary of the main provisions of Christian doctrine, consisting of 12 dogmas. These include: the dogmas of creation, providentialism; the trinity of God, appearing in 3 hypostases - God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit; incarnation; the resurrection of Christ; redemption; the second coming of Christ; immortality of the soul, etc. The cult is formed by sacraments, rituals, and holidays. Christian sacraments – special religious actions designed to really bring the divine into human life. The sacraments are considered to be instituted by Jesus Christ, they are 7: baptism, confirmation, communion (Eucharist), repentance, priesthood, marriage, consecration of oil (unction).

In 395 there was an official division of the empire into the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, which led to increasing disagreements between the churches of the East and West and their final break in 1054 g. The main dogma that served as the reason for the split was filioque controversy(i.e. about the procession of God the Holy Spirit). The Western Church began to be called Roman Catholic(the term “Catholicism” is derived from the Greek “catholicos” - universal, ecumenical), which meant “Roman universal church”, and the eastern one - Greek Catholic, Orthodox, i.e. universal, faithful to the principles of orthodox Christianity (“Orthodoxy” - from the Greek. "orthodoxy"- correct teaching, opinion). Orthodox (Eastern) Christians believe that God the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father, and Catholics (Western) believe that from God the Son (“filioque” from Latin - “and from the Son”). After the adoption of Christianity by Kievan Rus in 988 under Prince Vladimir of Byzantium in its eastern, orthodox version, the Russian Church became one of the metropolises (ecclesiastical regions) of the Greek Church. The first Russian metropolitan in the Russian Orthodox Church was Hilarion (1051). IN 1448 The Russian Church declared itself autocephalous(independent). After the death of Byzantium under the onslaught of the Ottoman Turks in 1453, Russia turned out to be the main stronghold of Orthodoxy. In 1589, Moscow Metropolitan Job became the first Russian Patriarch. Orthodox churches, unlike the Catholic Church, do not have a single control center. Currently, there are 15 autocephalous Orthodox churches. The Russian Patriarch today is Kirill, Pope – FrancisI.

In the 16th century during Reformation (from Latin transformation, correction), wide anti-Catholic movement appears Protestantism. The Reformation in Catholic Europe took place under the slogan of restoring the traditions of the early Christian church and the authority of the Bible. The leaders and ideological inspirers of the Reformation were Martin Luther and Thomas Münzer in Germany, Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland and John Calvin in France. The starting point at the beginning of the Reformation was October 31, 1517, when M. Luther nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral his 95 theses against the doctrine of salvation through the merits of saints, about purgatory, about the mediatorial role of the clergy; he denounced the selfish trade in indulgences as a violation of the gospel covenants.

Most Protestants share common Christian ideas about creation, providentialism, the existence of God, his trinity, the God-manhood of Jesus Christ, the immortality of the soul, etc. Important principles of most Protestant denominations are: justification by faith alone, and good works are the fruit of love for God; the priesthood of all believers. Protestantism rejects fasting, Catholic and Orthodox rituals, prayer for the dead, worship of the Mother of God and saints, veneration of relics, icons and other relics, church hierarchy, monasteries and monasticism. Of the sacraments, baptism and communion are retained, but they are interpreted symbolically. The essence of Protestantism can be expressed as follows: divine grace is bestowed without the mediation of the church. A person's salvation occurs only through his personal faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Communities of believers are headed by elected priests (the priesthood extends to all believers), and worship is extremely simplified.

From the very beginning of its existence, Protestantism was divided into a number of independent faiths - Lutheranism, Calvinism, Zwinglianism, Anglicanism, Baptistism, Methodism, Adventism, Mennoniteism, Pentecostalism. There are also a number of other trends.

Currently, the leaders of both the Western and Eastern Churches are striving to overcome the harmful consequences of centuries-old hostility. Thus, in 1964, Pope Paul YI and Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople solemnly canceled the mutual curses pronounced by representatives of both Churches in the 11th century. A beginning has been made to overcome the disunity between Western and Eastern Christians. Since the beginning of the 20th century. the so-called ecumenical movement (from the Greek “ecumene” - universe, inhabited world). Currently, this movement is carried out mainly within the framework of the World Council of Churches, of which the Russian Church is an active member. Orthodox Church. Today, an agreement has been reached on coordinating the activities of the Russian Orthodox and Foreign Russian Orthodox Churches.

2.3. Islam – the youngest world religion (“Islam” translated from Arabic means submission, and the name Muslims comes from the word “Muslim” - who has given himself to God). Islam was born in the 7th century AD in Arabia, whose population at that time lived in conditions of the decomposition of the tribal system and the formation of a single state. In this process, a new religion became one of the means of uniting numerous Arab tribes into a single state. The founder of Islam is the prophet Muhammad (570-632), a native of the city of Mecca, who began his preaching work in 610. The tribes that lived on the Arabian Peninsula before the rise of Islam were pagans. The pre-Islamic era is called Jahiliyya. The pantheon of pagan Mecca consisted of many gods, whose idols were called betyls. One of the idols, as researchers believe, bore the name Allah. IN 622 g. Muhammad and his followers - muhajirs- was forced to flee from Mecca to Yathrib, which later became known as Medina (the city of the prophet). Relocation (in Arabic "hijra") Muslims to Yathrib became the first day of the Muslim calendar. After Muhammad's death in 632, the first four heads of the Muslim community were Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman, Ali, who received the name “righteous caliphs” (Arabic: successor, deputy).

Judaism and Christianity played a special role in the formation of the Muslim worldview. Muslims, along with Jews and Christians, revere the same Old Testament prophets, as well as Jesus Christ as one of them. That's why Islam is called Abrahamic religion(named after the Old Testament Abraham, the founder of the “12 tribes of Israel”). The core teachings of Islam are Koran(Arabic for “reading aloud”) and Sunnah(Arabic for “sample, example”). The Koran reproduces many biblical stories and mentions biblical prophets, the last of whom, the “seal of the prophets,” is considered to be Muhammad. The Koran consists of 114 suras(chapters), each of which is divided into verses(poetry). The first sura (the largest) - “Fatiha” (Opening) means for a Muslim the same thing as the prayer “Our Father” for Christians, i.e. everyone must know it by heart. Along with the Qur'an, a guide for the entire Muslim community ( Ummah) in solving pressing problems of public and personal life is the Sunnah. This is a collection of texts ( hadiths), describing the life of Muhammad (similar to the Christian Gospels), his words and deeds, and in a broad sense - a collection of good customs, traditional institutions, complementing the Koran and revered on a par with it. An important document Muslim complex is Sharia(Arabic “proper path”) - a set of norms of Islamic law, morality, religious precepts and rituals.

Islam affirms 5 "pillars of faith", which reflect the duties of a Muslim:

1. Shahada- evidence of faith, expressed by the formula “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” It contains the 2 most important tenets of Islam - the confession of monotheism (tawhid) and the recognition of the prophetic mission of Muhammad. During battles, the shahada served as a battle cry for Muslims, so warriors who fell in battle with the enemies of the faith were called martyrs(martyrs).

2. Namaz(Arabic “salat”) – daily 5-fold prayer.

3. Saum(Turkish “hurray”) fasting in the month of Ramadan (Ramadan) - the 9th month of the lunar calendar, “the month of the prophet.”

4. Zakat – obligatory almsgiving, a tax for the benefit of the poor.

5. Hajj- a pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim must make at least once in his life. Pilgrims go to Mecca, to the Kaaba, which is considered the main shrine of Muslims.

Some Muslim theologians consider the 6th “pillar” to be jihad (ghazawat). This term refers to the struggle for faith, which is waged in the following main forms:

- “Jihad of the heart” - the fight against one’s own bad inclinations (this is the so-called “Great Jihad”);

- “jihad of language” - “the command of worthy approval and the prohibition of worthy blame”;

- “jihad of the hand” - taking appropriate punitive measures against criminals and violators of moral standards;

- “jihad of the sword” - a necessary resort to arms in order to deal with the enemies of Islam, to destroy evil and injustice (the so-called “Small Jihad”).

Soon after the death of Muhammad, a split occurred within Muslims into Shiites and Sunnis. Shiism(Arabic “party, grouping”) – admits Ali, 4th “ righteous caliph"and his descendants, the only legitimate successors of Muhammad (since he was his blood relative), i.e. defends the transfer of the rank of Supreme Leader of the Muslims ( and mother) by inheritance within a family marked by God's guardianship. Later, Shiite states - imamates - arose in the Islamic world. Sunnism – the largest denomination in Islam, recognizes the legitimate power of all 4 “righteous caliphs”, rejects the idea of ​​mediation between Allah and people after the death of the prophet, does not accept the idea of ​​​​the “divine” nature of Ali and the right of his descendants to spiritual supremacy in the Muslim community.

Explain the meaning of the terms: confession, sect, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism, dogma, Gospel, Old Testament, New Testament, apostle, messiah, white and black clergy, patriarch, Reformation, charisma, nirvana, Buddha, stupa, Brahmanism, karma, samsara, caste, Wahhabism, Kaaba, jihad (ghazawat), namaz, hajj, shahada, saum, zakat, clergy, prophet, hijra, caliphate, sharia, imamat, Sunnah, Shiism, sura, verse, hadith.

Personalities: Siddhartha Gautama, Abraham, Moses, Noah, Jesus Christ, John, Mark, Luke, Matthew, Muhammad (Magomed), Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman, Ali, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin.

Self-test questions:

1. How do the concepts of culture and religion relate?

2. What are the functions of religion?

3. What religions are called Abrahamic?

4. What religions are called monotheistic?

5. What is the essence of Buddhism?

6. What is the essence of Christian and Islamic faiths?

7. When and where did world religions arise?

8. What denominations exist in Christianity?

9. What denominations exist in Islam?

PRACTICAL LESSONS

Seminar lesson plans for students of OZO SK GMI (GTU)

Seminar 1. Culturology in the system of humanities

Plan: 1. Origin and meaning of the term “culture”.

2. The structure of culture and its main functions.

3. Stages of development of cultural studies. Structure of cultural studies.

Literature:

When preparing for the seminar, you should pay attention to the etymology of the term “culture” and trace the historical development of ideas about culture: in antiquity, in the Middle Ages, in the Renaissance, in modern times and in modern times. Students can present various definitions of the term “culture” and comment on the positions from which this or that definition is given. It is important to present a classification of the main definitions of culture. As a result, we will get an idea of ​​the diversity and diversity of definitions of culture in modern cultural studies.

When preparing the 2nd question, the student must consider the structure of culture and not only know the main functions of culture, but also understand how they are implemented in the life of society, and be able to give examples. Students must explain why the function of socialization or enculturation is central to culture.

The third question involves an analysis of the structure of cultural studies itself as an integrative humanitarian discipline. Identifying the process of the formation of the science itself, studying the main stages of the formation of cultural studies as a science will make it possible to verify its multilateral connections with ethnography, history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology and other sciences.

Discussion of all the issues of the seminar will allow students to draw informed conclusions about the place and role of cultural studies in the system of humanities of our time.

Seminar 2. Basic concepts of cultural studies.

Plan:

Information-semiotic approach to culture. Main types of cultural sign systems.

Cultural values, essence and types.

The concept of norms in cultural studies, their functions and types.

Literature:

1. Bagdasaryan. N.G. Culturology: textbook - M.: Yurayt, 2011.

2. Culturology: textbook / ed. Yu.N. Solonina, M.S. Kagan. – M.: Higher Education, 2011.

3. Karmin A.S. Culturology: a short course - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2010.

When preparing the first question, students must understand the difference in the definition of culture from the perspective of the information-semiotic approach in relation to the definitions already known to them (“Culture is a special non-biological form of the information process”), which involves considering culture in three main aspects: culture as a world of artifacts , culture as a world of meanings and culture as a world of signs. The content of culture always finds expression in language. Tongue in the broad sense of this concept name any system of signs(means, signs, symbols, texts), which allows people to communicate and transmit a variety of information to each other. Sign systems and the information that accumulates with their help are the most important necessary components of culture. Students need to remember this when considering culture as a complex sign system.

It is important to note that today the information-semiotic approach to understanding culture is one of the main ones in cultural studies. It is on it that cultural scientists M.S. Kagan, A.S. Karmin, Yu.N. Solonin base their understanding of culture. and others, whose textbooks are recommended by the Ministry of Higher Education of the Russian Federation as basic ones.

When considering the main types of sign systems, students should take care to provide examples for each type of sign system. Visibility and persuasiveness of examples contribute to better understanding and mastering program material.

When considering the issue of values, students must emphasize the role of values ​​in culture, find out their nature and connection with norms, mentality, determine the types of values ​​and their classification. It is important to imagine the system of value orientations of the individual and the factors of its formation.

The concept of norm in cultural studies depends on the degree and specificity of the normativity of culture; the student should familiarize himself with the various classifications of norms and give examples.

Seminar 3.Culture and religion.

Plan: 1. Religion in the cultural picture of the world. Basic elements and functions of religion.

2. World religions:

a) Buddhism: origins, teachings, sacred texts;

b) Christianity: the emergence and foundations of Christian doctrine and confession.

c) Islam: origins, creed, confessions.

Literature:

1. Bagdasaryan. N.G. Culturology: textbook - M.: Yurayt, 2011.

2. Culturology: textbook / ed. Yu.N. Solonina, M.S. Kagan. – M.: Higher Education, 2011.

3. Karmin A.S. Culturology: a short course - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2010.

4. Culturology: textbook / ed. G.V. Dracha. - Rostov/Don: Phoenix, 2012.

5. Cultural studies. History of world culture / ed. A.N. Markova - M.: Unity, 2011.

6. Kostina A.V. Culturology: electronic textbook. – M.: Knorus, 2009.

7. Kvetkina I.I., Tauchelova R.I., Kulumbekova A.K. and others. Lectures on cultural studies. Uch. village - Vladikavkaz, ed. SK GMI, 2006.

Issues of religion are closely related to culture. It is not for nothing that the root of the word culture is the word “cult” - veneration, worship of someone or something. That is why the seminar session based on self-training students, proposed for the study of the most widespread religions in the world. Regarding Christianity and Islam, we live in a region where both of these faiths exist around us. By their religious origin, many students are Christians or Muslims, and it is not at all useful for them to know the basics of the religion of their ancestors.

When preparing 1 question for the seminar, it should be understood that any religion is a fundamental factor in social life. Growing out of mythology, religion inherits from it a fundamental place in culture. At the same time, in a developed society, where art, philosophy, science, ideology, and politics form independent spheres of culture, religion becomes their common, system-forming spiritual basis. Its influence on the life of society was and remains very significant, and in some periods of history - decisive. Students should be able to not only list the main elements of religion, but also comment on their content. And also talk in detail about the main functions of religion.

Unlike other world religions, Buddhism is often interpreted as a philosophical and religious teaching, a religion “without a soul and without God” - Siddhartha Gautama (563 - 486-473 BC) - Buddha, i.e. The “enlightened one” was a historical figure, the son of the king of the Shakyas, a small tribe that lived in the foothills of the Himalayas. He was deified by his followers after his death. When talking about the origins of Buddhism, students should know that it grew out of ancient Indian Brahmanism. Buddhist philosophers borrowed the idea of ​​rebirth from him. Today Buddhism is not only a religion, but also ethics and a certain way of life.

Shortly before his death, the Buddha formulated the principles of his teaching: the “four noble truths”, the theory of causality, the impermanence of the elements, the “middle way”, the “eightfold path”. The task of students is not only to list, but also to be able to reveal the content of these principles, concluding that their ultimate goal is to achieve nirvana. Students need to understand that nirvana (explain the term) is the highest state of spiritual activity and energy, which is free from base attachments. Buddha, having achieved nirvana, preached his teachings for many more years.

The history of Christianity is described in detail in many textbooks and manuals. When preparing this part of the question, it is important to present the origins of the emergence of a new religion in the mainstream of Judaism, the difference between Christianity and Judaism and the foundations of Christian doctrine (Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Creed). The Bible can be presented in its 2 main parts - the Old and New Testaments. Moreover, students should have an idea of ​​the essence of the New Testament itself as a new agreement between God and people. Students also need to form an idea of ​​the 3 main branches of Christianity - Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism and the main differences between them.

When preparing the question of Islam, it should be taken into account that Islam, as the youngest of the world’s religions, has absorbed much from both Judaism and Christianity, which is why Islam is considered one of the Abrahamic religions. Muhammad (Magomed) - the prophet of Islam, the last Messiah (according to the faith of Muslims), speaking out against Arab paganism, with the help of the new faith he proclaimed, contributed not only to the ethnic, but also to the state consolidation of the Arabs. This explains the fact that the idea of ​​“jihad” (“ghazavat”) existed in early Islam. Students must trace the historical evolution of this idea and its modern embodiment in Islamic fundamentalism (in particular, the movement of Wahhabism). The essence of the teachings of Islam comes down to the recognition of the 5 “pillars of Islam”, which students must not only state, but also explain. It is also necessary to trace the history of the creation of the Koran and Sunnah, their role in the life of believers. Students should also have an understanding of the main currents of Islam - Sunnism and Shiism.

Basic literature for the course:

1. Karmin A.S. Culturology: a short course - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2010. - 240 p.

2. Culturology: textbook / ed. Yu.N. Solonina, M.S. Kagan. – M.: Higher Education, 2010. – 566 p.

3. Bagdasaryan. N.G. Culturology: textbook - M.: Yurayt, 2011. – 495 p.

additional literature:

1. Culturology: textbook for bachelors and specialists / ed. G.V. Dracha et al. – M.: Peter, 2012. – 384 p.

2. Markova A.N. Culturology. – M.: Prospekt, 2011. – 376 p.

3. Kostina A.V. Culturology. – M.: Knorus, 2010. – 335 p.

4. Gurevich P.S. Culturology: study. village – M.: “Omega-L”, 2011. – 427 p.

5. Stolyarenko L.D., Samygin S.I. and others. Culturology: study. village - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. – 351 p.

6. Viktorov V.V. Culturology: study. for universities. – M.: Financial University under the Government. RF, 2013. – 410 p.

7. Yazykovich V.R. Culturology: educational and methodological manual for universities. – Minsk: RIVSH, 2013. – 363 p.

Proposedthosesabstracts:

1. Cultural anthropology as an integral part of cultural studies. F. Boas. 2. Methods of cultural studies. 3. Semiotics as a science. 4. Culture as a text. 5. The essence and functions of the language of culture. 6. Plurality of cultural languages. 7. Symbol as a means of cultural language. 8. Symbol in science and art. 9. The role of the value component in people's lives. 10. The value core of culture and factors influencing its formation. 11. The problem of the relationship between values ​​and motivations of the individual. 12. The problem of the relationship between the world of values ​​of the individual and society. 13. The meaning of mentality. 14. Mentality and national character. 15. Primitive and ancient mentality. 16. Mentality in the Middle Ages. 17. Anthropological structure of culture. 18. “Cultural environment” and “ natural environment", their real correlation in human life. 19. The role of play in culture. 20. Culture and intelligence. 21. Historical dynamics of the existence of culture. 22. Beauty as the essence of art. 23. Artistic and scientific picture of the world. 24. Perception of a work of art. 25. Art and religion. The concept of “dehumanization” of art by J. Ortega y Gasset. 26. Art in the modern world. 27. Tradition and innovation in culture. 28. Laws of history and cultural development. 29. The problem of historical and cultural typology. 30. Ethnicity and culture in the concept of L.N. Gumilyov. 31. Ethnocultural stereotypes. 32. Semiotic types of cultures by Yu. Lotman. 33. youth subculture. 34. Counterculture as a mechanism of sociodynamics. 35. Countercultural phenomena. 36. Primitive painting. 37. Myth as a cultural phenomenon. 38. Myths in the life of the ancient Greeks. 39. Myth and magic. 40. Character traits myth and logic of mythological thinking. 41. Sociocultural functions of myth and myths in modern culture. 42. Russia in the East-West system: confrontation or dialogue of cultures. 43. Russian national character. 44. Orthodox motives of Russian culture. 45. Westerners and Slavophiles about Russian culture and the historical fate of Russia. 46. ​​Christian temple as the center of spiritual and cultural life. 47. Secularization of Russian culture in the 17th century. 48. Features of the culture of Enlightenment in Russia. 49. Typological model of culture by F. Nietzsche. 50. The concept of cultural and historical types by N.Ya. Danilevsky. 51. Typology of culture by O. Spengler and A. Toynbee. 52. Theory of sociocultural dynamics by P. Sorokin. 53. K. Jaspers about a single path of human development and its main stages. 54. The main threats and dangers to culture in the 21st century. 55. Technology as a sociocultural phenomenon. 56. Prospects for the interaction of culture and nature in the 21st century. 57. Protection of cultural monuments. 58. Museums of the world and their role in preserving the cultural heritage of humanity. 59. Cultural universals in the modern world process.