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THE ESSENCE AND COMPONENTS OF RELIGION

Religion accompanies mankind throughout much of its history and today covers up 80 % the population of the globe. And yet it is a sphere, a little clear and for ordinary people, and for professionals. The reasons are many. To give one definition of, what is religion, it is hardly possible for the simple reason, famous huge number of religions past and present. Secondly, religion is most often judged by its external characteristics, because she practiced her followers in the cult, whereas for the believer it is a deeply personal inner dialogue with something supernatural. Finally, every researcher defines religion on the basis of their theoretical and methodological preferences and personal attitudes on the subject of her study (believer or unbeliever).

Religion

The word “religion” comes from Latin, religio — piety, Shrine, the object of worship. In European culture it extends from about the XVI century. Before the word “religion” met occasionally in literary language without a constant value, instead, it was used synonymous “faith”, “beliefs”, “piety”.

 TO SKACHAT FREE FULL ABSTRACT

The concept “religion” means faith, special look at the world, the combination of the ritual and cult of action, which are derived from a belief in the existence of one or another variety of supernatural, as well as the Association of believers in a specific organization.

However, it should be clarified, in other cultures the totality of the phenomena, which correspond in meaning to the word “religion”, transmitted to other concepts. For example, in Sanskrit (sacred and literary language of Buddhists and Hindus) this word “Dharma” — teaching, virtue, moral quality, the law, sample, order, the universe. It refers to values, rules and regulations, which identify everyday human activities, her behavior in the society and the purpose of his life in accordance with, which this man occupies in the Universe from birth. In Islam the notion “smoke”, what is the meaning of unconditional devotion to Allah, belief in absolute causality of his will all the events, that occur in human life, what makes for good implementation of the basic religious regulations — from a daily five-time prayer for a ban on the eating of pork. As can be seen from the definition of, religion contains four main parts: faith, creed, cult organization.

THE FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION

The fact, that religion has existed for a significant part of the history of human society, of course, proves its great importance for people and raises the question about the function, it performs. These functions directly relate to both human, and society as a whole.

Ideological function

Ideological function of religion is the main. Religion gives meaning and purpose to human life. Although the feeling itself experiences in the life of some superior man inspires and directs his thoughts and actions in a certain way, in our opinion, the main idea, what religion proposes to the faithful, is the idea of Salvation. The need for salvation arises in human society at the moment of transition from primitiveness to civilization. The fact, what ancient man did not separate himself from the world, sensing his extremely emotionally (“all your soul and with all your heart”) how to live, odusevljenje “YOU”. People, relatively speaking, civilized in my mind removes itself Vastu, comprehends it with the help of abstract thinking as faceless confrontaion with her “IT”. As a result, according to the famous German philosopher To. Jaspers (1883— 1969), it “aware of their existence in General, itself and its borders. It has the horror of the world and their own helplessness. Standing over the abyss, it puts radical questions, demands of liberation and salvation”. Only now these issues are addressed not world, what is perceived as something really close, sent to instance otherworldly. The court first as a figment of human imagination, now constructed in human consciousness as the ideal model of the Universe, where there is “the Golden age” of man and the world, where there is poverty and illiteracy, diseases and misfortunes, glaring gap between wealth and poverty, there is no war and violence. To him “Golden age” are two roads — the path of knowledge (science and philosophy) and the way of faith (religion). The path of knowledge orients people come to the knowledge of the Truth of the world (that is, the natural laws of the universe) and on this basis — on its practical, material transformation in human interests. The way of faith directs us to establish a personal connection, the human and the supernatural absolute (God) in the name of inner spiritual self-development.

Indeed, the whole history of world culture demonstrates that the artificial simulation of the Universe with the Central axis, which would have opened the opportunity to ascend to the sky, — the Central pillar of the dwelling, the hole in the tent, the altar, the altar, Church with bell tower. Also myths and fairy tales have long testify to the restless search of humanity the means of uniting the worlds — rainbow, rope, the bridge, horse, finally the stairs, what had Jacob from the Bible.

However, it should be noted, in different historical eras the significance of the ideological functions of religion did not remain static. If in previous epochs this function made religion the leading form of social consciousness and spiritual life of most people, then at the end of the nineteenth century., since then, when the famous German philosopher f. Nietzsche (1844— 1900) announced “the death of God”, the situation has changed markedly. If you compare statistics on the number of believers and the beginning of the XX century this con., you can see, the number of unbelievers has increased as a percentage of the total population of the Earth less 1 % to almost 20%! Accordingly, changed religious people's behavior, which has become more conscious and ndrive: “In the era, when 10 commandments, obviously, already lost its force for many, people should be ready, to perceive 10 000 commandments, prisoners in 10 000 situations, with which it confronts life”. 

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