Illusory-compensatory function of religion. Basic Functions of Religion

Religion performs a number of functions and plays a certain role in society. The following most significant functions of religion are distinguished: ideological, compensatory, communicative, regulatory, integrating. Some other functions of religion are given in a number of textbooks.

Religion implements the worldview function, first of all, due to the presence in it of a certain type of views on man, society, nature. Religion includes worldview (an explanation of the world as a whole and individual phenomena and processes in it), worldview (reflection of the world in sensation and perception), worldview (emotional acceptance or rejection), worldview (assessment), etc. Religious worldview sets "ultimate" criteria, Absolutes, from the point of view of which the world, society, man are comprehended, goal-setting and meaning-setting are provided. Giving meaning to existing being provides an opportunity for those who believe to break out of limitations, supports the hope of achieving a "bright future", of getting rid of suffering, misfortune, loneliness, and moral decline.

Religion performs a compensatory function, makes up for the limitations, dependence, impotence of people - in terms of both the restructuring of consciousness and changes in the objective conditions of existence. Real oppression is overcome by "freedom in the spirit", social inequality turns into "equality" in sinfulness, in suffering; church charity, mercy, alleviate the distress of the destitute; disunity and isolation are replaced by brotherhood in the community; impersonal, material relations of individuals indifferent to each other are compensated by personal communion with God and communion in a religious group. The psychological aspect of compensation is of great importance - stress relief, consolation, catharsis, meditation, spiritual pleasure, even if the psychological process is set in motion with the help of illusion.

Religion provides communication, performs a communicative function. Communication develops both in non-religious and religious activities and relationships, includes the processes of information exchange, interaction, perception of a person by a person. Religious consciousness prescribes two plans of communication:

1) believers with each other;

2) believers with God, angels, souls of the dead, saints, who act as ideal mediators, mediators of communication between people - in liturgy, prayer, meditation, "secret vision", etc.

The regulatory function consists in the fact that with the help of certain ideas, values, attitudes, stereotypes, opinions, traditions, customs, institutions, the activities and relationships, consciousness and behavior of individuals, groups, communities are managed. Of particular importance is the system of norms (religious law, morality), models (numerous role models), control (monitoring the implementation of prescriptions), rewards and punishments (“rewards” valid and promised in posthumous existence).

7. Religious science is a philosophical science that studies religion as a phenomenon of society and a phenomenon of the spiritual life of society. This is due to the fact that, on the one hand, the consideration of the problems of religious studies is inseparable from the solution of philosophical and philosophical problems, and on the other hand, religious studies are called upon to consider the most universal concepts and theories of religion, giving a starting point for specific sciences that study one or another facet of such a complex phenomenon as religion.

In turn, religious studies include a number of sections: the history of religion, the philosophy of religion, the sociology of religion, the psychology of religion, and the phenomenology of religion.

The history of the formation of religious studies as a science goes back to hoary antiquity, even in ancient times we find deep thoughts about the causes of the emergence of religion, which went against the prevailing ideas in society. The philosopher of the Eleatic school Xenophanes of Colophon (about 580-488 BC), the Athenians Anaxagoras and Antiphon (5th century BC), we meet with the idea that people create gods for themselves in their own image and likeness. Xenophanes "If bulls, or lions, or horses had hands. If they could write like people, they could do anything. Horses would have been likened to horses, bulls would have given an image of a bull to immortals ..." Democritus (about 460-370. BC) we find the idea that religion is based on fear of formidable natural phenomena "... the ancients, observing celestial phenomena, such as thunder, lightning, thunderbolts, the convergence of stars, eclipses of the sun and moon, were horrified and believed that the reason for this - the gods.

In the era of the Middle Ages, the problem of the emergence of religion as a phenomenon was considered through the prism of the theological approach. Theologians wondered about the relationship between religion and reason within the boundaries of the philosophical interpretation of Christian dogmas (Origen, Dionysius). And from the point of view of Tertullian, to understand religion with reason is, in principle, impossible to believe in it enough and nothing more.

From what has been said, it is clear that religion performs various functions, satisfying various needs of individuals and social structures. The functional approach has proven to be extremely fruitful for studying and explaining religion as a social phenomenon. But at the same time, the functional approach must be clearly developed and involves a number of limitations. Perhaps most importantly, understanding that in different societies different religions perform different functions, i.e. universal functionalism as an attempt to simply enumerate the functions of religion that it performs in any society, or is supposed to perform, is unacceptable.

Religion as a socio-cultural institution performs its functions both in relation to society and culture as a whole, and in relation to human communities (religious groups) and individuals.

Functions in the subsystem "religion - individual (personality)":

1) Illusory-compensatory function. It is about the ability of religion to give believers comfort, peace of mind and reconcile with the inevitable. Religion replenishes limitedness, dependence, impotence of people in terms of imagination, restructuring of consciousness, as well as changes in the objective conditions of existence. Why is this feature illusory? The bottom line is that a person performs real practical actions (prays, kisses icons and relics of saints), but the reality of those who are behind all this is imaginary. The answers that religion gives to questions about the meaning of existence give believers consolation, convincing them that their suffering on earth is not in vain. Religious rituals associated with such critical events as illness and death allow people to maintain peace of mind in the bitter hours of life and reconcile them to the inevitable. The individual knows that others sympathize with him and finds solace in familiar and well-established rituals.

2) The function of meaning, or meaning(m ideological function) Religion gives such a picture of the world, such an understanding of the world order, in which injustice, suffering and death look like they have some meaning in the "ultimate perspective". A person lives not only for today and should not be content with caring for the present, but must remember the purpose of human life - thus the meaning of life is concretized both in relation to this particular individual, and to a group or society. Religion, from this point of view, is one of the calls for a meaningful life. The problem lies in the implementation of this call, in finding such means that, while making the life of some individuals or groups meaningful, would not create great difficulties for the development of others. Thus, it is important for a sociologist to establish not only the function of religion in goal-setting (“call”), but also in the search for an effective (on the scale of large or smaller groups) mechanism that helps to make life meaningful. The question of the function of religion as a “meaning” is also the question of whether religion (and to what extent) contributes to the acquisition of the meaning of life by a particular individual, group, society. This function is not specific for religion, since all forms of social consciousness have a similar function.

3) The function of socio-religious (self) identification allows the individual to take his place in society, relating himself to a particular religious group. We are talking about the ability of religion to unite believers into communities of people who share the same values and pursue the same goals, which is expressed in the believer's awareness of his membership in a particular religious community or group; religion guarantees a sense of security and identity for the individual. In today's society, characterized by great social and "geographical" mobility, a sense of belonging, rootedness is essential. There is another field where religion plays this role - individual development and change in the role of the individual throughout his life from childhood to old age. Age rites are part of the religious tradition in many cultures. It is about the feeling of preserving one's identity and, consequently, self-affirmation, gaining individuality, inner integrity and meaningfulness of the existence of this person. This does not exclude the possibility that religion can also have a negative impact on the psychological development of the individual, cultivating, for example, intolerance or conformity. To the extent that this influence is positive, religion contributes to the socialization of the individual.

According to J. Bowker, “religion protects what is vital for a person and what cannot be left to chance - from sexual life to the salvation of the soul. Information about this must be preserved and transmitted, and religion is the system for collecting, coding, protecting and transmitting such information from person to person, from generation to generation.

4) The function of socialization and inculturation. Religion offers a system of symbols and rituals that mark the main milestones in a person's life. In modern society, with its great social mobility, a sense of belonging, rootedness is essential. Religion, participating in the rituals of a person's life cycle - from birth to old age - helps him maintain a sense of identity, and, consequently, self-affirmation, gaining individuality, internal integrity and meaningfulness of the existence of this person. True, this does not exclude the possibility that religion can also have a negative impact on the psychological development of the individual. To the extent that this influence is positive, religion contributes to the maturation and socialization of the individual. At the heart of the initiation of the individual to society lies the spiritual principle of religion itself. The socialization of the individual through religion means the formation of a life experience familiar with ideas about life and death, about fate, about the salvation of the soul or its immortality. Religion throws a bridge from this world to the other world, generated by the power of imagination, experience, premonition, i.e. whole spiritual life. The believer begins to live in this world, recognizing its truth and relevance. Thus, religion forms a "model of social behavior", the implementation of which can provide a person with salvation, make him real.

As Robert Bella noted, "religious symbols transmitted<...>tell us meanings when we're not asking, help us hear when we're not listening, help us see when we're not looking. It is this ability of religious symbols to form meaning and feeling at a relatively high level of generalization that goes beyond the specific contexts of experience that gives them such power in human life, both private and public.

5) communicative function. Communication unfolds for believers in two ways: in terms of communication with their god, celestials, with the sacred, and in terms of their communication with each other. "Communion with God" is considered the highest form of communication and, in accordance with this, communication with "neighbors" acquires a secondary character. The most important means of communication is cult activity - worship in the temple, public prayer, participation in the sacraments, rituals, etc. The result of the communication of believers is the emergence of a complex set of religious feelings - joy, tenderness, delight, admiration (E. Durkheim spoke about the "euphoric function" of cult practice). Communication of believers in worldly life, extra-cult activities also have a number of features related to the fact that a believer is obliged to subordinate his earthly interests, feelings and aspirations to more significant religious values and commandments. Thanks to religion, people (believers) communicate, and it acts as a force that unites them.

6) Moral Improvement Function- one of the most important when it comes to a person. Perhaps all the talk about the significance of religion for a person ultimately comes down to moral improvement through religion. At the same time, religion cannot be reduced to morality, because in this case the inherent nature of religion is lost and ignored. For theological reflections on the relationship between religion and morality, one refrain is characteristic: the primacy of the religious principle over the moral, morality has its roots in religious consciousness. Knowledge of the historical development of religions says something else: in the syncretic mythological consciousness, spiritual values are not yet differentiated, but as they “diverge”, their moral values are localized in the sphere of interhuman relations, having nothing to do with the sphere of the divine or sacred. However, the inclusiveness of religious consciousness required the introduction of a religious sanction for moral behavior. Morality in general is not the pinnacle of human perfection, but a prerequisite and path to salvation. The assignment of the functions of moral perfection by religion means that the spiritual is understood only as religious. From here, for example, in Christianity, the conclusion is made about the existence of Christian morality as a morality of perfection, hygiene of the human spirit. It is not moral perfection in itself that is important, but the feeling of approaching the required model, to holiness, which becomes an object of worship and reverence.

Functions in the subsystem "religion - society, social institutions":

7) The function of sacralizing the norms and values of society. By sacralizing the norms and values of society, religion also contributes to its stability. Religion fulfills this function by establishing norms that are useful for a given social structure and create the conditions for a person to fulfill moral obligations. Since these prohibitions are still violated by people, most religions have ways to restore and maintain the desire for observance of obligations - cleansing and redemptive rites that can defuse, remove guilt or increase it. In this regard, it should be noted that the norms that are functionally useful to society may turn out to be dysfunctional for individual individuals, giving rise to a fairly typical situation of conflict between a personal desire for “happiness” and an “inert environment”. Religion supports (or in certain circumstances denies) and strengthens the effect of social norms of behavior accepted in society, exercises social control, both formal, through the activities of religious organizations that can encourage or punish believers, and informal, carried out by believers themselves as carriers of moral norms. in relation to the people around. The possibilities of religion in this respect change with the development of society.

8) Integrating function. From O. Comte and G. Spencer, almost all researchers considered religion as a means of achieving "unity", "unification", "systematization", "coordination" and, finally, "integration". Durkheim considered the most important functions in religion to help maintain not so much an individual as a collective identity. Religion solves this function by explaining the place and significance of this group among others inhabiting the world. This integrating function of religion in traditional, still fairly homogeneous societies is very effective. In the context of the differentiation of society, including religious, growing pluralism, none of the traditional religions is no longer able to perform this function.

9) Regulatory function. Religion prescribes proper behavior to its adherents, due to the prevailing religious values. These normative standards of behavior, of course, are dictated by religious precepts, religious morality, but in any religion there is necessarily a very significant component of universal human values and moral norms.

The regulatory function is universal, but not specific to religion.

Officially, that minimum of religious and moral behavior is required, which is fixed by external indicators and which can be controlled (attendance at church, observance of prescriptions, vows, etc.). In mass religions, the organization cannot rely on the moral consistency and soundness of the judgment of the individual, so the ideal is reduced to a minimum of ethical requirements within the limits of external, church-controlled behavior.

Religion, with the help of certain ideas, values, stereotypes, opinions, traditions, customs and institutions, manages the activities and relationships, consciousness and behavior of individuals, groups, communities.

10) Socio-critical function- the ability of religion to criticize the current situation in society. (The theology of politics, for example, believes that Christianity, while not essentially a political phenomenon, is nonetheless not indifferent to the political principle and performs a critical function in relation to it).

11) political function, which reflects the relation of religion to the state and power structures. The state arises as a means of securing and implementing political and legal values. The significance of these values in the history of mankind is ambivalent - they both unite and divide people. Therefore, the relationship between religion and the state is also dual in nature, full of contradictions. It is impossible not to see that political and legal values have a local scope, appeal to reason and rationally formulate their claims. Religion, on the other hand, is based on irrational experience and faith, it is oriented towards sensory-figurative thinking, reflecting the specific transpersonal religious experience of believers. Therefore, there is a distance between religion and state-legal institutions, which is overcome by the universalism and maximalism of world religions, which, moreover, require understanding of the whole world without exception, including political and legal values. On the other hand, the very possibility of a close relationship between the state and religion is due to the fact of the social nature of religious activity itself. This leads to the fact that religion borrows the form of an institution from state power, and the system of penitentiary organs from law, which turns it into a powerful, branched and tightly interconnected organizational structure that ensured its long dominance in public life. However, the models of relationships between religion and the state, political power in general were different.

Modern state-church relations are characterized, as a rule:

1) recognition of pluralism and a democratic form of the state;

2) recognition of alternative ways of solving the main socio-economic and political problems;

3) separation of the church from any system of political power and connection with a particular social system;

4) the refusal of the church from state privileges and the use of state power for its own purposes.

The religious system in its relation to politics, the state is undergoing significant changes in modern societies. As for changes in the political system, in modern society they are characterized by some general trends, which the German sociologist A. Gehlen summarized, highlighting three major forms of activity:

1) rational-practical behavior associated with the development of natural sciences and technology is acquiring an increasing share in modern society;

2) ritually organized behavior is relegated to the background, although it remains one of the main results of cultural history; a reflection of this shift is the growing difficulties that churches experience with worship, church practice in general;

3) changes in role behavior reveal a tendency to weaken the determination and willingness to take responsibility at all levels, accompanied by a desire for anonymous, impersonal and ready-made solutions. Hence, there is a tendency to overcome the well-known loss of the “spiritual” dimension, the “atomization” of society and the individualization of the individual, using administrative-bureaucratic, but still (mainly) manipulation methods provided by modern mass media to establish standards of conformist behavior or mobilization options. .

The many functions of religion are not a mere conglomeration, but complex system, in which both coordination and subordination relations operate. Religion, while maintaining its internal integrity, is capable of changing the ratio of its components within a fairly wide range. This dynamism of the system of functions is revealed in a number of directions.

Depending on the specific historical context, each of the components of religion functions in its own way: either organizes social actions, or forms the consciousness of people, or performs the function of goal-setting in culture. Religion seeks to develop all its elements, because their unity is able to ensure that religion fulfills its role in the life of man and society.

Functional equivalents of religion. The functions of the church described above can also be performed by other components of society. If some other social component is capable of providing answers to questions about the meaning of existence, providing emotional comfort and orienting the individual in his daily life, sociologists define such a component as the functional equivalent of religion. For example, for some people, Alcoholics Anonymous replaces religion. For other people, the function of religion is performed by psychotherapy, the ideas of humanism, transcendental meditation, or even a political party. Some functional equivalents can hardly be distinguished from religion proper. For example, communism has its prophets (Marx and Lenin), its sacred writings (all the works of Marx, Engels and Lenin, but above all the "Manifesto of the Communist Party"), its supreme clergy (heads of the Communist Party), sacred buildings (the Kremlin) , shrines (the body of Lenin, exhibited in the Mausoleum on Red Square), rituals (the annual May parade on Red Square) and even their martyrs (for example, Lazo). During the years of militant atheism, there were attempts to replace the rites of baptism and circumcision with new social rituals of dedication of the baby to the state. The Communist Party also developed its own marriage and funeral rituals.

As the sociologist Ian Robertson has pointed out, there is a fundamental difference between religion and its functional equivalent. Although the surrogate of religion is capable of performing similar functions, it lacks aspiration to God or the supernatural.

Topic 4. SOCIAL FORMS OF RELIGION ORGANIZATION

Types of religious organizations; M. Weber and E. Troelch on the relationship between church and sect. New religious movements. Sociology of new religious movements and cults in Russia. Russian legislation on religious organizations.

The functions of religion should be understood as the various ways in which it operates in society. In the literature, the following functions are distinguished as the most significant:

worldview, compensatory, communicative, regulatory, integrative and cultural-translating.

*Pay attention to the importance ideological function. Religion includes a certain understanding of the world, an explanation of the world and some processes in it, the nature of man, the meaning of his existence, the ideal, etc. The religious worldview sets the ultimate criteria, absolutes, through the prism of which the vision of the world, society, man is carried out, goal-setting and meaning-setting are provided. Giving meaning to being supports the hope of getting rid of suffering, misfortune, loneliness, moral decline, etc.

*Religion has a special function compensator: social inequality is compensated by equality in sinfulness, in suffering; human disunity is replaced by brotherhood in Christ in the community; the actual impotence of man is compensated by the omnipotence of God; the mortal turns out to be immortal; the world of evil and injustice is replaced by the kingdom of God. The psychological aspect of the compensatory function is important: religion can act as a means of relieving stressful conditions.

*Communicative function. Religion carries out communication between people, where “communion with God” is considered the highest type of communication, and communication with “neighbors” is secondary. Communication occurs primarily in cult activities. Divine service in a temple, prayer house, participation in the sacraments, public prayer are considered as the main means of communication and unity of believers with God and with each other. Extra-cult activities and relationships also ensure the fellowship of believers.

*Religious ideas, values, attitudes, stereotypes, cult activities and religious organizations act as regulators of human behavior.

As a normative system and as the basis of socially sanctioned ways of behaving, religion in a certain way organizes the thoughts, aspirations and actions of people and thereby implements a regulatory function.

* Religion can act as factor of integration of society, group. Summing up the behavior and activities of individuals, uniting their thoughts, feelings, aspirations, directing the efforts of social groups and institutions, religion contributes to the stability of a given society.

* An important function of religion is cultural broadcasting which allows a person to join cultural values and traditions, in the emergence and development of which the religious factor played either a defining, constitutive, or significant role.

The results, the consequences of the fulfillment by religion of its functions, i.e. its role in society, were and are different. We can name some principles, the implementation of which helps to give an objective analysis of the role of religion in specific conditions, place and time.

The degree of influence of religion depends on its place in society, and this place is not given once and for all, it changes in the context of the processes of sacralization and secularization. Sacralization means the involvement in the sphere of religious sanctioning of decided forms of social and individual consciousness, activity, relations, behavior of people, the growth of the influence of religion on various spheres of public and private life. Secularization on the contrary, it leads to a weakening of the influence of religion on public and individual consciousness, to limiting the possibility of religious sanctioning of various types of activities, behavior, relationships and institutions, the “entry” of religious individuals and organizations into various non-religious spheres of life.

Mironov A., Babinov Yu. Fundamentals of Religious Studies

Functions and role of religion in society

Topic 3.

1. Religion as a social stabilizer: ideological, legitimizing, integrating and regulating the functions of religion

2. Religion as a factor in social change

3. The social role of religion. Humanistic and authoritarian tendencies in religions

In the previous chapter, we considered three approaches to identifying a defining moment in the structure of a religious system and, in connection with these approaches, analyzed religious consciousness, cult activities and religious organizations. Despite the different emphasis in favor of one or another element of the religious complex, all these approaches have something in common: they are aimed at identifying the essential characteristics of religion, determining the specifics of the nature of religion, they consider religion from the standpoint of statics, from the point of view of answering the question: what is she, what is she there is"? But along with this approach in religious studies, another approach has developed that considers religion from the point of view of answering the question: "how does it work?" The answer to this question, the development of the problem of the functioning of religion, is mainly dealt with by the sociology of religion.

From the standpoint of sociology, religion appears as a necessary, integral part of social life. It acts as a factor in the emergence and formation of social relations. This means that religion can also be considered from the standpoint of identifying the functions that it performs in society. The concept of “functions of religion” in religious studies means the nature and direction of the impact of religion on individuals and society, or, to put it more simply, what religion “gives” to each individual, this or that community and society as a whole, how it affects people's lives.

One of the most important functions of religion is ideological or, as it is also called, meaningful. As already mentioned above, from the point of view of functional content, the religious system includes ideally transformative activity as the first subsystem. The purpose of this activity is the mental transformation of the world, its organization in the mind, as a result of which a certain picture of the world, values, ideals, norms are developed - that, in general, constitutes the main components of the worldview. outlook is a set of views, assessments, norms and attitudes that determine a person's attitude to the world and act as guidelines and regulators of his behavior.

The worldview can be philosophical, mythological and religious in nature. The objectives of our study require an understanding of the specifics of the religious worldview. The functional approach to religion involves the derivation of the features of the religious worldview from the tasks that religion solves in the social system. One of the models for explaining the formation of the ideological function of religion was proposed by the American philosopher and sociologist E. Fromm. In his opinion, a person, on the basis of his activity and communication, creates a special world - the world of culture and, thus, goes beyond the natural world. As a result, a situation of duality of human existence objectively arises. Becoming a socio-cultural being, a person, by virtue of his bodily organization and involvement in the natural connections and relations of the Universe, remains a part of nature. The emerging duality of human existence violates its former harmony with the natural world. He is faced with the task of restoring unity and balance with this world, primarily in consciousness with the help of thinking. From this side, religion acts as a person's response to the need for balance and harmony with the world.

Satisfaction of this need takes place in a concrete historical context, i.e. in a situation of unfreedom of a person. This condition gives this need additional content:

the need to overcome the forces that dominate it. Therefore, religious consciousness, unlike other worldview systems, includes an additional, mediating formation in the "world - man" system - the world of fantasy creatures, connections and relationships, correlating with this world its ideas about being in general and the affairs of human existence. This allows a person at the worldview level to resolve the contradictions of the real world.

However, the function of a religious worldview is not only to draw a person a certain picture of the world, but above all, thanks to this picture, he can find the meaning of his life. That is why the ideological function of religion is also called the function of meaning or the function of "meanings".

Religion, many of its researchers argue, is what makes human life meaningful, fills it with the most important components of meaning. According to the definition of the American sociologist R. Bella, "religion is a symbolic system for perceiving the integrity of the world and ensuring the contact of the individual with the world as a whole, in which life and actions have certain final meanings."

The Swiss thinker K. R. Jung also insists on the meaning-giving function of religion. The purpose of religious symbols, he said, is to give meaning to human life. The Pueblo Indians believe that they are the children of the Father Sun, and this belief opens up a perspective in their lives that goes beyond their limited existence. This gives them enough opportunity to reveal their identity and allow them to live a fulfilling life. Their position in the world is far more satisfactory than that of a man of our own civilization who knows that he is (and will remain) nothing more than a victim of injustice due to lack of inner meaning. The feeling of the expanding meaning of existence takes a person beyond the limits of ordinary acquisition and consumption. If he loses this meaning, he immediately becomes miserable and lost. Had the apostle Paul been convinced that he was just a wandering weaver, then of course he would not have become what he has become. His true charge with the meaning of life proceeded in the inner confidence that he was God's messenger. The myth that possessed him made him great (Jung K. G. Archetype and symbol. M., 1992. P. 81).

The fundamental function of religion operated not only in the past, but operates even now. Religion not only harmonized the consciousness of primitive man, inspired the Apostle Paul to solve the universal goal - the "salvation of mankind", but also constantly supports individuals in their daily lives. A person becomes weak, helpless, is at a loss if he feels emptiness, loses understanding of the meaning of what is happening to him. On the contrary, a person's knowledge of why he lives, what is the meaning of the events that take place, makes him strong, helps to overcome life's hardships, suffering, and even perceive death with dignity. Since these sufferings, death are filled with a certain meaning for a religious person.

The doctrine of the social functions of religion most actively develops functionalism in religious studies (from the prevailing emphasis on this side of the study of society, it got its name). Functionalism considers society as a social system: in which all parts (elements) must work internally harmoniously and in harmony. At the same time, each part (element) of society performs a specific function. Functionalists consider various factors of social life to be functional if they contribute to the preservation, "survival" of the existing society. The survival of society, in their opinion, is directly related to stability. Stability is the ability of a social system to change without destroying its foundations. Stability is ensured on the basis of integration, unification and coordination of the efforts of people, social groups, institutions and organizations. The function of the integrator of the social organism and its stabilizer, from the point of view of the functionalists, is performed by religion. One of the founders of functionalism, E. Durkheim, compared religion in this capacity to how glue works: it helps people to realize themselves as a moral community, held together by common values and common goals. Religion gives a person the opportunity to self-determine in the social system and thereby unite with people who are related in customs, views, values, and beliefs. In the integrative function of religion, E. Durkheim attached particular importance to joint participation in cult activities. It is through cult that religion constitutes society as a whole: it prepares the individual for social life, trains obedience, strengthens social unity, maintains traditions, arouses a sense of satisfaction.

Closely connected with the integrating function of religion is legitimizing (legitimizing) function. The theoretical substantiation of this function of religion was carried out by the modern representative of t, functionalism, the largest American sociologist T. Parsons. In his opinion, no social system is able to exist if a certain limitation (restriction) of the actions of its members is not provided, setting them within a certain framework, if their behavior can be varied arbitrarily and unlimitedly. In other words, for the stable existence of a social system, it is necessary to observe and follow certain legal patterns of behavior. At the same time, we are talking not just about the formation of a value and moral-legal system, but about legitimization, i.e. justification and legitimization the existence of the value-normative order itself. In other words, it is not just about the establishment and observance of certain norms, but about the attitude towards them: are they possible at all, in principle? Recognize these norms as a product of social development and, therefore, recognize their relative nature, the possibility of change at a higher stage of development of society, or recognize that the norms have a supra-social, supra-human nature, that they are "rooted", based on something imperishable, absolute, eternal . Religion in this case is the basic basis not of individual norms, but of the entire moral order.

Along with the ideological, therapeutic, legitimizing function, functional sociologists attach great importance to the regulatory function of religion. From this point of view, religion is seen as a specific value-oriented and normative system. The regulating function of religion is revealed already at the level of religious consciousness. Each religious system develops a certain system of values, the implementation of which is carried out by the individual in the course of his activities and relations. The value setting directly regulates the function. Value setting- this is a kind of preliminary program of activities and communication of people, associated with the possibility of choosing their options. It is a socially determined predisposition of a person to a predetermined attitude towards a particular object, person, event, etc. The values of believers are developed in a religious organization in the process of communication between people and are passed down from generation to generation.

Awareness by the individual of the content of value attitudes forms motive his behavior and activities. The motive allows a person to correlate the specific situations in which he acts with the value system that guides his behavior. The immediate motive for human behavior appears in the form of its goal. Delhi can be immediate, long-term, promising, final. The ultimate goal is the end in itself of all human activity. It permeates this activity through and through and reduces all other goals to the role of means of one's own achievement. The ultimate goal of human activity is called ideal. The ideal is the top of the entire pyramid of the value system.

Each religion develops its own value system, in accordance with the peculiarities of the dogma. In this system, a peculiar scale of values is formed. Thus, for example, in Christianity, everything that is related to the communion of God and man is endowed with a special value element. A believing person, as a rule, has an attitude to get closer to God, to overcome the gap that has been established between a person and God as a result of "original sin." This attitude forms the motive of his behavior, which is realized both in the system of cult actions (prayers, fasts, etc.) and in everyday behavior. A Christian in the process of this behavior sets himself specific goals. For example, participation in religious ceremonies allows a person to acquire "gifts of grace", which strengthen his strength in the fight against the machinations of the devil, bring a person closer to God. The ultimate goal of all this activity and behavior for a Christian is the "salvation" of his soul, complete merging with God, the acquisition of the "Kingdom of God." The “Kingdom of God” is the ideal, the realization of which is aimed at by all the efforts of both the individual Christian and all Christians through the activities of religious organizations.

Even greater regulatory potential has normative system of religion. Religious norms are a kind of social norms. Religious norms is a system of requirements and rules aimed at the realization of religious values. Compared with values in social norms, the moment of obligation, coercion is more pronounced. In the sociology of religion, there are various types of classification of religious norms. According to the nature of the regulation of behavior, religious norms can be positive, obliging to perform certain actions, or negative, prohibiting certain actions, relationships, etc. According to the subject of the prescription, religious norms can be divided into general ones, designed for all followers of a given dogma, or to a specific group (only for the laity or only for the clergy). So, for example, the requirement of celibacy in Catholicism applies only to clergy.

According to the nature of activities and relations, which are influenced by religious norms, it is necessary to single out cult and organizational ones. Cult norms determine the order of religious rites, ceremonies, regulate relations between people in the performance of a religious cult. Organizational and functional norms regulate intra-communal, intra-church and inter-church, as well as inter-confessional relations. This includes the norms governing relations that arise in the religious organizations themselves (communities, sects, churches), between believing citizens of a certain religion, between religious associations, between clergy of various ranks, between the governing bodies of organizations and their structural divisions. These norms are contained in various statutes and regulations on religious organizations. They determine the structure of these organizations, the procedure for electing the governing bodies of the organization and their divisions, regulate their activities, rights, and obligations.

From this rather cursory review of the normative regulation of religious activity and relations, it is clear that religion covers a fairly wide sphere of human social life. And it is natural that in religious studies there is a discussion on the question of what type of this normative regulation can be attributed to the religious sphere itself, and in what kind it only externally relates to the religious sphere.

Two different answers have been proposed to this question: the first is that any regulatory influence should be recognized as religious if it is carried out within the framework of religious organizations. The second seeks to separate religious regulation proper, which is initiated by religious motivation, and indirect religious regulation, which is associated with non-religious forms of social activity and relations, but carried out within the framework of religious organizations or under the auspices of these organizations. An example of the second type of activity is missionary activity, charitable activities of religious organizations.

The essence of religiosity, or religious consciousness, is ambiguous. Any religion is a peculiar form of consciousness of a part of human society, which is based not on the fact that everything that happens on Earth depends only on some supernatural force. Thus, the solution of problems that seem to be unsolvable available means is shifted to a certain mystical component. To understand how any confession affects society, let's look at the functions of religion in this article.

In the philosophy of religion, there are several approaches to the origin of religious consciousness. At the heart of each of the leading versions:

individual inclinations of a particular person;
striving for harmony between soul and body;
powerlessness before the influence of external nature and its human components, first of all, health and instincts;
disappointment in the environment.

The sociology of religious beliefs focuses its attention on the latter version. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it studies the relationship of religion with the state and society, while evaluating not the religious beliefs themselves, but their impact on the social environment. From the point of view of theoretical, practical and methodological achievements, this science is the most important for understanding the role of religiosity in various societies throughout the history of mankind.

The Functional Purpose of Religion

The functions of religion in terms of the structure of their relationship with the religious and non-religious environment are very diverse. The main ones are functions related to:

with the mindset of a believer,
its culture,
communication with others,
with regulatory religious norms and customs that determine behavior,
legitimation of this belief in the state and the social environment.

The ideological orientation of belief is due to the need to search for like-minded people. To do this, the owners of faith relay the appropriate views on other people in an effort to expand their circle as much as possible, and thereby establish themselves in their rightness.

This function is implemented in the forms:

world outlook, when the surrounding is perceived in sensations;
worldview, which is more speculative;
worldview, rejecting or accepting existence through high feelings (for example, love or hatred);
world relations, giving assessments of what is happening.

At the same time, the believer himself sets absolutes that comfort a person in his suffering. In fact, we are talking about worldview criteria, with the help of which a person builds his attitude to the world, comprehends it and follows goals that allow him to break the boundaries of everyday life with its misfortunes, moral costs and achieve a happier future.
The culturological function of religion is to transfer its cultural potential, inherited from the ancestors, from one generation of followers of the faith to another. Religiosity is exactly the same part of culture as music, painting, sculpture, writing. Its values are the property of all the people.

The communicative openness of believers provides religion with trust both in the religious and non-religious spheres. This is achieved mainly through the usual interaction in the church and household environment, as well as public educational events related to the exchange of information.

The regulatory function gives religion the opportunity to most effectively manage the flock: to influence its consciousness and behavior from an individual to an entire community. Typical means of influence are:

national traditions and customs;
social stereotypes;
certain ideas;
cultural and material values;
volitional attitudes.

Particular emphasis in the process of persuasion is placed on religious norms, famous saints, as role models and methods of encouragement for a righteous life and punishment for sins.
The legitimizing task of religion is to legitimize or reject the existing social order, state policy, legal relations and norms with its assistance. To do this, the corresponding maximums are put forward, from the positions of which all phenomena are evaluated and a moral attitude towards them is developed.

The meaning of religion

The functioning of religious institutions to some extent affects the thoughts and actions of all citizens who are in the zone of influence of any confession. The individual and society as a whole are affected by this in two ways. On the one hand, some become saints, while others may be declared wicked. The influence of religion, to one degree or another, extends to all social institutions, including politics, the economy, and attitudes towards nationalities representing other faiths.

The intensity of the impact of religion depends on its place in society and the state. It is not constant over time. Social creation, political change, state ideology often changes the role of religion in society. Nevertheless, the main trend in the development of religious consciousness is its stability over many generations.

Not only Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam - each denomination represents a part of this or that culture, in which many values of ethnic and universal nature are intertwined. None of the religions has achieved global leadership, although in history there have been and still are times of religious persecution, inquisition, and wars. The progressive, universal, attitude in one of the confessions constantly experiences the conservative influence of the other. This process does not subside even within individual beliefs.

Despite the external difference in religious rituals, the names of gods and deities, customs and traditions, the main social function inherent in all religions without exception is its unifying component. Only it allows an individual member of a tribe, nationality and people as a whole to come to an understanding with each other.

No less important is the function associated with the worldview of the believer. His consciousness, directed at God as the almighty, just and wisest, becomes enlightened, moves away from worldly suffering and directs the will of a religious person to achieve a better life.