22.2. Religion: Structure and Functions

The word religion roots back to the Latin verb “religare”, that means to “connect” or to “relate”. So that religion is connection. It connects man with the sphere of divine. There are plenty of explanations of religion, but the simplest one is how mankind relates to divine. Thus, religion is “feelings, acts and experiences of the individual man in his attitude to whatever he may consider divine” (definition by William James). According to the dictionary, divine is something dedicated or connected to God; something regarded with great respect and reverence. The synonym to divine is the word “sacred” or “holy”. We often use these terms in their figurative meanings. One’s family, love, the country, the Independence Day can be holy or sacred. But from literal sense of the word “sacred” is not something belonging to worldly things. The sacred transcends and surpasses our common knowledge, experience, and the power of description. It is outside the apprehension. Thus sacred (or divine) realm is transcendental – beyond the realm and reach of the senses, beyond everyday experience or reason. Sacred is the heart of religion. For Mircea Eliade, a famous philosopher and historian of religion, the sacred is a “tremendous mystery”. The opposite of the sacred is profane, worldly, and secular. From religious point of view sacred realm is primary and perfect, while the profane one is secondary and imperfect.

The one who ever experienced or simply believe in the existence of sacred realm is called “homo religiosus” (term by Mircea Eliade). The one who affirms the existence of profane realm is called non-religious man. While philosophical worldview is always full of doubt and incredulity, religious worldview is dogmatic. Dogma (from- “opinion”, “decision”) means rules and laws that are immutable. Dogma resembles the notion of axiom – a statement that is accepted as true without proof and argument. Every religion has a number of skilful interpreters of the dogmas. The dogmas are usually given in the sacred books which are considered to be revelation from God or gods, i.e. non-human sources. The fundamental rituals and sacraments are believed to be established not by people but by cultural hero or god(s).

The structure of religion includes:

- Religious organizations and institutes (churches, sects, denominations); A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity. The term usually describes various Christian denominations (for example, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicanism, and the many varieties of Protestantism). The term also may refer to the four branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist), or to the two main branches of Islam (Sunni and Shia). A sect is a group with distinctive religious (political or philosophical) beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and principles. The historical usage of the term sect in Christendom has had negative connotations, referring to a group or movement with heretical beliefs or practices that deviate from those of groups considered orthodox.

- Religious activity (cult, sacred texts); The word cult refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered deviant. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices within different religious traditions.

- Religious relations and norms;

- Religious consciousness that includes myths, dogmas, ideas, feelings, experiences, traditions and customs. The religious consciousness operates on two levels: ordinary and theoretical. The ordinary level includes opinions, stereotypes, images, customs and traditions of common people. The theoretical level consists of scientifically classified notions, concepts, theories, approaches.

The function of religion, according to Joseph Campbell, a profound historian of religions, is to “link back” man to the primary source of life. Famous psychologist Viktor Frankl wrote in his “Man’s Search for Meaning” that lack of sense and inner logic is a serious problem, which leads to frustrations, anxiety, despair, depression, even committing a suicide. Until we find the sense in our personal life, the entire universe seems so absurd, meaningless, and hopeless. So, religion serves a basic human need, an innate need to find a sense in life and to overcome the death. The sense of life and the fear of death are the basic philosophical problems that are closely connected. A lot of questions such as:”Why man is born into the world of struggle and pain?”, “What is life and how did creation happen?” and finally the basic one “What is the sense of my life?” can not be solved by the intervention of science - biology, chemistry, physics. The basic peculiarity of religion is that it is not the bundle of theoretical presuppositions and statements. It is not the theory, abstract knowledge. It is faith and practice, expressed in cults and the system of worship. To be Christian or to be Muslim does not simply mean to know doctrines. You can know something but you are not necessarily to believe in it. Faith is a principal point for a believer. St. Paul defined: “Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command”. St. Augustine said religion is based on three underlying elements: faith, hope and love. These are things that can not be proved by scientific methods, by deductive and inductive reasoning. But love, faith and hope as the elements of religion can be experienced, felt by one. Religion is contained not in books but in practice, in the way of life. Until we simply believe in Buddha, in Jesus, in Krishna, that is not enough to be a religious man. That is not enough to call ourselves Christians, Buddhists or followers of Krishna. St. Paul said: “what good is it…if man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? … Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”.

The main functions of religion are:

- to form the worldview that would explain the universe as the whole;

- to provide psychological compensation, to reconcile the opposites;

- to integrate the society;

- to regulate the men`s behavior by means of religious principles, values, taboos;

- to provide the communication on two levels (I-You), (I-God);

- to develop and to maintain moral and cultural values, the fine art, the written language, literacy.

Religion is a universal cultural phenomenon which has been spread among all nations, cultures and civilizations since the origins of the human species. There are a lot of theories concerning the rise of religion. Generally we can point out theological and scientific groups of theories.

Among theological theories we can point out the Theory of Revelation, according to which God reveals himself to first people. For example, Judaism and Christianity are the religions of revelation, because Old and New Testaments were given to people by God himself (Moses received 10 commandments from Yahweh, 12 disciples were taught by Jesus, son of God).

Scientific theories:

1. Naturalistic conception that explains the religious believes by fear of unknown forces of nature. (D. Hume, Th. Hobbes)

2. Animistic conception that explains religion by intention of primitive people to animate everything, and also by primary belief in spirits and souls - spiritual double of man. (J. Taylor, Spenser).

3. Preanimistic theory according to which primitive people possessed non-logical, non-rational consciousness. (K. Levi-Bruhl)

4. Social theory explains religions by social process and intention to increase the political power (Emil Durkheim)

5. Magical theory explains religious belief as the desire to influence on nature with the help of supernatural. The development of mankind has three stages – magic, religion and science. ( J.Frezer)

6. Psychological conception that explains religion as a kind of reaction of primitive people for stress-situation, as “placebo”, or self-hypnosis. (Z. Freud)