The religious factor as the basis of national unity. Basic concepts Religious factor

Considering the religious factor and the mechanism of its influence on the emergence of political extremism and terrorism, it is necessary to proceed from the complex nature of religion as a social phenomenon that has a multifunctional impact on the intra-religious and socio-political situation in the country. Considering the influence of the religious factor on the emergence of political extremism in the complex of a wide range of causes and conditions, it is necessary to proceed from the following.

1. For a certain part of Russian citizens, religion is a form of social consciousness, therefore, manifestations of the religious factor in varying degrees of significance can be observed in various spheres of public life and in connection with them.
2. When determining the role of the religious factor in the emergence of political extremism, it is necessary to proceed from the fact that religion, like politics, is a fairly independent social phenomenon pursuing its own specific goals. Regardless of their confessional affiliation, religious organizations pursue their own religious policy aimed at strengthening their positions and expanding their influence on all spheres of the social life of society, and in some cases they conduct an open political struggle for power, including using extremist forms. At the same time, the leaders of religious organizations in the new historical conditions, through the modernization of the cult or, conversely, by turning to the most conservative, fundamentalist principles, seek to strengthen the position of religion and attract new followers to its ranks.

The religious factor often influences the formation of modern mass consciousness, acts as the ideological basis of many socio-political movements, parties, organizations or is present in them, being organically woven through cultural and historical traditions.

Under the influence of the religious factor, extremely reactionary political attitudes are often introduced into the activities of some political movements. Camouflaged in a number of cases in a religious shell, the socio-political context relating to extremist actions is much easier to perceive by the population at the emotional and psychological level.

Recent studies have shown that in the complex of causes and conditions for the emergence of political extremism and terrorism, the religious factor plays an independent role (37%), or manifests itself together with nationalism (62%), or is used by other extremist forces (1%).

The religious factor plays a significant role in the formation of subjective, value-motivational, emotional and psychological prerequisites for extremist behavior, since religious concepts, images, belief systems and mythologies have sufficient potential to express and serve any, even completely opposite, socio-political goals, including including the use of various extremist forms.

With regard to religious consciousness, doctrines and concepts that justify violence with religious dogmas have their own ideological justification either at the level of a developed ideology that has been developing over the centuries and has its own theorists and practitioners, or at the level of doctrines that have relatively few followers.

Developing the concept of the Christian theologian and philosopher Augustine (Blessed) about reconciliation with God, the Catholic philosopher Thomas Aquinas considered it possible to use violence subject to three conditions: if, firstly, it is carried out at the will of the supreme authority, secondly, it has a fair motivation and, thirdly, it is accompanied by just intentions. In this regard, it is not difficult to motivate the use of violence within the justification of terrorism.

The historical past shows that the use of violence has always been sanctified by religion. The most striking example is the doctrine of holy war - "jihad", used by adherents of Islam in achieving their religious and political goals.

The ideological substantiation of religious concepts that justify the use of violence in the struggle for power is rooted in the contradictory interpretation of texts embedded in religious sources (the Bible, the Koran), which ambiguously interpret the religious and moral duties of believers. Here, groups of contradictions are of the most significant importance, illuminating the essence of religious teachings in different ways and instructing believers in contradictory ways in their life behavior. Numerous contradictions of religious texts can be reduced in the considered plan to one main issue concerning the moral aspect of the use of violence by believers. As is clear from the content of religious texts, violence is not only possible and justified, but in some cases its use in the process of religious activity is prescribed for believers. The inconsistency of religious texts is actively used by supporters of extremism in the ideological justification of its use in achieving their religious and political goals. At the same time, religious ideologists mystify the issue of violence, its nature and causes. Considering violence from religious and moral positions, religious extremists obscure the true causes and socially dangerous nature of violence, arguing that violence is an inevitable component of human development. It is important to note that such concepts dressed in a religious form turn the content of the activities of their supporters into preaching ardent fanaticism and extremism, national and religious narrow-mindedness and intolerance.

Speculating on religious feelings, superstitions and prejudices, religious extremists argue that the cause of violence is the sinfulness of people, thereby dooming believers to reconcile with it. Believers are instilled with the idea of human powerlessness in the face of the so-called "God's providence." Since the believer is in the hands of the Almighty, he must meekly endure everything that happens in the world, even if it contradicts his interests, i.e. come to terms with violence. The thesis about "sinfulness" as the main cause of violence contributes, on the one hand, to the perception of it as a charitable deed, on the other hand, to the formation of motives for violent behavior.

Extremist-minded religious figures in some cases, when forming the value-motivational prerequisites for criminal behavior, inspire believers that death is "God's grace", and contributes to their quickest entry into the "heavenly place". At the same time, there is a speculation on the religious feelings of believers, their belief in the “afterlife”, motivational attitudes are formed that act as the basis of self-sacrifice in the name of the Almighty. This is especially characteristic of the activities of religious terrorist organizations that use religious fanatics as carriers of explosive devices in the commission of terrorist acts. For example, a terrorist act against Indian Prime Minister R. Gandhi was carried out by a suicide woman who belonged to the Tamil and Lama Liberation Tigers religious terrorist group, which, at the time of the crime, set off an improvised explosive device located on it.

The main purpose of the negative impact of religious extremists on believers is to form a high degree of spiritual and emotional state that contributes to their involvement in violent anti-constitutional activities. The believer must see in the commission of violent acts not only the achievement of a common goal, but also his personal salvation (in the religious sense), he must treat it as a form of service to the Almighty. In this case, religious extremists emphasize the need for believers to take immediate active, aggressive actions associated with violence.

The influence of the "religious factor" is manifested in a concentrated impact on the emotional-sensory psychological sphere of believers by instilling ideas of an extremist nature or emotionally infecting them. In this sense, suggestion is a key link in the mechanism of influence.

It is known that suggestion avoids logic, does not care about arguments and appeals to feelings, instincts, prejudices. It is designed for uncritical perception by believers of external influences on consciousness. “Suggestion,” wrote the famous Russian scientist V.M. Bekhterev, - acts by direct inoculation of psychological states, i.e. ideas, feelings and sensations, without requiring any evidence at all and without needing logic.

The group religious consciousness of believers manifests itself especially sharply, which is formed in the process of cult activity, in specific extremist actions of a group nature (mass riots, etc.). The influence of religious consciousness on the nature of the group behavior of believers to a large extent depends on the presence in mass extremist manifestations arising on a religious basis of a specific aggregate subject - a crowd united by a common religious and political interest. At the same time, the activity of the aggregate subject of mass extremist manifestations largely depends on the presence of specific socio-political attitudes and interests among believers, especially those related to the satisfaction of their religious needs.

Social attitudes depend on the confessional characteristics of beliefs and are formed among believers in the process of implementing socio-political doctrines, concepts that justify the use of violence by religious dogmas, as mentioned above. In this regard, their activities stem from the content of their creeds and can take various forms, including those of an unconstitutional orientation associated with the use of terrorist methods. At the same time, the focus is on the active-extremist type of religious fanatics who are capable of committing violent acts, including in the course of the struggle for the "purity of faith."

Religion, religious studies, faith, spiritual life of society, ontology, epistemology, theology, religious idea, religious cult, religious organization, church, sect, denomination, sacralization, secularization, national religions, world religions.

Questions for control

1. What is religion?

2. What is the original element of any religion?

3. What are the main functions of religion?

4. What sciences study religion?

5. How can you classify the religions that exist in modern world?

6. What is the role of religion in human life and society?

Essay topics

1. The role and importance of the religious factor in the life of the peoples of the world.

2. Development of ideas about religion.

3. Methods of studying religion.

4. Elements and structure of religion.

5. Problems of modern religious studies.

Test topics

1. Scientific definitions of religion.

2. Religion as an ideological phenomenon.

3. The role of religion in the spiritual life of modern society.

4. The structure of religion.

5. The main functions of religion.

6. Typology of religion.

Tasks for independent work

1. Name the religious organizations that exist in your city (district) and give them brief description. Choose a few examples from the history of Russia that

would allow assessing the role of religion and the church in the life of society.

Literature

Vasiliev L. S.. History of the Religions of the East. M., 1988.

Garadzha V.I. Religious studies. M., 1994.

Bible. M., 1996.

Donini A. At the origins of Christianity (from its inception to Justinian). M., 1987.

Kosidovsky 3. Bible stories. M., 1975.

Koran. M., 1963.

Kimelev Yu.A., Polyakova N.L. Science and religion: a historical and cultural essay. M., 1988.

Kryvelev I.A. Bible: historical and critical analysis. M., 1982.

Kryvelev I.A. History of religion: an essay. In 2 volumes, 2nd ed. M., 1988.

Klimovich L.I. A book about the Koran, its origin and mythology. M., 1986.

Kublanov M.M. Origin of Christianity. M., 1974.

Kulanov A.E. Religions of the world. M., 1996.

Lectures on the history of religion. Tutorial. SPb., 1997.

Lobovik B.A.. Religious consciousness and its features. Kyiv., 1986.

Lozinsky S.G. History of the papacy. M., 1986

Markevich S. Modern Christian Democracy. M., 1982.

Martin W. Kingdom of cults. SPb., 1992.

Men A. The history of religion in search of the Way, Truth and Life. M., 1985.

Mitrokhin L.N. Religions of the "new age": M., 1985.

Mchedlov M.P.. Catholicism. M., 1974.

Nikonov K.I. Contemporary Christian Anthropology. M., 1983.

Fundamentals of Religious Studies / Ed. N. Yablokova. M., 1994.

Religion in the political life of the United States. M., 1986.

Religions of the world: A guide for teachers / Ed. Ya.N. Shchapova. M., 1994.

Ugrinovich D.N. Introduction to Religious Studies. M., 1979.

Yablokov I.N. Sociology of religion. M., 1979.

Topic 2. The origin of religion and its early forms

When considering the problem of the origin of religion, we are faced with very difficult questions about when religion arose and in what forms it existed in the early stages of its development. For a long time, the answers to these questions seemed obvious. Most people who have studied Judaism and Christianity were satisfied with the answers contained in the first two chapters of the Bible, which set forth the concept of the creation of the world and man. According to the Bible, having created man “from the dust of the ground”, God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” and entered into a direct relationship with him. Therefore, religion has a divine nature, arises together with man and moreover, immediately in the form of monotheism (belief in one God).

Since ancient times, various theories of the origins of religion have been put forward. So, the ancient philosopher Kitius (5th century BC) believed that people invented gods in order to instill fear in others and fulfill the laws. The founder of ancient materialism, Democritus (5th century BC), pointed out that religion is based on the fear of formidable forces of nature. B. Spinoza (1632-1677) saw the roots of religion in man's lack of confidence in his abilities, in his constant fluctuations between hope and fear. French enlighteners of the 18th century. saw the roots of religion in the suffering and fear that oppress man. They believed that religion originated initially from the impotence of man in front of the elements of nature.

The above theories of the origin of religion were spread among a narrow circle of intellectuals and were most likely of a speculative nature. The theological concept of the emergence of religion was subjected to serious criticism only in the second half of the 19th century, when at the junction of rapidly developing sciences (archaeology, ethnography, anthropology, sociology, etc.) modern religious studies arose, which from the very beginning set as its task not to protect established ideas, a dispassionate study of the religions of the world .

IN in the course of numerous studies, quite interesting results were obtained: scientists were

It has been established that biblical monotheism is not the starting point of religious evolution, but is only an intermediate stage in the development of religions. English scientists J. Lebbock (1834-1913) and E. Taylor (1832-1917) proposed the following classification of religion in human civilization - polytheism, henotheism (i.e. serving one deity as supreme in the presence of other gods) and monotheism. True, the question remained open about the roots of monotheism, which went deep into human history and were hidden from the eyes of researchers. This created opportunities for putting forward purely speculative theories and hypotheses.

One of them was put forward by theological and near-church circles and entered the history of the study of religions under the name of "pra-monotheism", or primitive monotheism. It was first summarized by the Scottish scholar E. Leng (1844-1912) in his book The Formation of Religion. This scientist drew attention to the images of heavenly gods in the religions of some backward peoples and concluded that the images of these gods are of unearthly origin. Catholic pastor W. Schmidt (1868-1954) seized on this idea, having built a whole concept of pra-monotheism, to which he dedicated the 12-volume work "The Origin of the Idea of God." Schmidt declared the images of celestial beings in the beliefs of backward peoples to be the remnants of an ancient belief in a single God-Creator, to the image of which the mythological, magical and other elements that polluted it were supposedly later added. To confirm this theory, Schmidt cited many ethnographic facts, but gave them a purely theological interpretation, and ignored the facts that did not fit into his scheme.

At the beginning of the XX century. another direction in the study of religion was born, associated with the name of the Viennese psychiatrist 3. Freud (1856-1939). He developed the so-called psychoanalytic method of recognizing and treating neuroses and psychoses and tried to transfer it to the interpretation of the phenomena of everyday life, and then religion. In his book Totem and Taboo, Freud made an attempt to prove that the same neuroses manifest themselves in religious beliefs, and that erotic impulses repressed in childhood lie at the basis of them. When discussing the origin of religion, Freud reduced this problem to a narrow area

sexual desires and to purely biological phenomena, and thus could not understand the diversity and historical variability of religious beliefs.

Modern theologians, ardent defenders of religion, strive to prove that religion is inherent in man from the very beginning of his existence. In contrast, many religious scholars defend the hypothesis of the existence of a "pre-religious period" in the history of mankind. Supporters of this hypothesis argue that people who lived in the early stages of the development of society did not there were religious beliefs, because their consciousness was directly woven into practice and could not create any abstractions, including religious ones. Since the appearance of this hypothesis, reports began to appear in the scientific world about the existence of tribes so low in their cultural development that they allegedly completely lacked religious ideas and concepts. However, after a thorough study of the life of these tribes, their customs, languages, peculiarities of thinking, after establishing confidential contacts with them, researchers invariably found in them the rudiments of religious beliefs and cult practice, so the hypothesis of the existence of a “pre-religious period” remains a hypothesis that at this stage in the development of human sciences can neither be confirmed nor refuted.

Given that the process of anthropogenesis (the origin of man) stretched over more than two million years and that most of human history is still insufficiently studied, modern religious scholars are skeptical of both the theory of "pre-monotheism" and the hypothesis of the existence of a "pre-religious period". At present, it is logical to assert with some certainty that the simplest forms of religious beliefs existed already 40 thousand years ago. It was to this time that the appearance of a modern type of man (Homo Sapiens), which differed greatly from its alleged predecessors in physical structure, physiological and psychological characteristics, dates back. But his most important difference was that he was a reasonable person, capable of analyzing a specific situation and creating generalized concepts and a rather higher level of abstractions, to the consciousness of himself and his place in the surrounding reality.

The practice of burial of primitive people testifies to the existence of religious beliefs in this remote period of human history. It has been established that they were buried in specially prepared places, and the dead previously went through certain rituals of preparation for the afterlife: their bodies were covered with a layer of ocher, weapons, household items, jewelry, etc. were placed next to them.

Obviously, at that time religious and mystical ideas were already taking shape that the deceased continues to live, that along with the real world there is another world where the dead live.

The religious beliefs of primitive man were also reflected in the works of cave painting, which were discovered in the 19th-20th centuries. in southern France and northern Italy. Most of the ancient rock paintings are hunting scenes, images of people and animals. An analysis of these drawings allowed scientists to conclude that primitive man believed in a special kind of connection between people and animals, as well as in the ability to influence the behavior of animals using some magical techniques. Finally, it was established that the veneration of various objects, which should bring good luck and avert all dangers, was widespread among primitive people.

1.Forms primitive beliefs. Religious beliefs and cults of primitive people developed gradually. The primary form of religion was the worship of nature. The concept of "nature" was unknown to primitive peoples, therefore the object of their worship was an impersonal natural force, denoted by the concept of "mana". Scientists borrowed this term from the natives of Polynesia and Melanesia, who called it the force that controls natural processes. A person has mana when he is happy, lucky and demonstrates some unusual success, for example, as a farmer, warrior or leader. Mana is sent by the gods, which suggests they own mana in the first place.

An early form of religious beliefs should be considered totemism - the belief in the existence of a family relationship between a group of people (tribe, clan) and a certain type of animal or plant. Totemism was the first

a form of awareness of the unity of the human team and its connection with the outside world. The life of the tribal collective was closely connected with certain types of animals, which were hunted by all its members. As scientists suggest, this circumstance served as the basis for the emergence of a totem (in the language of the North American Indians of the Ojibwe tribe, ototem - his family) - an animal ancestor, considered the patron of the family.

In later times, elements of social, primarily blood relations, were introduced into totemism. Members of the tribal group (blood relatives) began to believe that they were descended from ancestors who combined the signs of people and their totem. This vein, on the one hand, to strengthen the cult of ancestors and belief in their special abilities, and on the other hand, to a change in attitude towards the totem itself, in particular, to the emergence of prohibitions on the use of totems for food, except for those cases when eating the totem wore ritual character and reminded of ancient norms and rules.

Subsequently, within the framework of totemism, a whole system of prohibitions arose, which were called taboos. They were an important mechanism for regulating social relations. Thus, the age-sex taboo excluded sexual relations between close relatives. Food taboos strictly regulated the nature of the food that was to be given to the leader, warriors, women, old people and children. A number of other taboos were intended to guarantee the inviolability of a dwelling or hearth, to regulate the rules of burial, to fix the social status, rights and obligations of members of the primitive collective.

The early forms of religion include magic (literally translated from ancient Greek - witchcraft). It represents the belief that arose among primitive people in the ability to influence any natural phenomena. through certain symbolic actions (shutters, spells, etc.)

direct contact of the carrier of magical power with the object to which the action is directed), initial (a magical act is directed to an object that is inaccessible to the subject of magical activity), paracial (indirect effect through cut hair or nails, food debris that somehow get to the owner of magical power), imitative (impact on the likeness of the subject). According to the purposes of influence, magic is divided into harmful, military, trade, medical, love, etc.

Usually, specially trained people were engaged in magical techniques - sorcerers and shamans, who sincerely believed in their ability to communicate with spirits, convey to them the requests, hopes of fellow tribesmen, and influence supernatural forces. But the main thing was not that they themselves believed in their extraordinary abilities, but that the team believed them and turned to them for help at the most critical moments. Therefore, sorcerers and shamans enjoyed special honor and respect among primitive people.

Over time, magic has become one of the most essential components of a developed religion, which includes a certain system of magical actions - rituals, sacraments, prayers, etc. In everyday life, magic has survived to this day in the form of conspiracies, divination, predictions, belief in the "evil eye", "damage".

Among primitive people, the veneration of various objects, which were supposed to bring good luck and ward off all dangers, was of particular importance. This form of religious belief is called "fetishism" (from the Portuguese "fetish" - done). It was first discovered by Portuguese sailors in West Africa in the 15th century, and then analogues of fetishism were found in the religions of almost all countries, as well as during archaeological excavations that provide material about the beliefs of primitive people.

quiet, was chosen by trial and error. If, after this choice, a person managed to achieve success in practical activities, he believed that a fetish helped him in this, and kept it for himself. If a person suffered any failure, then the fetish was thrown out or replaced by another.

The treatment of fetishes by primitive people suggests that they did not always respect the subject they chose with due respect. He was thanked for his help, punished for his helplessness. In this regard, the African custom of torturing fetishes is indicative, and not only to punish them, but also to induce them to act. For example, when asking a fetish for something, African women drove iron nails into it, believing that after that the fetish would better remember the requests addressed to it and be sure to fulfill them.

A particularly common form of fetishism was the worship of stones and pieces of wood. So, members of the American Dakota tribe found a round cobblestone, painted it, and then, calling this cobblestone grandfather, began to bring him gifts and ask for deliverance from dangers. It is also known that many Brazilian tribes stuck sticks in the ground and made sacrifices to them. The custom of worshiping stones and wooden poles existed among many tribes of North Asia. He did not bypass the peoples of Europe either. Several centuries ago in England and France there was a ban on worshiping stones, which indicates the long-term preservation of fetishism even during the dominance of the Christian religion in Europe.

Speaking of the wide spread of fetishism, it must be emphasized that the content of this belief system has changed significantly. The mentioned worship of stones and pieces of wood, which was accompanied by the offering of gifts and sacrifices, as well as the custom of torturing fetishes, belong to a rather late stage in the development of fetishism. Obviously, in ancient times, people did not endow the objects they chose with human properties, did not spiritualize, and even more so did not deify them. The essence of primitive fetishism was that a person saw in objects that struck his imagination the properties that were found in them with the help of ordinary sense organs. Doing so, man

made objects "sensual-supersensible", and supersensible properties were attributed to fetishes either on the basis of random associations or on the basis of misunderstood causal relationships.

Speaking about the early forms of religion, one cannot fail to mention animism (from the Latin "anima" - soul) - the belief in the existence of souls and spirits. A detailed analysis of animistic beliefs was given by E. Taylor in his work Primitive Culture. According to his theory, these beliefs developed in two directions. The first series of animistic ideas arose in the course of ancient man's reflection on such phenomena as sleep, visions, illness, death, as well as from trance experiences and hallucinations. Being unable to correctly explain these complex phenomena, the “primitive philosopher” develops concepts about the soul that is in the human body and leaves it from time to time. In the future, more complex ideas are formed about the existence of the soul after the death of the body, about the transmigration of souls into new bodies, about the afterlife, etc.

The second series of animistic beliefs arose from the inherent desire of primitive people to personify and spiritualize the environment. reality. Ancient man considered all objects of the objective world as something similar to himself, endowing them with desires, will, feelings, thoughts, etc. From here arises a belief in separately existing spirits of the formidable forces of nature, plants, animals, which, in the course of complex evolution, was transformed into polytheism, and then into monotheism.

Animistic beliefs are an integral and very essential part of all religions of the world. Belief in spirits, evil spirits, an immortal soul - all these are modifications of the animistic ideas of the primitive era. The same can be said about other early forms of religious belief. Some of them were assimilated by the religions that replaced them, others were pushed into the sphere of everyday superstitions and prejudices. So, the belief in amulets, talismans, sacred relics that has survived to this day is nothing more than a relic of primitive fetishism. Echoes of totemism can be found in food prohibitions existing in many religions, in the depiction of supernatural beings in the form of animals, etc.

In the early stages of the development of human society, primitive forms of religious beliefs did not exist in pure form. They intertwined with each other in the most bizarre way. Therefore, to raise the question of which of these forms arose earlier, and which - later, is hardly possible. Obviously, we are talking about a complex of religious beliefs. The composition of this complex could be very diverse. For example, among the Aborigines of Australia, the most preferred element of their religious complex was totemism with an elaborate system of taboos. Among the numerous peoples of Siberia and the Far East, magic and the closely related practice of shamanism clearly dominated. As for the peoples of Africa, they were distinguished by their penchant for fetishism. However, in each specific case, the promotion of any part of the religious complex does not mean that the primitive people were not familiar with the rest of its elements. It was the complex of considered primitive beliefs that became the core of the so-called tribal religions, which were distinguished by great diversity, as they reflected the living conditions specific to a particular tribe, social ties, and features of material culture.

2. The evolution of religion during the transition to a class society. The concept of "tribal religion" refers to the period of pre-class development of society, which was characterized by a low level of development of productive forces and relatively simple social relations. This period lasted for many millennia and within its framework significant changes took place, both in public life and in religious beliefs. In the early stages of the tribal system, which did not yet know social stratification, nature was the main object of religious worship. Depending on the geographical environment and economic specialization, various aspects of the reality surrounding primitive man were endowed with supernatural properties. Thus, the tribes engaged in gathering and primitive agriculture worshiped plants and celestial bodies, hunting tribes worshiped animals.

Tribal religions reflected not only the forces of nature and the specifics of economic reality, they

reflected in social relations. For example, the replacement of matriarchy by patriarchy and the new organization of society that arose on the basis of this led to significant changes in religious consciousness. Female spirits, the veneration of which was ubiquitous in the days of matriarchy, are gradually being replaced by male spirits. Worship is also becoming a male occupation. In the era of the early tribal system, religious beliefs also reflected the real equality of fellow tribesmen. Spiritual beings were mostly impersonal in nature. The cult activity was dominated by magical rites and performances, in which all members of the tribe participated. Sorcerers, shamans, spirit casters have not yet been separated from the mass of believers.

Significant changes in the nature of religious beliefs occurred in the context of the disintegration of tribal relations and the deepening of social differentiation within the tribes. Over time, material wealth begins to accumulate in the hands of individual community members, and ordinary fellow tribesmen fall into their subordination. The selection of leaders and the strengthening of their role in the life of the tribe gradually leads to their sacralization, they become objects of religious veneration not only after their death, but also during their lifetime. Social stratification within the tribes and the formation of a tribal aristocracy were reflected in the content of religious ideas. Impersonal spirits are endowed with names, certain functions are assigned to them, a hierarchy of spirits arises, which in many ways reproduces the social hierarchy.

The worship of many spirits was replaced by polytheism, which turned the most revered spirits into deities. More powerful deities began to rise above the incorporeal spirits and spirits of ancestors, local geniuses of rocks, springs and trees, above the crowd of good and evil spirits, whose influence was not limited by local tribal or tribal interests.

considered the divine patrons of the tribes. Above them are six great gods: the god of rain, the goddess of the first fruits, the god of fertility, the god of hunting, the god of war, the god-judge of the dead. Even higher than these gods are the god of the sun and his wife, the mighty goddess of the earth. Similar structures have been found in Asia among the Samoyeds, among the indigenous people of Mexico, and among many tribes in Africa and Australia.

The highest place in such hierarchies was most often occupied by gods who were associated with the sky or celestial phenomena. However, these gods were not impersonal beings. They were endowed with the attributes of social life and had to perform certain social functions. The deities of the earth were placed on a par with the heavenly gods. So, in the ancient Greek religion, the earth was personified by Gaia, who gave birth to the sky, the sea, and the mountains.

A high position in the polytheistic hierarchy was occupied by warrior gods, which was associated with extermination wars, characteristic of the period of transition from tribal relations to a class society. During these wars, the unification of tribes, the formation of tribal unions took place. Accordingly, there was a synthesis of religious ideas. The god of the hegemonic tribe was usually at the head of the polytheistic pantheon. This is how henotheism appeared - one of the varieties of polytheism, which consists in the fact that, recognizing the existence of many gods, one or another community of people considered only one of the many gods as their patron and worshiped only him. From here there is only one step left to monotheism, but the step is so difficult that many peoples have not been able to take it even in the conditions of a developed class society.

the nature of the sacrifices is also changed. Numerous sacrifices, including human ones, are made not only to the souls of high-ranking people in the social hierarchy, but also, first of all, to the gods, and these sacrifices begin to be strictly regulated. The subtleties of the sacrifices were known only to the priests, who gradually separated from the mass of ordinary believers and formed a special class that occupied one of the highest places in the social hierarchy. Often the priesthood became a hereditary profession, passing from generation to generation. At the same time, permanent sanctuaries and temples appeared, which were the center of religious life. Sacrifices, income from temple lands, as well as material support from the secular authorities strengthened the economic and political position of the priesthood.

With the transition to a class society, a new page opens in the history of religion, a page that tells about the development and functioning of the religious systems of state-organized peoples.

3. National religions of the ancient world. In the conditions of the Ancient World, religions were polytheistic, i.e. polytheistic. In polytheism, each god acted as the personification of a certain phenomenon inherent in nature, society or the human psyche, and the personification of a higher order than among primitive peoples. The images of deities reflected the idea of what is common, which is characteristic of a group of homogeneous objects. So, for example, from ideas about the soul of an individual tree, an idea was gradually formed about the spirits of individual groves and forests, and then the image of the god of the forest, the lord of the spirits of groves and forests, was already formed. In the future, the process of personification of deities took place - they began to acquire their own names and "biographies".

were dedicated to Artemis - the patroness of living beings and hunting. The economic and cultural life of people was personified by a large group of gods. The most popular among them were Hephaestus - the god of fire and blacksmithing, Hermes - the patron of travelers and merchants. Asclepius is a healer god, Pan is a god of nature and shepherds, etc.

The worldview of the ancient Greeks was focused not only on earthly life, they were constantly worried about the problems of the other world. They believed that after death, the soul of the deceased enters the kingdom of Hades. The guide brings her here, then Charon transports the soul across the river Styx. For retribution with Charon, it was customary to put a copper coin in the tomb. The three-headed dog Kerberos passed into the kingdom of Hades, but only in one direction. In exceptional cases, a return from this kingdom was possible, but this required a special will of the gods. The worship of the ancient Greeks consisted of sacrifices, both bloodless and bloody, when ritual killings of animals were performed. In numerous temples, hymns were sung, prayers were read, and solemn ablutions of the statues of the gods were performed. Mysteries were special events in religious life. Only initiates were allowed to these secret religious rites.

The religious ideas of the ancient Greeks were modeled after their own lives. The "way of life" of the gods was not much different from the human. The main difference between the Greek gods was their immortality and supernatural power. The fate of people, their life and death were completely in the hands of certain gods. The power or death of peoples and states also depended on the will or whim of the gods. Therefore, in honor of individual gods, magnificent temples were built, decorated with their statues, gold or silver utensils. Sacrifices were made to heavenly rulers.

The supreme god of the ancient Greeks - Zeus - was the first among equals. Such a hierarchy reflected the peculiarities of the historical development of Ancient Greece, where there were independent city-states (Athens, Sparta, Thebes, etc.), the unification of which did not go beyond the emergence of military alliances headed by the most powerful states.

Ideas about the afterlife - the gloomy kingdom of the god Hades - reflected the class structure

ancient Greek society. The souls of kings and heroes occupied a leading position in the other world, the slaves and the poor eked out the same miserable existence in the next world as in life. In general, the afterlife kingdom is drawn in harsh and gloomy colors.

The religion of the ancient Romans in many ways resembles the ancient Greek. At the head of their pantheon was Jupiter - the Roman counterpart of Zeus. Among the most revered deities were: Juno - the wife of Jupiter, Minerva - the goddess of wisdom, Mars - the god of war, etc. In the Roman cult, a large place was given to the worship of lares - the spirits of objects and patrons of the hearth. After the formation of the mighty Roman Empire, the Romans often included certain gods of the peoples they conquered in their pantheon. It was in this way that the cult of the Iranian god Mithra, the Egyptian goddess Isis, the Asia Minor goddess Cybele, and others spread throughout the empire.

During the period of the empire, the deification of emperors began. Emperor Octavian already added the title Augustus to his name, i.e. sacred, and was declared a god. Augustus carried out a major religious reform, streamlining the worship of the gods, making religion the backbone of his own imperial power. When the mighty Roman Empire began to decline, on its outskirts, and then in Rome itself, faith in the Savior Christ began to be affirmed. Mankind entered a new era of its existence.

A characteristic feature of the religions of antiquity was their national-state character. The gods of this or that people were national gods and their power did not extend beyond the borders of this or that region. According to experts, the cult of the state and the cult of a certain nationality occupied a special place in the religion of the Ancient World. The further history of religions is connected with the emergence of world religions.

Religion is not just a social and cultural phenomenon, it is an important factor in the development of civilization. But what exactly does religion provide? Not even so, more precisely: what is essential
does religion change in the lives of individuals and their associations, what does it contribute or destroy?
To begin with, let me remind you that there is no single definition of religion, there are no single criteria. In part, this situation is due to the lack of research on the topic, and in part - the lack of a single subject that could be denoted by the word "religion". Depending on the point of view, beliefs (superstitions) can be included or not included in religion, the same applies to rituals. Conversely, in that which everyone includes in religion (for example, moral teaching), it is not difficult to single out the non-religious.
Let us consider that religion is a certain complex of social and cultural phenomena, and not an independent phenomenon. A complete religion can be called a conglomerate, where all the components are present. Religion includes: beliefs, worship of the sacred, doctrine, church (organization), rituals and the whole range of practices.
They talk about the ancient religion, but this is a delusion: there was no doctrine, that is, dogmatics, a theoretical system that was dogmatic in nature. Antiquity is characterized by beliefs that can be called "paganism". Beliefs grew, acquired their own institution of servants (priestly corporations). But the core of the complicated pagan beliefs remained mythology. Religion replaces mythology with dogma, or incorporates it into doctrine. In Christianity, mythology is used to illustrate certain points, but is not important in itself. The myth is transformed into a parable. Folk faith hardly becomes religious, simple illiterate people were inclined to mythologize religion a second time, hence the phenomenon of dual faith. Religion itself begins and ends where teaching occupies a central place in the complex. In our time, most religions are degenerating and one can speak of "post-religions", because the majority of adherents (including clergymen) are not interested in teaching and do not attach much importance to it. Whatever the future of religion, religion has played a big role in the development of civilization.
I would like to sum up all the influence of religion in two complementary influences: unifying and guiding. Gustave Lebon titled one of the chapters of his book "Psychology of Peoples and Masses" "The Role of Religious Beliefs in the Development of Civilization". And although his arguments are neither truly philosophical nor scientific in nature, but rather publicistic, they contain many interesting thoughts and unexpected findings. Only they should be taken as raw material and accepted after rethinking. Le Bon writes about the influence of religious beliefs: "Their irresistible force is formed by the fact that they are the only factor that can instantly give any people a complete community of interests, feelings and thoughts." /Lebon G. Psychology of peoples and masses. Per. from fr. SPb., 1995. p.120./ Lebon connects the influence of religious beliefs with the people - and in this he is mistaken. Religion can single out a population group within a people, can unite several peoples into one cultural and even political community (for example, the Islamic world). But this is not the main thing. The bottom line is that religion unites. And not like state borders, but because language and customs come from within. A common religion gives unity to the people who profess it. The more powerful the religion, the more powerful its unifying influence.
At the end of the pagan era, the rulers make an attempt to unite the gods into a single mythology, to build a hierarchy of the gods. In Greece there was no single religion, and even a single mythology. Began to create a single mythology "writers" - Hesiod and Homer. But outside of literature, the gods did not create unity. In Rome, they took the next step - they built the Pantheon. But the mythological nature of paganism did not allow for the ideological use of these beliefs by the state and the ruler. This was the main reason for the replacement of paganism with Christianity, Islam or Buddhism in different countries of the world. These three religions must be taken into account when analyzing the influence of religion on civilization. It would be a mistake to include Judaism in this series, it is an intermediate step on the path to religion, but not a religion. Prince Vladimir first created the Slavic pantheon, then converted to Christianity. Religion unites - and therefore it has the greatest value not even during the heyday of the state, but in the era of its formation and expansion (or, on the contrary, protection from external aggression). In a calm, stable time, religion is less needed by the authorities.
Almost all components of religions (for example, we will further consider Christianity) and pagan beliefs coincide. Except for teaching, which is a specific feature of religion and distinguishes one religion from another. It is through teaching that religion becomes a variety of ideologies. We can say that the doctrine uses the entire arsenal of beliefs for its own interests. The fact that most of the "dark" people did not understand dogma is not important. Consent is more important, and uncomplaining consent. Belief, as a set of ideas given by upbringing in childhood, is replaced by faith as a conscious agreement. The key moment of religious life is baptism. A person accepts faith consciously - that's why there have always been so many disputes about the baptism of children. When a child is baptized, the godparents act as guarantors, it is understood that the consent was received in advance. Godparents choose for the child. It does not matter whether we agree or not with the usefulness of such a decision for another - the rite of baptism itself implies the personal responsibility of the newly baptized. Subsequent education in a religious spirit and teaching the basics of faith makes up for the initial ignorance. Why is dogma so important? It unites believers and brings meaning to all actions performed in a religious organization (church). Religion could not have arisen before philosophy. Philosophy critically rethought mythology and tried to give a reasonable explanation of the world. Religion again turns to unreasoning faith, but also tries to satisfy the searching mind of educated people.
The doctrine combines mythology and philosophy in a single metaphysics. It's like a modernized fairy tale. But besides this, religious teaching creates (or sanctifies) a system of norms of human behavior. In this capacity, religion is especially useful to the state.
The unity of believers is not visible. But it is artificial, it is not love and friendship, where the union occurs on a natural basis. Religion creates an artificial skeleton artificial social formations. What else can hold an empire together if not religion? Religion unites due to 1) the similarity of worldview and norms, 2) common action. Cultural similarity creates prerequisites for common action. A people can be united by religion, a state can be united by religion. The mega community needs an ideology. This was used by both Hitler and Stalin. With all the differences, fascism and communism contain a lot of religious. Only the worship of the sacred has been replaced by the cult of personality. Germany and the USSR were empires dominated by pseudo-religious ideologies. In Soviet communism, religion is a hundred times more than science. Yes ideology and can not be "scientific."
Religious teaching contains a dogmatic explanation of the world and a system of prescriptions concerning behavior. The rest of the teaching is secondary.
What makes religion unifying? Thanks to the establishments, a single universally accepted standard. Accordingly, religion equally unites and divides. Representatives of two peoples never feel such antagonism between themselves as representatives of two even close religions. Marking "ours-not ours" in religion reaches the limit.
The Teaching unites not by itself, but through a complex system of rituals. Without rituals and dogmatics, religion disappears very quickly. I hope that now you will better understand the Old Believers - they were not ritualists at all, on the contrary, faith itself was important for them. They just felt, saw how closely rites, church norms and faith are connected. The unification of the entire religious complex is the mainstay of the power of religion, the source of the transformative role of religion. Christianity took shape not in the 1st or 3rd century, but in the 4th-7th centuries, in the era of the Ecumenical Councils.
The Protestant pathos of turning to early Christianity, bypassing the Christianity of the "holy fathers," inevitably undermined and eroded religion. As an ideology, Protestantism is immeasurably weaker than Catholicism and Orthodoxy. Unification and control of human behavior are unique means of influencing a person both physically and psychologically. There could be no better tools for the System. Without religion, civilization would not have developed. How could national differences be overcome? There is no Greek or Jew in Christ. This means that Christianization is turning into globalization. The foundations of the modern world are laid by religions.
But religion not only unites, it directs, motivates. The power of faith drives a person even contrary to instincts and common sense, leading him to death. Martyrdom, asceticism, self-torture are typical religious attributes. A person turns not even into a zombie - but into a blindly acting mind. Much stronger than simple submission - to guide a person, target him and give him strong motivation. Christianity is unambiguously anthropocentric. Man stands right after God, and God himself is so anthropomorphic that it is difficult to draw a line between God and man. Jesus is God incarnate. Heresy from the point of view of Judaism, this belief becomes the center of a new religion. The subtext (which was first clearly articulated in the 19th century by Feuerbach and Stirner) is simple: man is a god. Man is not a product of the development of the world, but the world was created by man (God), created by Reason. The world exists for man, and this gives a justification for civilization, since civilization is built on the robbery of nature. The natural gods of pagan beliefs give way to an anthropomorphic god. In addition, the state, power, laws, and morality also receive sanction. Only religion can legitimize coercion, provide a basis for self-coercion.
The idea of progress is also religious. Belief in science is also rooted in religion.
The civilization of the 19th and 20th centuries, although not of a religious nature, is based on religious provisions that have already become dominant stereotypes. Secular humanism, democracy, any dominant idea - tacitly rest on a religious foundation. Religion was a powerful force for the formation of civilization, and later became the foundation of modern civilization. Our civilization is built "on the bones" of religion. Many religious phenomena have been secularized, but are still present in the culture. If you start asking questions "why?", "why?" and the like, we will be surprised how much irrational is around us. Why should a person wear clothes? I emphasize: not why do people walk around in clothes, but why is everyone obliged to dress? It is impossible to answer outside of religion. The era of religious morality has passed, but the norms have remained, unsupported by anything. Even after religions have lost their influence, they remain a factor in the development of civilization.

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Introduction

Chapter 1. The Role and Place of Religion in World Politics

1.3 Politicization of religion

Chapter 2. The Role of Religion in Political History

2.2 The religious factor in modern international relations

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

The beginning of the 21st century is characterized by accelerated modernization, globalization processes and multilateral integration associations in the modern system of international relations. There is an immense number of factors influencing these international processes, among which one can single out the religious factor.

Religion has played and is playing a big role in our life, the only question is from which side to consider its meaning and manifestation in our day. Today, religion has "grown" to a global level and has a significant place in world history and politics. Some researchers consider the revival of religion in the modern world as a response of the people to any internal political processes, others believe that states use it to achieve their own goals.

The purpose of this final qualification work is to identify the religious factor in the world modern political system and to analyze the patterns of influence of the religious factor on international relations throughout world history.

To achieve this goal, the following tasks are defined:

1. Explore the essence and role of religion in the formation of a local civilization;

2. Analyze the interaction of politics and religion;

3. Define the concept of "politicization of religion" and analyze its manifestation.

4. Analyze the influence of the religious factor on world historical events and modern international relations.

The object of research is the factors of international relations.

The subject is the religious factor in modern world politics.

In turn, methods such as literature analysis, study of domestic and foreign practice, comparison and generalization of information were used.

In studying this topic, we used a diverse number of sources. It is important to note that today there are many foreign and domestic researchers who have studied and analyzed the religious factor in politics. The main sources were the works of S. Huntington "Clash of Civilizations" and B. Yerasov "Culture, Religion and Civilization in the East", which emphasize the importance of religion in the formation of civilization. It should also be noted that many researchers, when studying the religious factor in politics, focus their attention on the Middle East, among which are D. Malysheva, J. Korma and B. Dolgov.

The relevance of this work lies in the fact that recent events in the international arena have a pronounced character of religious processes in the world. After the end of the 20th century, where capitalism and socialism played the main role in politics, religiosity revived in the worldview of people. Currently, many are talking about the revival of such a factor in world politics as religion. Religion began to be perceived differently and most often acts as an instrument in world politics. Consequently, people began to perceive and relate to religion differently.

Chapter 1. The Role and Place of Religion in World Politics

1.1 The role of religion in the formation of a local civilization

Religion plays a large and significant role in society and is base element in the formation of civilization. Many researchers believe that civilization is a set of traditions, norms, mentality and other cultural characteristics that have been established in a certain territory. Also, everyone notes that religion is the basis of civilization, which determines the way of life of society, customs, norms, moral principles, etc. Thus, when studying civilization, many researchers first of all pay attention to such a factor as religion, which is the foundation of civilization. So, for example, S. Huntington highlights the high importance of religion in all civilizations. Christopher Dawson also wrote: “Great religions are the foundations on which great civilizations rest.”

First of all, the concept of "religion" should be defined. The problem of defining religion is to consider it from different points of view and approaches of researchers in all fields of activity. Throughout history, the topic of religion has always been given great importance by philosophers of all generations, as well as scientific circles, right up to its discussion at international political conferences. Let's turn to some definitions. Hegel believed that “religion is generally the last and highest sphere of human consciousness, whether it be opinion, will, idea, knowledge or cognition? it is the absolute result, the realm into which man enters as into the realm of absolute truth. In Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary, religion is defined as "one of the forms of social consciousness - a set of spiritual ideas based on belief in supernatural forces and beings (gods, spirits) that are the subject of worship" . So some define religion as faith in God, others as a transcendental phenomenon, others as a form of social consciousness, others as a set of views and ideas, etc. Also, some believe that religion is a relic of the past, and it is necessary to move on to a new one - the modernization of society. Thus, it should be concluded that there is no generally accepted definition of religion and cannot be due to different understanding and understanding of this term. Nevertheless, we can introduce our own definition of religion, according to which it is presented as a system of views, values and norms based on faith and contributing to the unification of people to achieve the truth.

There are various theories on the basis of which it is believed that religion is integral part civilization. At the origins of the theory of local civilizations is A. Toynbee, who classifies civilizations according to such criteria as religion and territorial sign. He singled out 21 civilizations: Egyptian, Andean, Chinese, Minoan, Sumerian, Mayan, Indus, Hellenic, Western, Orthodox Christian, Far Eastern, Iranian, Arabic, Hindu, Mexican, Yucatan and Babylonian. According to Toynbee, geographical features, climate, natural environment of the territory where society lives, influence the formation of civilization, that is, the character traits of the people and the peculiarities of the worldview. Another representative is S. Huntington, who in his work "The Clash of Civilizations" considers religion as one of the elements that form civilization, along with the historical and cultural characteristics of the people. Throughout his work, he noted the importance of the religious factor in international relations as the root cause of conflicts between civilizations. From which we can conclude that religion is the basis for the formation of public consciousness and the development of society, which subsequently manifests itself in culture, mentality, and leads to the formation of a civilizational structure in the region. Among domestic representatives, B. Erasov also believes that civilizational principles are sometimes expressed in a religious form and turn out to be more effective in introducing their original variants, unity and development into the public consciousness. Often, the spiritual leaders of the state called on the people to unite and unite in order to achieve common goals. Thus, we can conclude that the geographical features of any civilization affect the thinking of a person, public consciousness in general, and therefore are reflected in a person’s lifestyle and behavior. Thus, the social consciousness of civilization is formed as a result of the territorial location of society and, most importantly, religious processes.

Many researchers note that religion cannot remain in its original form, since it is greatly influenced by historical events and various political processes within the state. Religion is a "hostage of historical, macro-social processes," however, only those basic attitudes that have "passed the test" of time and are embedded in the public consciousness remain. According to B.S. Erasov, "in the process of its maturation, each religion acquires the form that meets the needs of a civilization that has chosen it as the basis of its spiritual structure" . So, in the modern world, we can observe that among all civilizations in the structure of which religion lies, Eastern religions (Sin, Islamic, Hindu) have been preserved. Others are now being unified, acquiring the features of Western civilization. This is explained by the fact that the processes of globalization and integration began in the West and intend to unify the world according to the Western model, but today the East is trying to resist these processes and preserve its identity, rejecting Western unification. Thus, for example, Muslim civilization seeks to resist the West, wants to separate itself, proclaiming, among other things, its Islamic law, on the basis of which international declarations have been adopted among Muslim states. Thus, throughout history, religion has undergone various changes, which led to the formation of new separate religious trends.

The difference in religion, and hence in the civilizational structure, leads to the confrontation between "us" and "them". This confrontation is reflected in world politics, when civilizations oppose each other, collide with interests, what S. Huntington wrote about in his work “The Clash of Civilizations”. Today we can both agree with Huntington and reject his ideas, since in the modern world conflicts occur not only at the junction of civilizations, but also within civilization itself. States that are part of the same civilization are more integrated and interdependent. They enter into a struggle with another state that has identical views, similar interests, and a desire for leadership in the region. Thus, we can say that a conflict between Iran and Japan is less likely than a conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Despite the fact that many states have moved away from conducting politics from the position of religion, today religion continues to act as the basis of public consciousness and fights for its preservation in the socio-political arena through the creation of religious associations and organizations, participation in solving the pressing problems of society in the form of political religion.

Thus, religion is considered by many researchers as the basis and support of many modern civilizations, despite significant changes throughout history. At present, in connection with the acceleration of the process of globalization and the blurring of the boundaries of not only states, but also civilizations, religious sentiments are becoming more and more active in the international arena in order to maintain their status in society and the state.

1.1. 1.2 Interaction of religion and politics

Today, despite the secularism of almost all states, many talk about the interdependence of politics and religion. Religion is based on such concepts as faith, purity, morality, while in politics it is strength. Despite the different components, politics and religion are directly related to a person and society as a whole, so they always mutually influence each other. Religion has become an instrument of politics in order to justify certain actions of the state, increase its supporters, and so on. From time immemorial, the religious factor influenced the course of historical events, political processes, both within the state and in international relations, the course of thought and actions of political leaders, which subsequently influenced world politics. According to B.S. Erasova, religion

"cultivates the idea of an ideal state". Also today there are many international organizations based on religious aspects, which cover several states. Thus, religion goes beyond just a worldview and "personal business" of each and becomes a significant factor in social relations, as well as in world politics.

State policy determines the position of religion in society. Some states involve religion in their social and legal life, which makes religious processes inseparable from political ones. It is important to note here that the countries of the Greater Middle East stand out among such states. Islam is the only state religion of the Arab states, whose population lives according to Sharia. Thus, society and the state are permeated with religious principles and ideas. There are also secular states that do not rely on religion and do not prioritize any of the religions. These states do not affect religion in making certain decisions, as they believe that religion is inviolable, a personal matter for everyone. These countries include the United States and Western Europe who fight for democratic values in the world. The United States is the state in which largest number different confessions. However, it is also worth emphasizing that the secularism of the state does not mean a decrease in the role of religion in society and the formation of non-religiousness among people, this means giving equality to all confessions and establishing religious tolerance. Until today, in the history of politics, it can be noted that religion was an integral part of the state and was subordinate to it, but with the development of human rights and freedoms in society and the state, including freedom of religion, the attitude towards religion has also changed. So the church began to separate from the state, and the state began to turn into a secular one. This happened in many Christian countries, but Muslim states did not separate Islam from the state, since Islam determined the order of life, norms in the state. The exception is Türkiye. The Turkish Republic, through the reforms of Kemal Ataturk, began to move away from the Muslim way of life, gravitating towards Western civilization. Among the reasons, one can note the geopolitical position of Turkey between the Christian West and the Muslim East, between the developed North and the poor South (at that time: many oil fields in the Middle East were discovered in the post-war period). However, Turkey has not become a European state, it is still located between two "worlds" and seeks to play a big role both in Europe and in the Middle East. Thus, the state determines the policy in relation to religion in society, proclaiming the state religion or the secularism of the state, also taking into account the foreign policy factor.

Religion actively participates in the internal political system of the state in order to unite society, form public consciousness through the creation of various parties and organizations. Today, in many states there are parties, in the provisions of which religion is involved. So, for example, in Germany - this is the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, in India - the Bharatiya Janata Party, while in the Arab states, many parties are based on Islamic principles.

An example is the international religious and political movement "Muslim Brotherhood", which plays an important role in the political system of many states of the Middle East. Also, the topic of religion pops up in political circles in the international arena. Many politicians make loud statements about any religion, provoking the feelings of believers and causing discontent in society. For example, in 2015, Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for President of the United States, called for a ban on Muslims from entering the United States, which attracted public attention not only in the United States, but throughout the world. However, in the election campaigns, Donald Trump is actively supported by the Presbyterians in the country, as he has a wide

"financial support for American Presbyterian missions around the world", therefore, the population in the elections also pays attention to the religion of the candidate. From which it follows that religion is of great importance in society and the state to this day.

The involvement of religion in political processes subsequently leads to a split of religion into various currents. So, this happened during the Reformation, as a result of which a new branch of Christianity was formed - Protestantism, which refutes some of the principles and ideas of Catholicism and opposes indulgences. Also, Sunnism and Shiism have become another example of a split in the Muslim religion on the issue of the inheritance of political power in the Arab world. Consequently, politics forms a new vision of the role of religion in society, which leads to the creation of a new religious movement.

Religious diversity in the state leads to various consequences, and this topic will always be relevant, since religion cannot be excluded from our lives. It is very important for the state to conduct its policy in such a way that it does not put pressure on religious groups and does not contribute to inter-religious hostility. Many states led themselves to wars and terrible consequences, as happened, for example, in the former Yugoslavia, which at that time was the crossroads of world civilizations, a bridge between West and East. The collapse of the former Yugoslavia was driven not only by political and economic factors, but also by religious intolerance and divisions between Bosnian Muslims, Catholic Croats and Orthodox Serbs. In Russia, there were no serious conflicts on religious grounds, despite the fact that almost all religions are represented in Russia, such as Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, etc. state between Orthodox and Muslims. Also, political leaders may be subject to indignation and discontent on the part of society and other politicians. A similar incident occurred in 2016 in Egypt, where Justice Minister Ahmed al-Zind was fired for speaking out about the Prophet Muhammad. It is worth paying attention to the statements of M. Albright that “the task of leaders is to use for the good news the potential of religion, with the help of which people can be united, and, if possible, to prevent the occurrence of such situations when religion becomes a cause of contention” .

Religion forms public consciousness, which is one of the important aspects of religion for the state. Religion calls for morality, morality, correct behavior, and therefore for law-abiding citizens, for example, in all religions it is said that murder is a grave sin. The religiosity of people in society is manifested in mutual understanding and less conflict. Also, many say that religion is stability. Indeed, political regimes change, new states break up and appear, various migration flows occur, technologies are improved, but in religion everything is static: principles, ideas remain the same. Therefore, after the collapse of the USSR, most people became more religious, since it is in religion that they find peace and stability, which they could not find in Soviet times. From which one can conclude the importance of religion both for society and for the state.

The Russian Federation today is a secular state that combines the diversity of both peoples and their cultural characteristics and religions. However, religions are not evenly distributed as, for example, in the United States. Most Russians profess Christianity, but we can also single out the Buddhist Far East and the Muslim North Caucasus. The current policy of the Russian Federation with regard to religion has been worked out in detail, which is confirmed by the Federal Law “on freedom of conscience and on religious associations” and does not lead to major religious clashes and infringement of human rights. Religious clashes took place both between the Orthodox and adherents of other faiths, and within Orthodox society, as during the split of the Russian Church in the XVII century. The reform of Patriarch Nikon, the purpose of which was "to achieve uniformity between Russian and Greek church practice", led to a split of the Orthodox into Old Believers and New Believers. It is important to note that there are still Old Believer communities in Russia. In modern Russia, there are small contradictions between Russian Muslims and Christians, but in our opinion they are more manifested in interethnic disagreements. Thus, the policy of the Russian Federation in relation to religion, taking into account the multinationality of the state and the diversity of cultures, traditions, religion, is carried out more accurately and thoroughly.

However, religion has not always occupied such a position in Russia, being subjected to various trials throughout the history of Russia. From 988 until the October Revolution of 1917, the clergy always occupied a central position in the state system in Russia. So, in the 18th century, the Holy Synod was created, which had the status of a state body and resolved "church" issues in the Russian Empire. Thus, the ROC and the state were interconnected. However, after the revolution of 1917, religion, which occupied such a high position in the state and society, was separated from the state and was going to be completely eliminated. The ROC ceased to play its former role in society, while the Bolsheviks, meanwhile, tried to replace it with communist ideology and subjected it to persecution and persecution, which was also condemned by the world community. During the Second World War, Nazi Germany "presented the occupation as the liberation of the peoples from the" godless Bolshevik yoke ", which led to a revival of the religious sentiments of Soviet society and fears on the part of the USSR leadership that the occupied territories could join Germany. During the war, I. Stalin revised his policy regarding religion, the reason was also that the clergy made a great contribution to the national spirit of the army and partisans, calling on everyone to unite and stand up for the Motherland. Thus, the warming of relations between the Soviet leadership and religion began. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia adopted a new constitution in 1993, which already proclaims freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, and which marks a new milestone in the history of religion in Russia.

Thus, the secular nature of modern international relations does not limit the presence of religion in the state and international political arena: political and religious processes intersect and influence each other, both religion on politics and politics on religion. Religion becomes an object in the hands of politics, which is used in addition as an answer to many questions of people: war and peace, the situation of the rich and the poor, etc., to which the state cannot give an answer. Every religion calls for peace, opposes violence, etc., while many states continue to use religion to justify their imperialist goals. In addition, religion performs the “function of social integration and law and order”, thereby uniting society in difficult internal political situations in the state, which we can confirm with an example from Russian history, how religion rallied the spirit of the nation to repel the attack of Nazi Germany.

1.3 Politicization of religion

religion politics international conflict

The 20th century is full of diverse and difficult events that gave rise to new trends in politics, new foundations in society, achievements in the field of science and medicine, the development of various processes in the international arena, changes in the system of international relations, etc. In the 20th century, the process of politicization of religions also takes place. So, what is political religion, and how does it manifest itself in the modern world.

As mentioned above, religion cannot remain in its original form, since it is greatly influenced by historical events and all kinds of political processes in world history. Consequently, religion is subject to change in accordance with the interest of states and the latest realities in world politics. The revival of religion in the political system leads to its ideologization, which advocates the use of political methods to achieve religious goals. So, today political leaders interpret religious principles and ideas in a different way, thereby politicizing it in a more beneficial form.

Recently, we are more often faced with such a term as "Islamic factor in international relations." Indeed, it is the Muslim countries that act in the international arena, relying on Islam, thus rejecting Western values and pressure from their side. Islam is considered the first religion to be politicized in modern times. The formation of political Islam, or Islamism in other words, reflects “the desire of a certain part of the Muslim society to preserve their historical traditions, religion, culture, i.e. national identity in the context of globalization". Globalization reached the Muslim world at the end of the 20th century, modernizing states and societies according to modern challenges. However, local conservatives oppose innovation and "tuning to Western ideals", which can lead to the loss of their power. Consequently, an internal political struggle arises between modernists, who seek to reduce the role of religion in the domestic and foreign policy of the state, and traditionalists, who are fighting for its preservation at the state level. Thus, these traditionalists form various international political Islamist movements in order to preserve a way of life that has taken root over the centuries. Now Islamists first of all penetrate into such states with political instability in order to completely undermine the power in the state and establish their own regime. Thus, the events of the Arab Spring have contributed to increased radicalization in the region and the activity of Islamist political movements seeking to fill the power vacuum in the Arab states. Thus, political Islam is not a religion, it is not Islam in its “pure form”, it is a tool of modern politics used to reject Western values and preserve its Muslim social way of life.

Less often we come across the concept of political Christianity, and we can even wonder whether such a concept exists at all and whether we can apply it to the politics of Christian countries in the modern world. Undoubtedly, Christianity also plays an important role in the system of international relations. This religion became the foundation of Western civilization and became the impetus for many international processes, therefore, Christian values are Western, it can also be noted that almost all Western states are secular. In the modern world, many identify Western values with democratic ones, which they do not do with Muslim ones. However, today we meet completely democratic states with observance of all human rights, where the majority of the population is Muslim. An example of such states in the modern world are the countries of Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, etc.

There are three main currents in Christianity - Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodoxy.

The most common form is political Catholicism. Political Catholicism can be defined as the implementation of the political and propaganda activities of the Pope, the head of Catholicism, in the international arena. Undoubtedly, the Pope makes a significant contribution to international life as the head of the Catholic Church. The Pope of Rome always opposes wars, conflicts and tries to participate in the peaceful settlement of any conflict. He also has a clear position on the events taking place in the world and influences the public opinion of the world society. So, for example, today's Pope Francis spoke at a meeting of the UN General Assembly dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the UN, where he condemned the wars in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Ukraine and other states where the local population suffers, and noted that "the interests of the people must stand above narrow interests, even if these interests have a right to exist. He also made pastoral visits to Israel, Jordan, Turkey, South Korea, the Philippines, the USA, Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic, a number of European and Latin American countries, which speaks of the versatility of the Pope, who is not limited to visits to states where the majority of society is Catholic , since the main goals of these visits are to improve relations with the Orthodox, reduce tension in the "hot spots of the world", and solve the problems of religious minorities that are infringed on their rights in certain states. Thus, the Pope is the main figure of political Catholicism.

In other Christian movements there is no such spiritual leader as in Catholicism, which explains the almost complete absence of political Orthodoxy and political Protestantism on the world stage.

Unlike the Pope, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, practically does not stand out with the same comprehensive activity. The real Patriarch Kirill is little involved in world politics, despite this he speaks out about world events, for example, such as the war in Syria, the situation in Ukraine. He also actively participates in domestic politics, makes speeches in order to support some statesmen and society as a whole. One of the last discussed statements of the Patriarch was a statement on human rights in the modern world: “Today we are talking about the global heresy of human worship, a new idolatry that rips God out of human life”, where the outrage was caused by the phrase “the heresy of human worship” . However, he believes that in our time, human rights, which are natural and given to us from birth, surpass religious values and are protected by certain bodies, which means the affirmation of a person above God. So, he urged to defend Orthodoxy in order to avoid such cases, where non-religious and sinful people are in power, but protecting the rights and free people. Today political Orthodoxy is also represented in such international organizations as "Orthodox Europe", "Union Orthodox women”, “Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy”, etc. As we can see, many organizations are aimed at the political unification of states and societies.

Protestantism is the most rich in various currents and branches, among which are Lutheranism, Calvinism, Baptism, Anglicanism, etc. However, the level of involvement in politics is low, there are also various organizations that protect the interests of Protestants, among which the Protestant mainstream can be noted, which plays a significant role in life of Protestants in the United States. The Protestant mainstream represents the interests of Protestant churches in the US, which express concern about social problems in the state.

Thus, we cannot apply the concept of “political Christianity”, since such an integral phenomenon does not yet exist in the modern world, but there are such separate areas in Christianity as political Catholicism, political Orthodoxy and political Protestantism, which are ready to unite in order to solve global problems. problems and contemporary conflicts. So, for example, the epoch-making meeting in 2016 of representatives of Orthodoxy and Catholicism - the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of All Rus', during which a joint declaration was adopted, is of great importance in the history of Christianity. This declaration takes into account many pressing problems and challenges of the modern world. Today, states in the West are more proclaiming not Christian principles, but democratic ideas, advocating secularism in politics.

Regarding the third world religion - Buddhism, we cannot say that it actively participates in political processes in the world. Some modern civilizations of East Asia were built on the basis of Buddhism, but today in these states it is not religions that play a big role, but ideologies formed under the influence of Buddhism. So, for example, in China for many centuries, the philosophical doctrine of Confucianism has been used as a religion. In addition, Buddhism spread peacefully, unlike Islam and Christianity, that is, solely by the people's own will and full acceptance of the truth of this religion, which also means that Buddhism had no intention of becoming the dominant religion. Thus, in Buddhism, as a polytheistic power, there is no understanding of "power", which means that Buddhism is practically not involved in politics.

Summarizing all of the above, we come to the following conclusion: the politicization of religion leads to a rollback from the "authenticity", "purity" of religion, transforming it into a political instrument. As Yegor Kholmogorov notes:

"'political religions' are not real religions". Today, religion is indeed under great influence from outside, which corrects it for new realities and conditions. The revival of religion traditional in the understanding in recent decades has become more complicated against the backdrop of modern world processes, which causes it to be transformed in order to be applicable in the state system, in which it has lost its position over the centuries. So, if earlier the state turned to religion and put it in the foreground, now religion is trying to attract the attention of the state.

Chapter 2. The Role of Religion in Political History

2.1 Religious conflicts in world politics

Throughout history, international relations have been influenced not only by the dynastic principle, the national interest and the related ambitions of the state, but also by the religious factor. World history is full of examples of cooperation between states and societies on religious grounds, events, conflicts and wars on religious grounds, which are considered by some researchers as a historical pattern that manifests itself in many states, the purpose of which is the modernization of society and the state and secularization.

The confessional principle in the system of international relations was especially reflected in the history of Europe, which is closely connected with the history of Christianity. Until the 11th century, on the basis of Christianity, the European peoples sought to create a single common state, but the split of Christianity led to repeated clashes between Catholics and Orthodox in subsequent centuries. In Europe, the Pope, as the head of the Catholic Church, played a big role not only in confessional matters, but also in politics. In addition to disagreements between Catholics and Orthodox, there was also a conflict between Christians and Muslims. The initiator of the war against the "infidels" can be called the Catholic Church, which was the first to organize repeated crusades and reconquista. Special spiritual and knightly orders were created, which took part in the displacement of Muslims, Jews, pagans and other "infidels". These orders also played the role of independent international actors, cooperating with other states in various fields of activity. So, for example, they played an important role in the history of states in Europe and the formation of their foreign policy, as well as in the catholicization of European states. Some orders, created in the Middle Ages, continue their activities today in Europe and the Middle East with the aim of spreading Catholicism. Among them, the most famous Order of Malta, which is currently in some states, has diplomatic relations with most states and is even considered as a separate sovereign state, can be noted. Thus, the first major religious conflicts were between Christians and Muslims.

One of the brightest events in the history of Christianity is the Reformation, which began in the 16th century, and which resulted in the emergence of a new branch in Christianity - Protestantism, which subsequently led to a new stage in the history of Europe - religious wars between Protestants and Catholics. Protestantism mainly spread in the northern states of Europe, which led to conflicts on religious grounds with the southern states of Europe, and alliances of states were created on a religious basis to wage war. Spain, which retained Catholicism in its state, fought against the Protestants from England and France, which eventually found enemies in their person in subsequent years and thereby lost its former power and dominance in Europe. In the 16th century in France, religious contradictions turned into bloody wars between Catholics and Protestants, who were also called Huguenots in France. The reason for these wars was the persecution and persecution of the Huguenots in France. Thus, the emergence of a new Christian direction - Protestantism, led to conflicts with Catholics, which pushed the wars with Muslims into the background.

Thanks to the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, the princes of the Holy Roman Empire received the right to choose the religion on their territory, which led to religious division in Europe and caused the Thirty Years' War, which became one of the major clashes between Catholics and Protestants. Subsequently, this war actually put an end to the religious factor in international relations in Europe, since then many states in foreign policy relations began to prioritize not the religious factor, but the national interest.

As for the religious factor in the East, Islam played a significant role here. Throughout history until the 20th century, the state representing Islam in the international arena was the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire spread and rooted the Muslim religion in Asia and the Middle East. As for Buddhism, this religion settled in East and Southeast Asia, which for a long time were under the protectorate of European colonialists or were in a "closed state" from the outside world. Consequently, Islam owned a pronounced character in the East.

Also throughout history, one can find such a direction in the foreign policy activities of many powers as the protection of "one's own religion" and religious minorities in foreign states. Thus, for example, in bilateral treaties between Russia and Turkey, between Russia and China, clauses devoted to the protection of Christians in these states were repeatedly indicated. When harassing and persecuting religious minorities, states interfered in the internal affairs of a foreign state and entered into hostilities against it in order to protect the interests of these religious minorities. Today we can also witness such situations in the modern world, for example, in Sunni Saudi Arabia, some rights and freedoms of Shiites are violated, which is a tense issue in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Thus, many states seek to protect adherents of "their" religion in foreign countries in order to maintain influence over them, create a favorable public opinion on the part of these religious minorities and spread their faith.

One of the significant events in the East at the beginning of the 20th century is Ataturk's revolution in Turkey. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk carried out a number of reforms in the state in all areas of activity, thereby making Turkey from a primordially Muslim state into a newly formed secular state oriented to the West. The reforms led to a complete change in the spectrum of society, where the religious factor ceased to have its former influence on the internal processes of the state. One of the reasons for the revolution is the association of Turkey with the Ottoman Empire, which for a long time was the center of the preservation and spread of Islam, and at the same time was considered an unfriendly state of the West. Thus, Kemal Atatürk sought to expand ties and cooperation with European states, showing them political determination and retreat from the traditional policy of the Ottoman Empire. Despite the secularism of the state in our time, the majority of the Turkish population still profess Islam and live according to Sharia and adhere to old traditions. However, this revolution became a landmark event in the history of Turkey and in the history of international relations.

The liberation from colonial dependence and the autonomy of the actions of the leadership that came to power led the new independent states not only to political contradictions, but also to the aggravation of many years of inter-confessional and inter-ethnic disagreements that had been suppressed for centuries, so today many researchers talk about the revival of religion in international relations.

The 20th century can be called the century of wars and conflicts, in which religious conflicts occupy a large part. One of the sharpest conflicts of the last century is the Indo-Pakistani conflict.

The history of India is closely connected with the Muslim religion, since back in the X-XII centuries. Muslim Turks occupied the northern part of India and controlled most of India, spreading Islam throughout the region. Thus, one can explain the current predominance of adherents of the Muslim religion in northern India, in particular in the region of Kashmir and Jammu. Being in the same territory of British India under the auspices of Great Britain, Muslims and Hindus did not encounter interreligious conflicts until the division of British India on religious principles into India and Pakistan (East and West). Here, it was not the state that determined the religion on its territory, but religion determined which state to join. The division of India into two independent states led to mass migration on religious grounds: Muslims migrated to Pakistan, Hindus to India, and was accompanied by clashes between them. Thus, Pakistan and India are states that were formed as a result of the religious division of society.

In this conflict, one can note the role of the leader and his religion in how he can influence the course of historical events. Being a Hindu, Hari Singh decided to annex Kashmir and Jammu, where the predominant number was occupied by Muslims, to the territory of India, which caused outrage in Pakistan and led to hostilities. The conflict escalated three times into Indo-Pakistani wars, which were not successful for either side and did not lead to a peaceful solution to the issue. The results of the wars were the informal division of Kashmir and Jammu between Pakistan and India, as well as the formation of a new independent state in East Pakistan - Bangladesh.

The Indo-Pakistani conflict was of international significance, despite the fact that initially no other states took part in this conflict. This conflict was also not drawn into the Cold War, despite military and financial assistance from the US and the USSR to both states. In addition, India and Pakistan considered themselves to be a third party of the bipolar system - the international organization "Non-Aligned Movement", and pledged not to join any military blocs, although they accepted foreign aid in wars against each other. Unfortunately, the role of the UN in the Indo-Pakistani conflict is not significant, since it consisted only in a temporary ceasefire between the parties, but not in a complete settlement of the conflict. Consequently, the Indo-Pakistani conflict remained on the periphery of the main actions of the great powers and international actors.

The political situation in Pakistan has remained unstable all this time. Islam is the state religion of Pakistan, but there are constant skirmishes between representatives of Islamic trends. Additionally, the internal and external political situation in the country is aggravated by terrorist organizations and groups that from time to time attack neighboring states, including India, thereby worsening Pakistan's relations with these countries. A serious threat not only in Pakistan, but in the region as a whole is also posed by the Islamist Taliban movement, which has settled in Pakistani territory bordering Afghanistan - Waziristan. Thus, the focus of Pakistan's policy shifted from India to Waziristan.

Thus, relations between India and Pakistan are unstable from the signing of joint agreements to the deployment of hostilities. To this day, clashes continue on the borders between states, despite repeated attempts to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the conflict and normalize relations between states. Today, this conflict is aggravated by a threat to the entire world community, since both states possess nuclear weapons and, at the same time, are not parties to the international treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

One of the high-profile events of 2015 was the inclusion of India and Pakistan in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Many analysts believe that participation in one organization will allow India and Pakistan to establish dialogue and further bilateral relations. However, in our opinion, it is unlikely that relations between these states will change for the better, since India and Pakistan are already members of the same organizations, for example, such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), but no changes in relations were observed. , and only, on the contrary, complicate the work of the organization and the adoption of joint decisions. On the other hand, a thaw in relations is possible, but Russia and China will already play their role here, which can put pressure on India and Pakistan, respectively.

The Indo-Pakistani conflict can be called a consequence of the irresponsible and ill-conceived policy of Great Britain in relation to its mandates, which led not only to this conflict, but also to the Arab-Israeli one. The Arab-Israeli conflict began to emerge as early as the beginning of the 20th century, when the Zionist sentiments of the Jews began to manifest themselves in order to create their own state on the territory of Palestine, which was also approved by the great powers and supported by Great Britain in the Balfour Declaration1. However, Great Britain promised, including the Arabs, the creation of an independent Arab state on this territory. Thus, the dual policy of Great Britain contributed to the clash of interests of the two societies for the creation of a state on the territory of Palestine.

The Arab-Israeli conflict is considered one of the sharpest religious conflicts of the last century, which continues to this day. This conflict combines numerous clashes between Jews and Arabs on religious grounds. He also involved local Christian communities, which today are being persecuted and harassed, which causes great concern in the world. The Arab states in this region are actually pursuing a policy directed against Israel. This conflict caused a surge in the religious sentiments of the entire world community, which were suppressed at the beginning of the 20th century by totalitarian regimes and followers of Marxist theory, which also speaks of a religious revival.

In the post-war period, the question of Palestine became one of the central ones, which required an immediate solution. UN Resolution No. 181, according to which the territory of Palestine was divided along ethnic and religious lines between Arabs and Jews, was received ambiguously. The Jewish community accepted this resolution, but the Arabs refused it. Nevertheless, the Jews were able to form Israel, which immediately brought the new state into a long war with the Arabs, which continues to this day. The Arab-Israeli conflict fully justifies its name, as Israel is at war with all the Arab states of the region. This conflict covers several conflicts in the region, including the Palestinian-Israeli one, from which it all began, and where one of the points of clashes is also the question of ownership of Jerusalem, which is considered a holy city for Muslims, Christians and Jews. Today, this city is still a stumbling block for Arabs and Jews, for which Christians from Europe also fought before, making numerous crusades. One of the consequences is also the acceleration of the process of Jewish migration to Israel due to persecution and persecution in Muslim countries, just like the emigration of Muslims from Israel to neighboring Arab states.

The emergence of the State of Israel in the center of Islam and surrounded by Arab states that claim the territory of Palestine and occupy it for several centuries, has led to the emergence of a new player in the international arena and a change of forces in the Middle East. The Middle East has always been of great geopolitical importance and attracted not only holy places, but also important trade routes, natural resources, so this conflict became the focus of attention and participation of world powers, as well as part of the Cold War, which led to an increase in players in the region interested in achieving their goals, but not in resolving the conflict itself. As I. Ivanov, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, notes: “In the period between the Suez crisis of 1956 and the Desert Storm operation to liberate Kuwait in 1991, the region was the sphere of Soviet-American confrontation; The Middle East turned out to be one of the most important components of the bipolar world, an arena of rivalry and limited cooperation between the two superpowers. Thus, Arabs and Jews became puppets in the hands of the big political game between the US and the USSR, in which the US supported Israel, and the USSR supported the Arab states. At the same time, the Arab states were able to put pressure on the states supporting Israel through their oil policy, as happened in 1973 and led to the largest oil crisis that affected the world economy and the financial systems of many states. Until now, the Arab states use these methods to demonstrate their importance and influence on the international economic system. In general, a large number of states were involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict, including Israel, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain, France, the USSR, the USA, etc., as well as various non-governmental organizations, terrorist groups and movements that far outnumber the participants in the conflict. Thus, the Arab-Israeli conflict can be viewed not only as a local conflict, but also as an international one, since the number of participants in it was not limited to the Arab states and Israel.

GuideFoundation

The religious factor as the basis of national unity. Basic concepts Religious factor

Topic 2. The origin of religion and its early forms

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Introduction

Chapter 1. The Role and Place of Religion in World Politics

1.3 Politicization of religion

Chapter 2. The Role of Religion in Political History

2.2 The religious factor in modern international relations

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Role and Place of Religion in World Politics

1.1 The role of religion in the formation of a local civilization

1.1.

1.2 Interaction of religion and politics

1.3 Politicization of religion

Chapter 2. The Role of Religion in Political History

2.1 Religious conflicts in world politics

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