The main components of the concept of “spirituality. Spiritual and moral revival How moral fortitude and spiritual revival

There is a lot of talk about the revival of spiritual, cultural values and morality, and not only in recent decades. The revival of morality is a topic that always comes up when a crisis develops in a country or global changes occur. For example, the need to revive spirituality, culture, and morality in Russia was discussed at the turn of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They remembered this during the time of the Pugachev rebellion and other popular unrest. The tendency to discuss the loss of morality and culture in society is characteristic not only of Russian public figures, but also of those living in other countries. For example, figures of the French Revolution spoke and wrote a lot about the loss of the moral core, the loss of morality and being in debauchery. And the most impressive example of the spiritual revival of a nation’s culture, the acquisition of a moral core, is probably the life story of the Messiah, that is, Christ.

Paradoxical as it may seem, arguments that the country needs a revival of morality, culture and other human values are usually combined with some kind of bloody events. Of course, the clearest example of this relationship is the execution of Jesus. If we do not turn to religion, then a historical example of a mutual combination can be any of the revolutions, popular unrest and riots, terrorist activity, surges in crime, etc.

What is morality?

The term “morality” is often perceived as a synonym for such concepts as “morality” and “ethics”. Meanwhile, this is a completely independent concept; moreover, it is one of the components of morality.

According to the definition, morality is a set of certain internal qualities of an individual person or society as a whole. The list of these qualities directly depends on the historically established features of the development of a nation, its cultural and spiritual values, customs, traditions, accepted way of life, predominant occupation, and so on.

In general, moral qualities are what an individual or society is guided by when making any important decisions. That is, morality dictates behavior and actions. This is what determines what a person does every day. For example, leisure activities. The choice of entertainment is always determined by morality. The way of spending holidays and weekends is also determined by a set of corresponding qualities.

Can morality be different?

The moral revival of Russia, the principles of which were partly outlined in the president's speech in 2006, is considered by many citizens to be a necessity. The president’s speech was called “On State Support of Traditional Folk Culture in Russia” and was published in the press.

The greatest value of the theses formulated by the president is that the morality, traditions and culture of our country are not monolithic. A large number of people of different religions, occupations, and customs live in Russia. Accordingly, their cultural and moral values differ. Ethical standards and requirements for appearance and behavior.

But, despite the differences, Russians are also characterized by a set of moral, ethical and cultural values that are common to all of them. It was the need for their preservation and revival that the president spoke about.

Does the government support moral concerns?

Revival of cultural and moral values - part domestic policy Russian government. This is a fairly broad area that includes education, restrictions on certain advertising, organization of city holidays, festivals, popularization healthy image life and religious celebrations, even the improvement of courtyards and streets.

That is, the revival of culture, spirituality, moral and ethical qualities is inextricably linked with the way of life and, of course, its quality. Thus, for moral issues it is important social politics, education, organization of leisure and entertainment venues and much more. Society is an organism in which everything is interconnected. It is impossible to expect highly moral actions from people who do not have confidence in the future, are afraid to let their children go for a walk, or do not have a job with an official salary, and much more. It is impossible to awaken interest in the spirituality and culture of their native country among people who count every penny and are not always well-fed.

Accordingly, without the direct participation of the authorities, there can be no talk of a revival of morality. In this case, not only the line outlined by the government of the country is important, but also the direct actions of the local authorities. Of course important point in the policy aimed at reviving the culture of the nation, is the cooperation of secular officials with the clergy, leaders of religious and public organizations.

What is stopping the revival process?

When television or the press talk about how they are trying to discredit the idea of a moral revival in our country, they usually lose sight of simple factors. That is, while highlighting rather controversial statements that the very idea of reviving traditions, spirituality and moral qualities will inevitably lead not to the development of people’s self-awareness, patriotism, etc., but to racism, they do not talk about what directly interferes with this process.

The idea of reviving moral qualities in people can be discredited through philosophical and political debates, or through direct actions. For example, the forced imposition of a healthy lifestyle in provincial cities. Any violence against a person’s will causes opposition on his part. Thus, local authorities are not trying to achieve an increase in morality among the townspeople, but rather its even greater decline. But at the same time, in “paper reports” everything looks great.

An example of discrediting an idea with excessive enthusiasm

A striking example of such a promotion of a healthy lifestyle, which should inevitably lead to the revival of spiritual and moral values in society, is the dominance of bicycles. Moreover, if in Moscow bicycles fit quite organically into the general urban environment, then in the provinces the situation is completely opposite. Traveling by bicycle is actively promoted by local media, which periodically show stories of officials commuting to work this way.

Bicycle rental centers are springing up like mushrooms after rain; renting a vehicle in the center of a provincial town is much easier than finding a parking space. Meanwhile, there are no paths for cyclists. There are no signaling devices on the bicycles themselves. It is, of course, unknown how many walking pedestrians were frightened by supporters of a “healthy lifestyle”, how many elderly people had high blood pressure or heart disease.

Thus, the main discrediting of the revival of morality occurs not at all because of the efforts of opponents of these ideas, but because of the actions of local officials.

Are these ideas close to everyone?

Not all people are close and understandable to the idea of moral revival. What is this - resistance to spirituality, the desire to indulge in debauchery and commit Not at all. As a rule, thinking people believe that the very idea of reviving national values is regressive. Since our country in the current period of time is literally actively “building capitalism” according to the Western model, cultural and moral values that are not traditional for it inevitably penetrate into society.

The clearest example of this are holidays that are historically alien to Russians - Halloween, Valentine's Day and others. Activists of the idea of national revival also complain about the mass celebration of Christmas in December, with the entire Western world and in accordance with traditions. The dominance of Santa Claus and other Western Christmas characters is discussed quite seriously in the media. In recent years, a curious trend has begun to emerge, which, in the opinion of many, illustrates the successful revival of morality. In the media, the image of Santa is almost absent, but the words “Veliky Ustyug” and “Grandfather Frost” begin to be heard already in November.

Should we abandon Western values?

The denial of Western cultural and moral values is not a guarantee of the revival of one’s own. If we talk down to earth and simply, then it is quite strange to snack on pancakes on the street, and not hamburgers or hot dogs.

Opponents of the ideas of revival rely on the fact that their implementation will leave people no choice. And there is a reasonable grain in such fears. The enthusiasm of supporters of any particular views often includes the denial of everything that does not correspond to them.

Do these ideas eliminate the possibility of choice?

The revival of traditional morality is often understood as a return to certain values that are now widely absent. Of course, we are not talking about wearing bast shoes or kokoshniks, but when choosing between cola and kvass, you will have to give preference to kvass. Of course, the process of reviving national identity, moral qualities of the people is much more complicated than choosing between drinks, but this example most clearly demonstrates its essence.

Thus, the ideas of reviving morality in Russia do not imply depriving a person of a choice of spiritual, cultural values, or anything else. The point is only for people to remember what country they were born in, to know and love their own culture, and not just blindly adopt everything that comes from the West.

Does anything need to be revived?

The emergence of any idea has a basis, a prerequisite. Any process occurring within society also has them. Thus, the question of whether a revival of morality is necessary arises when it is really required.

The decline in morality is characterized by the absence of internal moral qualities or their substitution. It is this substitution that has been observed in Russian society in recent decades. In fact, there is only one value in the country - consumption in all its forms and variations. People literally consume everything - from food to the work of artists. And the artists, in turn, consume viewers, supplementing creativity with the sale of T-shirts, badges, crowdfunding fees, and so on.

The measure of consumption is money, or rather its quantity. People spend more than they earn, which leads to them looking for additional sources of income and falling into debt. As a result of such a whirlwind in life, there is simply no time left for morality; many not only do not think about any values not related to material aspects, but do not even remember.

Are there clear programs for such a revival?

Programs devoted to the need to revive Russian culture, moral and spiritual values in people appear with enviable consistency before every election. Their names are so consonant that for many ordinary people they merge into one thing. Various public organizations have similar programs regarding moral issues.

Such projects exist and are being implemented in schools and other educational institutions, although not in all. The Ministry of Education does not have an official mandatory program regarding moral issues.

What is written about in the programs of public organizations?

Such programs, as a rule, are the core element around which people unite. However, not all of them are distinguished by loyalty, tolerance and adequacy.

As a rule, a program for the revival of morality of any public organization consists of the following theses:

stop using the media to promote violence, depravity and perversion;
use moral censorship to suppress attempts to teach the destruction of families and promiscuity;
prohibit by law the release and distribution of erotic and pornographic products;
stimulate the production of spiritually healing works of art.

As a rule, there are quite a lot of theses, but they are all presented in a similar vein. Some public figures also display more radical views, calling for bans on abortion, the return of criminal liability for homosexuality, and so on.

What is the position of the church?

Paradoxically, representatives of the clergy show much more tolerance than many public organizations.

The Church supports the idea of the need to revive spirituality, morality and moral qualities in people, but does not call for radical measures. The clergy believes that everything is in the hands of the Lord, and a person only needs to be helped to find the way to the temple, and God will save his soul.

This is probably the most reasonable attitude to issues relating to the moral and spiritual formation of the nation in modern times. For example, in the “decaying” and full of “morally corrupt” West, there are many more believers than in modern Russia. The monasteries operate shelters, schools, and hospitals. In almost every parish the doors of Sunday schools are open and there is no shortage of students.

Is the church important for moral renewal?

In the matter of moral formation, the set of ideals received in childhood, a list of values that remains with a person throughout his life, is extremely important. Without such a core, the very emergence of moral principles or moral foundations is impossible.

After the revolution, the party took over the role of the church, in whose traditions children were raised. That is, the ideals have not disappeared anywhere, it’s just that the Christian ones have been replaced by communist ones. Nowadays, the majority of growing children, in principle, do not have ideals that would help in the formation of moral qualities.

Directions for the revival of morality are, first of all:

formation of ideals;
providing a spiritual foundation;
respect for traditions;
providing an example for behavior.

Of course, we are talking about raising children. And the role of religion in this matter cannot be underestimated. Moreover, trying to instill moral qualities, moral principles and traditional values in children, adults unwittingly begin to follow them themselves.

Liberals, while in power, were engaged in the systematic and systematic destruction of the consciousness of the population, instilling false values in them, and corrupting the souls of our fellow citizens. Unfortunately, they have succeeded a lot in their destructive work. Moral decline and dehumanization thanks to liberals have poisoned social relations in our country.

In this regard, without a comprehensive system of moral education of the population in the spirit of the values of humanism - genuine, not liberal, that is, humanism based on the values of Russian patriotism and conservatism - Russia will never become a strong and prosperous power that its citizens would be proud of, will never regain its status as a global superpower. It is necessary to cultivate in our fellow citizens such traditional features of the Russian mentality as solidarity, collectivism, conciliarity, mutual assistance, camaraderie, love for the Motherland, the primacy of the spiritual, and readiness to come to the aid of all the suffering and disadvantaged.

Focus on the revival of values traditional culture- the basis of the strategic line of the country's leadership. According to V.V. Putin, “...the ideological vacuum created after the collapse of communist ideology is being filled, and it will certainly be filled either with extremism, chauvinism, nationalism and national intolerance that destroys us, or with our active support - with humanistic, universal values. It is important for you and me that this work is built on our traditional national culture, if we do not want to lose our originality and identity in the global world, in the conditions of globalization. And therefore, the measures that you and I are planning must be based on the foundation national culture, on national traditions, cultural traditions of all peoples Russian Federation. This should be one of the constant sources of our unity, pride in the intellectual wealth of the peoples of the Russian Federation and the cultural diversity of Russia. And this should be one of the main sources of patriotism that unites us.”

Without relying on religion in modern Russia, it is impossible to fight demoralization and spiritual devastation. In the sphere of morality, it is necessary to rely on universal moral standards proclaimed by the country's leading faiths - Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism and other religions. We are talking about such canons as the norms “thou shalt not kill,” “thou shalt not steal,” etc. Religion teaches a virtuous lifestyle, humanity, brotherhood, spirituality, living in accordance with the requirements of conscience and moral laws. Only these moral values are able to resist moral degradation, spiritual decline and the onset of the ideology of unspiritual consumption and zoological individualism. A special place in the spiritual and moral revival of the country should belong to Orthodoxy as the most widespread religion in our country, as the religion of the state-forming people. We must clearly understand that without faith, without Orthodox faith in particular, Russia will not solve the problems it faces, will not be reborn and will lose itself.

Orthodoxy is not only the religion of the majority of the Russian people, but also the religious and moral basis of Russian national state creativity. During periods of great upheaval in the Muscovite kingdom, the Orthodox Church invariably stood guard over the national interests of Russia and supported the government with all its might in moments of weakness. Gradually her authority declined. The ruling stratum needed a weak Orthodoxy and gradually the church reached complete impotence, which manifested itself in 1917. There was no moral authority, no authoritative hierarchs. The state essentially undermined the Church. And now the ruling layer of Russia is faced with the urgent task of helping Orthodoxy. As Solonevich rightly wrote, “Orthodoxy both as a national religion and as the basis of national statehood must be supported in times of weakness. We cannot afford to enjoy the further collapse of national unity."

Orthodoxy is the most perfect religion in the world, it is the greatest spiritual treasure, the preservation of which is entrusted to the Russian people. Orthodoxy is the national religion of the Russian people. This idea was expressed by Dostoevsky, putting it into the mouth of Shatov (“Demons”). This is the religion of the greatest humanity and the greatest love, the religion of hope and the greatest optimism.

In Russia, in our opinion, building a state is possible only on moral grounds, not on legal or economic ones. The style of Russian statehood can be represented as internal unity, unity of national consciousness, unity of will, purposefulness, which should be based on the unity of religion.

American political scientist T. Karotsrs, having analyzed the successes and failures of democratization over the past 25-30 years, concluded that the Western understanding of democracy and the imposition of a single mechanism of democratization on countries turned out to be dysfunctional. Most countries in the world that have made a choice between democracy and other political regimes have interpreted both democracy and their own political interests in a completely different way. As a result, the so-called “third wave” of global democratization “choked.” This is not the “death of democracy”; modern social science needs a new understanding of democracy, recognition of the plurality of its forms. American sociologist D. Levin analyzed the cultural context of Ethiopia through its comparison with Israel and showed that in both countries, despite the presence of a dominant civilization, there were also manifestations of different civilizations. In Russia, the processes of democratic development follow paths different from those developed by Western sociologists.

It is important to remember the simple truth that has been hard-won throughout the history of mankind - a people without faith loses the meaning of its existence, and a state that is not based on religion is doomed to destruction. Faith is always saving, it gives hope, awakens dormant energy in the people. “If in a specific people and in a specific ethnic group the ethno-confessional, ethnocultural mental matrix is preserved, on the basis of which the statehood and traditions of a given ethnic group were directly or gradually formed, then such a community of people is capable of further creative development, integration into the world community without loss of identity and without the threat of dissolution into other, more numerous and dynamic nations. Public policy, internal and external, with the goal of prosperity, well-being - at a minimum, simply the survival of the people - must take into account the stabilizing factors of social life. In particular, religious motivation in all its forms. Religiosity is a course towards the perception of a part as part of the whole: life - in the context of eternity, the individual - in the context of humanity."

Religion has always been a support for the weak and a means for strong personalities, thereby ensuring the sustainability of society as a system. A social, national, state idea, based and reinforced by religion, helps strengthen people's faith in the state and its future, mobilizes and unites people in their pursuit of a common goal.

It is Orthodoxy, in our opinion, that can perform a complex formative function and a unifying mission. It does not oblige citizens to profess any dogmas Orthodox Church, nor to the performance of her rituals. The Orthodox principle is expressed not in church, but in state building, it means the recognition of the spiritual freedom of each person and, therefore, respect for this freedom, in the words of Solonevich, the desire for the implementation of God's truth on earth, the technically possible replacement of coercion with friendship, fear with love. Hence the Orthodox tolerance of any religion, because it has never encroached on the freedom of other faiths.

K.P. Pobedonostsev wrote: “The state is stronger and the more important it is, the more clearly spiritual representation is indicated in it. Only under this condition is the sense of legality, respect for the law and trust in the people and in civil life maintained and strengthened. state power» .

Thus, religion, as one of the components of national traditions, is one of the main structures of the social structure and stability of society as a whole, and is capable of performing the functions of an instrument of social consolidation and spiritual mobilization of the population. “Everything else,” wrote L.A. Tikhomirov - external strengthening of order, power, lasting action of historical foundations... will remain without a soul, without strength, if the revived religious consciousness does not give the individual the proper guidance for understanding the goals of life.”

the main task today - the revival and introduction into the mass consciousness of a worldview that meets the true traditions of Russia, associated with the primacy of the spiritual over the material, the cult of modesty, honest work, and mutual assistance. There is a need for cultural and moral unity of the entire population, a change in the value system, and the elevation of moral values to absolutes. It is necessary to raise before the church the question of moving the center of gravity from the formally ritual side of Orthodoxy to the religious and educational side - and for this purpose, insist on the reorganization of spiritual education and the practical activities of the clergy among the masses.” That is, “Apostles of the spirit” are needed - teachers who bring truths to the light. Orthodoxy, as the greatest spiritual value of Russia, must fulfill the function of moral improvement of the individual and society. “Ignorance of the elementary foundations of religious culture makes a person, and especially a young person, vulnerable to dangerous extremist movements. And the decline in morality and ethical principles in society is largely the cause of xenophobia and racial hatred. This is why the mission of the clergy is so important, helping a person to separate true faith from attempts to manipulate it. Such education creates a tolerant environment in society, in which religious and national hostility is condemned. Any insult to the feelings of believers and desecration of religious shrines is considered unacceptable. And therefore, spiritual, moral and humanitarian education is a joint task of both the state and religious associations. Let me emphasize that such measures will make it possible to prevent not only ethno-religious conflicts, but also to overcome other social ills modern world» .

First of all, youth and children should be covered by the propaganda of spiritual and moral upliftment. A set of measures for spiritual and moral recovery involves a radical change in the policy of the media (and, above all, television), which should exclude the demonstration of scenes of violence, sex, preaching of immorality and lack of spirituality, which requires the creation of public control councils and the introduction of a kind of moral censorship in all media. Without censorship, we will not be able to save the younger generation from corruption and decay. It should be noted that the demand for censorship is put forward by the population, including young people. Morally healthy Russian youth opposes immoralism, cynicism, sexual promiscuity and zoological individualism. It is also necessary to introduce strict quotas for the screening of foreign film and television products. Our film and television screens should be dominated by national film production that preaches high ideals, spirituality, patriotism, and conservative values in general. Should also be adjusted educational programs in middle and high school, building them on our traditional values.

This article discusses the views of representatives of the Orthodox Church and scientists on the significance of the revival of Orthodox objects. On the influence of church life on the spiritual and moral education of the younger generation.

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Annotation: This article discusses the views of representatives of the Orthodox Church and scientists on the significance of the revival of Orthodox objects. On the influence of church life on the spiritual and moral education of the younger generation.

Keywords: The importance of faith in human life, revival Orthodox traditions, revival of the church, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, faith in God, Divine Providence.

Revival of shrines

"Faith in God is confidence in greater good. The loss of this faith is the greatest misfortune that can befall a people.”

M. O. Menshikov

Every time you touch the history of Holy Rus', you discover pages unknown to yourself, and are imbued with the great power of patriotism and extraordinary pride in your Motherland. Truly, “you can’t understand Russia with your mind,” but you can’t take it in with your eyes. It has everything: greatness, and spaciousness, and strength of spirit, and valiant prowess, and spiritual melancholy coming from the roots... And what heroic ascetics lived on our land! Dmitry Donskoy, Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko, Ivan Kalita, Alexander Nevsky... And each of them not only defended the borders of their Fatherland, but also expanded the borders, built Orthodox churches, fought to strengthen the spiritual and unifying power of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russian life. It is no coincidence that the phrase of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky “Stand up for the faith, Russian land” has become simply a catchphrase today.

The poem by my fellow countryman V. Arinushkin, which touches on many deep issues of the past and present, including questions of faith and its meaning in human life, prompts reflection on the significance of Orthodoxy and God’s Providence in the fate of the village and the people.

Russian part - Bolshoy Moretz.

The village is old, you know

It's so good that finally

He will float over the meadows,

He will respond in every heart,

Hope will come to life in people

And grace will awaken in the soul.

Something close and dear again

The ringing of the bell will revive,

From heaven, invisible, holy

He will fly off on wings with an angel.

And people will become closer to God,

And God is human kindness

He will always see and hear,

And he will take trouble away from them.

Return of lost traditions –

The soul needs them so much,

That people's faces become kinder...

O life! You are really good!

And on Intercession, on the patronal holiday,

The bells will ring,

Isn't this proof for us?

That he was born again in Moretz?

There were tears in people's eyes...

No matter how our people were broken,

But God is serious

It leads to goodness and light.

In Russia, the word “revival” has been on everyone’s lips for several years now. It sounds different in different variations and contexts. In the mouths of some this word expresses almost utopian hopes, in the speeches of others it serves as a cover for chauvinism and demagoguery.

We hear that the revival of Russia should begin not with the state, but with the Church. Even ten years ago, the revival of the Russian Church, in principle, seemed quite primitive to most of our bishops: as a numerical growth of the Orthodox, the republication of pre-revolutionary religious literature and the restoration of old churches

The revival of the Church is impossible without the revival of spirituality in people. What is spirituality? Spirituality is a sense of responsibility before the Creator for everything that happens to a person, to a country, to a planet! Spirituality is a feeling of the presence of the Creator in both big and small!

For many decades, the people of our country, a country of scientific atheism, were deprived of spiritual support - faith in God. We just can’t believe it anymore! We need to prove everything. We believe only in what is proven by science, without thinking at all about how and why science develops, we do not know that physics, actually created by the genius Newton as a means of knowing God through His creation, was turned to a completely different path three hundred years ago.

Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II said at a press conference in May 1999: “Perhaps the most pressing issue today is the moral state of the current episcopate and clergy. The legacy we received from Bolshevik times is far from ideal. The selection of personnel was carried out by the Council for Religious Affairs, which, in fact, pursued atheistic goals, trying to undermine the foundations of faith. We are constantly in need of replenishing the church ranks with new clergy. They are especially needed in the field of social service and spiritual education of the younger generation. It takes 15-20 years to train specialists to serve in these areas. But can we wait until the necessary specialists are trained? These pressing issues must be addressed today. The experience of the Church in the field of social service, accumulated by It before the revolution, has been lost. We strive to revive church life in all its diversity. Our main goal is not the restoration of churches or monasteries. It is important to help people restore their souls. To bring moral and spiritual healing to our sick society.”

The revival of church life is now understood as the restoration of pre-revolutionary experience during the Synodal period. Hence, it is not surprising that we are talking only about the social service of the Church, and in practice the Church is integrated as a “ministry of morality” into the structure of the secular state, as it was in tsarist Russia before the 1917 revolution. The harmfulness of this practice is obvious. For the Russian Orthodox Church lost the Spirit of the Apostolic Church long before the revolution of 1917, that is, already in the 18th century, and the entire Synodal period was only the death throes of the Church. This is stated in the Message to the Angel of the Sardinian Church: “Thus says He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a name like you're alive, but you're dead. Stay awake and establish other things close to death; for I do not find that your works are perfect before My God. Remember what you received and heard, and keep and repent. But if you do not watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.”

If we talk about the revival of Holy Rus' in the true sense, that is sacred sense, then this is an invisible process, very long and imperceptible, as it is said in the Gospel: “The Kingdom of God will not come in a noticeable way, and they will not say: behold, it is here, or: behold, there. For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” And whether this will become the basis for the revival of Russia as a whole depends not on the government, the president and the patriarch, or on some kind of “party building”, but only on our faith, as it is said in the Gospel: “Truly I say to you, that if If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, whatever they ask will be done for them by My Father in Heaven, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.”

If you look at the process of the revival of the Russian Church from the point of view of biblical prophecies, then this is stated in the 12th chapter of Revelation: “She was with child, and cried out from the pains and pangs of birth.”

Academician Shipov writes: “I affirm: there is a new physical theory, created as a result of the development of Einstein’s ideas, in which a certain level of reality appeared, a synonym for which in religion is God - a certain reality that has all the signs of the Divine. I only claim this. No more. I don’t know how this Deity works, but it really exists. It is impossible to know Him, to “study” Him with our methods. And then, science does not prove, but only points to the existence of God.”

“By restoring Orthodox centers, we are helping to revive our roots and the moral values of our people. And without this, it is impossible to solve any of the major tasks that our state faces today,” said Dmitry Medvedev.

As history and modernity show, not a single power in the world can maintain the status of a world leader without having within itself a powerful and, most importantly, unique spiritual or ideological core that no other state has.

What is faith?In order to understand what faith is, you need to understand that faith is not always religion. In ourin the country, as in other similar countries, the main religion is Orthodox. The word itself speaks for itself; the Orthodox are those who correctly glorify God.

What does the Bible say about faith?In the Epistle to the Romans, the Holy Apostle Paul writes in chapter 17, verse 10: “Faith therefore comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”... These words can be understood in such a way that if we do not hear the word of God, then we do not have maybe faith, right? The Word of God in our time is written only in the Bible, and this is the only way we can receiveI'm wrong. Neither rituals, nor icons, nor the consecration of various objects - none of this listed will save a person, but only faith.

If we believe in what is written in the Bible, then this automatically means that we must fulfill it, otherwise we do not believe, but only know what is written there, and there is no benefit to us from it. The end result is only disappointment.

Faith in God is not religiosity, but complete trust in Him and His words, which are written in the Bible. Only when we do this, not just talk, but do it, as God wants, only then will we receive healing of the soul. We all, somewhere deep in our souls, demand this, but we do not always admit it.

The Bible doesn't say anything just like that, everything has a meaning. For example, the commandments were given not to make our lives limited, but so that we do not make mistakes, for which we will have to pay in any case. Likewise, in the church there should be nothing incomprehensible; everything should have its own specific meaning, understandable to people.

Behind every door of scientific discovery there are ten other doors on the other side. Forgetting this, convinced atheists continue to claim that one scientific discovery should free humanity from unfounded faith in God.

Yuri Gagarin said after returning from space flight: “I was in interplanetary space and did not see God. This means there is no God.” Some ordinary people accepted this statement as truth, arguing that modern science supposedly disproves the existence of God. Others, seeing that Gagarin did not even reach the moon, concluded that he hardly had the right to say that he had already explored all of space.

Drawing a conclusion about this very naive reasoning of the late Gagarin, it must be said that only people who deliberately reject God can accept it as truth.

In contrast, the first group of American astronauts to reach and land on the moon read the first verse of the first chapter of the Bible while in orbit around the moon and broadcast the reading on a television network to the world. This testified to their belief that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

The conclusion made by Gagarin was not accepted in any way by other astronauts, and even less by other scientists.

Here are the words that many world-famous scientists expressed their opinion on this issue:

“You can't be a real scientist if you don't believe the universe is real! If God wanted to play a trick on a scientist, then the latter could not study the laws of nature and rely on the constantly changing data of science.” (Alberti)

“I do not believe that the percentage of believers in God among scientists is lower than among other professions.” (Outrum)

“Modern science has not killed the fundamental truths of the Bible. I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, and I believe in the Bible." (Bjerke)

“Spiritual revival has recently penetrated among scientists involved in space exploration. There is rarely a day when I don’t hear conversations on spiritual topics at my work.” (Burke)

Of course, not all scientists are Christians, but even those who do not betray the importance of religion should be free: to believe or not to believe, as their conscience dictates.

Religious scholar Nancy Frankenberry draws from diaries, personal letters, speeches, essays, and interviews to suggest that the faith of scholars can take many different forms, secular or religious, supernatural or naturalistic, traditional or unorthodox. These texts reflect a spectrum of views covering various areas scientific search.

Christians believe that the world has a Creator. God has put his love and wisdom into the world. Therefore, getting to know the world, a Christian gradually comprehends the plan of its Creator.

The great Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov said that God gave people two books - the book of nature and the Bible. God put natural laws into the book of nature, and the Commandments into the Bible. Therefore, Lomonosov believed that a Christian who studies the laws of nature carries out a great Christian service. But the world must not only be known. You have to work in the world.

This statement may seem pompous, but we ourselves make the history of our Motherland. You rejoice when you directly participate in this “doing” or watch how history is created before your eyes. There have been no functioning temples for almost a century - now they are appearing and working.

Destruction Orthodox churches by violent means did not lead to the complete destruction of faith in the country, since the spiritual potential was embedded in several previous generations. And therefore it remains in descendants and manifests itself, if not explicitly, then for the time being secretly.

God's providence never leaves the community of people as long as there are true believers among them. The life of people in the presence of a church and their participation in church life fills them with beauty, high moral traditions and foundations, and ennobles life in general.

The restoration of destroyed or forgotten temples and shrines is a trend for future beneficial changes in the life of the country.

He names the traditional means of this ascent that had already become by the time of his life - prayer and repentance, which cleanse the soul, enlighten and enlighten from the inside. This is the patristic “ABC” of spiritual ascent.

On Russian soil, this idea was comprehended and developed by the Venerable Nil of Sorsky (XV century), whose teachings were absorbed and dissolved in their religious and philosophical constructs A.S. Khomyakov, V.V. Zenkovsky, S.L. Frank, P.A. Florensky, G.V. Florovsky and etc.

Compiled Neil Sorsky The “Charter on monastic life” will give us a complete picture of the “ladder” of the spiritual ascent of Russian monks, which in its main features has reached the 20th century.

He considered the main method of spiritual and moral education to be repeated prayer, connecting the novice monk with the source of moral enlightenment - God.

Prayer is necessary in order to “guard the heart” and the one who has mastered this skill has ascended, in the words of Nil Sorsky, to the first step of the “ladder” of spiritual improvement.

The second stage of ascent consists of mastering the ability to control (“kill”) one’s passions and consists of repeated exercises, spiritual work of purification and
the elevation of the soul to the source of truth and love - God.

His main list of exercises included: reading spiritual books, handicrafts, singing psalms, service (obedience exercises), all-night standing, etc.

The third stage is mastering the art of “keeping the mind in the heart,” which was achieved through continuous silent prayer, considered as “mental doing” (hesychia). The novice had to be able to combine mental education with spiritual and moral education (“gather the mind into the heart”).

This third stage Neil Sorsky was called “the highest order of doing spiritual things.” Next - at the top of the ladder - is the achievement of the grace of the Holy Spirit, that perfect state that only the greatest Christian ascetics achieved. This is the “mountain” height of spiritual ascent according to Christian views.

At each stage of spiritual ascent, the student must struggle with the main passionate thoughts. The means of this struggle differ depending on the extent and degree of moral perfection.

Neil Sorsky names eight “passionate thoughts”:

1) gluttony;

3) love of money;

5) sadness;

6) despondency;

7) vanity;

8) pride.

Only overcoming them allows you to follow the path of spiritual improvement. The first two passions are physical, the subsequent ones are mental.

For bodily passions, Nil Sorsky proposed control over the amount of food, the timing of food, observing fasts, and subordinating the body to the spirit. To eradicate spiritual passions, it was proposed to revive in oneself the “image of God” and one’s own promise to remain in chastity and purity, to reflect on oneself, about the image and rank in which one is, to call in prayers for help those famous saints and ascetics who rose to the the top of the spiritual “ladder”, not to desire any acquisitions (things, wealth, etc.), not to be angry and not to do evil to one’s neighbor, to drive out sorrow from the heart through prayer, reading, communication and conversations with people of spiritual life; The most serious spiritual act of an ascetic is overcoming despondency.

In the traditions of patristic tradition Neil Sorsky taught that complacent enduring of sorrows leads to the highest perfection, that constant ascetic exercises remove the negative effects on the soul of flattery, praise, honor, etc., teach you to put yourself below everyone else, to love silence, not to expose yourself, to be in labor, to fight your own arrogance , arrogance, etc.

In Russian Orthodox monasteries, novices followed the rules of spiritual development, climbing the steps of this “ladder.” The example of their life was before the eyes of ordinary Russian people for more than one century. The idea of spiritual and moral
improvement, of course, not in the form of treatises, deeply penetrated the life of the Russian peasantry and took root in it. This fact was noted by Slavophiles and such word artists as Gogol, Tolstoy, Leskov, and religious philosophers of the 19th-20th centuries E. Trubetskoy,
N. Lossky, N. Berdyaev etc. For thousands of years, Orthodox teaching has forged the holistic character of folk morality.

According to popular Orthodox views, moral and spiritual ascent began with the family and the church, after the first confession, which took place at the age of seven, and school. Primary education in Russia has been traditionally associated with religion for centuries. The very content of education in all segments of the population, including peasants, had a pronounced religious character. In the 18th-19th centuries, alphabets, primers, psalters and books of chapels, published by official church or synodal printing houses, were used to teach children. A special Russian teaching tradition was taking shape. Among the books intended for study and rewriting, works of spiritual and moral content predominated, including translations of Byzantine authors John Chrysostom, Ephraim the Syrian, John Climacus, Maximus the Confessor and etc.

The Russian peasantry, as research in recent years has shown, in the 19th and early 20th centuries was sufficiently literate and educated to independently become familiar with spiritual and moral works. The taste for spiritually beneficial reading was instilled in families, schools, and priests' houses, where students, as a rule, were constantly studying. 10-15 boys.

Teachers of the so-called “free” schools were chosen by the community, and the first place was given to the religious and moral qualities of the teacher, the ability to teach reading and understanding of spiritual books and the lives of saints.”

Clarin V.M., Petrov V.M., Ideals and ways of education in the works of Russian religious philosophers of the 19th-20th centuries, M., 1996, p. 87-90.

January 25, 2011, within the framework of the XIX International Christmas educational readings at the Faculty of Sociology of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, chaired by the dean of the sociological faculty of Moscow State University Vladimir Ivanovich Dobrenkov, a round table “Spiritual and moral values of modern Russian society: a sociological view” was held.

In this regard, without a comprehensive system of moral education of the population in the spirit of the values of humanism - genuine, and not liberal, i.e. humanism, based on the values of Russian patriotism and conservatism - Russia will never become a strong and prosperous power that its citizens would be proud of, and will never regain the status of a world superpower. It is necessary to cultivate in our fellow citizens such traditional features of the Russian mentality as solidarity, collectivism, conciliarity, mutual assistance, camaraderie, love for the Motherland, the primacy of the spiritual, and readiness to come to the aid of all the suffering and disadvantaged.

Without relying on religion in modern Russia, it is impossible to fight demoralization and spiritual devastation. In the sphere of morality, it is necessary to rely on universal moral standards proclaimed by the country's leading faiths - Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism and other religions. We are talking about such canons as the norms “thou shalt not kill,” “thou shalt not steal,” etc. Religion teaches a virtuous lifestyle, humanity, brotherhood, spirituality, and living in accordance with the requirements of conscience and moral laws. Only these moral values are able to resist moral degradation, spiritual decline and the onset of the ideology of unspiritual consumption and zoological individualism. A special place in the spiritual and moral revival of the country should belong to Orthodoxy as the most widespread religion in our country, as the religion of the state-forming people. It is necessary to clearly understand that without faith, without the Orthodox faith in particular, Russia will not solve the problems it faces, will not be reborn and will lose itself.

Orthodoxy is not only the religion of the majority of the Russian people, but also the religious and moral basis of Russian national state creativity. During periods of great upheaval in the Muscovite kingdom, the Orthodox Church invariably stood guard over the national interests of Russia and supported the government with all its might in moments of weakness. Gradually her authority declined. The ruling stratum needed a weak Orthodoxy and gradually the church reached complete impotence, which manifested itself in 1917. There was no moral authority, no authoritative hierarchs. The state essentially undermined the Church. And now the ruling layer of Russia is faced with the urgent task of helping Orthodoxy. As Solonevich rightly wrote, “Orthodoxy, both as a national religion and as the basis of national statehood, must be maintained in times of weakness. We cannot afford to enjoy the further collapse of national unity."

It is Orthodoxy, in our opinion, that can fulfill a meaning-forming, spiritual and unifying mission. It does not oblige citizens either to profess the dogmas of the Orthodox Church or to perform its rituals. The Orthodox principle is expressed not in church, but in state construction, means the recognition of the spiritual freedom of every person and. therefore, respect for this freedom, in the words of Solonevich, the desire for the implementation of God's truth on earth, the technically possible replacement of coercion with friendliness, fear with love. Hence the Orthodox tolerance of any religion, because it has never encroached on the freedom of other faiths.

K.P. Pobedonostsev wrote: “The state is stronger and the more important it is, the more clearly spiritual representation is indicated in it. Only under this condition is the sense of legality, respect for the law and trust in state power maintained and strengthened among the people and in civil life.”

The main task today is the revival and introduction into the mass consciousness of a worldview that meets the true traditions of Russia, associated with the primacy of the spiritual over the material, the cult of modesty, honest work, and mutual assistance.

There is a need for cultural and moral unity of the entire population, a change in the value system, and the elevation of moral values to absolutes. It is necessary to raise before the church the question of moving the center of gravity from the formally ritual side of Orthodoxy to the religious and educational side - and for this purpose, insist on the reorganization of spiritual education and the practical activities of the clergy among the masses. That is, “Apostles of the spirit” are needed - teachers who bring truths to the light. Orthodoxy, as the greatest spiritual value of Russia, must fulfill the function of moral improvement of the individual and society.

First of all, youth and children should be covered by the propaganda of spiritual and moral upliftment. A set of measures for spiritual and moral recovery involves a radical change in the policy of the media (and, above all, television), which should exclude the demonstration of scenes of violence, sex, preaching of immorality and lack of spirituality, which requires the creation of public control councils and the introduction of a kind of moral censorship in all media. Without censorship, we will not be able to save the younger generation from corruption and decay. It should be noted that the demand for censorship is put forward by the population, including young people. Morally healthy Russian youth opposes immoralism, cynicism, sexual promiscuity and zoological individualism. It is also necessary to introduce strict quotas for the screening of foreign film and television products. Our film and television screens should be dominated by national film production that preaches high ideals, spirituality, patriotism, and conservative values in general. It is also necessary to adjust educational programs in secondary and higher schools, building them on our traditional values.

Thus, a new national idea is needed, the idea of the unity of the entire society, which will help Russia enter a new system of moral coordinates, where a significant place will be occupied by lost spiritual principles, morality, ideals of unity - everything that has long been the essence of the conservative idea. This will entail a powerful integrating charge, awaken mass energy, and contribute to gaining a sense of dignity and self-respect. A state cannot exist for a long time without ideas and goals as engines and catalysts for its development.

Vladimir Ivanovich Dobrenkov , Professor, Doctor of Philosophy, President of the Russian Sociological Association, Dean of the Faculty of Sociology of Moscow State University

Notes:

1. Solonevich I. People's Monarchy. M., 2002. P. 574.

2. Pobedonostsev K.P. Church and State // Pobedonostsev K.P. Moscow collection.

3. Tikhomirov L.A. The fight of the century. M, 1895. P.61.