Council 1: In which countries is the Christian religion a state

Culture and Society

Council 1: In which countries is the Christian religion a state

Christianity belongs to the number of world religions. This means that it is not confined to the framework of any one nation (as, for example, the Japanese Shinto religion) and is common among many nations living far from its birthplace.

Orthodoxy - the official religion of Greece

In most countries of the modern worldThere is no state religion at all: all religions (except forbidden destructive cults) are equal before the law, the state does not interfere in their affairs. Such states are called secular, or secular. Belonging to their number is the Russian Federation. From this point of view, it is possible to call Russia an "Orthodox country", and Italy - "Catholic" only from the point of view of historically established religious traditions. But there are also countries in which the official status of a particular religion is legislated.

The very first Christian state

Often, the very first state in whichChristianity has acquired the status of state religion, called Byzantium, but this is not true. The Milan edict of Emperor Constantine the Great, which opened the way to the formation of Byzantium as a Christian state, dates back to 313. But 12 years before this event - in 301 - Christianity was officially recognized in Great Armenia. This position was promoted by the position of King Trdat III. According to the legend, this king was initially determined against the Christian faith. His approximate St. He imprisoned George the Illuminator for refusing to offer a sacrifice to the goddess Anahit. Subsequently, the king became seriously ill. In his sleep, an angel appeared to his sister and said that only Grigory could heal Trdat, and the king should become a Christian. So it happened, and Trdat III after this incident began across the country to fight paganism. In modern Armenia, the special legal status of the Armenian Apostolic Church as a national religion remains.

Christian states of the modern world

Christianity exists in the form of Orthodoxy,Catholicism and various directions of Protestantism. Catholicism has the status of state religion in Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, as well as in several dwarf states of Europe: Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein and, of course, the Vatican, where the residence of the Pope .Status of Orthodoxy as "the dominant religion" is indicated in the constitution of Greece. Lutheranism has the official status of Denmark and Iceland. In some cases, this or that Christian faith is not state-owned for the entire as a whole, but for a certain part of it. Catholicism has the status of official religion in some cantons of Switzerland, and Anglicanism in England, but not in other parts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Some countries are formally secular states, but in fact, Christian denominations have a special status in them. The Bulgarian constitution defines Orthodoxy as the "traditional religion" of the country, and the Georgian Constitution emphasizes "the exclusive role of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the history of Georgia." In Norway and Sweden, despite the separation of church and state, the king remains the head of the church, and in Norway the Lutheran clergymen are equated to civil servant. In Finland, no religion is public, but there are special laws governing the activities of the Lutheran Church. The situation is similar in the case of the Orthodox Church in this country. In Germany, the church is separated from the state, but the financial departments of the federal states levy a tax in favor of religious communities. This right is used by Roman Catholic and Old Catholic communities, evangelical land churches. The tax is levied on the basis of belonging to any religious community, which must be registered at the passport office.

Tip 2: What is the most common religion

Christianity is the largest world religion both in terms of geographic prevalence and in number of adherents. In every country in the world, at least one Christian community operates.

Instructions

Christianity is an Abrahamic religion,which is based on the teaching and life of Jesus Christ. Believers do not doubt that Jesus is the Savior of Mankind and the Son of God and faithfully believe in the historicity of Christ. Religion originated in Palestine in the 1st century among the arao-speaking population. In the first decade, Christianity spreads to neighboring provinces and ethnic groups. For the first time as a state religion, it was adopted in Armenia in 301. And in 313 the Roman Empire gives Christianity the status of state religion. In 988, Christianization was introduced into the Old Russian state and continued for 9 subsequent centuries.

Adherents of the Christian religion throughout the worldaccount for about 2.35 billion people, accounting for one third of the world's population. In Europe, the number of Christians reaches 550 million, North America - 231 million, Latin America - 543 million, Africa - 475 million, Asia - 350 million, Australia and Oceania - 24 million people.

The essence of Christianity relies on personalityJesus Christ. The meaning is in the God-likeness. Christian doctrine is based on Holy Scripture, which includes the "Bible" with the "New" and "Old Testament." Also, the Christian world recognizes 4 "Gospels" from the apostles Mark, Matthew, Ion and Luke. Prayer is an integral part of religion.

In Christianity in the 11th century there is a split. There are the following main directions: protestism, Orthodoxy, Catholicism. The Catholic Church is the largest branch of Christianity. According to the data, it has more than 1.2 billion Catholics around the world. Catholicism is the main religion in 21 European states, throughout Central and South America. Orthodoxy is widespread in the Balkan, Eastern European countries and among the East Slavic peoples. The number of believers is estimated at 225 million people. Protestant Christianity is a large religious group in the United States, Australia, Scandinavian countries, Canada, the Netherlands and Germany.

In Russia, the number of Christian believersis 58.8 million people. This is 41% of the total population of the country. Mostly they profess Orthodoxy. In Russia, the religion is represented by the Russian Orthodox Church, alternative Orthodox organizations and Old Believer associations. The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church since 2009 is Patriarch Kirill. The patriarch is awarded for life.

Tip 3: What religions are there in Russia?

In the world, according to experts, there areabout 28,700 religious movements and cults. But no one has exact data, not even scientists. They simply can not be, because the process of formation and extinction of different beliefs is permanent and is likely to continue as long as humanity is alive. Echoes of ancient cults that have survived to our days from civilizations that lived long before us, are still alive and professed by the pagans of different countries. And the youngest religion appeared about 150 years ago in Iran. It is called the Bahá'í. Her adherents are gradually spreading around the world. There are followers of this religion in Russia. Although, of course, in Russia there are two religious trends: Christianity and Islam.

Instructions

Christianity is one of the world's most numerous religious groups. According to sociologists in the world, by the middle of 2013 there were about 2.355 billion Christians of various faiths in the world.

The largest world denomination amongChristians are Catholics: more than 1.2 billion people. But, since in Russia historically Orthodoxy dominates, Catholics throughout its territory live no more than 400-600 thousand.

Orthodoxy is the most extensive Christianthe confession of Russia. About 70% of Russians consider themselves to be Orthodox. But, according to the latest estimates, only 18-20 percent observe the canons, while those reading the New Testament, not to mention the Bible, are fewer times fewer.

The second largest religion, which is practicedthe people of Russia are Islam. In recent years, according to sociological polls conducted by the Levada Center, among Russian citizens there has been a growing trend of interest and treatment specifically for this religion. Currently, about 20 million Russian citizens call themselves Muslims.

Buddhism is one of the most ancient world religions. After Islam, she follows the number of adherents among the Russians. 1.5 - 2 million people are members of Buddhist communities.

Judaism is the third largest in the world, but not in Russia. In Russia, according to the latest survey, a little more than 1 million citizens are considered to be Judaism.

In addition to the listed - the most numerousreligious trends - on the territory of the Russian Federation there are also a large number of citizens professing different branches from the dominant religions.

For example, among Christians, in addition to Orthodoxthe Russian Orthodox Church and Catholics who identify themselves with the Roman Catholic Church, there are also Lutherans, Protestants, Greek Catholics, Armenian Gregorians, Old Believers, Uniates, Baptists, and other adherents of the teachings of Christ.

Among Muslims in Russia also live citizens who profess various Mohammedan currents. The most numerous of them are the Sufis and Salafis, the Shiites and Sunites are the least.

Buddhists are also not one. The main Buddhist currents prevalent in Russia are Tibetan Buddhism and Zen.

In recent years, in Russia, under the pressure of a return totraditional cultural values, the ancient Russian pagan cults began to revive: the worship of the doubt of the natural gods - Perun, Dazhbog, Stribog, Yaril.

Among the reviving religious pagan cults on the territory of Russia should also be noted such as: Zoroastrianism, Voodoo, shamanism and others.

Tip 4: The First Christian Martyrs

In the Christian tradition, martyrs are people who suffered or even died for Jesus Christ and his teaching. Already in the first centuries of Christianity there were many holy martyrs.

Bethlehem infants

The first martyrs for Christ can be considered abouttwo thousand infectious infants killed at the behest of the king of the Jewish Herod. When Jesus Christ was born, the Magi came to Judah, who was a revelation about the birth of the Messiah. They came to King Herod and told about this, asking how to find the king of Christ. Herod thought that Jesus would be such a king who would overthrow the current ruler from the throne. He inquired from the Magi about where Christ was to be born. Having received information about the city of Bethlehem, Herod, because of his anger and fear, sent soldiers there to kill all the babies up to one year old, born at the approximate time of the birth of the Savior. Thus, many mothers lost their children. However, Christ remained alive, as the Magi told of the king's intention. The Mother of God, the elder Joseph and the baby Jesus escaped to Egypt.

The First Martyr Archdeacon Stefan

Among the first Christian martyrs the Churchmentions the holy Archdeacon Stefanus who suffered for his faith in Christ as God. The book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, written by Luke, tells about the death of the holy martyr. He was stoned with Jewish scribes, scribes and Pharisees for professing his faith in Christ. In the murder of the saint, a certain Saul took part, who then turned himself to Christ and became known to the whole world under the name of St. Paul the First-First-Apostle. The Archdeacon was killed approximately in the fourth decade after the birth of Christ. His memory the Orthodox Church commits on the 9th of January. The saint himself was also one of the 70 apostles of Jesus Christ. He preached in Jerusalem, for which he was condemned by the Jewish Sanhedrin.

It can also be said that the firstChristian martyrs were the holy apostles. For example, it is known that of the 12 apostles of Christ, only John the Theologian died his death. The rest were tortured to death.

Tip 5: Which religion on earth was the first

According to experts, in the world there aretens of thousands of religious movements and denominations. Many former forms of worship go into non-existence, giving way to new ones. Today, historians are asking themselves: which religion was the first on earth?

Instructions

All existing religious teachings are grouped togetherin several main areas, of which the most famous are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. A study of the history of the emergence of these religions allows us to draw a conclusion about the religious worship that appeared on earth from the very beginning.

The above directions can be divided into2 groups: "Abrahamic" and "Eastern". The latter include Hinduism, Buddhism and a number of related currents that originated in southeast Asia. While Buddhism appeared in the 6th century BC, thereby becoming the same age as Confucianism, Hinduism has a significantly longer record of service. It is believed that the earliest date of its inception is 1500 BC. Nevertheless, Hinduism is not a single system of religious teachings, since it unites various schools and cults.

The "Abrahamic" group of religions is athree related directions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The first two forms of worship have a common doctrinal source - the Old Testament, the first part of the Bible. Islam, which appeared in the 7th century AD, was based on the Koran, which relies heavily on the experience of the entire Bible, including the New Testament. Unlike the "eastern" group of religions, which have many fundamental differences in the understanding and even the very existence of God, the "Abrahamic" forms of worship are distinguished by the main feature - monotheism, faith in one and one Creator. This detail is emphasized by the name of God in the "Abrahamic" religions: for Muslims, he is "Allah", which indicates the related "Elohim" of the Jews, in the Old Testament of which God is also called "Jehovah" (Yahweh), which is confirmed by Christians. The generality of these basic doctrines makes it possible to trace the historical path of the emergence of "Abrahamic" religions.

Judaism is the earliest oflisted forms of religious worship. "Torah" - the first five biblical books of the Old Testament, (also called the "Pentateuch"), began to be written around 1513 BC. Nevertheless, this work describes in detail the period of the formation of mankind and the history of the origin of religion long before the beginning of the writing of the Bible. Based on the analysis of the initial chapters of the Old Testament, the researchers came to the conclusion that there were previous manuscript sources, on the basis of which the Bible was written.

The Bible makes the study much easierHistorical background, as it contains a detailed chronological line. Thus, according to biblical chronology, Abraham, who is revered by representatives of all "Abrahamic" religions, practiced service to God at the turn of the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. The famous worldwide flood that the servants of God could survive in the Holy Scriptures dates back to about 2370 BC. According to the description of the Bible, for hundreds of centuries before the flood, people also professed a single faith in God. In particular, the Bible cites the words of the first woman of Eve, who referred to Jehovah (Yahweh) as the God who gave life to the first people on earth.

The religious and cultural influence that the Biblehas exerted on the eastern and western civilizations, as well as the presence in its composition of a strict chronological line with a description of the religious worship system practiced by the ancient world, singles out the Bible from the general mass of other religious documents. Today, the Bible considers more than half the world's inhabitants to be authoritative religious sources. Unlike many cults, the Bible is fundamental, which allowed the religious form presented in it for a long time to preserve a single system of worship to God. In turn, it helps to trace the history of confession of faith in the biblical God for millennia. These circumstances lead to the conclusion that the first religion on earth was that described in the Bible.

Council 6: What types of religions exist

Religion differs from other social phenomenabelief in the supernatural, the existence of a set of spiritual and moral rules of conduct, religious rites that unite a group of followers into various kinds of religious formations - the church, sect, current, faith, community, etc. In today's world, there are more than 5,000 religions.

You will need

Encyclopedia "Peoples and Religions of the World"

Instructions

The origin of the word "religion" is associated withtwo Latin verbs religare (join, bind, reunite) and relegere (discuss again, revere). In today's understanding, religio is piety, piety.

When classifying religions, severalsigns. For example, religion can be alive or dead. The religious beliefs of Egypt, ancient Greece or the civilization of the ancient Indians are only partly relevant, but they remain in myths, legends, and legends. Some of them have undergone a transformation and have a small number of adherents. Therefore, scientists make a description of these religions in the encyclopaedia and philosophical dictionaries.

In some parts of the world,tribal religions, for example, in the aborigines of Australia, Africa and Oceania. People belonging to a particular clan believe that they are protected and punished by an animal or natural phenomenon - a totem. As a totem can act and parts of animals - the head of a turtle, an eagle's feather, etc. Totemism stands out in a separate section of the classification of religions.

In the systematization of religiousbeliefs and trends is national-territorial. A striking example is India, which created a huge number of religions - Sikhism, Brahmanism, Jainism, Hinduism, etc. In China, this is Confucianism; Zoroastrianism in Iran.

The most numerous in numberfollowers in the classification list of religions are the world: Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. They are distinguished by territorial prevalence. For example, Hinduism is considered a world religion, despite the fact that its origins are in India. Indians are settled throughout the world, are citizens of European countries, America and the countries of the East. Actually, like the Jews.

Each of the world's religions has its own characteristics. Hinduism has a huge pantheon of gods and goddesses who are responsible for certain aspects of a person's life. Shiva - for the world order (he and the creator, he and the destroyer), Ganesha - for posterity, trade, science and art, Lakshmi - for prosperity, etc. You can not become an Hindu during life, they can only be born.

Buddhism is on the third step of the pedestalpopularity of world religions. It originated in India about 600 years before the birth of Christ. Its founder is Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who achieved enlightenment and preached the belief that man can rid himself of the suffering of this world through certain spiritual practices. Having performed his spiritual feat, the prince received the name Buddha, which means enlightened, reached nirvana. Today, Buddhism has many varieties and is widespread in the territory of Asia, South-East Asia and the Far East. There are adherents of this religion in Russia. Buddhism confesses on its own, everyone can become a Buddhist.

Islam is the second most popular inworld. This religion arose about 600 years after the birth of the founder of Christianity, thanks to the Prophet Muhammad, who preached faith in the one God of Allah. Muslims honor the ancient sacred Christian writings and believe in the myth of the fall of Adam and Eve. The Islamists believe that people have fallen into sin and delusion, and Muhammad was called by God to the land to correct the current situation. With the development of the society, Islam also underwent significant changes, Shiite, Sunni, etc. appeared. and spread all over the world.

Christianity is a world monotheisticreligion is the leader in the number of followers, based on the myth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who sacrificed himself for human sins. Christianity professes 2.4 billion people. This is the most common religion, however, the most heterogeneous and non-monolithic. First, it is divided into Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodoxy. From Christianity, sects have emerged and continue to stand out: Baptism, Lutheranism, Seventh-day Adventists, Anglicanism, Pentecostalism, etc. Christianity gives believers the hope of reunion with the god-father after death, not the forgiveness of sins under the condition of observing certain moral and ethical rules - do not kill, steal, do not covet, etc.