RELIGION AS THE SPIRITUAL PHENOMENON

1. RELIGION AS THE SPIRITUAL PHENOMENON

2. The Idea of World Doubling – the Basis of Religious Consciousness. God’s Image in the Man. • The Mruth of God’s Existence. Evidences of God’s Existence. Physico-theological Arguments. • Sense of Life and Its Problems in Religion. The Truth of Soul Immortality. (Immortalism).

3. Eternal problems: “What are you? What is your mission? What is the origin of the world and its advisability — they are inseparable from man’s history, his self-consciousness in the world he created himself. • We can read about these problems in Holy Scripture, Religion philosophy. They are embodied in national traditions and customs in Teachers’ of the Church exhortations.

4. Religious consciousness directs the man to humanness in relations between people. The man has the need in self-perfection on the principles of the highest values. The need of self-perfection inspires the man with the feeling of truth, world harmony and bliss. Unselfishness of his actions — is the highest manifestation of his religiousness.

5. Why the world of man’s existence is bifurcated? What is the specific character of man’s spiritual life? He has the definite aim in his life and aspires to achieve it. Creative ideas or fantasy are rather essential during this process. The man creates spiritual life of images and ideas on the basis of his knowledge and experience. This spiritual life is created in two forms – sensually perceived and abstract. The image of goal is created by means of the ideas and the goal is the final result of activity. At the same time ideal image of the future in the form of the dream appears. In other words: What does the man aspires to? What does the world like? What does the man like in the world?

6. It means that the man proves himself in the world not only by means of thought and practical activity but also by all his senses. The image of dream forms faith. The man experiences the future as the reality. The reality that must come true is man’s hope and one of the powerful stimulus (incentive) of his vital activity. Its manifestation is in unselfish and selfless love to God, the world the man live in. He wishes to feel communication with God. • A new world discovers before the man. He wishes to improve himself and the reality.That’s why the sense of Supernatural is the necessary condition of the Universe realization. The man wishes to feel himself as integral part of the Universe. He is the personification of intellect, will, spiritual values. He is God’s image. The man is capable of creative work as God’s similarity. It means that man’s calling is to continue God’s deed on the Earth.

7. Doubling the world religion directs the man to the world of real life. It is necessary to improve this world according to man’s divine calling. What is the essence of man’s calling? To confirm charity in everyday life, to be good to people, to love life created by God and to remember that this life is running fast. The value of this life is in good deeds. • To remember means to experience God’s presence in reality. Man’s mission is to embody God’s testament in this life. The sense of responsibility before the Creator is the level of religiousness. The man believes in God. His soul strives to the Highest Truth. He tries by his mind to approach to the substantiation of God’s existence (physico-theological argument).

8. What are arguments for God’s exictence? Arguments for god’s existence – The evidences produced, by the use of logic, in favour of God’s existence. Some have held that by one or other of these arguments the existence of God can be demonstrated, or proved. Others hold that a demonstration is not possible, but that the accumulated weight of the evidence from all the arguments confirms belief in God’s existence. Still others give even less credibility to all logical arguments on the subject and hold that God’s existence is a truth revealed to, and received by, faith alone. The arguments most often used in favour of God’s existence are as follows:

9. 1. The A Priori argumentargues from cause to effect and is based on “self-evident truths”, or upon essential laws of human intelligence. From these principles it labours to show that belief in God is a logical necessity.

10. 2. The Obtological argumenty of Anselm - i.e. Anselm’s argument from the nature of being or existence. Recognizing the difference between absolute, perfect being, and relative imperfect being, he argued in the form of a syllogism. • His major proposition was: The human mind possesses the idea of a absolutely perfect being. His minor proposition was: Absolute perfection of being implies necessity of existence (for that which must exist is of a higher order than that which may exist). His conclusion was: An absolutely perfect being does exist – for that which must exist, does exist.

11. 3. The Cosmological, or a posteriori argument argues from effect to cause. It proceeds: Every effect must have a cause adequate to produce it. The world, or the universe, is an effect and, therefore, must have an adequate cause. The only cause capable of producing such an effect is an all-powerful, eternal Creator, God.

12. 4. The Teleological argument is the argument from design. The universe bears evident marks of design or purpose; everywhere there is a wise and skilful adaptation of means to end. But design presupposes an intelligent designer, God.

13. 5. The Moral argument considers the phenomena of conscience in the human soul, and the universal feeling of accountability and dependence in men (the religious sentiment). It is argued that this sentiment is common to the moral constitution of all men, and if God does not exist this universal conscience is a lie. Thus, the primary sources of our belief in God are built into our moral constitution.

14. 6. The Historical argument shows three things: (a). That the human race is not eternal – that it had a beginning, or was created. (b). That the providential presence of God is evident in human history. (c). That it has been the universal consent of all men of all races throughout all history that God exists.

15. 7. The Scriptural argument uses the evident supernatural origin of the Bible, its miracles, its prophecies, and the beneficial effects it always produces wherever it is introduced, as proofs that the God of the Bible does indeed exist. In all such arguments the danger to be avoided is that of assuming man’s ability to be a competent judge and interpreter of the facts. All argument starts with some presupposition. To presuppose the ultimacy of human reason and interpretation is to deny the ultimacy of God and the fallen state of man. On the presupposition of the ontological Trinity, each form of argument has merit and appears in Scripture. But on any other presupposition, no argument can demonstrate the truth of God’s existence, for truth cannot be established by presupposing a lie.

16. There are four trends in European Philosophy of Religion. All these trends are directly connected with the substantiation of God’s existence from the position of knowledge and modern scientific and technological progress. • These trends are: ontological, cosmological, teleological and moral.

17. The first one is ontological argument. Its founder was medieval philosopher Anselm Kenterberisky (1033 — 1109). The essence of this argument is the following – if I think about God and feel Him, so He exists. What is in reality that we can feel and think about? Its impossible to imagine those things that the man won’t touch, feel and hear. His imagination will be based on the elements of reality. Many people leave on the Earth. Each of them has its own idea of God. This tendency spreads even on the same belief. For example: Orthodox and Catholic in Christianity, in Muslim (Islamite) - Sunnites and Shiites. • Social relations, achievements of culture, political aspects, the standard of scientific and technological progress influence on God’s idea, though God is only one in the world – the creator of the Universe, Earth and man.

18. The second argument is cosmological. The precursor of this argument was Arabian thinker Ibn-Roshda (125-1198), known as Averoas. He was the author of the so called theory of “dual truth”. What does it mean? There are two truths – the truth of mind and the truth of belief. We get knowledge about the world by means of our mind. Why this knowledge is true. Because we use it in reality. For example we apply X-ray in diagnostics and treatment, we also use remedies to treat patients. These things are the achievements of man’s mind (intellect) in the world cognition.

19. The divine world – the world of eternal aims at the truth of faith. Thus we perceive the faith by our feelings, realize it so it is rather important in our life. This faith orients us in the reality and is necessary for us. That’s why the faith is our eternal value in our vital activity.

20. The theory of “dual truth” was expanded by Christian theologian of Catholic creed Phoma Akwinsky (1225 – 1274). He considered ontological argument to be insufficient. The only gap in his views was – a man can imagine anything, but the reality won’t change from that. Phoma Akwinsky recommended to pay attention to five interconditional (interrelated) arguments.

21. What are these arguments? • The first: somebody must be the cause of perpetual motion, because nothing has the cause of self-motion in itself. God takes priority of this. The progress, metabolism and life itself are impossible without motion.

22. The second: everything has its cause. • But the cause and effect can not be endless. Somebody must manage the ties of the cause and effect. • God is such initial cause.

23. The third: the world consists of many phenomena. These phenomena occur as casual manifestation of world motion. They depend on many constituents. They can manifest themselves in some conditions and can not in the other. For example, rain as the natural phenomenon. Its regularity depends on many reasons: wind temperature, air, atmospheric pressure. The cause and effect ties can not express absurd chaotic state, when the cause goes after effect. There must be the source. God is the source.

24. The fourth: different things in the world have different levels of perfection. These limitations of perfections prove that interminable source of absolute perfection, which is inaccessible for the man must exist in the world. God is such absolute perfection.

25. The fifth: everyone has its own goal in the world and tries to achieve it. The wise being who governs everything and directs to the goal exists apart from the world. God is such being.

26. Thomas Aquinas physico-theological arguments (or evidences of God’s existence) are the official philosophy of Catholicism. Its calling is to direct religious belief in up-to-date scientific and technological progress and to protect it from false interpretation. • The theory of “dual truth” in its turn became the ideology of modern Orthodoxy and even Islamism. Its power is in the explanation of man’s intellect achievements in the sprint of God’s existence.

27. The third argument is teleological. The world teleological is of Greek origin: “teleo” (tέloς) – aim and “-logia” (lόgoς) – science. The science about ultimate purpose of the universe. This argument is the most ancient. Teleological arguments were know to Greek philosophers Socrat (470/479 – 399 B.C.) and Plato (425/427 – 345/7 B.C.) • Cicero (106-43 B.C.) and Syneca (4 – 65 B.C.) were admired of that argument. Teleological principles acquired conceptual meaning in Fathers and Teachers of the Church works (II – VIII centuries). What does it mean? The explanation of God’s existence correlatively with the advisability of the world and man’s activity.

28. Emanuel Kant – the classic of German Philosophy, was the founder of moral argument. His popular expression comprehends harmony of the Universe and man’s spiritual entity: “Two things fill the soul when we meditate on them – starry sky above me and moral law inside me”. Who gave the man moral law? Why is conscience his mob law and the highest criterion of humanness in the man? Where did he feel it from? Why does he submit to it?

29. Conscience is the manifestation of Deity in man’s soul, his vital activity, care of nature and other people, in his everyday deeds. It is generally known that man’s appearance on the Earth is impossible without moral principles. • The arguments mentioned above do not exhaust spiritual problem of the man. All the arguments together are powerful to prove God’s existence. No man can be indifferent to these arguments. Belief in God and the other world, his connection with man’s real life orient to higher values in man’s vital activity.

30. What is value? What is the role of religion in its structure? The notion “value” concerns material and spiritual things. They arise in the process of historical development of the society. • What spiritual things (facts) does the notion “value” include? They are: the faith in double world, in natural environment of vital activity and the existence of invisible ghost’s in it which are capable to help the man or to harm. • The notion of “value” was different in different epochs. Why? While changing the world the man extended the contents of some values and others rejected. For example, stone axe today is museum rarity, belief in good and evil spirits is the property of ethnography. And nobody believes that “evil spirit” manifest its power during solar eclipse. What does it mean? It means that the man is the measure of value. It changes in the process of man’s development, in his cognition and transformation of the external world, perception of God. • We should pay attention to another fact. Different status of people in the society forms different views about values. For example, town – dwellers and country – folks. They have different views on dwelling comfort, care of nature – the animal and vegetable world. Professional activity, social status in the society and even religious peculiarities (if people are of different creeds) also form different views about values. The system of values is complicated. But it doesn’t except values common to all mankind. • These values provide with standards of social and spiritual life of the society as a whole: people, nation, country, world. Otherwise people won’t be able to find the common language in solving the simplest questions of their vital activity: preservation of environment, concepts of freedom, equality, justice.

31. What is the peculiarity of religious values? This peculiarity concerns the believer, his attitude to religious things, ideas and ideals. We should pay attention to typical features of religious values. God is the base and centre of all values. The system of values depends on religious belief. Faith is the cognition means of religious values. Religious values do not exist without religious Weltanschauung (world outlook).

32. What do religious values manifest themselves? It is religious moral first of all. Moral consciousness is inseparable from religions consciousness. The feeling of guilt conscience, responsibility were strengthened in man’s self consciousness due to religious feelings. • Why are they spiritual value? Because human society is not able to exist without them. Moral permeates into all spheres of human life including religious consciousness. These are the feelings of sin, quilt, redemption, suffering and faith. They direct the man to the highest values from God. Ideas, ideals and symbols are also religious values. They are religious exhortations, orders, which the believer realizes in worship, prayer, ceremony. • The architecture of temples, worships, religious singing are also religious values. They raise the man into new world and give God’s sensation. • Temples, cathedrals, monasteries, pagodas, mosques are always the place of sanctuary and holiness in all religions. Each religion has its system of symbols. They reflected the most secret in religious belief and primordial culture of people. • The architecture of Christian cathedrals has one, five or more domes. They symbolize world harmony and the man in the world. • The main symbol in Buddhism is the representation of Chakra’s wheel which is identified with the Sun. The wheel symbolizes perpetual whirlpool. It’s possible to escape it due to Buddha’s teaching. • The dome of mosque is the symbol of divine absolute beauty, divine greatness in Islam. Green colour has symbolic meaning. It means youth and eternity of Muslim religion.

33. A man was created by God and endowed with life by God, so man’s life in itself represents religious value. Suicide as the violence on man’s spiritual essence is condemned in all religions. Spiritual essence was given a man by God. only God can dispose of it. • It is not by chance that the man has the necessity to realize the sense and life value of his soul immortality. The man realizes his death, that is the object of his thoughts and forms imagination of the other life. What is it caused by? It is caused by the idea of life sense and immortality of man’s soul. They concern all spheres of man’s life, his biological and social nature spiritual and practical mastering of the world. Conscious reproduction of the life is the general sign of all these spheres. How is it displayed? It is displayed in the reproduction of human kind, in social and spiritual life of the man. The sense of life is in life itself, in man’s aspiration for world perfection and his perfection in this world too. It means that in real world the man finds the highest sense of his vital activity that is in reproductive, social and spiritual immortality. What does it mean? Biological and social sense of man’s life is expressed by the feeling of maternity and paternity in human kind reproduction. Social immortality is in the results of man’s vital activity, where the man prove himself as unique personality.

34. Spiritual immortality is in person’s unique life experience and his personal features. A person has certain world outlook, professional skills and some other qualities that influence on the other people and form their spiritual world. Such person lives in the memory of grateful people. • The idea of life sense and immortality of person’s soul reflects essential relations of biological and social, ultimate and perpetual, death and immortality that are embodied in material and spiritual culture of mankind. That is the base of man’s moral responsibility for the preservation of God’s gift – life on the Earth. • So persons’ immortality is in all spheres of social life. He tries to enlarge the achievements of human mind and to make more profound humanistic relations between people.

35. What is the problem of man’s life sense in religion? The other question – Is a man perfect as God’s creature? The answer may be: “Yes” and “No”. “Yes” – because the man is the most perfect God’s creature in the created world from one hand and from the other hand uncompleted creature. So the man has to become more perfect. He must be God’s collaborator in world perfection. And besides that the aim of man’s life is the other life (future life). It determines the value of man’s life on the Earth. Life sense problem in religion orients to the truth of soul immortality. How is it explained? If the organism dies in the animal and vegetable world then its essence will die together with it. On the contrary, man’s spiritual essence doesn’t disappear in the moment of his death. It is created on “God’s similarity”. God is immortal. So man’s soul can not die. It possesses mind and will. It is created for the life that doesn’t have the end. • The idea of man’s soul immortality is inseparable from the belief in God. It determines the sense and aim of life.