Countries differ from one another not only in language and geographical location, but also the quality of life and the degree of economic development. The reasons for this are different and seem not entirely obvious. But once you look at the map, a lot becomes clearer.

Let's look at a map of Europe, since it is the cradle of modern civilization. The countries of Europe can be roughly divided into Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox (there are also Islamic ones, but they do not affect the overall picture). The group of Protestant orientation includes 9 countries: Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden.

For clarity, we will only select countries with a predominant religion. We do not take Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland into account, since the ratio of Catholics and Protestants in them is approximately 50/50. Although Protestantism played an outstanding historical role in them (the elite is mainly Protestant + this is the birthplace of the Reformation).

Some infographics (see picture above. A.A.):

We see that:

firstly, the northern countries are more economically developed;

secondly, the level of corruption correlates with the level of economic development (which is not surprising);

and thirdly (and this is something new), the quality of life, it turns out, depends on the dominant religion in the country.

It is striking that the most successful countries are mainly Protestant, followed by Catholic ones and the least successful ones are Orthodox.

Among Catholic countries, the first places in the rankings are occupied by Ireland and Austria. Ireland was for several centuries the most economically disadvantaged country in Europe, and only the emphasis on education and radical economic reforms in the 1990s, they allowed it to make a powerful economic breakthrough, for which it received the nickname “Celtic Tiger” (by analogy with the “Asian tigers”).

The prosperity of Austria is due, in my opinion, to the ahead-of-time reforms of Emperor Joseph II of Austria-Hungary (1780–1790), “a revolutionary on the throne.” Among his other reforms were the abolition of serfdom and the reform of church relations. True, after the death of Joseph, almost all of his reforms were canceled, but the seeds he sown bore fruit in the next generations. In addition, Ireland and Austria have historically close ties to their Protestant neighbors.

The borderline position in the UK rankings can be explained by the peculiar position of the dominant Anglican Church, which is still a state church and is neither Catholic nor Protestant in its pure form.

It is clear that in modern Europe religion has little influence, but the mentality that has developed in the country for centuries depends on it. What features of religions can determine the state of society, its morality and economic situation? It would seem that Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodoxy are three branches of one tree. But, nevertheless, they profess different directions and live somewhat differently.

The key to the solution, in my opinion, is confession. Of course, the presence or absence of confession in religious practice does not exhaust the differences in Christian teachings, but it is a defining difference, I think. In Orthodoxy and Catholicism, the priest is a mediator between God and the believer; they confess their sins to him, receive remission of them, sin calmly, and move on with their lives. In Orthodoxy, the Lord is more pleased not with the righteous, but with repentant sinners (you can sin and repent and sin again). In Protestantism, the believer is alone with God (the priest is only an assistant and adviser) and is fully responsible for his sins, which also implies responsibility in everyday life. Dishonesty in money matters is no less a sin for a Protestant than any other. A Protestant, unlike a Catholic or Orthodox, cannot “buy” absolution with a generous donation to the church.

Many solid studies have been devoted to the influence of Protestantism on economic development. The German sociologist and economist Max Weber in his work “The Protestant Ethic* and the Spirit of Capitalism” notes that in Germany Protestants achieved the greatest economic success. They formed the basis of entrepreneurs and highly qualified technical specialists. M. Weber writes: “fulfillment of duty within the framework of a worldly profession is considered as the highest task of a person’s righteous life.” Further, studying statistics devoted to the analysis of the professional composition of the population of Baden, Weber also drew attention to the fact that among Protestants the percentage of capital owners, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers was significantly higher than among Catholics. Data for Germany coincided with data from other countries. In addition, young Protestants mainly entered real gymnasiums and technical institutes, while Catholics entered secondary schools and universities. These studies allowed Weber to hypothesize that there is a direct connection between religion and the atmosphere in the family, children's choice of profession and their attitude towards work.

*Protestant work ethic is a biblically based doctrine of the virtue of work, the need to work conscientiously and diligently (“All work is for God”). In it:

- the delay in wages is condemned - “Do not offend your neighbor and do not rob. The hireling’s wages shall not remain with you until the morning” (Bible, Leviticus 19:13);

- the cruel exploitation of workers is condemned - “do not rule over him with cruelty” (Bible, Leviticus 25:43).

Protestants emphasize that God forbids dishonest means of getting rich: “You shall not commit unrighteousness in judgment, in measure, in weight, or in measurement: let your scales be just, your weights right” (Leviticus 19:35–36). “...that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you, for whoever does iniquity is an abomination to the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 25:13 - 16).

A Protestant must know the Bible, constantly re-read it, i.e. he must be at least literate. Several centuries of universal literacy are another reason for the rapid development of the economy of Protestant countries. French Protestant historian of the 19th century. A. Candolle noted that of the 92 foreign members elected to the Paris Academy of Sciences from its founding in 1666 to 1866, 71 members were Protestants. Lutherans, Anglicans, and mostly Calvinists made more scientific discoveries than Catholics and were more flexible in applying these discoveries to life. Angus Maddison, a professor at the University of Gronningham (Netherlands), conducted a study of the level of economic development of the main European countries, expressed in terms of gross domestic product per capita, over a period of more than 150 years. It turned out that in 1820, among the 10 economically most developed countries in Europe, 5 belonged to countries with a predominantly Protestant culture and 5 to a Catholic one. In 1900, this ratio was already 6 and 4, in 1950 - 8 and 2.

More than 90% of the generals and officer corps of the Russian army and navy during Peter's reforms were Protestants. When the Russian Academy was created, all academicians and professors were invited European Protestants. By 1850, the Saratov province, where Lutheran Germans had settled since Catherine’s time, came in third place in terms of economic potential after St. Petersburg and Moscow.

The series of dictatorships in South Korea ended in 1993, when the elder of one of the Seoul churches, Kim Yong Sam, became the president of the country. Seoul is home to the world's largest Pentecostal community - 500 thousand parishioners. The authority and activity of Korean Calvinists are such that they are able to influence through the moral atmosphere economic development countries. It was the Protestants who managed to turn a backward country into a developed post-industrial power in just 20 years.

The Byzantine heritage - Orthodoxy - is doomed to carry within itself the grain of Asian fatalism, the domination of the state over society and the individual, the irresponsibility of the authorities before society and its members. And accordingly, a reduced level of personal responsibility, risky initiative of members of society (or rather, subjects of the sovereign). Which, in turn, slows down the development of the economy and society and periodically leads to catastrophic shocks. Peter Chaadaev wrote that one of the main mistakes in the past of Rus' was its adoption of Orthodoxy. The poverty of common people has always suited the Russian Orthodox Church. And the new generation of Orthodox ideologists, the authors of the “Russian Doctrine,” argue: “all our troubles come from the temptations of satiety, from the fact that Khrushchev transferred the Russian people from barracks to five-story buildings, that everyday comfort is dangerous for the Russian people, because “comfort has an inner side.” devastation". The concept is surprisingly combined with the defiant luxury of the propagandists of this ideology themselves.

Orthodoxy, unfortunately, is not one of the reformed religions. Catholicism has changed in recent decades, and Protestantism (most of the communities) has changed with the times. Of the main branches of Christianity, only Orthodoxy remains unchanged. The bearers of the Orthodox mentality in our country fight against the “falsification of history,” worship Stalin, consider themselves Orthodox (they go to church on Easter) and are nostalgic for the USSR. When our person finds himself in a Scandinavian store where there is no salesperson, and the money for the goods must be put in a box and change taken from there, he experiences a shock and finds it very difficult to resist the temptation.

It cannot be said that any religion or people are “better” or “worse”. The history of Protestantism has no less shameful and bloody pages than the history of any other religion. But the model of society that grew out of Protestantism turned out to be the most prosperous.

The “chicken and the egg” question arises - what is the basis, the internal need of the peoples of Northern Europe for a rational religion, or the rational religion that accidentally won in these countries, led these peoples to economic prosperity? Of course, a sum of factors played a role. But it was religions that shaped the work ethic and mentality of peoples. As a result, different nations found themselves in varying degrees of readiness for an innovative post-industrial economy and an information society.

In the history of the multi-religious United States, national criminal groups are known - Italian, Irish, Chinese, Latinos, etc., but I do not remember a single Protestant one. Throughout the construction and development of the American state, the basis of national identity was the Anglo-Protestant culture.

In 1884, at the suggestion of the chief prosecutor of the synod, K.P. Pobedonostsev, Emperor Alexander III expelled the leaders of evangelical Christians from Russia. By order of the Highest, the activities of the Society for Spiritual and Moral Reading were also prohibited. And soon there followed a decree of the Synod on the withdrawal of gospel books and brochures from circulation among the common people. In the same year, Protestant missionaries from the USA arrived in Korea...

There is no point in trying to actively introduce Protestantism on our soil. Time has passed. Only a very small percentage of people in our time can be imbued with the spiritual, rather than ritual, essence of religion. The overwhelming majority of people who consider themselves believers are not ready to go further than demonstrating their religiosity. Ask any of them how long it has been since he reread the Scriptures. There is only an Irish (Japanese, Turkish, etc.) way to approach economically developed countries- learn ready-made recipes for prosperous economies, their business and legislative practices, and try to integrate into the global economy. And this is exactly what you need to “sharpen” your education, legal awareness and culture towards. There was such an attempt, but it fizzled out. The pendulum of public sentiment is swinging back into the darkness of ignorance. It is important to understand that there are only two ways. One is the prosperity and development that is driving the essentially Protestant civilization, the other is a “return to traditional values,” backwardness and degradation (the Third Rome and the Caliphate). There is no third way and there never will be.

(published in abbreviation. A. A.)

Interesting results emerge from comparing countries with different predominant religions. Even Max Weber, in his famous work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” in 1905, noticed the connection between religion and economics. He found that in Germany (which was populated by both Catholics and Protestants) the Protestants had the best economic success; They formed the backbone of entrepreneurs and highly qualified technical specialists. In addition, Protestant countries such as the USA, England and Holland developed most dynamically. To date, sufficient statistical data have been accumulated to clearly state: The reasons for the backwardness and prosperity of countries lie in the cultural differences of society, in the religion professed by the majority of the country's inhabitants.

Director of the Institute for Cultural Transformation at the School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Professor Lawrence Harrison http://www.opec.ru/1295413.html, speaking on May 29, 2010 at the Leontief Center in St. Petersburg, cited the results of an analysis of 117 countries in which more than 1 million people profess one of the world religions. Here is some data from this report.

*- More than 50% of the country’s population professes this religion

**- In million people; data from the World Bank Report 2002

***- 2 is the highest degree of freedom, 14 is the least (data from the Freedom House 2001 review).

The assessment of GDP per capita was based on equality of purchasing power.

No comments needed! The higher the level of freedom in a country, the higher the standard of living and the lower the corruption. The differences are significant! And there is a direct dependence of the level of freedom on the religion professed by the majority of the population. By the way, the analysis of the distribution of Nobel Prizes by country for 1901 - 2007, given in the article by Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, President of the International Information Nobel Center (INTC) ) V.M. Tyutyunnik http://www.nobel-centre.ru/PDF/lnp_sinv.pdf shows a similar picture in scientific achievements.

Apparently the results would be even more eloquent if it were possible to identify the dependence of the number of awards on the religion of the laureates themselves. So in the USA, which has 40% of laureates, Protestants make up 57%, Catholics - 28%, Jews - 2%. I have such statistics only regarding Jews: with a total number of 13 million people in the world (0.2% of the world population), every fifth laureate Nobel Prize(20%) – Jew. 100 times more than the world average.

The conclusion is obvious. The economic and scientific development of countries depends on what religion the population professes. Protestants and Jews achieve much higher results in economics and science than Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Muslims.

You can, citing the feelings of believers, hush up the obvious facts and continue to look for your own path. But maybe it’s worth taking a closer look at what Protestants and Jews have in common, and how they differ from Catholics and Orthodox Christians.

<...> God's law Monotheism (belief in one God), the founder of which is considered to be Abraham, assumes that . Perhaps people do not know these laws very well and dare to think that they are wrong. We proceed from the theory of monotheism: The laws of nature were given once during the structure of the world (by God, evolution, nature). They can be learned, studied, refined, but they do not depend on us, they are fair for everyone. They may not be recognized, but everyone is forced to obey them. And whoever knows these laws better and follows them, lives better . Man is the same creation of God as the entire world around him. The only difference is that man is “created in the image and likeness of God”, endowed free will , he himself can choose his actions, therefore the laws of interaction between people are statistical (probabilistic) in nature, while the laws of physics are mainly deterministic.

The law of God - rules of behavior (morality, ethics) - is an integral part of all religions. It is not surprising that the basic morality of each religion is very similar. All monotheistic religions recognize Moshe (Moses for Christians, Musa for Muslims) as a prophet to whom God gave his Laws. In total, the Hebrew Bible - the Torah (the Old Testament for Christians) contains 613 commandments. Commandments are divided into ethical and ritual. Ritual laws are important for maintaining the unity and community of people, for their self-awareness as a single entity. They may be different for different peoples. Ethical laws, like the laws of nature, must be are the same . Therefore, the basis of the ethics of all religions are the Ten Commandments given by G-d to Moses on Mount Sinai.<…>

Briefly formulates the essence of moral, God's laws « Golden Rule“: What is unpleasant for you, do not do to your neighbor. This ethical rule is present in all religions. Everyone knows the commandments that regulate relationships between people: honor your father and mother, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not covet the things of others. But in the first place is another commandment, which prescribes behavior towards God, towards God’s Laws. I will quote it according to the text of the TORAH (Shemot 20:2-14):

1. I AM YOUR ALMIGHTY GOD, WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF THE COUNTRY OF EGYPT, FROM THE HOUSE OF SLAVERY. May you have no other Gods besides me. You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or of anything that is on the earth below, or of anything that is in the water under the earth. do not worship them or serve them; FOR I AM GOD, YOUR ALMIGHTY, A JEALOUS GOD, PUNISHING THE GUILT OF THE FATHERS OF THE CHILDREN TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION, THOSE WHO HATE ME, AND SHOWING MERCY FOR THOUSANDS OF GENERATIONS TO THEM WHO LOVE ME AND KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.

It is not for nothing that this commandment was given first. G-d is ONE. You cannot create idols and idols and worship them. G‑d punishes those who worship them UNTIL THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATIONS, and G‑d gives mercy to those who keep the commandments FOR THOUSANDS OF GENERATIONS.

Who is guilty?

Let's see how this commandment is observed in different religions.

Protestantism rejects the church hierarchy, prescribes daily reading of the Bible and direct communication with G-d without intermediaries, rejects the worship of saints and holidays in honor of saints, rejects the veneration of relics and icons. Houses of prayer are free from luxurious decoration, altars, icons, and statues. Any building can serve as a house of worship. Houses of prayer are independent; any group of believers can organize their own house of worship. The minister of worship is accountable to the Protestant community.

Judaism – There is no church hierarchy. The rabbi is a teacher and expert in Tradition. At the same time, he serves as the community administrator. He differs from other members of the community only in his scholarship and great knowledge, as well as high moral qualities. In the generally accepted sense, he is not a priest, since in Judaism there are no intermediaries between God and man. He is elected by the congregation, and there is no spiritual hierarchy in Judaism.

The reading of the weekly Torah portion is prescribed. Communication with G-d without intermediaries. No worship of saints, no one except G‑d alone. A synagogue (meeting house) is a place for public prayer. Synagogues have schools, libraries, and kosher canteens. Synagogues are completely independent. Any group of believers can organize a synagogue. To manage the synagogue, believers themselves elect leaders.

Catholicism – The Roman Catholic Church is a strictly centralized organization with a single global center - the Vatican. The multi-level hierarchy of this authoritarian-monarchical organization is headed by a single head - the Pope. In Catholicism, the Pope is considered God's vicar on earth, infallible in matters of faith and morals. The principle of “apostolic succession” is in effect - the principle of church law in accordance with which the sacred hierarchy of the Church directly and successively ascends through a series of ordinations to the apostles. Catholicism is characterized by widespread veneration of the Virgin Mary, relics, martyrs, saints and blesseds, their relics, and a magnificent theatrical cult. Although it should be admitted that in terms of beauty and majesty, icons and clothes, richness of decoration, paraphernalia, the Catholic Church is much inferior to the Orthodox Church.

Orthodoxy - The Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is headed by the “Holy Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'”. There are levels of hierarchy: Bishops, Presbyters (Priests), Deacons. The same principle of “apostolic succession” applies - all ministers undergo ordination. The veneration of saints, the relics of saints, the veneration of icons, and the erection of Temples in the name of saints are very common. Divine services are highly artistic theatrical performances, with expensive clothes, expensive decoration of Temples, expensive iconostases, and kissing the hand of the clergyman.

Protestants and Jews communicate with G-d directly, without an intermediary in the form of the Church. They worship only G‑d and do not create idols, idols or their images for themselves.

In Catholicism and Orthodoxy there is a rigid church hierarchy, and the veneration of saints is cultivated. And where the possibility of worshiping a person is allowed, the cult of a specific living person arises much more easily.<…>

What to do?

There is no doubt that the level of economic and scientific development depends on the level of freedom. The level of freedom depends on the cultural traditions of the people, and those, in turn, on the dominant religion . Progress is achieved by those countries where the influence of religion is great and the influence of the church is minimal. .

The level of freedom is higher in those countries where religions without a strict church hierarchy predominate, where the worship of specific people, saints, and clergy is not encouraged. The figures clearly prove that the level of development of economics and science is many times higher where they profess Protestantism or Judaism.

Needs to be developed in Russia freedom of choice religion. In the USA, a large percentage of those who, having matured, choose their own religion. To promote and disseminate knowledge about various religions, establish the “Freedom of Choice” foundation, provide young people with the opportunity to study various religions and independent choice of religion . Limit the influence of the church on the minds of the younger generation. After all, objective facts testify: only representatives of those religions where communication with G-d occurs without the mediation of the church achieve outstanding results in economics and science .

Religious attitudes, combined with a favorable demographic situation, create the preconditions for intensive economic growth. Among the BRICS countries, India has the highest prospects, Stanislav Gorokhov, an employee of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in a report

There are different religions practiced in the BRICS countries. Traditional national religions (Confucianism, Taoism) dominate in China. In India the majority are Hindus. In other countries, Christians predominate. Orthodoxy is widespread in Russia, in Brazil the majority are Catholics, in South Africa - Protestants. It is difficult to establish the exact number of believers, but Stanislav Gorokhov presented indicative data at the annual scientific conference of the New Economic Association “Interdisciplinary Studies of Economics and Society.”

Table. Number of believers in BRICS countries

Hinduism as a development factor

Hinduism has the largest number of followers in the BRICS countries. Hindus make up just under a third of the total population of the BRICS countries. Hinduism is practiced by about 75% of the inhabitants of India; there are a small number of followers of this religion in South Africa.

The demographic situation in India affects the characteristics of this group. Distinctive feature is the average age of followers - it is only 26 years. Despite the decline in the fertility rate (the average number of births per woman - Ed.) in India, it continues to remain quite high and amounts to 2.5. This, according to demographers, will ensure India's population growth until 2060. According to UN forecasts, India will overtake China in terms of population in 2028 and will take first place in the world in terms of population.

Hinduism presupposes a leisurely, measured lifestyle, said the author of the report. From the point of view of the impact of religion on economic development, an important feature of Hinduism is reverence for knowledge.

The abolition of the caste system contributes to the gradual development of social elevators, which encourages the growth of human capital.

According to Stanislav Gorokhov, the peak of Muslim migration activity occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century. Hindus became involved in this process only from the end of the twentieth century, so at the moment their share in migration flows is high. Most of the Hindu migrants go to the USA, Canada, the Gulf countries, and the EU.

Russia and South Africa are also labor force acceptors, but for migrants from the BRICS countries, the level of vacancies offered does not meet the demands of migrants. Returning to Hinduism, Stanislav Gorokhov noted that this religion is regional and therefore cannot be considered a factor in cross-country interaction.

In China, relations are regulated

China is a state where different religions coexist. 80% of the country's residents profess national religions (Confucianism, Taoism) or Buddhism. The median age of Buddhist followers is higher and is 34 years old.

Confucianism has the first place in terms of depth and duration of influence on the economic and cultural development of society. The central problems of this religion are questions about the ordering of relations between rulers and subjects, respect for elders. According to Stanislav Gorokhov, the religious views of the Chinese largely explain the paternalism that dominates society, and help implement the plans of the country's leadership and encourage trust.

Atheism comes in different forms

The second largest population in the BRICS countries is the non-religious population. Its share is 20% higher than the world average (11%). Such a high proportion of atheists reflects the historical commonality of development of China and Russia in the twentieth century, and is a consequence of a long period of atheism in these countries. The share of non-believers is gradually falling, which is associated with the religious revival of these countries. However, in other countries, the opposite trend is observed - young people do not believe and are moving away from religion. These multidirectional processes lead to the internal heterogeneity of this group.

Christianity as a global religion

Christianity is the only global religion professed in the BRICS countries, noted Stanislav Gorokhov. Followers of Christianity make up the majority in Brazil, Russia and South Africa. There are also Christians in India and China.

Brazil ranks first in the number of Christians. The success of Christianity as a means of cultural globalization is associated primarily with Protestantism. The massive spread of the charismatic movement in Brazil was observed in the second half of the twentieth century. Currently, there are five charismatic denominations, each of which includes more than 2 million people.

In South Africa, the main religious communities are the Zion Christians and Pentecostals. They also belong to Protestant churches.

The bulk of Orthodox Christians live in Russia. According to various estimates, their number in the Russian Federation is 40-80 million people. The median age of believers is just under 40 years. A sample analysis in Russia does not show differences between religious and non-religious people in terms of the number of births.

Roughly estimating the number of children in a family, we can say that in Russia, regardless of religion, there is usually only one child. In countries professing Buddhism, a family usually has two children; in Protestant families, there are usually three children.

The demographic window (high proportion of young working-age population) in the BRICS countries allows us to expect high results of economic development.

Hindus have the lowest median age, indicating India's enormous development potential.

Religion and Economics

The economy is a historical and cultural phenomenon. Any economic system is connected with real human needs, hopes and other mandatory prerequisites and conditions of management. According to Marx, religion, together with political, legal and other systems, forms a “superstructure” over the economic “base”. “It is not the consciousness of people that determines their existence, but, on the contrary, their social existence determines their consciousness.... With the change economic basis

Being a derivative value, religion has an active reverse impact on the economy and other spheres of social life. It performs an ideological function: it represents the selfish interest of the ruling class as a general interest, and teaches slaves to obey their masters. Analysis of religion from these positions requires that religious ideas be derived from existing relations real life society, and first of all the conditionality of religion by economics must be revealed. From this point of view, "political and religious

The great theories of the era (the Reformation - V.G.) were not the cause, but the result of the stage of development at which agriculture, industry, land and waterways, trade and money circulation were then in Germany."1

This approach has not yet received significant development in sociology, but there are still interesting studies of the connection between religion and various modes of production, social stratification and forms of distribution, the mechanisms through which economic roles and relationships influence religious life.

Social anthropology examines the relationship between religion and economics at the level of the most ancient connections between valued virtues, desired goods, and the survival interests of a group. In early society, the divine is found in things that symbolize primary needs and means of subsistence, in individuals who are most successful in obtaining food.

Thus, hunting tribes deify and make the most valuable prey an object of veneration; the gods are presented as great hunters. Farmers venerate grain and other symbols of fertility in dying and resurrecting deities, which are at the center of cult actions and are the main objects of veneration. This also applies to man himself, his procreative power in the form of the cult of the mother goddess and phallic symbols. The most valued and revered behaviors were those that ensured the survival of the group and its culture: the luckiest hunter; the farmer who has the most productive field; parents who have many children.

As production develops, when physical survival ceases to be an everyday problem, more long-term concerns and interests appear: gods and heroes become the protection of that wealth, those material and cultural conquests in which a group or society sees the main thing that determines their existence. The problem of survival is no longer understood only in economic terms. At the same time, it never breaks away from the economic basis.

Marx drew attention to the fact that among all ancient peoples, initially the accumulation of gold and silver was the privilege of priests and kings: to have gold, “the god and king of goods,” was appropriate only to kings and priests; "the state treasury, as a reserve-

"Engels F. Preface to the second edition of the "Peasant War in Germany" // Marx K. and Engels F. Soch. T. 16. P. 412-413.

The fund and the temple are the original banks where this holy of holies is kept."

In the era of the European Middle Ages, between the end of the 10th and the middle of the 11th century, “everything that we call art, or at least what remains of it after a thousand years, its most durable, least susceptible to destruction part , had no other purpose than to lay at the feet of God the riches of the visible world, to give man the opportunity to temper the wrath of the Almighty with these gifts and to gain his mercy. All great art was a sacrifice, an offering. It contains more magic than aesthetics."

Weber did not dispute that changes in the economic system of society force religious systems to change. At the same time, the main thing for Weber was still that religion is a powerful stimulus for social change. He believed that the most important factors of social change are rooted in cultural systems, which include religion. More than any other sociologist, Weber showed the importance of great religious movements both for differentiating the basic types of society and for creating (through the institutionalization of the values ​​that originate in them) an important stimulus for certain types of change, incl. and in economics. In his work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,” Weber substantiates the thesis according to which ascetic Protestantism made a decisive contribution to the formation of capitalism and a modern industrial society. It was this work that contributed to the growth of interest and understanding of the significance of the problem of interaction between religion and economics. Most studies of this problem follow the approach proposed by Weber and try to find parallels to ascetic Protestantism in other religions and in other societies.

An analysis of the economic ethics of world religions allowed Weber to more general form to substantiate a sociological theory in which religion is perceived as a factor of social change and the problem of “religion and economics” is presented more broadly. Weber contrasts world religions with “magical symbolism,” which determined the stereotyping of various types of activities, incl. and economic. Salvation religions contributed to the rationalization of social activities by introducing such a regulatory factor as ethics.

1. Marx K. Economic manuscripts of 1857-1859 // Marx K. and Engels F. Works. T. 46. Part 1. P. 176.

2. Dubi J. Time of Councils. M., 2002. P. 39.

“Every original magical... influence of spirits and gods in the interests of individual people was reduced, along with the promise of long life, health, honor and procreation, as well as a better fate in the other world, to wealth as a self-evident goal;

we find all this in the Eleusinian mysteries, in the Phoenician, Vedic religions, in the folk religion of China, in ancient Judaism and Islam, in promises to pious Hindu and Buddhist laity. On the contrary, the sublimated religion of salvation, on the one hand, and rational economy, on the other, increasingly opposed each other."

The relationship between religion and economic activity is one aspect of the relationship between religion and worldly life. According to Weber, this attitude should be expressed in two types of behavior, which he designates as asceticism and mysticism. Mysticism is focused not on action, but on possession, communion; in man she sees not an instrument of God, but a vessel, a container of the will of God. Asceticism, growing out of magical ideas, appears in a dual form: on the one hand, it should be aimed at renouncing the world, on the other hand, the meaning of asceticism may lie in gaining power over the natural world.

The nature of asceticism is determined by the understanding of activity “pleasing to God”; it can be realized in the departure “from the world” of a hermit monk, in “extramundane asceticism.” But this must also be activity “in the world” with the goal of transforming it, suppressing the sinful principle with the help of professional activity, and “inner-worldly” asceticism.

In the religions of salvation, thus, various types of attitudes towards the world and methods of activity are formed, incl. and economic.

World religions created a religious community and organization on a purely religious basis: a brother by faith was supposed to become closer to a brother by blood. Within a new social community based on the unity of faith, an ethic of religious brotherhood is being developed. It has largely adopted the original principles of social and ethical behavior within the “union of neighbors” - neighboring communities of villagers. There were two principles at work here. The first is in internal morality: “as you are to me, so am I to you.”

Fraternal, selfless help in trouble is the economic consequence of this morality, and in everyday life - the free provision of equipment for the use of a brother in faith, an interest-free loan, hospitality, support for a poor neighbor from a wealthy neighbor, free of charge.

work in case of need on neighboring land. At the root of these norms is an understanding of the commonality of fate: what you lack today may not be enough for me tomorrow. Hence the prohibition to bargain with a member of the community in an exchange or loan in the hope of obtaining a benefit for oneself, the prohibition to enslave him for a long time in case of, for example, non-payment of debts.

Another principle is external morality, attitude towards strangers. Here there are no longer the restrictions that the ethics of brotherly love imposes on the attitude towards one's neighbor. The commandments of all ethically rationalized religions of salvation, incl. Christian, regulate relations with fellow members of the religious community. Οʜᴎ are born into this social structure. In their development, they rise to “communism based on brotherly love for the suffering as such” (Weber), love for man in general, up to “love for the enemy.” The bonds of faith limited the manifestation of these feelings to the community, but ideally this ethical demand always went in the direction of universal brotherhood, transcending all boundaries of social unions.

As a result, which is important from Weber’s point of view, the feeling of religious brotherhood inevitably collided with the orders and values ​​of worldly life, and especially acutely in the economic sphere. The rationalization of religious life, the life of a religious community on the basis of the ethics of religious brotherhood was opposed by the rational organization of economic activity. A rational economy is a business enterprise that is guided by prices expressed in money that arise through the clash of interests of people in the market. Money is the most impersonal thing that exists in the world: “The more the cosmos of the modern capitalist economy followed its immanent laws, the more impossible any conceivable connection with the ethics of religious brotherhood turned out to be. And it became more and more impossible, the more rational and thereby impersonal the world of capitalist economy became." If it was still possible to regulate ethically even personal relations between a master and a slave (precisely because these relations were personal), then the relations between impersonal figures are an exchange on the market valuable papers, where there is no longer any personal connection between people entering into an exchange, it was no longer possible to regulate.

For this reason, salvation religions were deeply distrustful of the development economic forces as specifically hostile to the relations of religious brotherhood.

Weber characterizes the attitude of these religions to entrepreneurial activity with the Catholic formula: “It should not be pleasing to God.” For a long time, any commitment to material wealth, the desire for money and profit aroused fears bordering on horror of “destroying the soul.”

At the same time, the connection between religious communities, incl. church, with peace and the utmost importance of deciding economic problems, imposed by life, forced us to make compromises. If religious ethics in its extreme manifestations means a general refusal to own the goods of life, if asceticism, which avoids the world, prohibits monks from having personal property and demands that their needs be limited to the most necessary, then the attitude towards work turns out to be ambiguous: on the one hand, the monk is obliged to provide for his living by one's own labor; on the other hand, work is only burdensome and extremely important, distracting from the main thing - contemplation, prayer.

The breakthrough occurred during the transition from historical religion to early modern religion. Protestantism turned out to be capable of ensuring the emergence of an economic system with greater social mobility and social stratification, and became the spiritual basis of an economy based on rapid technical growth and expansion of production in the pursuit of profit from investment. The essence of this type of religion is expressed in the “Protestant ethic,” which has had such a significant influence on the development of the modern world and its economy.

The Protestant ethic abandoned the universalism of love and recognized professional activity“in the world” by serving God (worldly asceticism). Instead of the idea of ​​fraternity and the willingness to “give the shirt off your back” to someone in need (a gesture symbolizing the renunciation of the confines of this mortal world and readiness to sacrifice for the sake of saving the soul), there is a stern duty that commands one to devote all one’s strength to serving the “cause” and not indulge the “laziness” of those Those who do not want to live by honest labor please the body and destroy the soul. Protestantism’s recognition of worldly life and secular culture meant not so much a positive assessment of them as a demand to abolish monasticism and consider life “in the world” as an order determined by God, from which a person should not deviate: to live in this world, enduring everything to the end its hardships and adversities are a more difficult matter than escaping from the world and demonstrating Christian virtues in the favorable conditions of monastic life. It is necessary to lead a life worthy of a Christian in the world, to perceive marriage, work, the state and its other institutions as

the institutions of God. A believer cannot leave this world because this would mean willfully evading the most natural and most difficult service in which he shows his devotion and obedience to God. The field of human activity is not supernatural deeds, but the modest performance of one’s earthly affairs and duties. The Protestant ethic equalized the value of all types of labor, and property began to be seen as a blessing from God given to a specific person. The value of private property is established at the level of mass consciousness, and wealth becomes an expression of success in business that God rewards his chosen one. It is not intended for consumption, but to be invested in business, to bring even greater wealth and thereby serve God and glorify his work through labor. The rise in the status of wage labor was an important condition development of industrial-capitalist production.

According to Weber, economics - one of the basic conditions of human existence - is embodied in various types of economic activity. They are characterized not only by technological features, but also by different social organization of labor; An essential factor in economic activity is the mentality of the subjects of this activity. Religion could (and did play) an important role in the development of economic thinking. This idea was substantiated by Weber in all his works devoted to world religions. In the book “Economic Ethics of World Religions,” Weber examines the question of why the development of the West and the East took different paths, why only Europe developed a developed rationalization of economic activity, which determined the turn in world development towards a modern industrial society. To do this, it was necessary to overcome the “rejection of the world” in religions, which not only value worldly material activities low, but also consider active, interested participation in the affairs of society as an obstacle to spiritual improvement and the salvation of the soul. The change in the attitude towards work during the Reformation, the recognition of it as a true service to God, a religious duty, led to the intensification of economic life, and ultimately to the socio-economic breakthrough of the West.

R. Bell's work "The Religion of the Tokugawa Era" (1957) analyzes the factors that determined the rapid modernization of Japan - a country with a strictly traditionalist, collectivist value structure, which is the best for modernization.

the worst premise. Believing that religion forms the core of the value system that defines society, Bella suggested the existence of a deep religious structure - “Japanese religion” - in the base of Buddhism, Shintoism, and Confucian ethics cultivated in Japanese society. Focused on “worldly affairs” (in Japanese culture, success is determined by hard work and diligence), the ascetic movement, which embraced mainly samurai, at the same time also contained a transcendental orientation. This "Japanese religion" cultivated strict group loyalty and could form the core that initiated the industrial development of the country. In addition, the political elite, under the influence of contacts with Western countries in the second half of the 19th century. came to the conclusion that Japan could resist the West only by adopting modern forms of production, statehood and governance. According to Bell, the example of Japan shows that religion can influence economic thinking in ways very different from the way the Protestant ethic influenced the development of capitalism.

As studies in a number of European countries and the United States have shown (in particular, studies conducted in Detroit by G. Lenski in the 1950s), even in an already developed industrial society, religion can determine differences in the economic thinking of the population. Lenski discovered, for example, that Protestants, to a greater extent than Catholics, possess an economic mentality of the type that Weber characterizes as the “spirit of capitalism.”

In Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The problem of the development of capitalism caused heated discussions. In the works of S.N. Bulgakov considers this problem in its connection with religious life, mainly Orthodoxy. Highly appreciating Weber’s book “The Protestant Ethic,” he first of all points out that thanks to this work, religion as a factor in economic development, since it is a factor in the formation of the individual, is introduced into the circle of studying economic life. Bulgakov states with regret that the influence of the religious factor on economic life has not been sufficiently studied and that this kind of research is almost completely absent in relation to Russian economic life, including the history of industrial development in Russia.

According to Bulgakov, a new “European attitude towards economic labor” is introduced by Christianity. It does not begin with the Reformation, but the Reformation and Protestantism made a decisive

a turning point in this development. The core of this question is the motivation for work inherent in Christianity: work is not only extremely important, it can and should be considered as the fulfillment of religious or ethical duties, as a “special religious work.”

A religious and moral attitude towards work is especially characteristic of eras with a predominance of a religious worldview, when work is part of a system of general asceticism, which does not mean mortification of the flesh, but positive work for the benefit of the whole, for the ethical and aesthetic enlightenment of the world. Bulgakov notes economic importance monastic economy in certain periods of the history of Western Europe, the role of Orthodox monasteries in the development of vast spaces of the Russian North and East.

At the same time, the most important issue for Bulgakov is the development of capitalism in Russia and the potential of Russian Orthodoxy. Bulgakov agrees with Weber that capitalism requires a special psychology - not just an attitude towards work as a religious and moral act, but also an attitude towards wealth as an end in itself. This is the idea of ​​bourgeois ethics about the professional duty to multiply accumulated funds, to put capital into circulation. Bulgakov writes:

“Worldly Protestant asceticism, acting with all its might against the careless use of property and binding consumption, especially luxury goods, frees accumulation from obstacles from traditional ethics: it breaks the ascetic bonds to accumulation in the name of asceticism, not only legalizing the desire for enrichment , but also considering it directly as a deed pleasing to God" [11, p. 359]. However, it turns out that you can make money with a clear conscience. But in addition to the bourgeois entrepreneur, ascetic Protestantism also brought up conscientious workers, unusually efficient and attached to work as a godly goal of life, who feel their responsibility.

Noting the connection between Russian capitalism and the Old Believers, Bulgakov draws attention to the fact that persecution develops resilience and strength of character, while the privileged position of the state church weakens the degree of influence of the religious factor (even regardless of the specifics of the doctrine). Orthodoxy in its attitude to the world is fundamentally different from Protestantism, but, as Bulgakov argues, in the discipline of ascetic obedience, it, like the Old Believers, which is not dogmatically different from it, has powerful means for educating the individual and developing a sense of personal responsibility and duty, so essential for economic activity.

True, Bulgakov states with regret, the influence of Orthodoxy on the economic creativity of the Russian people is becoming less and less noticeable and often turns out to be weaker than the influence of sects, due to the “regrettable decline of Orthodoxy at this historical moment.”

The conclusion that Bulgakov comes to still rings true today: the national economy requires the spiritual health of the people, increased personal responsibility and self-discipline, which presupposes recognition of moral responsibilities in the sphere of professional work. And the point is not only that “due to the low quality of the human personality, the economic conquest of Russia by foreigners is also taking place,” but mainly that “for the Russian revival, national self-education, including a healthier, sober and more honest attitude to the question of the development of productive forces."

The historian N.M. analyzes in more detail the role of the Old Believers in the development of commercial and industrial capital in Russia. Nikolsky in his work "History of the Russian Church". The mechanisms of influence of the Old Believers on economic development are significantly different from those revealed by Weber, speaking about the influence of ascetic Protestantism on the creation of the psychological prerequisites for capitalism in Western Europe. The main difference is essentially that the religious development of the “posad opposition” in the form of the “old Orthodox” faith provided not so much for the development of a new religious ideology, but rather for colonization along the Volga and the Urals, as well as abroad.

The main trading points along the Volga, starting from Shuya, shipbuilding, and grain trade were in the hands of the Old Believers. In the Urals, great successes have been achieved in industrial development. By the middle of the 18th century. The Old Believer bourgeoisie already possessed “great trades and trades,” and at the beginning of the 19th century. The Moscow (Rogozh) group of Old Believers-merchants, who were handling millions of capital, came to the forefront.

Nikolsky explains the trade and industrial successes of the Old Believers for a number of reasons, and first of all, extraordinary solidarity and mutual support. Solidarity connected not only members of one community, but all communities were connected by solidarity of interests and provided support to each other. The "spirit of merchant capital" was a spirit of communal solidarity on religious grounds, strengthened by persecution. In this relationship lies the strength of Old Believer associations, a kind of infrastructure for trade activity throughout the country: “Church organization

clericalism was only a pseudonym for a broad organization of commercial capital, the main owners of which were then the “blessed” adherents of the old faith. The main place in the trade turnover of this era was occupied by the trade in bread. Rogozhskaya and Taganka, long before the organization of special trade agents, already had one in the person of the Old Believer communities of the grain-producing provinces..." In the first decades of the 19th century, the commercial and industrial Rogozh Union founded the first large manufactories in Moscow itself and its environs, which was the beginning of a free capitalist industry.

The peasants, who entered the factories en masse, accepted the Old Believers, which gave them the prospect of leaving serfdom and getting rid of conscription, ᴛ.ᴇ. this perspective was based on practical rather than ethical concerns. For converting to the Old Believers, peasants were given preferential terms loans for redemption and recruitment receipts were purchased for them. However, here, too, industry was provided by “working” workers who “felt their responsibility to the owner”: the manufacturer was a brother in faith and a benefactor.

Entrepreneurship in the development of Russian commercial and industrial capital had other motivations than ascetic Protestantism with its inherent individualism and sense of personal responsibility before God. The persecution of schismatics strengthened the spirit of solidarity and mutual support; Thrown out of official social structures, effectively placed “outside the law,” they could oppose the power of the state - the power of big money. Capital is a weapon in the fight for faith against its persecutors; debt drives those who make millions, and not just a passion for profit; He does a “charitable deed” also because he feeds, gives work, and arranges the fate of many who would otherwise be lost. However, here it turns out that you can make money with a clear conscience, and the more, the better. But increasing wealth, in contrast to the ethics of ascetic Protestantism, is not considered in itself as the highest good, as an end in itself. What remains, in theory, is the attitude towards economic activity as a “public service”. Religious ethics inevitably comes into conflict with the “rationality of the matter.”

And is this not why in Russia the attitude towards the entrepreneur is such, in the words of Bulgakov, that it “drives representatives of industry morally into a corner, demoralizes them, degrading them in public opinion,” “subjects them to social and moral boycott?”

The rapid growth of industrial and banking capital in the second half of the 19th century. had an impact on the economic base of the state Orthodox Church. The Church, Nikolsky notes, is following the century towards capitalist accumulation, but does this extremely clumsily and “works” not so much for itself as for the state.

As of 1910, only a few church institutions had large land holdings; most of the church lands were small plots of rural church parishes. 800 thousand dessiatines of land belonging to bishops' houses and monasteries were exploited for profit, but these lands accounted for only 0.1% of Russian land ownership at that time. There were also few commercial enterprises of the church. Only a few of the largest monasteries, such as the Trinity-Sergius and Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, had their own warehouses, shops and apartment buildings. The main source of existence for all church institutions and clergy were government loans and income from purely church operations. Deprived of land, far from being provided with regular government support (out of 934 monasteries in 1916, only 275 received it in total in the amount of 423,528 rubles, about 150 rubles per monastery), the monasteries lived mainly on their own funds, the source of which was a kind of trade: they traded places in monastery cemeteries, crosses, icons, blessed oil, prayers - 100% profit. Church Orthodox historian E.E. Golubinsky said that Russian Orthodox monasteries were the most unscrupulous traders in the world. From time to time, when a wave of criticism arose, the Synod tried to raise the authority of the monasteries to encourage them to expand their charitable and educational activities, but, as a rule, the monasteries refused, citing their “poverty.” In 1913 ᴦ. At the monasteries there were only 192 hospitals with 2,368 beds and 113 almshouses with 1,517 people in Russia. The number is even more insignificant if you compare it with the number of monasteries and the number of monks.

The Orthodox Church of the post-reform period is revealed primarily in its economic weakness. There is no need to talk about any real contribution of Orthodoxy to the economic development of Russia.

I.S. Aksakov, who called for church reform for the sake of saving Orthodoxy, likened the church body to a corpse, in which the constituent parts - the laity and the clergy - are united only forcibly and mechanically, are overwhelmed by demoralization and threaten to be completely separated.

So, certain religious values and attitudes can contribute to the development or decline of an economic system. If religious ethics focuses on hard work, diligence, self-restraint and a modest lifestyle, service to the “cause”, and not self-indulgence, then it can contribute to the increase of wealth. At the same time, this kind of motivation in itself is neither sufficient nor extremely important and must be supported by other factors.

IN modern world The significance of the religious system in a developed type of economy is little noticeable. This circumstance is explained by the fact that in the process of modernization a high level of rationalization, inherent in any modern industrial society, is created. Modern society requires numerous scientific and technical personnel, whose training and ongoing social organization require a high level of rationalization at the level of not only infrastructure, but also consciousness. Today in Russia “the economic elite is the most irreligious of the elites.”

Religion and economics - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Religion and Economics" 2017, 2018.

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1 UDC 2 (100) THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION ON THE ECONOMY OF THE WORLD COUNTRIES E.V. Bedan, N.A. Budarina Summary. The work examines the influence of the main religions of the world on the income of states that adhere to these religious dogmas. To identify the relationship, analytical and mathematical work was carried out, reports of the UN, IMF, CIA publications, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, World Christian Encyclopedia were studied. Based on the study, it was revealed that the most positively influencing religion in the world is Christianity, namely its direction such as Protestantism, and the worst influence is exerted by atheism and Hinduism. Key words: economics, religion, income. Introduction. Economics and religion are closely related. They are now trying to introduce religious laws and customs into all areas of human life, which gives the right to talk about the functional role of religion in the economic development of the state. Many economic indicators Associated with the religiosity of the state are the level of freedom, the level of GDP, the human development index, literacy, birth rate, level of trust and corruption. Two main approaches to analyzing the place of religious variables in economic life are determined by the scientific contributions of scientists such as Karl Marx and Max Weber. In addition to these studies, we can mention the works of P. Bell, S.N. Bulgakov, S.P. Huntington, P. Johnstone, L. Harrison. At this stage of developing this issue, it is necessary to analyze the global trend in the GDP of states and their religions, as well as the level of income of states that are adherents of different religious concessions. The main goal of the work is to identify the most influential religions of the world on the economic state of states. Main part. Before starting to study the influence of various religions on the income of the population, it is necessary to analyze the global trend of the influence of religion on GDP. Rice. 1. Comparative characteristics level of GDP and religion in the world. . Analyzing Fig. 1. Several conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, the stronger the faith, the poorer the people (it is a scientifically proven fact that the strongest faith in the world is Islam, however, as can be seen from the graph, Islamic countries in the majority (with the exception of some Arab states) are the least prosperous). Secondly, those countries that least restrict freedom of religion (such as the USA, Germany, Great Britain, etc.) are the most developed, with the highest level of GDP. Let's consider the influence of various religious movements on the economy (Christianity is considered as three main directions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism). 1. Orthodoxy. In Fig. 2a. The dependence of the income ratio in Orthodox and non-Orthodox countries on the boundary value of the percentage of Orthodox Christians, which divides all countries of the world into Orthodox and non-Orthodox, is shown. In Fig. 2b. the average annual income per person in Orthodox and non-Orthodox countries is given with a boundary value of the percentage of Christians equal to

2 From these figures it is clear that the ratio of incomes in Orthodox and non-Orthodox countries in almost the entire range of the boundary value of the percentage of Orthodox Christians is less than 1 and amounts to 0.8. This indicates that Orthodox countries are 1.2 times poorer than non-Orthodox countries. . Rice. 2a. Dependence of the ratio of income per person in Orthodox and non-Orthodox countries on the boundary value of the percentage of Orthodox Christians. Rice. 2b. Average annual income per person in Orthodox and non-Orthodox countries with a boundary value of the percentage of Christians equal to Catholicism In Fig. 3a. The dependence of the income ratio in Catholic (Roman Catholics) and non-Catholic countries on the boundary value of the percentage of Catholics, which divides all countries of the world into Catholic and non-Catholic, is shown. In Fig. 3b. shows the average annual income per person in Catholic and non-Catholic countries with a cutoff value of the percentage of Catholics equal to 50. From the graph in Fig. 3b. It can be seen that the ratio of incomes in Catholic and non-Catholic countries in the given range of the Catholic cut-off value is 1.49. This suggests that Catholic countries are almost one and a half times richer than non-Catholic ones. . Rice. 3a. Dependence of the ratio of income per person in Catholic and non-Catholic countries on the cutoff value of the percentage of Catholics. 50

3 Fig. 3b. Average annual income per person in Catholic and non-Catholic countries with a boundary value of the percentage of Catholics equal to Protestantism. In Fig. 4a. The dependence of the income ratio in Protestant and non-Protestant countries on the boundary value of the percentage of Protestants, which divides all countries of the world into Protestant and non-Protestant, is shown. In Fig. 4b. shows the average annual income per person in Protestant and non-Protestant countries with a limit value of the percentage of Protestants of 50. Figures 4a and 4b indicate that Protestantism has the most significant impact on the economies of the world compared to other world religions and concessions. . Rice. 4a. Dependence of the ratio of income per person in Protestant and non-Protestant countries on the cutoff value of the percentage of Protestants. Rice. 4b. The average annual income per person in Protestant and non-Protestant countries with a cutoff value of the percentage of Protestants equal to 50. The ratio of income in Protestant and non-Protestant countries is 7.95. In other words, with a cutoff value of the percentage of Christians equal to 50, Protestant countries are richer than the rest of the world by almost 51

4 times eight. Compared to all existing religions and ideologies, Protestantism has the most positive impact on the economies of the world. 4. Islam In Fig. 5a. depicts the dependence of the income ratio in Muslim and non-Muslim countries on the boundary value of the percentage of Muslims, which divides all countries of the world into Muslim and non-Muslim. In Fig. 5 B. The average annual income per person in Muslim and non-Muslim countries is given with a cut-off value of the percentage of Muslims equal to 50. Based on these data, it can be seen that the ratio of income in Muslim and non-Muslim countries is significantly less than one, and ranges from 0.19 to 0.24. This suggests that Muslim countries are almost four and a half times poorer than non-Muslim countries. . Rice. 5a. Dependence of the ratio of income per person in Muslim and non-Muslim countries on the cutoff value of the percentage of Muslims. Rice. 5 B. Average annual income per person in Muslim and non-Muslim countries with a boundary value of the percentage of Muslims equal to Buddhism In Fig. 6a. depicts the dependence of the income ratio in Buddhist and non-Buddhist countries on the boundary value of the percentage of Buddhists, which divides all countries of the world into Buddhist and non-Buddhist. In Fig. 6b. the average annual income per person in Buddhist and non-Buddhist countries is given with a cutoff value of the percentage of Buddhists equal to 50. Thus, the ratio of income in Buddhist and non-Buddhist countries is significantly less than one, and ranges from 0.15 to 0.21. This suggests that Buddhist countries are more than five times poorer than other non-Buddhist countries. . Rice. 6a. Dependence of the ratio of income per person in Buddhist and non-Buddhist countries on the cutoff value of the percentage of Buddhists. 52

5 Fig. 6b. Average annual income per person in Buddhist and non-Buddhist countries with the cutoff value of the percentage of Buddhists equal to Hinduism. From Figures 7a and 7b, it can be seen that the income ratio of Hindu and non-Hindu countries ranges from 0.08 to 0.09. This suggests that Hindu countries are about eleven times poorer than other non-Hindu countries. Of all the world's religions and ideologies (with the exception of atheism), Hinduism has perhaps the most negative impact on the economies of the world. . Rice. 7a. Dependence of the ratio of income per person in Hindu and non-Hindu countries on the cutoff value of the percentage of adherents of Hinduism. Rice. 7b. Average annual income per person in Hindu and non-Hindu countries with a boundary value of the percentage of Hindus equal to Atheism The influence of the number of atheists on the economic well-being of the countries of the world is very interesting. In Fig. 8a. The dependence of the income ratio in atheistic and non-atheistic countries on the boundary value of the percentage of atheists, which divides all countries of the world into atheistic and non-atheistic, is presented. In Fig. 8b. shows the average annual income per person in atheistic and non-atheistic countries with a boundary value of the percentage of atheists equal to

6 From these figures, a pattern is clearly visible: the more atheists there are in countries around the world, the poorer the countries are on average, i.e. atheism has the worst impact on the economies of the world compared to all existing religions and ideologies. The income ratio between atheist and non-atheist countries is 0.084. In other words, with a cut-off value of the percentage of atheists equal to 50, atheist countries are approximately 12 times poorer than other non-atheist countries in the world. . Rice. 8a. Dependence of the ratio of income per person in atheistic and non-atheistic countries on the boundary value of the percentage of non-believers. Rice. 8b. Average annual income per person in atheist and non-atheist countries with a cut-off value of the percentage of atheists equal to 50. Conclusions. Thus, after analyzing all of the above, we can conclude that Christian concessions, especially Protestantism, have the greatest positive impact on the economy. Protestant countries are more inclined to rapid and high economic development than Catholic countries, especially in the Western Hemisphere. Islam lags far behind Western religions in almost every aspect. Indicators from the Muslim world show strong resistance to economic development. Hinduism shows the best results after the Protestant world in the development of states, most likely this is the fruit of the powerful influence of British political institutions, strengthened during colonization. It is very difficult to generalize data on Buddhism due to the large differences in the countries professing this religion. But in general, we can conclude that Buddhism does not have significant power to push economic development. Countries where half of the population professes Buddhism include Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia and Bhutan. Literature 1. Expert channel “Open Economy”. Official site. [ Electronic resource]access mode: 2. Literature for students. Religion and society. Sociology and religion. Electronic resource. Access mode Danilenko E. The right path. Religious map of the world. // Focus (229). from CIA World Factbook. Official site. [Electronic resource] // 54

7 5. International Monetary Fund (IMF). Official site. [Electronic resource]. Access mode: 6. The Gallup Organization. Official site. [Electronic resource]. Access mode: 7. Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Official site. [Electronic resource]. Access mode: UDC 658 UPDATE OF FIXED PRODUCTION FACILITIES OF AN INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE E.S. Bezgina, E.N. Strelina Summary. The paper examines the problem of replacing fixed production assets of an enterprise in order to increase the efficiency of its functioning. Using the example of the industrial enterprise PJSC "Donetsk Plant of High-Voltage Supports" the process of intensive equipment renewal over the years is considered. The property status of the enterprise was analyzed based on depreciation rates, renewal and disposal of fixed assets. A relationship has been established between the renewal of production assets and the increase in net profit of the enterprise. Key words: fixed production assets, renewal, property status of the enterprise. The most important distinctive feature The current stage of development of the world economy is that it has acquired a pronounced innovative character. The old economic system, insensitive to new technologies and resource-intensive, must be replaced by a new one. The prospects for economic development are currently associated with the development of new technologies, production, information, social, etc. In industry, the main subject of the implementation of innovative processes is the enterprise. One of the most important results of innovative activity of industrial enterprises is increasing the productivity of their production assets. Among the theoretical studies that highlight various aspects of the theory and practice of this problem, it is worth noting the scientific works of such scientists as Gutkevich S., Duchinskaya N., Kirichenko A., Kostyunina G., Krushch P., Liventsev N., Chernikova E. The purpose of this The study is to analyze the impact of updating production assets on the results of the enterprise. Fixed production assets are those means of production that directly function in the sphere of production and, over many production cycles, while maintaining their natural form, transfer their value to the finished product gradually, as they wear out. Economic essence and material content of production assets serve as the main characteristics that determine their significance in the implementation of reproduction processes, the functioning and development of any production. The entire totality of available production assets is the largest in terms of specific gravity part (about 60%) of the country's national wealth. Fixed assets determine the nature of the material and technical base of the production sector at various stages of its development, the growth and improvement of technical equipment and labor productivity production staff. It is necessary to distinguish between two forms of renewal of fixed assets: extensive and intensive. Extensive renewal characterizes the rate of increase in the volume of exploited fixed assets. Intensive renewal involves replacing existing fixed assets with new, more efficient ones. Quite significant reserves for increasing the level of intensive use of fixed assets can be realized through the commissioning of new technological units, lines, and equipment. Let's consider the process of intensive updating of equipment of an industrial enterprise using the example of PJSC "Donetsk Plant of High-Voltage Supports" for the period from 2006 to 2010. PJSC "Donetsk Plant of High-Voltage Supports" is a highly specialized enterprise for the production of bolted, welded metal supports of power lines, outdoor switchgear of substations with voltage from 32 to 1500 thousand volts, towers 55

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Politics and religion

Religion and politics are by their nature social and historical phenomena. They are by nature products of the spiritual realm. In the emergence of religion and politics, an important role was played by the subjective reflection of the objective world, i.e. spirituality, which is a reflection in the forms of human activity, in the forms of his consciousness and will of the external world. Both religion and politics are spiritual and practical development by man of the environment and social reality. These phenomena are correlated as spiritual and earthly, as transcendence and factuality of human existence. The main sphere of connection and interaction between politics and religion is the state and its relations with the church: the dependence of the church on the state, laws issued and regulating economic and legal provisions also the church, the possibility of its participation in the life of society and the state. Contradictions constantly arise between the state - the subject of political power, and the church - a social institution that claims to participate in the solution of political problems, to have the right to evaluate the domestic and foreign policy of the state, to implement political and moral influence on believers, on mass consciousness.

Naturally, religion and the church have a clearly defined socio-political function and therefore, along with compensatory, regulatory, ideological, integrating functions, there are also political aspects. Performing such functions, the church influences politics state power, political institutions, political organization of society; the church politically influences believers (partially and non-believers) through many channels: through the holy books (Bible, Koran, Talmud, etc.), which set out transparent political guidelines in relations between rich and poor, in relation to state power, to its heads - kings and other monarchs, a predilection for violence, war and peace, etc., through church sermons, priests interpret the holy books in their own way in the light of church policy and modern conditions. Social and political doctrines are shaped by the church hierarchy and cadres of theologians, declarations and statements of church associations on issues of domestic and foreign policy of the state express their opinion on political events, etc. With the help of an organized ideological apparatus, the church influences the broad masses of believers and shapes their religious worldview.

In the history of society, as well as at the present stage, various types of relationships between the state and the church arise and operate: the priority of the state is realized, its dominant role in relation to the church; the priority of the church in relation to the state is realized. The dominant role of the state in relation to the church is characteristic of all modern states, except for Islamic ones. The priority of the church in relation to the state is inherent only in some Islamic states (Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc.) In the past, the priority of the church in the state took place at some stages of papal power in Rome, in the early stages after the baptism of Kievan RusRus.

Religion and Economics

At different historical periods, religious groups, wishing to influence the economic views and behavior of their followers, were faced with a dilemma: on the one hand, they tended to consider poverty a virtue. For example, the Bible states, “Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earth,” and the Buddhists exalt the mendicant monk who travels easily, unencumbered by economic concerns, and can therefore easily plunge into a life of observation and reflection. However, as soon as the organization of a religious group becomes more complex, a problem arises - funds are needed for its activities. Then the group begins to get involved in economic affairs, whether it wants to or not. She begins to demand contributions from her followers and is grateful for the donations she receives from wealthy members. If a member of such a group manages to get rid of poverty, he is not condemned; on the contrary, he is even praised for his hard work and frugality.

Thus, religion influences the economic sphere. Firstly, when economic life emphasizes such personal and business virtues as honesty, dignity, respect for obligations, and religion successfully instills these virtues in its followers. Secondly, religion sometimes encourages consumption - religious holidays encourage the consumption of certain material things, even if they are just special candles or special foods. Third, by emphasizing human work as a “calling,” religion (especially Protestantism) has elevated work, no matter how degrading, and this is associated with increases in productivity and income (see Table 1). Fourthly, religion can justify and approve specific economic systems and types of activities.

Table 1 Ratio of income of believers

Religion Ratio of income per person in countries where religious adherents predominate and in other countries Commentary Christians in general 5.1 Christian countries are five times richer than all other countries in the world. Christianity has the most positive impact on the economies of the world compared to other religions and ideologies. Protestants 7.95 Protestant countries are eight times richer than all other countries in the world. Catholics 1.49 Catholic countries are one and a half times richer than all other countries in the world. Orthodox 0.81 Orthodox countries are poorer than all others countries of the world by 1.24 times. Muslims 0.23 Muslim countries are poorer than the rest of the world by 4.4 times. Buddhism 0.15 Buddhist countries are poorer than the rest of the world by 6.7 times. Hinduism 0.086 Hindu countries are poorer than the rest of the world by 11.6 times. Of all the world religions, Hinduism has the most negative impact on the economies of the world. Atheism0.084 Atheist countries are 11.9 times poorer than the rest of the world. The more atheists in countries, the poorer those countries are. Atheism as an ideology has the worst impact on the economies of the countries of the world. American researchers also came to the conclusion that religion affects the rate of economic growth. And, as a rule, belief in hell spurs growth more than belief in heaven.

Harvard economics professor Robert Barro, together with a number of scientists, conducted a series of studies on the connection between the religiosity of the population and the economic growth of different countries. The main conclusion is that faith in God can increase the rate of economic growth.

Robert Barro divided having a belief in God, a belief in an afterlife, a belief in heaven, and a belief in hell. His study, based on data from 59 countries, showed that the contribution of these factors to economic growth is always positive, although unequal. For example, belief in heaven has a much smaller impact on economic growth than belief in hell. The scientist himself expressed it this way: “The stick in the form of potential hell turns out to be much more effective than the carrot of potential heaven.” However, it has long been known that fear is the strongest stimulus. He spoke about the role of religion, in particular Protestantism, in creating ethical and moral incentives for effective work at the beginning of the twentieth century. Max Weber. According to scientists from Canada Ulrich Bloom and Leonard Dudley, religion influences the economy not so much through incentives to work more efficiently, but through the positive effect of the ban on lies and deception, which is especially important in economics.

Banks and religion

Banks are an integral part economic sphere. And here, too, there is interference of religion. There have been some studies that have shown that Protestants are indeed more responsible in their dealings with banks. And this once again proves that religion is an integral part of personality and largely determines a person’s behavior in society. For a long time, science and government institutions in many countries classified religion exclusively as a matter of private life. It is now clear that such a position does not correspond to the realities of life. From the history of Italy, Germany, and other European countries, we observe a situation where a certain part of the financial system was formed under the influence of religious beliefs and with the direct participation of the church. In a number of cases, the principle of religious solidarity worked, this concerned, in particular, issues of lending. In the West, at one time they believed that religion was disappearing, moving more and more into the sphere of private life, but now they understand that religion concerns many spheres of public life.

The influence of religion on many banks, for example in Italy, is very strong. It has developed historically and remains significant today. Related to this is the phenomenon of “ethical banking business,” that is, a business that complies with the ethical standards established in society. The formation of ethical standards is influenced by bank clients and public institutions, including the church. Now we see how the requirements to take into account moral, ethical and religious values ​​in the banking business are gradually growing. This is a very interesting phenomenon, and banks must respond to it in their practices.

The face of a bank, as is known, is largely formed by its clients. To be successful, he must take into account the peculiarities of the culture (and religion is an integral part of it) of the region where he works. Without this, he is disconnected from life, and as a result, the quality of service will suffer - one of important tools maintaining customer loyalty.

Religion and culture

The relationship between religion and culture. There are different approaches to the problem of the relationship between religion and culture, sometimes directly opposite. 1) The concepts of “religion” and “culture” are often confused. Religion is sometimes considered a form of cultural activity. Conversely, culture, especially art, is considered spiritually equivalent to religion; it is believed that culture can replace religion in life. 2) Religion and culture are moving in different directions; they cannot be perceived as words - synonyms. These two forms of human activity are certainly related. The ancients saw the source of ideas realized in creative activity in the inspiration that comes to a person from outside, from above. Ovid said: “God lives in us, we have a connection with heaven, inspiration descends on us from the ethereal regions.” In the Old Testament, on behalf of God, it is said about the craftsman Bezaleel: “I filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with all skill to make craftsmanship, to work in gold, silver and copper, to cut stones for setting, and to carve wood, and to do all kinds of artistic work” ( Ex. 33, 30-31). The forms of interaction between religion and culture are diverse: – morality, the understanding of good and evil is different in different religious systems, as well as the concept of truth; – art, especially fine art (painting, iconography), architecture, music, dance, theater, singing, poetry and prose; folklore; – education in various forms (primary, secondary, higher school, out-of-school education), education system; - language; holidays, ceremonies, post-mortem rituals; money, material values, area of ​​material culture.

Religion in the modern world in most countries no longer plays such a significant role as it did literally 2-3 centuries ago. The Constitution of many states directly states that every person has freedom of religion, and the church is separated from the state. Therefore, it is natural that religion and culture coexist side by side, but the connection between them is not as strong as in the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, these two spheres of spiritual life are quite compatible with each other - many believers are engaged in creativity, work in the field of culture, etc. Also, modern writers and artists often turn to biblical motifs, and some singers sing songs on religious themes.

However, not only religion influences culture, but also vice versa: the requirements of the church for believers have softened significantly compared to the Middle Ages, for example, now a priest will not declare a sinner and atheist a person who rarely attends church services and will not expel a woman from the temple who entered there in trousers Also, under the influence of modern culture, new religious and philosophical cults are being created, which include features of different religions and cultures.

Attitudes towards prosperity, wealth and financial stability differ from country to country. Economists note that the standard of living in “Protestant” countries is higher than in states with the Orthodox tradition. Let's try to understand the reasons.

Statistics about religions

The question of the harmful influence of the Orthodox religion on the economy and, conversely, the beneficial attitudes of Protestantism for cash flows, became especially acute in our country after the famous statement of presenter Vladimir Pozner, who quoted Chaadaev, saying that “one of the greatest tragedies for Russia is the adoption of Orthodoxy.” . An alternative, in his opinion, can be the example of Protestants, since it is in those countries where this religion is widespread that the most efficient economies are. The Orthodox accepted this thesis with hostility. But what do official statistics say about this?

The first position in the ranking of countries by nominal GDP in 2013 is occupied by a predominantly Protestant country - the United States with an indicator of 16,800 billion dollars. Among the countries in the top twenty by share of GDP per capita as of 2013, Norway, Switzerland, the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, Sweden and Canada, for a total of eight countries, are primarily Protestant. At the same time, there is not a single Orthodox country in the top twenty. So what's the deal? Should we trust the statistics, or is it necessary to find out the deeper reasons for such a positive impact of Protestantism on the economy? Is it possible that coincidences of this kind are random? To answer these questions, we will characterize Protestantism and the internal prerequisites for influencing the economy.

Religion and Economics

The word Protestantism comes, according to one version, from the Latin protestans - publicly declaring, as supporters of the Reformation protested against the persecution of Lutherans. According to another version, “Protestant” comes from the phrase pro testament - for the Testament, that is, for the purity of perception of the Holy Scriptures. Having become the result of the struggle against the outdated views of Catholicism, Protestantism quickly spread throughout Europe during the Reformation, and since the 16th century it has become the leading world religion.

Protestantism includes many denominations, such as Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Evangelical followers, Adventists, Baptists, Methodists and others. Some researchers also include Mormon sectarians and Jehovah's Witnesses among them. All these different branches of Protestantism are characterized by a denial of the interpretation of the Bible, icons, monasticism, and the cult of saints.

The connection between the Protestant religion and high economic indicators began to be traditionally made after the publication of M. Weber’s fundamental work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,” published in 1905. The scientist drew attention to the fact that the successes of the development of European civilization were most often associated with precisely the type of mentality that the Protestants brought into the cultural field. The Protestant work ethic is a religious doctrine that speaks of the goodness of work and the need to work honestly and diligently. Even in the Bible, Protestants find the basics of the labor code: phrases such as “Do not offend your neighbor and do not steal. The employee’s payment should not remain with you until the morning,” in their opinion, are a clear statement of the agreement between the employer and the employee.

Weber operated with specific facts, and in addition to citing the example of well-developed Protestant countries, the USA, England and Holland, he showed by the example of Germany, where both Catholics and Protestants are equally common, that it is the latter who make up the bulk of entrepreneurs or well-trained professionals. It was the zeal and rationalization of work, characteristic of Protestants of any social class, that, according to Weber, became the reasons for the development of capitalism. Since for Protestants work and commerce are not only economically profitable activities, but also virtues, their economy grew faster. Thus, the desire to make good money and create a profitable business was perceived by Protestants as fulfilling a divine duty. If income increases and wealth grows, it is a sign of blessing.

At the same time, luxury from the point of view of Protestantism is meaningless - after all, profitability is in itself God's grace. Weber wrote about this: “If God shows you this path, following which you can, without harm to your soul and without harming others, earn more in a legal way than on any other path, and you reject this and choose a less profitable path , then you thereby hinder one of the purposes of your calling, you refuse to be a steward of God and accept His gifts in order to be able to use them for His good when He desires it. Not for the pleasures of the flesh and sinful joys, but for God you should you work and get rich.”

Thus, the focus not on instant income, but on a slow but sure approach to wealth as God’s grace, becomes one of the main attitudes of Protestantism.

Thanks to the introduction of Protestantism or its value categories, according to Weber's theory, a country can improve its economic performance. For example, in Latin America, more and more people are converting from Catholicism to Protestantism in recent years, and studies show that the standard of living of these people is steadily rising. This is, again, connected with the moral orientation of Protestants towards the goodness of entrepreneurial activity, useful not only in the world, but also for the salvation of the soul.

However, why didn’t the focus on quality labor and capital multiplication arise long before the advent of Protestantism? Weber in his work showed that capitalism could have arisen in antiquity, but it was the early Protestant tradition that contained the foundations of the new ideology, namely the idea of ​​duty, including professional duty, which formed generations of people with a new mentality. Weber, based on statistics, shows that capitalism developed best in Protestant countries, England, Germany and America, whose inhabitants are still famous for their punctuality, frugality and hard work. The mentality remained, but faith gradually became less of a determining factor in economic matters.

Orthodoxy vs Protestantism

If we look at the same GDP per capita statistics for 2013, we will not see a single Orthodox country not only in the top twenty, but also among the top forty countries. Greece is in 43rd place, Russia is in 45th place, Romania and Bulgaria are in 64th and 69th place, respectively. In this case, do we have to draw parallels with the dominant religion in the state and the mentality generated by it? Of course, it is necessary to take into account the historical characteristics of all these countries, but even by considering only mental categories one can discover a lot of interesting things.

Orthodoxy, as the most conservative and orthodox branch of Christianity, did not follow the path of modernization and rationalization that Protestantism chose. If Protestantism condemned the desire to be poor, considering it akin to the desire to be sick, in the Orthodox tradition, material poverty was traditionally opposed to spiritual wealth. Professional duties for a Protestant are a duty both to God and to society, for a Catholic it is atonement for original sin. For an Orthodox Christian, work must first of all be spiritual, and material labor, if it is associated with a thirst for profit or pride, is recognized as vain.

Russian Orthodoxy was also largely associated with its role as the official religion in the harsh conditions of the monarchical system. Thus, the accumulation of spiritual symbolic capital became prevalent for ordinary lay people, and thoughts about material wealth under the conditions of serfdom and the primacy of the state over private entrepreneurial activity were often joyless.