Religious Faith as a Specific Domain of Objective Mental Reality
摘要
This chapter is devoted to the analysis of religious beliefs as an autonomous and specific domain of objective mental reality. The author explores the nature of faith as a form of conviction in the veracity of one’s verbal representations of aspects of the world that are inaccessible to perception—convictions based not on logic or facts, but on a subjective sense of their truth. Religious faith is interpreted as a special way of representing reality, forming a mythologically and symbolically rich worldview that acknowledges the existence of higher, divine powers and their connection to human life. An important element of religious objective mental reality is the collective nature of beliefs and rituals, which unite individuals into a shared community. The author analyzes the ideas of various thinkers, emphasizing the historical role of religion as a foundation for social organization. The interconnection between religion and morality is explored, as well as the capacity of religious objective mental reality to penetrate other domains of mental reality, influencing norms, values, political power, and social institutions. The chapter highlights the ambivalent status of religion—as both a component of objective mental reality and a force capable of transforming it.