NATIONAL RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD

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NATIONAL RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD
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• 1. The Development of National Religions, Causes
  of Their Origin.
• 2. Early and Late National Religions.
• 3. Judaism National Religion of the Jews.

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• The unification of families into tribes and
  tribes into nationalities led to the formation of
  nations. The necessity to interpret mans vital
  activity appeared due to radical social changes
  in the life of society. It was necessary to
  explain mans status in the society.
• What are the main signs of spiritual life in the
  slave-owning system?
• 1. Gods are creators and lords of earth and
  heaven.
• 2. The organization of priesthood is formed.
• 3. Ethnic (national) religions as the
  self-consciousness of privileged part of the
  society are formed within the state formations.
• They are divided into two stages early ethnic
  (national) religions and the second late
  national religions.

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• Ancient Egyptian, ancient Indian, ancient Jewish,
  ancient Greek, ancient Roman are early national
  religions. Religions were perished together with
  ancient states. The main features of early
  national religions are
• 1. The belief embraces the upper and middle
  strata of the society within a state. Official
  cult is not spread to slaves, the poor peasants,
  enslaved tribes or other peoples.
• 2. Severe Polytheism. Small group of Senior Gods
  is excelled among multitude of gods. The Supreme
  God is excelled among Senior Gods. He is
  respected as the tsar of gods and people. The
  other gods were considered as His assistants.
• 3. The doctrine about the other life is arisen.
  The idea about pious and sinful life is formed.
  It gave the impetus to the development of moral
  and ethic standards and mans humanism.
• 4. Sacrifices were obligatory during cult
  actions. They formed religious senses and
  feelings.

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• Late national religions are remained till our
  days Syntoism in Japan, Confucianism and Daocism
  in China, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism in India and
  Judaism religion of the Jews.
• Their common features are the following
• the belief influences on all strata of the
  society within one nation.
• The unity of polytheism and monotheism, except
  Judaism and Sikhism as monotheistic national
  religions.
• the simplified process of sacrifices. Animal
  sacrifices are limited, man sacrifices are
  absent.
• the doctrine about the other life (future life)
  became dominated in moral and ethic standards of
  human relations.

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• Syntoism the religion of inhabitants in Japan.
  Synto means the way of gods. Primitive forms
  of beliefs animism, totemism, cult of ancestors
  were sources of syntoism. The fundamentals of
  syntoism are expounded in holy book Kodzyki. It
  appeared in the VIII century. The holy book
  includes mythes about the world creation, the
  origin of nation and state. The followers of
  Syntoism built small temples dzindzya. Solemn
  worships (divine services) with sacrifices are
  held in the temple once or twice a year. Cult is
  performed by sacrificers of different ranks.
  Their holding appointment (post) is hereditary.
  The Goddess of Sun Amaterasu is greatly
  respected. Her image is represented in temples
  and home altars. Cult of the emperor is typical
  for Japan. Syntoism deeply nationalistic was the
  state religion till the middle of the XX century.
  It was the base of patriotism and moral of
  Japanese Samurai.

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• Confucianism philosophic and ethic doctrine of
  Confucy was developed in the VI century before
  Christ (B.C.). He described his views in the book
  Conversations and Judgements.
• Confucy tried to defend the society from social
  cataclysms. He elaborated special ideal. The man
  of high moral standards must possess two
  qualitative features the sense of humanism and
  responsibility. Humanism is modesty, justice,
  restraint, moderation, love to people. Each man
  must know his status in the society and life. His
  social status is settled by Heaven. Thats why
  the society must consist of two categories the
  upper social strata and lower ones. The upper
  strata are those who think and manage. The lower
  strata are those who work and obey.
• The important principle of social order is severe
  obedience to old people.
• Confucianism sanctifies cult of emperors sons
  of heaven and nature cult. In present day
  China Confucianism became more than religion.
  This is the policy, administrative system,
  supreme regulator of social processes. This is
  the basis of Chinese style of living, nucleus of
  Chinese civilization, that exists more than two
  thousand years.

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• Daocism was developed in China in the II century
  B.C. The founder of Daocism Lao-tszy. The
  teaching about Great Dao the law of being is in
  the centre of Daocism. Dao (law) popularizes
  simplicity and naturality. The man must not
  interfere in natural processes.
• The basis of Daocism are the following
  commandments the fulfilment of filial
  obligation, faithfulness, love, patience,
  self-sacrifice, fight with evil or bad deeds,
  breeding of animals, planting of trees, building
  of roads, wells, education of unwise people,
  reading holy books.
• Daocism cult has much in common with
  Confucianism. Immortal genii composed the
  specific category of Daocism deities

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• Hinduism polytheistic religion. The primary and
  important Gods are Brahma world creator,
  Vishnu god-curator and Shiva god of
  destruction. There are a lot of gods of local
  importance and Buddhism gods. Vishnu and Shiva
  are the most honouring. Each god has the wife.
  The wife of Shiva Kali is the most popular.
• The main dogmata in Hinduism are doctrine about
  dharma social duties and mans status in the
  society carma mans responsibility before gods
  for his deeds ahinez absolute non-resistance
  to violence sansara regeneration of soul after
  death. Temples, chapels, altars are built
  honouring individual gods. There are many sacred
  places rivers and objects in India. The river
  Ganges is the most honouring river. Gods images
  in sculpture are represented in temples. Such
  animals as a cow, a monkey, a snake are
  worshiped in India. The temples are also built in
  their honour. The most sacred place for Hindu is
  the temple in Banaras. It consists of 1500
  buildings and stands on the river Ganges.
  Hinduism sanctified caste division of the society
  in the past. Though caste discrimination is
  forbidden in modern India it occurs in separate
  groups of the society.

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• Jainism was developed in the VI century B.C. It
  was considered that this belief was delivered by
  24 prophets. The first of them was Rishambaha and
  the last are Jina. The development (spreading) of
  Jainism was due to religious reaction on caste
  system. Jainism teaches that the whole material
  world is evil. The people must make themselves
  free from it. Stupid life is the greatest evil.
  Saving of the soul is the sense of life. It is
  necessary to believe in prophets, remember their
  teachings, to perfect oneself and to follow the
  rules of behaviour dont kill, dont deceive and
  dont steal. Dont kill anything that is alive,
  even an insect. Jainists advocate severe
  asceticism.
• They are divided into two types dihambars and
  shventambars. The most successive ascetics are
  dihambars. Shventambars do not follow severe
  asceticism. Jainists cult is rather solemn.
  Public worships are served in grandiose temples
  with luxirious interior.

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• Sikhism was formed at the end of XV and the
  beginning of XVI centuries as the independent
  trend. It was founded by Nanaka. He elaborated
  principles of Sikhism and did much for its
  spreading.
• The aim of Nanakas teaching is to unite the
  Muslims and Hindoos. Nanaka borrowed the idea
  about God in Islam. Sikhism teaches that all
  people are equal before God, despite caste status
  of a man in the society. Nanaka protested against
  castes, brahman and asceticism. Sikhi is rather
  active ethnic community in India now.

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• Judaism is one of the ancient national
  religions in the world. Besides the Jews it is
  professed by the Karaites and Tatars. The main
  doctrines of Judaism are belief in one God
  Yahwe, the advent of Messiah, soul immortality,
  existence of the other life (the next world).
• The sources of Judaism belief are Tora and
  Talmud. Tora consists of five books of the Old
  Testament. It has a lot of directions concerning
  sacrifices, rituals, food prohibition, worships.
  Talmud is the collection of Judaic dogmatic
  directions concerning law, religion, philosophy,
  moral and life conditions. The structural parts
  of Talmud are Mishna and Hemera. Talmud is the
  commentary to the Old Testament and Hemera is the
  explanation of Mishna treatises.
• The following landmarks in rabbinic history of
  Judaism are important.

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• Primitive forms of religions of ancient Jews
  existed in the biblic period. After the reform of
  621 Judaism dogmatics was substantiated. After
  Romes occupation of Palestine the period of the
  Jews disperse began. Jewish communities were
  formed. Synagogues were the centres of Judaism
  cult. They were headed by the rabbi.
• The period of Judaism modernization began in the
  XIX century. Three varieties of Judaism were
  formed reformative, conservative,
  reconstructivistic.

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• Reformative Judaism. German financier I.Jacobson
  created a new form of synagogue. The German
  language besides Jewish was used during divine
  service at that synagogue. The reform on
  Protestant model was carried out. Reformists do
  not recognize many principles and customs of
  Talmud.

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• Conservative Judaism appeared in the twenties of
  the XX century. In the USA Judaist
  Conservatives stated Mosaic laws in a new manner,
  trying to adjust them to modern science and
  philosophy.

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• Reconstructivistic Judaism was formed in the
  twenties of the XX century too in the USA. It
  tries to preserve Jewish religion with its
  medieval orders, to renew rabbinism features and
  to connect with national originality.
  Reconstructivistic Judaism predominates among the
  inhabitants of Israel.

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• A new trend of Judaism and Christianity has been
  intensified for recent decades. This trend tries
  to unite Judaism and Christianity. The source of
  this belief is the Old and the New Testament of
  the Bible. Judao-Christianity is widely spread
  not only in the USA but in other countries of the
  world.

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• Hacidism (or piety) is widely spread among
  Judaism. It was formed among the Jews in Poland
  and Ukraine in the XVIII century. Its founder was
  Israel Besht (1689-1760). According to his
  teaching besides God nothing more exists in the
  world. The man takes a special place in it. His
  aim is to serve God, cognize divine sacraments
  and to unite with God. This aim may be achieved
  by passionate prayer but not by recognition of
  Tora and Talmud as rabbies demand. Hacidism is
  spread in Ukraine too. There are more than 80
  religious communities in Ukraine.
• Ancient and original religion of the Jews, its
  cultural potential greatly influenced on peoples
  succeeding history. There were different
  approaches to the modernization of Judaism, but
  its main features that were formed by centuries
  old history became characteristic signs of the
  Jews national religion successive monotheism,
  faith in Messiah, God-elect of the Jews.