RELIGIOUS CONSCIOUSNESS AS A FACTOR IN MODERN HUMAN CULTURE
In the article, the role of religion in present-day person formation is examined. The reasons explaining the person’s interest to religion are analyzed. It is emphasized, first of all, that it is impossible to understand the specifics of religion, its social functions and the mechanism for their implementation, without examining the supreme foundations of religious worship and faith. Secondly, religious representations contain centuries-old moral experience, which is of special value for man existential being. Particular attention is paid to the relationship of religion and morality, religion and mass culture. It is investigated, which mass culture features religion comprises, and how vividly they are expressed. Such an analysis proceeds from the consideration of religion and mass culture as a sociocultural phenomenon. There are some features, that bring religion and mass culture together. Religion from its forthcoming contains aspiration for penetrating into the broadest strata of population, and in pursuit of its goals it strives for maximum expansion. Religion, like mass culture, uses specific forms of consciousness and activity having also creative and destructive elements. It is emphasized, that for a modern intellectual person such problems mean that an authentic knowledge is being searched for and that a constant dialogue between religious and secular consciousness is necessary.