freedom – RCS

Freedom as concept, and it’s supposed parameters

Sergei Aleksandrovich Isaev PhD in History, senior scientific researcher, Saint Petersburg Institute of History of Russian Academy of Sciences (Petrozavodskaya str., bld. 7, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 197110)
isayevsviir@yandex.ru

Isaev S. A. Freedom as concept, and it’s supposed parameters, Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2024, vol. 13, pp. 62–88.

doi: 10.24412/2308-0698-2024-13-62-88

Language: Russian

Freedom is defined as a situation in which a person ought to choose between options: how to behave, or what to do. If a person doesn’t have grounds for dread to perish or to be punished for choosing certain option, and so he or she can follow the inclinations, so the person has freedom as applied for this situation and for those options. Every genuine freedom is limited, so every freedom can be described according to its intrinsic limi tations. The author considers external, and internal limitations, and self restrictions. Next item is connection between freedom and knowledge: knowledge on every option, and knowledge on impending threat if limits be transgressed. The author agrees with concept of «freedom from», but rejects the concept of «freedom for».

Key words: bondage of will, determinism, ethics, freedom, human rights, Lutheranism, Marxism, responsibility, restrictions of freedom, sin

URL: https://rcs-almanac.ru/isaev-2024-en/

Classical German Philosophy as a theoretical source of modern religious studies

pdf

Grigorenko Andrey Yur’evich, PhD in philosophy, professor, The Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (Moika Embankment, dom 48, korpus 20a, St. Petersburg, Russia, 191186)
relig-rgpu@yandex.ru

Grigorenko A. Yu. Classical German Philosophy as a theoretical source of modern religious studies, Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2012, vol. 1, pp.12–21.

DOI: 10.24411/2308-0698-2012-00013

Language: Russian

The author evaluates the contribution made by Classical German Philosophy to religious studies that became a separate discipline. The case of nature and origin of magic is examined.

Immanuel Kant was the first to draw attention to the specific character of magic. The difference between Christianity and early forms of religious consciousness was viewed by him as mere formal, not a matter of principle. According G. W. F. Hegel, the primitive religious stage was the religion of nature. It should be characterized mostly not by fear but by human self-assurance in absolute dominion over nature. The «spirit» (taken as an instrument) was set above matter. G. W. F. Hegel distinguished the stages of direct and mediate sorcery. Objectivation of the universal was the third stage; further development would have made a man an instrument of a higher being. G. W. F. Hegel anticipated scholars’ conclusions about instrumental theory of magic (20th C.). It was proposed that magic had been used to supply human actions with primitive tools, because the result was not assured and foreseeable. In the article, G. W. F. Hegel is called a founder of «cognitive religious studies.» There is a view that a primitive man understood cause and effect, natural phenomena incorrectly. The philosopher defined sorcery as the first savage form of religion that should not be virtually called as such, since religion does not imply human power and might. L. Feuerbach concurred with this view and defined magic as «nonreligious form of religion» for in religion itself the power was thought to be transferred to something beyond human beings.

Key words: religious studies, magic, sorcery, I. Kant, G. W. F. Hegel, L. Feuerbach, J. Frazer

Permanent link: //rcs-almanac.ru/grigorenko-a-yu-2012-en/

Martin Luther inspiriert und regt zum Widerspruch an. Teil 1

pdf

Rainer Stahl retired general secretary of Martin Luther Bund (Habichtstrasse 14 A, Erlangen. Germany, D-91056), rainer.stahl.1@gmx.de

Stahl R. Martin Luther inspiriert und regt zum Widerspruch an. Teil 1, Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2017, vol. 6, pp. 18–43.

doi: 10.24411/2308-0698-2017-00002

Language: German

In the article «Martin Luther inspires and stimulates contradictions», that is based on the report read 11. April 2017 in Tscheboskary, Luther’s understanding of freedom is examined. With the change of his name from Luder to Luther in the publication of the 95 Theses in 1517 the reformer raised the issue of freedom. He elaborated it in «On the Freedom of a Christian» (1520) and propagated no political freedom, but existential freedom, the freedom of faith. In the social realm, a Christian according to Luther is a servant of his fellow men. Here Luther developed the idea of the «two ways of God» with humans being God’s collaborators in the field of social coexistence (left hand) and in the realm of final salvation (right hand). The article focuses on the Luther’ position for the Peasants’ War. He understood this revolutionary movement as a danger to the positions of the freedom of belief. So he called on the peasants to end the revolt and the authorities to crush it. Later he realized that as a theologian he had taken far too much position in political conflicts. The second example in the social sphere is collaboration of worldview and faith. At that time, the thesis of the center of the sun in our solar system was known, but was not generally represented. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Reformers also put their faith in the old world view of the earth’s center position. However, the author notes that Luther saw the consequences of the new world view for understanding the biblical statements.

Key words: freedom, Gods rule, two ways of governing, kingdoms doctrine, Peasants’ war, violence, sufferings, worldview and faith, science

URL: //rcs-almanac.ru/stahl-2017-en/