RESULTS OF YOUTH POLL ON RELIGIOUS ISSUES REPORTED

Created: 4/4/1989

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

JMLS-LTA-tMllApril 1W

KEUGfON

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,Teii| The process of renewing society hat made ibe problem of the human being, hit tpirilualily and moral-ay. paramouni. la ibisreat deal ofaiien-taoo ia being given to questions of Ihe allilude toward rrfiapoun. the level of acceptance of religious culture, aod tu place and rote in spiritual culture and in ihe life of ermlrmpcaary society.

TV Scientific Research Cenler of ibe Higher Komsomol School of the AU-Uaion Leninist Komsomol Centralteeocsolcapcal study on Ihit subject. Theyepresentatives of Ihe youth inicfligrnliia and college students in Moscow and Leningrad, including doctors, teachers, engineers, and represeniniive* of the creative professions. In addition, young believers in the non-trad it tonal rdigioui grouping of Hare Krishna were Questioned by Useethodology.

On ihe bash of ihe daia received wc can ny that the interest in religion, above all in rdigioui culture and Ihe

inished Three of iheayaot ma) arc in villages in ia for this vett/ reason thai the rWcrence of/he department of Ikon of ihe Vr/ogodskiy CPSU ookom sras held here, conrerence akamined the question "oh the individual approach it/ihe atheittic education of cheot bmHcrfng the reader with an esnrjatUbn "ofthoncsimings ia (he system of parly rrkrunemem of atheiHtc/ducaiion ofhll tay.that this system it in deep stagnation. Knot worn.

his kind ofa line ia the resolution

lical acliv ootaiat informationty af rdigKxa orgjriiralioru. ia thehe trvth of Uis aaaertamw such information oa the rmdilion:.epresentative of ihe coiii rdigious matters in Votogodikaya Oblatt.

liar with rdigioui liieralure (mainly the Bible, less commonly Ihe Koran and ihend Ihe inlercst shows most markedly among

Ihe creative in tell, gonial..

Young people are attracted firn of all by the historical and literary value of these works. In their answers they Often apeak of the hamanitm and wisdom expressed in these monuments of religious leaching. It is mterestingsrjcrx- respondent* coo aider the Bible's procJiesici Omdy for ihe presenthcy watsiderind ofhis is found moat commonly among '

wes! km about ihe reasons for the preservation of rdigioui fedrags. almost half of the mpoooenis agreed with the suicmenl that in ordinary adeai thereiaturc of national and rdigioui con-eepti anda often impossible lo acparaie national from rdigioui traditions Perhaps this is why the growth

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49

RELIGION

national nd'-awarencss which hu been manifestedd more vsgrxously In receni yean carries in rtsctf Hinvwhil ideated ideai of ihe role of religion in aatinual culture. Thai.crceni of lhe creative youth ted Ihai naiional eullurr cannot cats! wiihoui rriljmn.4 percent of the reapuralenu hold thr. point uf view.

A Im lhat draw*hat four perceal think thai rebgjon under contemporaryform of defense of rviitonaJ akretts" wd npreu lhe opinion Bun rehetoai fundamcniah should be Utsgfct ia school. Aboulerceal af lhe wi peopk surveyed thmk thai In the process of religious organ ii*Lions' aaorr active wurraelion with society Ihey must be represented in state organs, andercent propose organiiing broad access to theorm it ion media lor religious i

ll appears thairadical-an of Ihe intHligenitia may be causedeaction of rejection of that "atheistic" Hereoiypc that hit been artificially imposed for many years. Ai the aame time it is direct evidence of an madequaleiy mature civic position in some youngesult of equaling lhe concepts of religion and morality, religion and culture, and so in lhe ideas of these young people.

A significant number of respondents (aboulerceal) eapressed the opinion that one or the primary reasons for the preservation of religious feeling is shortcomings in the system of education and iadoctrination, which does not adequatelycientific materialist world view. Thus, to the question. -Did the knowledge received in Ihcsc clastet help you in realiring and formulatingand goals in life and in searching foranswen to the questions that arc imporuni to8 pcrceni answered.ndcrceni were unable to give any answer at all. But ihit it jutl one aspect of Ihe general problem of dehumsnizaiion of ihe system of education and indoctrinaiion.

traditional, canonical religious culture attracts Ihe alien into of about half of Iheajority (Ml pr^rcent) arc tnlcrctlrd in questions linked lo mysterious pJscne-tscna of nature and the human mind (UKO's. telepathy, telekinesis, the btofkid. and the like) Thereotable mfalaatMn wilh dream bt.At. horoscopes, fortune letting, and the like. Althoughcrceni cun-aislcr all of theseind of "game" and something to do "from2 pcrceni of the young people aorveyed link fort arse teflingope io avoidand aatejlensantncitesire to know one's future, aad almost as many say thai Ihey harecases which verified certain signs, predictions, and ao on.

1 would like lo point out one other aspect of the problem of non-traditional religion. Thit ii that becauseertain eclecticism and prim it iv ism lhe so-called "ncocults" are unable io perform lhe religiousfund ion and cannot servedequate means of indiridtiat social adaptation. Therefore, poliiiraiion of the activity of non-traditional religious groups rt almost inevitable. Thit it confirmed by foreign cspericncc. and by our own domestic experience. Most of lhe eaitling associatroni which lo one degree or anoihereligious <or pseudorcltgioui) orientation are drawn to consolidation. Steps are being taken to arork outideas and programs whose purpose ii loolitical orgamraiion of believers, persons united bynd to on.

Many Soviet social scientists ere now speaking of Ihe "need lo refine the ettaing pactJces in classifyingwilh reUgjout organiiaiioRS considering lhe real focuses in the ideology and activity of our countryi religiousut while rejecting vulgarwhich has been imposed on man consciousness for many years, we must understand thai idealized ideas of religion and religious organizations arc also unwise and usually mult from irsadcqsiaic theoretical literacy and bumanilarian culture.

wilh lhe youth intelligentsia these same questions were answeredroup of young believers, followers of the Hare Krishna cult. The answers io quest ions about the level of teaching of history and liieraiure arcthe tame for both groups. But TO percent erfK-vcnegative assessment to the tea* of in.-humanitarian knerwtedge received in school If we con-tain thai the ranks of Ihe believers are rilled most often by emotional, suggestible types who are easily wounded pssfhofogicalty. then ihe damage lo their spiritual world thai is caused by lhe mechanical, stereotyped appnsach lo humanitarian culture could have been the initial impetus so withdraw into fciagsoua mysticism, it is not wnwirting thai an absoluteercentlof Ihem think lhat religion fosters aa awakening of the higher spiritual principle in people.

Under conditions rrfcontinued clernocra lira! ion of pub-la: lile in the country the activity of religiousaninnt. including the noo-traditional ones, willrcraU this it natural, and given all lhe diversity uf Ihe situation there mutl be hroadcr interaction wilh icii. pout .sragni/aticavs and groups rrf Isclievrrt in Ihe Mstsal. cultural, and tottopnliuctitoini ssetiviit h> religious, public, and state organizations offer, anany fitr believers to achieve social srlf-rcaliralion not only in the religious sphere, bul also in staving. significant problems Such interaction can help reorient lhe individual andcicniiric materialist woiW-view through ctmcrcte activiiy. through solving mini pniwVms ihai are equally important lo belie ten and ison-believers-

Original document.

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