Abstract

The article examines varieties of the correlation of religion and morality in European and Russian social thought within the Christian paradigm. A diversity of definitions of religion in the research literature is observed; special attention is paid to so-called critical approach that questions the relevance of the very concept of religion due to its dependence on the particular historical-cultural context. The author analyzes some historical types of the interrelation of religion and morality, and draws the following conclusion: its nature is entirely determined by the historical-cultural context in general, and by specific form of Christianity in a given period, in particular. In observing discussion of the correlation of religion and morality in post-Soviet Russia, the author notes radical transformation of the attitude towards religion, and its role in the historical-cultural development of the country. In analyzing practical aspect of the relationship between religion and morality, the author indicates that the link between everyday moral choice and religious beliefs is far from being unambiguous, and illustrates this thesis by examples taken from domestic and foreign research literature.