Challenges of the Global World: Secularism and Religious Beliefs

In: International affairs: a Russian journal of world politics, diplomacy and international relations, Band 56, Heft 5, S. 1-12

Abstract

The article describes various modern secular challenges to religion. As the Russian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev observed, Soviet atheism sought to replace the religion of Orthodox Christianity with communism. Militant secularism in modern Europe, like Russian communism in the past, claims an ideological monopoly and does not tolerate rivals. The author suggests that secularism and religion need to be put in dialog instead of being set against each other. There is a particularly pressing need for this on issues such as the demographic problem and the status of the family, which have tended to become worse in societies dominated by a secular outlook. The author also discusses relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, the role of religious sects in Russian society, ties with Protestant Churches, as well as the religious and cultural relationship between Russia and Ukraine. K. Cargill