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In the foreseeable history of mankind, religion in one way or another influenced the life of society. In different periods, her role intensified, then she faded into the background. Religious wars have repeatedly changed the borders of states, religious figures have become major politicians and in the name of God have done both good and evil.

In Russia, religions are politicized and try to participate in solving secular problems. However, when religion is involved in politics, this is bad: this process is inevitable, but it only adds radicalism and intransigence to political life. In Russia, however, this process is currently endangering the secular nature of the state.

I think it’s bad when religion has some influence on any political processes. If we are not talking about a mono-confessional state, then it expresses the interests and moods of not the whole society, but some part of it, which means it cannot consolidate it. Even if the state, let’s say, is mono-ethnic, then it is absolutely not necessary that all of its population professes one religion. There may be several religions that compete with each other, which happens all the time and does not contribute to stability.

Orthodoxy promises eternal life and paradise for a righteous life on earth, observance of the commandments of the Lord and sincere faith. This inevitably attracts people, including those who at the moment in life are not going well, so at least there is hope of being happy after death. But, along with this, a person was required to attend church weekly, help those in need, observe fasts, and much more. First, not everyone was ready for this day by day. With any improvement in the situation, in general, the need for church support has ceased to be so critically necessary. It’s much easier to treat God like Genie: when I feel bad, I will ask him to help, he will help, and so on until the next time.

But it’s not only that. My point of view is that faith is not directly dependent on whether a person attends the temple or not. Faith, and hence the connection with God, is in ourselves, since we are his creations, and in order for him to “hear” us, no connecting links are needed.

Many of those who are considered true believers in our country, in fact, simply cover up their total loss and disbelief in anything, try to be righteous within the temple and atone for their sins, and then go beyond it and commit them again. And, as they say, the song goes in a circle.

Once, while talking with a minister of an Orthodox church, I heard the following statement from him: “Faith in God begins and ends with fear. First, it is the fear of punishment in the «other world.» Then, out of fear, respect for God is born, since he also helps and does good deeds. Then we are afraid again, but now to disappoint him. And this fear is already close to love. For me, such a psychology was and remains alien, especially from the side of a minister of a religious direction, who, in my opinion, does his job by virtue of unconditional faith and love for God, but not fear.

It turns out that those who feel and believe on their own are actually considered unfaithful, and vice versa. There is a substitution of the concepts of faith in God and the performance of church rituals.

Summing up, one should start from the situation in the modern world. On the whole, it cannot be called simple, especially for our country. With the world gaining monopolarity and, in my opinion, losing, in my opinion, Russia, the successor to the Soviet Union, its position as one of the world’s poles of influence, our future is under great threat. For a great country to become a raw material appendage of any other center, regardless of whether it is peacefully through globalization or through military conquest, is simply a shame in relation to our ancestors. However, since there is and will be such a possibility, no matter how veiled it may be, not finding support in other public institutions, people will be drawn to faith and seek salvation in it. And the political sphere will always look for ways to influence people, and therefore influence the church. People will always write the «law of God» for themselves, and so on. Thus, I believe that the very phenomenon of religion and human faith will never disappear and will not lose its sharpness of importance and significance.