Russian Protestants

or Europe, in Russia). People entering the Orthodox or Catholic church, feels like on the periphery of it, because from the very formation of the Christian church was made in every possible way to decorate and glorify the temples. In Orthodoxy, and (to a lesser extent in Catholicism) is the idea of catholicity, that is, the idea of collective salvation, when all the people of the same church gain salvation through Christ. This is an analogue of the Ummah, that is, the group co-religionists, who are inseparable. In Orthodoxy, this community saved by Christ at the Council of the Church, in Catholicism, through the church (namely parents) and then through Christ.

But Orthodoxy and Catholicism are more disposed to suppress the individual in person and encourage him to be a part of unified community that will be saved through Christ. At that time, Protestantism dominated the idea of individual salvation. Clergy are not separated from the congregation, that is, any believer can preach. The temples themselves are very simple (in the United States, most Protestant churches differ from conventional hall only by the presence of the cross). Therefore, a parishioner does not feel a big distance between himself and those he sees in the church (as the decoration of the church is almost no all people are equal), he becomes a kind of "soldier of God" (as they say Russian Protestants), he becomes a missionary, as his religious salvation depends solely on him, and how many people will come through it to the church. That is the concept of individual salvation of Protestantism is similar to market competition, while, as a collective salvation of Christianity and Catholicism is like a big corporation where you simply enter and show respect, not competing with "colleagues".

These differences are the author's opinion will play in the history of ever greater role, and the "Protestant ethic" of the usa and Northern Europe (as well as some in Russia and everywhere where there Protestantism) will give more fruit. At the same time, mysticism of Orthodoxy and to a lesser degree of Catholicism will encourage more people to stay calm and contemplation, rather than to compete. With regard to Russia today, then its religious "color" is very diverse. By religion should understand any view of the world, based mostly on faith and accepted as a finished product from the outside without the inner deep thoughts. Russia now has some of the older generation adheres to the religion of "scientific atheism", part converted to Orthodoxy, have also become widespread, and American Protestant churches. Part of Russia's population adheres to Islam, which is unlikely to be increase or decrease in terms of the number of followers. Among all generations in Russia there are people still undecided, the idea of living personal gain (but sooner or later, and they question the meaning of this benefit and their themselves). Thus Russia will in future be subject to a complex action as a "Protestant ethic" and the Orthodox-Catholic mystical passivity and contemplation, as well as seizure activity "Undecided", aimed at self-enrichment and entertainment.

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