THE LOGIC OF RELIGIOUS RITUAL: THE PATHOS OF FAITH OR THE TRIUMPH OF MAGISM

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of ritual, understood as an independent phenomenon that goes beyond the scope of religious culture. Referring to the works of religious studies, anthropology and psychology, the main features of ritual are identified, allowing to talk about ritual as a peculiar form of archetypal consciousness. Particular attention is focused on religious discourse, for it is here that the nature of ritual in its most varied forms emerges most clearly. It is established that ritual practices in the religious and psychological spheres have a common cause – the symbolic function of protection from the outside world by means of certain actions, verbal formulas, and ceremonials. The idea is postulated that ritual as a magical action is opposed to conscious faith; ritual dependence is opposed to religious freedom. It is emphasized that “inside” the developed religious systems the concept of ritual is used more often in a negative sense. The theoretical basis is mainly represented by the works of V. Terner, K. Jung, B. Malinowski, and M. Eliade. The methodology of the work includes phenomenological, textual, conceptual and comparative analysis. The data of the study can be used in philosophical and theological analysis of the phenomenon of ritual. The practical value of the study lies in the possibility of including the results of the study in the classes of philosophy, religious studies, psychology and theology.