The Phenomenon of Credit in the Perspective of Religious Culture

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Relevance. The article notes that usury can pose a threat not only to public morality, but also to state security. Meanwhile, in Russia, interest-bearing lending has become a significant part of banking activity, and loans are often imposed on citizens. This article is devoted to the norms of bank lending, which are studied in the context of religious cultures. Purpose. Due to the fact that the phenomena of social and economic life are especially useful in accordance with the norms of culture, it is proposed to explore such ways of development of the banking sector of the economy, in which they would be consistent with the principles of traditional culture, which are expressed in world religions, primarily Christianity and Islam. The objectives of the article correlate with its purpose and suggest identifying ways to eliminate usury and replace it with more effective means of developing banking business. Methodology. The methodological basis of this article is the dialectical unity of induction and deduction, analysis and synthesis. The comparative method is also used. Results. It is emphasized that usury is considered a serious sin in both Christianity and Islam. Using the example of the banking system in Iran, the article suggests mechanisms for bringing the principles of lending to business projects in accordance with ethical and religious canons. In a sense, these canons correspond to the principles of the socialist economy and are consistent with the norms of the welfare state. Conclusions. The main idea of the article is that banks abandon usurious activities and invest capital in projects, from the net profit of which they also have a certain income. In this case, the bank itself is interested in the success of the business in which it invests funds. Accordingly, with this approach, the level of risks is significantly reduced and doing business acquires real partnership foundations.