Christian Religion Research Articles

A Hermeneutic Analysis of Selected Yorùbá Pentecostal Songs

The Christianity that reached Africa, especially the sub-Saharan region, had undergone several stages of inculturation and re-organization. The changing social, political, and cultural situation of the people had a tremendous impact on the Christian religion. As Christianity moved through the intellectual and political worlds, especially among the Yorùbá people of southwestern Nigeria, it acquired new categories of thought. Yorùbá philosophical language began to be applied in expressing some of the mysteries of the Christian faith. This was particularly evident in the articulation of the theological language expressed through various Christian songs. Different types of songs collected during the worship among the selected African Indigenous Churches and those produced by some artists were analyzed through the lens of textual exegesis. This paper considered the impact of the emerging trend of diffusion of African philosophy, worldviews, and Christian theology in the selected Christian songs. This in turn revealed the dynamism or the emerging trends in African Christianity that authenticate the pluricultural nature of contemporary world Christianity. The work demonstrated that Christianity is an essential part of the identity of the Yorùbá people, which is best demonstrated in the folkloric expressions, especially songs.

KHAMAR DALAM PANDANGAN MASYARAKAT MUSLIM DAN NON MUSLIM DI DESA SIMPANG SEMADAM KABUPATEN ACEH TENGGARA

<em>The aim of this research is to find out the views of the Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Simpang Semadam Village regarding wine/tuak and what factors are obstacles in the effectiveness of implementing Qanun jinayat regarding wine and the like in Simpang Semadam Village. This research is a qualitative field research type using a phenomenological approach. The phenomenological approach is used to understand clearly and in more detail the problem being studied and also to describe how a person experiences interacting with each other and the surrounding environment. The results obtained from this research are that the view of the Muslim community in Simpang Semadam Village regarding wine and similar things always leads to negative things and considers palm wine to be unclean and haram for consumption. The view of the non-Muslim (Christian) Simpang Semadam community regarding the drink khamar, namely palm wine, is a traditional drink which has good properties for the body and is not haram and is also not an unclean item and is permissible to drink as long as you don't get drunk because getting drunk is something that is prohibited by the Christian religion. . After researching, it turns out that different views regarding khamar and the like cannot be separated from religious, social and cultural influences which make it difficult to implement the qanun jinayat regarding khamar in Simpang Semadam Village. The main factor is the mix of cultures and associations and habits between Muslims and non-Muslims who have different views on palm wine, so that the habit of drinking palm wine has seeped into people's lives in Simpang Semadam Village.</em>

A New-Old Spirituality: How Spirituality has Softened and Revitalized Religion

Abstract This article seeks to continue the unfolding of the tangled relationship of spirituality and religion but from the vantage point of Christianity (religion), and more specifically, from Christian practice and from the perspective of representatives of institutionalized religion (clergy) and rather unchurched participants in organized religious practice. While first-wave scholars argued that religion and spirituality are at odds with each other, second-wave scholars rather consider the relationship between the two more blurred and hybrid. Following the lead of this latter group of scholarship, I make the case that contemporary spirituality at the intersection of “individualized spirituality” and “institutionalized religion” can be understood as a new-old spirituality and that religion is being changed by spirituality. This entails that people are approaching old Christian practices in new ways and new places often urged by a new kind of motivation. By attending to issues of subjectivity and regarding experience as a significant source of authority without leaving the theistic framework of religion altogether, this new-old spirituality is available and attractive to constituencies as varied as clergy, children, incarcerated, and young people. Hence, it can be argued that religion is not only giving way to spirituality. Religion is also softened and revitalized by spirituality, as empirical studies in the Scandinavian countries show a resurgence and revitalization of religious practice, both inside and at the margins of institutionalized religion, and, thus, a sacralization of the congregational domain.

Minat Belajar Siswa dalam Mengikuti Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Kristen di Kelas VII SMP Negeri 3 Palangka Raya

Interest in learning plays an important role in the student learning process. Students who have a low interest in learning, the quality of learning will decrease and will affect student learning outcomes. The purpose of this research was conducted to describe students' interest in learning Christian education in class VII SMP Negeri 3 Palangka Raya and find out the factors that cause a lack of interest student learning in participating in Christian Religion education lessons in class VII SMP Negeri 3 Palangka Raya. Qualitative research approach with descriptive research. Data collection techniques through observation, questionnaires and documentation. The results showed 1) 5 (39%) students with low learning interest, 5 (38%) students with moderate learning interest and 3 (23%) students with high learning interest. 2) Factors causing the lack of interest in student learning, from internal factors, health, disabilities and internal motivation. External factors include teaching tools and teaching methods.

Knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, and prevention: Evidence from health and demographic surveillance in Southern Mozambique.

Understanding community members' knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and prevention is essential for directing public health interventions to reduce disease spread and improve vaccination coverage. Here, we describe knowledge of COVID-19 transmission, prevention, and symptoms among community residents in Mozambique. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 33,087 households in a Health and Demographic Surveillance System in Manhiça, Mozambique. Participants were recruited in April 2021 before the Delta variant wave to the peak of Omicron cases in February 2022. Principal components analysis was used to create scores representing knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, and prevention. Multiple imputation and quasi-Poisson regression were used to examine associations between demographic characteristics and sources of COVID-19 information, and knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, and prevention. We examined whether sources of COVID-19 information mediated the relationship between educational attainment and knowledge of symptoms, transmission, and prevention. Across this rural community, 98.2%, 97.0%, and 85.1% of respondents reported knowing how COVID-19 could be prevented, that SARS-CoV-2 can cause disease, and how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted, respectively. The most recognized COVID-19 symptoms were cough (51.2%), headaches (44.9%), and fever (44.5%); transmission mechanisms were saliva droplets (50.5%) or aerosol (46.9%) from an infected person; and prevention measures were handwashing (91.9%) and mask-wearing (91.8%). Characteristics associated with greater knowledge of symptoms, transmission, and prevention included having at least primary education, older age, employment, higher wealth, and Christian religion. Respondents who had experienced COVID-19 symptoms were also more likely to possess knowledge of symptoms, transmission, and prevention. Receiving information from television, WhatsApp, radio, and hospital, mediated the relationship between educational attainment and knowledge scores. These findings support the need for outreach and for community-engaged messaging to promote prevention measures, particularly among people with low education.

Social and political contexts of religious conversion in Sidaama, Ethiopia, 1891-1974

This article discusses religious conversion in Sidaama, Ethiopia, 1891-1974. The Sidaama area is in Southern Ethiopia, southeast of Lake Hawassa and northeast of Lake Abaya in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Most of the population belongs to the ethnic group Sidaama, speakers of the Cushitic language Sidaamu Afoo. The region became incorporated into the Ethiopian Empire during the twentieth century. The article will first provide a historical overview of religious change in the area. Next, the paper will present theoretical approaches to religious conversion. The article's main content focuses on the interreligious encounter between the indigenous Sidaama religion and varieties of christianity. The paper will discuss how the interreligious encounter initiated a process of conversion to Christianity. The conversion process occurred at the intersection between indigenous Sidaama converts and various forms of Christianity and was influenced by internal social tensions and inequalities in Sidaama.

Cultural Models of the Body Parts Hand and Hair in Hungarian Archaic Prayers

Abstract Body part names are productive sources of metaphoric and metonymic expressions, which constitute coherent constructions in the languages. These cognitive cultural models are subconsciously known to all cultural community members (D’Andrade 1992). In the paper, I explore how culture influences the conceptualizations of body parts. The theoretical framework is Cultural Linguistics (Sharifian 2017), which investigates cultural conceptualizations in language. The data and analysis presented here consider the uses of ‘hand’ and ‘hair’ metaphors and metonymies in Hungarian archaic prayers, which represent a specific subculture mingling elements of the Christian religion with other (pagan or shamanistic) belief systems. The corpus of the study is Erdélyi’s collection of 321 archaic prayers (2013 [1976]), from which all representations of ‘hand’ and ‘hair’ are selected and conceptually analysed. The results show that 1) the figurative functions of the two body parts partly correspond to metaphors which are also found in secular Hungarian (e.g. hand for help, hand for care, hand for action); however, in the archaic prayers, they often take form in specific meanings (hand for help to get into heaven, hand for providence, hand for control); 2) their figurative uses strongly rely on cultural schemas which are attached to people and events. It is concluded that the body parts under consideration have fundamentally different cultural models in prayers than in secular usage.

God is Life: A Sociolinguistic and Ethnopragmatic Conceptualization of Chi in Igbo Naming Practices

Personal naming culture among the Igbos in South-eastern Nigeria is ethnopragmatically conceived to contextualize their collective worldview which communicates their religious and sociocultural connections. This paper explores an aspect of Igbo naming practices which shows the diverse conceptualization of Chi (God) from an ethnopragmatic perspective that situate names and meanings within the language and religious interpretations. Data for the study were generated through participant observation, semi-structured interviews and informal interactions with 40 recruited participants as representative sample of the name-givers, bearers and users among Mbaise and Ngwa people in Aboh Mbaise and Aba North Local Government Areas in Imo and Abia States of Nigeria. Findings show that the personal names contextualize Igbo Christians’ conceptualization of Chi as supreme, virtuous, extolling and trustworthy, giver of wealth and a faithful promise keeper. We conclude that Chi has a deepened value in the Igbo sociocultural and religious beliefs nuanced in their naming practices that construct particular circumstance(s) of the name bearer, parents and community. The emerging orientations expand the ethnopragmatic functions of the personal names beyond linguistic and sociocultural identities to situate Igbo as a society with supreme attachment to Christian religion, reverence to, and propagation of the virtues and nature of God.

Pemahaman Liberalisme dalam Perspektif Islam dan Kristen Studi terhadap Pandangan Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) dan Persekutuan Injili Indonesia

This study discusses the understanding of religious liberalism from an Islamic and Christian perspective. Liberal values are prohibited by the MUI, so Islam is contrary to the basic right to freedom. In rejecting the principle of freedom, the meaning is often misinterpreted as "free as freely as possible without limits" which is not actually the freedom of anarchy. Misunderstandings occur among orthodox Islamic circles, but also among secular nationalities. Liberalism is related to individualism on the one hand and imperialist capitalism on the other. Liberalism understands that it experiences development and change and can even form politics and political parties. The opposite of liberalism is fundamentalism, both in the economic and religious fields. What is meant by liberal freedom here is freedom that is institutionalized in constitutional law, freedom and human rights are the foundation of democracy, because with these principles every citizen is given the right to choose and be elected. Christian liberalism, they want to return to the holy book because Christianity has various kinds of sects and interpretations of the holy book at this time, so liberal Protestant Christians want to return to the new teachings, because it is opposed by fundamentalism, therefore again, sects and sects are born again. currents in Christianity. Liberalism in Islam is a renewal of good life, in the study of fiqh, kalam science, and Sufism. They want to make reforms with certain grounds and reasons. So the MUI forbids the flow of religious liberalism, whereas in Christianity the flow of religious liberalism is not prohibited because the Christian religion, every time they have an understanding of their own religion, they immediately create their own sects and sects, because the Christian religion has no valid guidelines, the Bible follows the times. which is very different from Islam, whatever actions and actions are based on the Koran and hadith. The method used is a qualitative method, which is based on the theory of liberalism.

Religion: Panacea to Human Capital Development in the Contemporary Nigerian Society

Nigeria as a nation over the years has continued to crave for Human Capital Development. This is because the Development of Human Capital is critical for the Economic Growth and Sustainable Development of any nation. Since it is the Human person who spearheads any developmental strive of any nation, the need for the Development of Human Capital is indispensable, using the tools of analysis, the paper submitted that religion could serve as a tool for Human capital development in the Contemporary Nigerian Society, because as an institution, it has the potential train and equip the Human person as the agent of Development. It further analyses the possible ways Religion can be harnessed to promote Human Capital Development to include moral instructions, sermons, ethical teachings, training of clergy and religious functionaries, establishment of schools, and through healthcare delivery. The paper concludes that if Religion is given its proper place, it would fulfill this sublime role of developing the Human Capital. It proffers some practical suggestions that would help Nigeria as a nation achieve the target of Human Capital Development. These suggestions are taken as recommendations. Religion for the purpose of this study refers to Christianity, Islam and African traditional Religion.

Dampak Implementasi Pemenuhan Standar Nasional Pendidikan Terhadap Kualitas Pembelajaran

This study aims to 1) obtain a description of the fulfillment of national standards for teaching staff at Inpres Tewil Elementary School, 2) to describe the inhibiting factors in fulfilling the fulfillment of SNP standard teaching staff at SD Inpres Tewil. 3) to find out the efforts to overcome obstacles in fulfilling the SNP at SD Inpres Tewil. Qualitative research with descriptive method. The research instrument used was an interview guide, observation sheets, and documentation. The results of the evaluation of student learning. Data testing was carried out using data triangulation techniques. The data obtained was analyzed based on the following steps: 1) data collection, 2) reduction, 3) data display, and 4) verification and conclusion. The results showed that the National Education Compliance Standards, both teaching and educational staff, infrastructure, content standards and process standards did not fully meet the criteria according to the National Education Standards. Christian Religious Teachers because at SD Inpres Tewil there is only 1 teacher available, while the number of Christian students is 125 students, so teachers experience difficulties in guided learning, which has an impact on the quality of student learning for Christian Religion subjects in character building and faith growth in introduction to Jesus Christ. The obstacle faced by the SD Tewil Education and Culture Office is the lack of responsiveness by the East Halmahera Education and Culture Office in coordinating educators specifically for Christian Religion Teachers, Facilities and Infrastructure. The conclusion is that the school principal continues to coordinate with the East Halmahera Education and Culture Office in fulfilling teaching staff, as well as providing facilities and infrastructure. In addition, the education office also needs to pay attention to other standards, so that the quality of education at SD Inpres Tewil schools can be optimally achieved.

Pengaruh Penerapan Metode Demonstrasi Terhadap Hasil Belajar Pendidikan Agama Kristen dan Budi Pekerti Siswa Kelas VIII SMP Negeri 1 Sipoholon

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of applying the demonstration method on the learning outcomes of Christian Religious Education & Character Education in class VIII of SMP Negeri 1 Sipoholon for the 2023/2024 academic year.This research uses a Posttest-Only Control type experimental method. The population is the entire class VIII of SMP Negeri 1 Sipoholon for the 2023/2024 academic year, totaling 160 people. The sample was determined using a technique taken deliberately (purposive sampling) with the specified conditions that the learning material being experimented with was in that class, namely 32 students in class VIII-C as the experimental class and 32 students in VIII-E as the control class. The research instrument used a 27 item test. The t test used is the Separated Variance t test according to the test analysis requirements, namely n1=n2 and the variance of the two sample groups is homogeneous. The results of hypothesis testing obtained a value of tcount= 13.9 > ttable (a=0.05; dk=n1+n2-2=62) = ttable 1.669, so H0 is rejected and H1 is accepted. This research concludes that the learning outcomes of students' Christian Religion & Character Education taught using the demonstration method are higher than those taught using the lecture method in class VIII of SMP Negeri 1 Sipoholon for the 2023/2024 Academic Year. Keywords: Demonstration Method, Learning Outcomes

Hubungan Model Pembelajaran Berbasis Portofolio Dengan Keaktifan Belajar Pendidikan Agama Kristen (PAK) Siswa Kelas X SMK Negeri 1 Siborongborong Tahun pembelajaran 2023/2024

This research aims to determine the positive and significant relationship between the Portfolio Based Learning Model and the Learning Activeness of Christian Religious Education of class X students at SMK Negeri 1 Siborongborong for the 2023/2024 academic year. The method used in this research is a descriptive quantitative research method. The population was all students of class The instrument for this research is a closed questionnaire. From the results of the positive relationship test calculations, the rcount value rcount=0.707> rtable=0.297(α=0.05, IK=95% N=50) thus it is known that there is a positive relationship between the portfolio-based learning model and active learning in education. Christian Religion and the results of the t test show the value and tcount=6.919> ttable (α=0.05, dk=n-2=48)=1.677, thus there is a significant relationship between the portfolio-based learning model and active learning in Christian Religious Education. So Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted. The research concluded that there was a positive and significant relationship between the portfolio learning model and the learning activity of Christian Religious Education for class

English Language and Communication in Christian Assemblies

Language, the medium through which people communicate their thoughts, feelings and aspirations to one another, is regarded as the most intimate possession of man as well as the most important form of communication and interaction employed by humans. The advent of the English language in Nigeria was championed by the Church Missionary Society and other Christian missions. The need to propagate the gospel to the nook and crannies of Nigeria effectively necessitated the introduction of literary education (ability to read and write), which was conducted in English. The products of these schools served, inter alia, as interpreters in the Churches, facilitating the propagation of the Christian religion in Nigeria which has about 522 local languages. Today, the common practice is for the main preacher to speak in English while another interprets the message into the local language of the Church members. Against this background, this paper examines the use of the English language in Christian assemblies in Nigeria.

“To give life is a journey through the unknown”: an ethnographic account of childbirth experiences and practices in Southern Benin

In Benin maternal mortality remains high at 397 deaths per 100,000 live births, despite 80% of births being attended by skilled birth attendants in health facilities. To identify childbirth practices that potentially contribute to this trend, an ethnographic study was conducted on the use of biomedical and alternative health services along the continuum of maternal care in Allada, Benin. Data collection techniques included in-depth interviews (N = 83), informal interviews (N = 86), observations (N = 32) and group discussions (N = 3). Informants included biomedical, spiritual and alternative care providers and community members with a variety of socioeconomic and religious profiles. In Southern Benin alternative and spiritual care, inspired by the Vodoun, Christian or Muslim religions, is commonly used in addition to biomedical care. As childbirth is perceived as a “risky journey to the unknown”, these care modalities aim to protect the mother and child from malevolent spirits, facilitate the birth and limit postpartum complications using herbal decoctions and spiritual rites and rituals. These practices are based on mystical interpretations of childbirth that result in the need for additional care during facility-based childbirth. Because such complementary care is not foreseen in health facilities, facility-based childbirth is initiated only at an advanced stage of labour or at the onset of a perceived immediate life-threatening complication for the mother or baby. Programmes and policies to reduce maternal mortality in Benin must seek synergies with alternative providers and practices and consider the complementary and integrated use of alternative and spiritual care practices that are not harmful.

اقبال کی نظم پر مذاہبِ عالم کے اثرات


 Allama Iqbal is always praised for his superior quality poetry of religious zeal. His poetry is based on a certain level religious insight which must be understood and realized by average Muslims to better evolve into a United Nation. His poetic work is revolutionary in spirit and can be read as a complaints about the lethargy of Muslims and the decadence of their civilization. His poetry is amalgamation of religious beliefs, traits and ideologies and ethical values of almost all prominent religion of this universe. His poetry is based on the concept of humanity and forbearance essential for the welfare of mankind. He was blessed with matchless innovative poetic approach and wrote several poems depicting properties of various religions. Not only Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Jewish had importance near him. In his poem "Nanak" he talked about Guru Nanak and monotheism. Iqbal also employed the Sanskrit phrase "Mantra, shakti in his poems. As for as Buddhism is concerned, he pointed out that "salvation lies in exchanging desire". Consequently, his poetic work portrays basic concepts of Christianity and Jewism religion

John Ruskin par la voix de Marcel Proust: acheminement vers le moi artiste

John Ruskin by the voice of Marcel Proust : Journey to the artist’s self The translation of La Bible d’Amiens and Sesame et les Lys was a way for Proust to take an interest in religious art, but also to cultivate his own vision of art. Ruskin was for Proust a guide who participated in the support of his artistic self by transfering a certain number of aesthetic conceptions to which his mind would never have been able to access on its own. Proust succeeds in recognizing the decisive dimension of the Christian religion and its implications for Ruskin's aesthetics. Transcending the religious dimension, Proust realizes that Christian architecture, as understood by Ruskin, acquires a meaning other than religious, namely that of a past sublimated by the powers of art. Thus the historical dimension is annihilated in favor of an aesthetic perception of works from the past. Our article therefore aims to show how this experience of translation allowed Proust to deconstruct the aesthetic vision of the author of the translated text, while constructing a vision of art that is his own.

Действующие лица христианской религии. Тварные существа. Фрагмент систематического французско-русского словаря религиозной лексики

This work is a continuation of the publication of separate parts of the Systematic French-Russian Dictionary of Religious Vocabulary. This is part of a large section on "Characters of the Christian Religion", which also includes a subsection on "God", which has not yet been published. The material of this publication is divided into chapters, which unite the vocabulary devoted to certain aspects of the topic. As in previous cases, not only individual lexemes are presented, but also the usual phrases accepted in the religious language, clichés, statements characteristic of Orthodoxy and Catholicism and reflecting a special view of the world order. Speaking about the purely linguistic side, one must keep in mind that the Russian religious usage is characterized by the use of more archaic lexemes than the French one. Therefore, we considered it possible to include, along with the usual translation into Russian, also especially original Russian equivalents of Orthodox authors, Church Slavonicisms, if they occur in the texts of the XX-XXI centuries. In this case, such translations are marked church-arch.As in previous publications, expressions in quotation marks not only illustrate the use of a single word, but also contain, as a rule, a new unit or reveal the content of a concept related to the section. Usually they are made up of elements (both individual lexemes and phrases) appearing in French and Russian sources, but are not direct quotations. This work was submitted for review to a candidate of theology, a specialist in comparative theology, rector of the St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York, Fr. Igor (Vyzhanov), whom I thank for thoughtful reading and help. At the same time, the work on the topic (as in previous cases) is far from being completed by the publication of this story, and all comments, both conceptual and purely linguistic, please send to my email address.

Kristologi Multikultural Bagi Penguatan Budaya Toleransi Mahasiswa Kristen

This research aims to understand the teachings and life of Jesus Christ as a person present in the midst of cultural diversity (Multicultural Christology) as a contribution to the material of tolerance in the Christian Religion courses at the College for strengthening the culture of student tolerance. Through qualitative descriptive methods through hermeneutic-exegesis approaches the result is obtained that Multicultural Christology teaches that Christ must be present in the midst of diversity, Christ is always associated with “the other” not sin but the duty of showing love and bringing peace, Christ always promotes a reconciliation mission that touches human issues, Christ willing to learn about “the others”, and Christ always carries out a mission of dialogue in a spirit of solidarity. Starting from this, it is implemented in the strengthening of a culture of Christian students’ tolerance, namely the awareness of being present in the midst of diversity, the consciousness of willingness to learn about “the others”, the conscience of carrying out a mission of dialogue, and the constipation to live side by side with “the other” in thinking and acting in order to provide solutions and service to human social problems.

Historical Roots of Neopaganism

The article considers the philosophical and culturological prerequisites for the emergence of neopaganism in Western Europe at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It consistently outlines the history of neopaganism starting with the Renaissance, when the images of pagan gods became the pictorial embodiment of advanced humanistic ideas. Devoid of religious content as yet, they were already familiar to the educated people of Western Europe. The age of Enlightenment saw the myth of the Dark Ages being developed and popularized, directly linked with Christianity and Christian culture by Enlightenment philosophers in their works. At the same time, the image of a “noble savage” as an incarnate holder of virtues, Christian by nature, and yet emphatically deprived of the Christian religion and upbringing, was developing in literature. In the 19th century this was superimposed by the evolutionist theory of the emergence of religions, from the standpoint of which Christianity became only one of the forms that satisfi ed basic and universal human needs. A signifi cant contribution was also made by the concept of primordialism, which considered the people as a kind of ethnocultural historical constant. Within this approach, Christianity could be discarded without any signifi cant loss for culture, as values and virtues would not suff er from this, and the people would still comprise the same ethnocultural unity. Such ideas became the philosophical and culturological basis for the emergence of neopaganism. The upheavals of the twentieth century created the impetus for the emergence of the fi rst neopagan organizations. Many contemporaries considered world wars, the spreading urbanization and globalization as the inevitable consequence of the Christian-type development. The idea of returning to paganism became an attractive alternative for the part of the Western European society that was burdened by the processes of the twentieth century, The article also considers the origin and the emergence of neopaganism in Russia. It could be characterized by the same philosophical and cultural prerequisites as the one in Western Europe, but emerged with a certain historical lag. In addition, the Russian neopaganism had the ideological background of the communist propaganda as its important and striking distinguishing feature. The Christian images and meanings of the Russian traditional culture were either hushed up or openly replaced by pagan ones, as more suitable for the tasks of building a bright communist future. The knowledge of the described historical prerequisites will allow one to better understand both neopaganism itself and many related phenomena of the modern times.