Ilyin on religion. Silver Age" of Russian religious philosophy. Christian culture and art
A touching, unusual, piercing and strict Lament of the Most Holy Theotokos, usually read after the removal of the Shroud.
We give the canon in translation. There is a Church Slavonic text.
Canon on
THE LAMENT OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD
(sung on Great Fiver at Compline)
Canto 1
When the Pure Virgin saw Her Son and Lord hanged on the Cross, tormented, she cried out bitterly with other wives, and with a groan she proclaimed:
“I see You now, My dear and beloved Child, hanging on the Cross, and my heart is bitter; but give the word to Thy Servant!”
“Voluntarily, My Son and Creator, You endure a fierce death on the Tree,” the Virgin exclaimed, standing at the Cross with her beloved disciple.
“Now My hope, joy and joy - My Son and Lord - I have lost; alas for me! I grieve in my heart, ”the Pure One cried out with tears.
Canto 3
“Out of fear of the Jews, Peter hid, and all the faithful fled, leaving Christ,” the Virgin cried out with sobs.
“In Your trembling and extraordinary Nativity, My Son, I have been exalted more than all mothers. But, alas! Now seeing You on the Tree, I flare up internally.
“I strive, My Heart, to receive You from the Tree in my arms, with which I held You as a Child. But, alas, to Me, - said the Pure One, - no one gives You to Me.
“Behold, My sweet Light, My Good Hope and Life, My God, died out on the Cross; I'm burning up inside!" - Virgo, exclaimed with a groan.
Canto 4
“The sun that does not set, God the Eternal and the Creator of all creation, Lord! How do You endure suffering on the Cross? - Pure with tears proclaimed.
The Virgin, who did not know marriage, turned to crying to the venerable adviser Joseph: “Hurry, Joseph, to proceed to Pilate, and ask him to remove Your Teacher from the Tree.”
Seeing the Most Pure, shedding tears bitterly, Joseph was embarrassed and in tears approached Pilate: “Give me,” exclaiming with tears, “the Body of my God!”
“Seeing You wounded, and inglorious, naked on the Tree, My Child, I flare up internally, weeping like a Mother,” the Virgin said.
Canto 5
Having accepted Him with weeping, the Mother, who did not know her husband, put Him on her knees, praying to Him with tears and kissing, and sobbing bitterly, and exclaiming:
“The only Hope and Life, Lord, My Son and God, I, Your Servant, had light in My eyes; now deprived of You, My sweet and beloved Child!
“Torments, and sorrows, and sighs have overtaken Me, alas for Me,” the Pure One, sobbing bitterly, exclaimed, “when I see You, My beloved Child, naked and lonely, and anointed with fragrances of a dead man!”
Canto 6
“Seeing You dead, Lover of mankind, who revived the dead and holds everything, I am stung with a heavy heart. I would like to die with You, - the Most Pure One proclaimed, - after all, I am not able to contemplate You lifeless, dead!
“I am surprised, contemplating You, the Most Gracious God and the All-Merciful Lord, without glory, and without breath, and without an image; and I weep, holding you, for I did not think - alas for me - to see you like this, my Son and God!
“Won't you pronounce the words of Your Servant, the Word of God? Will you not take pity, O Lord, on the Mother of You?” - the Pure One proclaimed, with sobs and weeping, kissing the Body of His Lord.
“I think, Lord, that I will no longer hear Your sweet voice, and the beauty of Your face I, Your Servant, as before I will not see: for You, My Son, have come, hiding from My eyes.”
Ikos:
The Lamb Mary, seeing His Lamb drawn to the slaughter, tormented, followed Him with other women, crying out: “Where are you going, Child? Why do you make the fast way? Is there not another marriage in Cana, and now You hasten there to make wine for them out of the water? Should I go with You, Child, or is it better to wait for You? Tell me a word, the Word of God! Do not silently pass me by, You who have kept Me pure, for You are My Son and God!”
Canto 7
“Where, my Son and God, is the old tidings that Gabriel proclaimed to me? He called you King and Son of the Most High God; now I see You, My sweet Light, naked and covered with wounds of a dead man.
“Rescuing from torment, now take Me with You, My Son and God, so that I, Lord, will go down with You into hell; do not leave Me alone, for I can no longer live without seeing You, My sweet Light.
With other myrrh-bearing women, the Immaculate Virgin, with a bitter sob, watching how the body of Christ was carried to the tomb, exclaimed: “Alas, what I see! Where are You going now, My Son, and leaving Me alone?”
Weeping and weeping, the Immaculate Myrrh-bearing woman proclaimed: “Weep with Me together and weep bitterly: for behold, My sweet Light and your Teacher is betrayed to the grave!”
Canto 8
Seeing the weeping virgin, Joseph tore himself all over and cried out bitterly: “How can I bury You, O my God, now, I am Your servant? What kind of shrouds will I wrap around Your Body?
The extraordinary appearance of You, the entire creation of the bearer of the Lord, has surpassed the limits of the mind; because Joseph, along with Nicodemus, carries and buries you as a dead man in his arms.
“I see an extraordinary and glorious mystery. - The Virgin proclaimed to the Son and the Lord, - How do they believe You in an insignificant tomb, Who by Your command raises the dead from the tombs?
“I will not leave Your tomb, My Child, nor will I stop shedding tears, Your Servant, until I also descend into hell: for I cannot endure separation from You, My Son!”
Canto 9
“Joy will never approach Me from now on,” the Immaculate One cried, sobbing, “My Light and My Joy have entered the tomb; but I will not leave Him alone, but here I will die and be buried with Him!”
“Now heal my spiritual ulcer, My child,” the Most Pure One cried with tears, “Rise up and quench My torment and sorrow, for You can do everything, Lord, and do what You want, although You were buried voluntarily!”
« Oh, how the abyss of mercy is hidden from You! – Mother secretly spoke the Lord, – because I was pleased to die, desiring to save my creation; but I will rise again, and I will exalt you, as the God of heaven and earth!»
“I sing of Your mercy, Lover of mankind, and worship the wealth of Your mercy, Lord: for wanting to save Your creation, You accepted death,” the Most Pure One exclaimed, “but with Your Resurrection, Savior, have mercy on us all!”
Late 19th century period - the first half of the 20th century was marked by the rapid development of religious philosophy and its opposition to the revolutionary democratic ideology in Russia. This is the period of the Russian spiritual renaissance or the "silver age" of Russian religious philosophy (continued in the forced emigration of Russian philosophers after 1922).
The main questions of religious philosophy of this period are:
1. Comprehension of the divine nature of the cosmos and the divine transformation of the world, the divine and creative vocation of man. The teaching of V. Solovyov about Sophia - sophiology - is being further developed. It is presented in the works of S. Bulgakov, P. Florensky, N. Lossky, S. Frank and others.
2. The study of the origins of the conflict between the intelligentsia and the people, the split within the intelligentsia. This problem is presented in the articles of the collections "Milestones" of 1909, "From the depths" of 1918. The authors of the collections are N.A. Berdyaev, S.N. Bulgakov and others condemned revolutionary appeals to the people and saw genuine concern for the people in their upbringing and cultural enlightenment.
In the 1920s, the collection “Change of milestones” was published in exile, which contained an appeal to the emigrants and a call to recognize the power of the Bolsheviks, return to Russia and take part in the creation of a new great Russia. The concept of "Eurasianism" is becoming especially popular. Its supporters were S. Frank, I. Ilyin, N. Berdyaev, N. Lossky and others. The philosophy of Eurasianism affirms the need to create a “new ideology” in the interests of humanity as a whole, a strong “religious-national Russian state” that can harmonize the interests of people different nationalities and religions. The Eurasianists (like the Slavophiles) did not recognize the European multi-party system of democracy and parliamentarism, considering them a means of corrupting the Christian peoples.
Subsequently (in the collection "From Under the Rocks", 1974), the problem of conflict within the intelligentsia was raised in the articles of dissidents who opposed the repressions of the Soviet regime, in favor of expanding human freedoms.
« Problems of Idealism». Collection religious and philosophical articles in which Russian liberal conservatism first manifested itself, 1902, ( S.N. Bulgakov, E.N. Trubetskoy, P.B. Struve, H.A. Berdyaev, S.L. Frank, S.A. Askoldov, S.N. Trubetskoy, P.I. Novgorodtsev, B.A. Kistyakovsky and others).
« Milestones. Collection of articles about the Russian intelligentsia» , 1909, (N.A. Berdyaev, S.N. Bulgakov, M.O. Gershenzon, A.S. Izgoev, B.A. Kistyakovsky, P.B. Struve, S.L. Frank).
« From the depth. Collection of articles about the Russian revolution» , 1918, (S.A. Askoldov, N.A. Berdyaev, S.N. Bulgakov, V.I. Ivanov, A.S. Izgoev, S.A. Kotlyarevsky, V.N. Muravyov, P.I. Novgorodtsev , I. A. Pokrovsky, P. B. Struve, S. L. Frank).
« Change of milestones».Digest of articles Russian emigrants, served as the ideological basis of the Smenovekhov movement, 1921, (Yu.V. Klyuchnikov, N.V. Ustryalov, S.S. Lukyanov, A.V. Bobrischev-Pushkin, O.S. Chakhotin, Yu.N. Potekhin).
« From under the rocks." Digest of articles dissident intellectuals who opposed repression in the USSR, Paris, 1974, (A.I. Solzhenitsyn, I.R. Shafarevich, M.S. Agursky, M.K. Polivanov, F.G. Svetov, E.V. Barabanov, V.M. Borisov);
3. Discussion of the beginning of the 20th century about the relationship between Good and Evil. L. Tolstoy came up with the theory of “non-resistance to evil by force” and although she had many critics, she had a great influence on the cultural processes of the 20th century (on the Non-Aligned Movement in the 40-50s).
4. Discussion about the nature of Russian spirituality, the Russian people, about the fate of Russia. The works of N. Berdyaev (“The Fate of Russia”, “The Russian Idea”), N.O. Lossky (“Character of the Russian people”), I.A. Ilyin (“On Russian Nationalism”, “What the Dismemberment of Russia Promises the World”), philosophical and historical journalism by G.P. Fedotov and others.
Berdyaev Nikolai Alexandrovich, 1874–1948, writings: “The Philosophy of Freedom. The Meaning of Creativity”, “The Fate of Russia”, “The New Middle Ages. Reflection on the fate of Russia and Europe”, “Philosophy of inequality”, “On the purpose of man. The experience of paradoxical ethics”, “Russian idea”, “Self-knowledge. Experience of a Philosophical Autobiography”, “The Origins and Meaning of Russian Communism”.
Lossky Nikolai Onufrievich, 1870–1965, essays: “The Justification of Intuitionism”, “The World as an Organic Whole”, “Main Issues of Gnoseology”, “Free Will”, “Conditions of Absolute Good”, “History of Russian Philosophy”, “Character of the Russian People”.
Ilyin Ivan Alexandrovich, 1883–1954, writings: “The Religious Meaning of Philosophy. Three speeches”, “On resistance to evil by force”, “The path of spiritual renewal”, “Fundamentals of Christian culture”, “On perfection in art”, “Poison, the spirit and cause of Bolshevism”, “Communism or private property”, “Against godlessness” , “Singing heart. The Book of Quiet Contemplations”, “On Russian Nationalism”, “What the Dismemberment of Russia Promises the World”.
Fedotov Georgy Petrovich, 1886-1951, "Saints of ancient Russia (X-XVII centuries)", "Russia, Europe and us", "The tragedy of the intelligentsia", "National and universal", "Will Russia exist?", "Fate and sins of Russia.
ON THE. Berdyaev noted that Russian people extremely contradictory: on the one hand, these are people who honor holiness, conscientiousness, kindness, pity; and on the other hand, he can show all the meanness of bestiality, bestial cruelty. The people can show passion and willpower, truthfulness, as well as hooliganism and disorganization (“forever woman”). The fate of Russia directly depends on the character of the people. Russian idea Berdyaev defined it as a rejection of the world that lies in Evil, as an aspiration to the Other World of the highest Truth, as an aspiration to save all mankind from world Evil. The Russian idea has an eschatological character, reflects the striving towards the end of the evil world.
concern the future of Russia- this is the main theme of the work of the religious philosopher I.A. Ilyin during his exile (since 1922). He sought to understand the origins of the deep political, economic, and spiritual crisis during the period of the Bolshevik revolution and the building of socialism (this is how many émigré intellectuals assessed the inconsistency of events in Russia). He, like other emigrants, believed in the revival of the spiritual forces of Russia and sought to formulate before the patriotic intelligentsia the main tasks of the future Revival Program, which he outlined in articles of the late 40s and early 50s of the 20th century. This Program should be based on the truth (or evidence) of Reason, which is obtained only with the help of " contemplation of the heart(or contemplative love). It was this quality in the pre-crisis (pre-revolutionary) period that underlay the Orthodox faith, legal consciousness, military prowess, Russian art, medicine, charity, the idea of justice and multinational brotherhood. The general philosophical formula for educating new Russian people is objectivity hearts, wills and deeds. It manifests itself in a sense of one's own spiritual dignity, in a living conscientiousness, high feeling responsibility and continuous worship of God. I. A. Ilyin calls for a revival fundamental principles of living religiosity, which was the essence of the white movement: labor,disciplines and inspiration.
Russian people revere Orthodox faith as the root of all his actions in all possible worldly combinations. YES. Khomyakov emphasized that the Russian people had assimilated the meaning of the Orthodox faith in its transcendental meaning, as the beginning of an all-penetrating and obscuring all other accidents (features). True faith is really the substance of the people. The Russian people called themselves Orthodox and by this predetermined their historical program - to realize Orthodoxy in faith and in life. In Russian religious philosophy, the positive qualities of the Orthodox faith are especially emphasized:
The first feature of the Orthodox faith is its harmonious unity with vital actions;
The second feature of Orthodoxy is the liberation of the human spirit, the freedom of the soul and mind, the liberation from the slavery of passions and delusions;
The third feature of Orthodoxy is the breadth of outlook, freedom of attitude to various events (including state and public), constant attention to the essence of things.
The outstanding ability of the Russian people D.A. Khomyakov calls " objectivity: the ability to see things as they are, with the least possible obscuration of the gaze by preconceived notions that prevent you from seeing the real and make you see what is not. This feature is due to the structure of the mind and soul. YES. Khomyakov names two significant factors cultural orthodoxy. The first one consists in the ability to see a brother in a “stranger”, to find points of convergence, believing that before God all people are brothers. The understanding of such equality makes it easier for the Russian people to communicate with other peoples. The second factor of cultural Orthodoxy: the people's awareness that the external side, the form of life, the language are considered as completely unimportant when evaluating other people, an Orthodox person shows great tolerance for foreign customs and languages and too willingly assimilates these foreign customs and languages for practical purposes, for facilities. Such a broad view, not afraid to lose its own, according to D.A. Khomyakov, comes from Orthodox Christianity, its attitude to form in general and from the belief that the letter mortifies, and the spirit gives life.
YES. Khomyakov wrote: "The Russian Orthodox spirit is not afraid to put on any form ... it will not change itself ... from these appearances." The first step towards the manifestation of an Orthodox understanding of the relationship between people and peoples is expressed in the fact that any proud exclusivity is eliminated.
Russian Orthodox philosophy, not abstractly, but objectively, turned a person to the sources of all the best and highest - to the radiation and energy of a truly Higher and Perfect Beginning, I.A. Ilyin. He considered religiosity to be the living foundation of true culture. Standing before God “raises up first gaze person, then heart him and will his; it evokes new thoughts, a new understanding of himself, other people and the whole universe... His eye begins to see new "spaces", assimilates them and attaches them to his life... the soul experiences sacred inspiration... the heart perceives new, heavenly rays... His will learns to come out of everything personal , petty and vulgar, and focuses on the best, on the objectively best, on the perfect ... awakens living conscience… how creative energy... love and will, directed forward, into the future, to the upcoming accomplishments. Ilyin saw in this the transformation of an Orthodox person and his ascent to the understanding of his highest happiness on earth - gaining spiritual dignity and vocation.
Philosophical justification and renewal of the Orthodox faith undertaken not only by the Slavophiles, but also by N. Berdyaev, P. Florensky, S. Bulgakov. In their writings, the traditional religious and philosophical model of theism acquires the features of "sophianism" and cosmicity. Berdyaev emphasizes that Russian Orthodox religiosity has formed a special type of person - a Russian person with his spiritual softness, dislike for the power of this world and aspiration for the Kingdom of God. At the heart of Russian spirituality is the tradition of Christian mercy, Russia brings to the world the brotherhood of people and freedom of spirit.
Frank Semyon Ludwigovich, 1877-1950, "The collapse of idols", "The meaning of life", "The spiritual foundations of society. Introduction to Social Philosophy”, “Incomprehensible. Ontological introduction to the philosophy of religion”, “Light in the darkness. The experience of Christian ethics and sociology”, “God is with us. Three reflections”, “Reality and man. Metaphysics of human existence”;
Bulgakov Sergey Nikolaevich, 1871-1944, "Philosophy of the economy", "Non-evening light", "Philosophy of the name";
Trubetskoy Sergey Nikolaevich, 1862-1905, "Metaphysics in Ancient Greece", "The Doctrine of the Logos in its History";
Trubetskoy Evgeny Nikolaevich, 1863–1920, “Worldview of V.S. Solovyov”, “Metaphysical assumptions of knowledge”, “The meaning of life”, “Two worlds in ancient Russian icon painting”, “Another Kingdom” and its seekers in Russian folk tales”;
Florensky Pavel Alexandrovich, 1882-1943, the main work "The Pillar and Ground of Truth", "Names", "At the Watersheds of Thought";
Zenkovsky Vasily Vasilievich, 1881-1962, the main work "The History of Russian Philosophy";
Shpet Gustav Gustavovich, 1879–1937 "Essays on the Development of Russian Philosophy";
Metaphysical problems Russian philosophy:
The theme of death and birth, victory over death, the theme of the "metaphysical depth of sex", the meaning of the Resurrection. Berdyaev in his essay "The Russian Idea" compares the thoughts of three philosophers - V. Solovyov, N. Fedorov and V. Rozanov. For V. Solovyov, the energy of sex, love-eros lead to personal immortality, for N.F. Fedorov's sex energy resurrects dead fathers, V.V. Rozanov's energy of sex is sanctified (this reveals the revival of the pagan), because. gives birth to new life and thereby conquers death. In Russian religious philosophy, the Resurrection is a cosmic mystery, not a dogma (as in Catholicism);
The theme of the vocation of the Russian people. N. Berdyaev shows that the Russian messianic idea is due to the metaphysical property of Russia - its vastness; the great Russian spiritual culture arises in a vast country and among a vast people, but it denounces all the evil of a vast empire, orients a person towards transfiguration and enlightenment.
philosophical model of Russian "cosmism" presented in the works of K.E. Tsiolkovsky, V.I. Vernadsky and A.L. Chizhevsky.
philosophical model of "passionarity" as the energy of historical action is presented in the works of the "last Eurasian" L.N. Gumilyov.
Philosophy of religious experience in the work of I.A. Ilyin
On the eve of the anniversary of the death of the Russian philosopher Ivan Aleksandrovich Ilyin (December 21, 1954), a teacher at the Tobolsk Theological Seminary, hieromonk Varlaam (Gorokhov) dedicates his next publication to him.
One of the attempts of an atheistic interpretation of religion can be considered the desire to present religious phenomena as a certain sum of subjective sensations, whether it be an individual, a people, or even a civilization. The very goal of religious life in this case turns out to be subjective and illusory: "everyone believes in his own."
Nevertheless, one should take into account the fact that the derivation of the beginning of religion from religious experience has a long history, and it is precisely among religious thinkers. In particular, the Lutheran pastor, theologian and religious philosopher F. Schleimacher (1768-1834) in his "Speech on Religion" explained that the basis of religiosity is the inner experience of a person, defined by him as a feeling of absolute dependence on the circumstances of life (mortality, vulnerability, a sense of justice etc.), but in fact, from the Creator. Another German thinker R. Otto, the author of the work “The Sacred” (1917), which received a wide response in religious studies of the 20th century, showed that the sacred evokes in a person not just a feeling of dependence, but an experience of something completely different, alien to man. God is Mysterium tremendum (The shocking Mystery), the sacred awe. The subject matter of these German works on religious studies, in which religious experience is comprehended, is similar to the subject matter of works on religious studies by our outstanding compatriot Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin.
Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin (1883-1954) - the great Russian philosopher, jurist, religious thinker and public figure; can rightly be called one of the major representatives of religious science. In his multifaceted work, this theme is represented by such works as "The Path of Spiritual Renewal" (1935), "The Crisis of Godlessness" (1935), "Axioms of Religious Experience" (vols. 1-2, 1953). In them, he gives a detailed picture of the origins of religion.
The very concept of religion I.A. Ilyin defines it as follows: “Religion is an all-life (in terms of scope) and living (by the nature of action) connection of man with God; or otherwise: a human subject with a divine Object. This Subject is not necessarily an object of knowledge or knowledge; It can also be an object of feeling (love), contemplation, will, and even active realization (the Kingdom of God). But He remains under all conditions and in all religions - sought, acquired, desired, contemplated, felt, affirmed by faith, rejected in disbelief, inspiring love or fear, or reverence - an objectively existing Other Being.
At its core, human religiosity has a religious experience that cannot be reduced to any manifestation of human activity: “All religious belief and all religious deeds are based on religious experience. This experience differs both from everyday observation and from scientific experience.”
The nature of religious experience, according to Ivan Ilyin, is synergistic, that is, it combines the divine and human elements: “Spiritual revelation comes from God, which must be freely and completely accepted by man. A living, unforced and sincere acceptance (contemplation, love and faith) comes from a person, which ascends to God in the form of prayer and deeds that agree with it.
According to the thinker, such an acceptance of religious experience belongs to a special organ that captures and feels the sacred - the human spirit, or the eye of the heart: “The sacred is revealed only to the spiritual eye, and, moreover, to the eye of the heart. It opens neither to bodily sensations, nor to the understanding mind, nor to the playing or constructing imagination, nor to the empty, even if it is violent in its stubbornness, will. Therefore, one who is deprived of the spiritual eye, whose heart has died out, knows nothing sacred and cannot object to the nihilist.
I.A. Ilyin says that "religious experience is born out of free love for Perfection: the basis of every spiritual religion is reverence for the Sacred, a living sense of responsibility and the free acceptance of a subject-correct rank." From this he deduces the basis for distinguishing between types of religious experience and determining which types of it are spiritually healthy, positive and valuable: human spirit and human history. All the founders of great religions - Confucius, Lao Tzu, Buddha, Zoroaster, Moses - were driven by this feeling. And it is enough for a Christian to open the Gospel and start reading it in order to make sure that all who turned to Christ by faith recognized Him by the ray of this feeling.
Analyzing the nature of the wrong religious choice, the philosopher dwells on the relationship between the concepts of faith and belief. Ilyin writes: “It is remarkable that the Russian language gives the idea of faith two different meanings: one connects faith with the need to believe, and the other with the ability to believe. Believe - all people, consciously or unconsciously, maliciously or good-naturedly, strong or weak. Far from everyone believes, for belief presupposes in a person the ability to cling with his soul (heart and will, and deeds) to what really deserves faith, what is given to people in spiritual experience, which opens them a certain “way to salvation”. They believe in cards, dreams, divination, astrological horoscopes; but in God and in everything divine, they believe.”
The human need to “believe in something”, which is characteristic of all people, including atheists, is associated by Ilyin with a life attitude, value-semantic choice: “To live in the world means to choose and strive; who chooses and strives, he serves some value in which he believes.
A person's faith has the most direct influence on his character and activity. Ilyin says: “Faith is the main and leading attraction of a person, which determines his life, his views, his aspirations and actions ... If a person believes only in sensual pleasures, taking them as the main thing in life, then he himself gradually turns into an enjoying animal; and it will be expressed in his face and in his walk, look out of his eyes and control his actions. If a person believes in money and power, then his soul will gradually dry up in hungry greed, in a cold thirst for power; and an experienced observer will read all this in his eyes, hear in his speech, will not be mistaken, expecting appropriate actions from him.
It is precisely the lack of love for Perfection, the thirst for God and holiness in modern European society that Ilyin explains his worldview and cultural crisis: “A person has healed with such organs of the soul that are powerless in turning to the sacred. This way of life arose from the fact that a person was blinded by the regularity of matter, the harmony of reason and the power of formal will; and gave them the central sensory of his spirit, and spiritual inertia and the evolution of technology completed the rest ... Mankind has lost its sacred things. They have not disappeared or ceased to be; they are still real. But a person does not see them, does not tremble and does not rejoice at the spiritual touch to them, spiritual love has dried up in him, that is, love for Perfection, and without this a living religion is impossible. What the mass of modern humanity is drawn to is not sacred; and she passes by the sacred, now indifferently, now with a blasphemous grin on her lips. Religious blindness has become the criterion of enlightenment. And life, devastated from the sacred, has become little by little the real realm of vulgarity.
It is not difficult to verify the truth of these words. Looking through the daily news bulletin, you are amazed at how much evil, violence, hatred between people is in the world. All over the planet there are economic and political wars in which people destroy each other. What are shop windows and bookshelves filled with, what are television programs and videos, these channels of modern culture? Before our eyes are full of pictures of murders, violence, sex. Several generations have been brought up on the delusion that the author of the moral law is not God, but man, and he has the right to change this law at his own discretion.
All this was foreseen by Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin when he wrote: “Without God, the whole culture of mankind loses its meaning and meaning. And if it does not break down immediately and in all respects, it is only because passive unbelief is capable of holding on for a long time by the secret breath of the Divine principle, which has entered the human soul and leads it in the order of an often unnoticed, but still life-giving tradition. Faith no longer exists, but the way of the soul, created, nurtured and ennobled by the Christian faith for thousands of years, lives and does its job.
Now more and more people are realizing that only a return to God is the only thing that can indicate a way out of this situation. And on this path the thought of I.A. Ilyina, concerning the axioms of religious experience and showing the way to the spiritual renewal of the individual and society, can become for us a kind of beacon that illuminates our path, giving us the right direction.
Varlaam (Gorokhov), hieromonk
