Of all the sciences ...

Dear editors !

At one time, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin said that of all arts the most important for us is cinema. This happened almost a hundred years ago, a lot of water flowed since then, nuclear weapons were created, humanity went into space, nanotechnologies appeared ... Now, it seems, saturated with rude and material, humanity has begun to turn to true values.

Recently, the Presidium of the Higher Certification Commission under the Ministry of Education and Science approved the passport of a new scientific specialty - Theology. This passport says: “ The specialty“ Theology ”reveals the content of theology, the basic sections of theology, studies the sources of theological knowledge, the basics of creed and religious rites, the historical forms and practical activities of the religious organization, its religious service, the religious cultural heritage in various contexts. Theological study is aimed at identifying, analyzing and interpretation of significant aspects of religious life and their correlation with the norms of a specific religious tradition . ”

Of course, many of my colleagues, brought up in Soviet times in atheistic traditions, will with indignation will speak of the incompatibility of the methodology of scientific knowledge of the world with a religious view of the world and generally scream about the dominance of priests. We will not pay attention to insulting epithets, but I would argue about the methodology. For some reason, everyone, speaking of the scientific knowledge of the world, about scientific methodology, think about mathematics and physics. And philosophy, and history? Are colleagues, philosopher and physicist approach the knowledge of the world the same? Different sciences have a different subject of study and different conceptual tools, but this does not prevent them from using at least mathematical methods, at least logical constructions. And the same theology can use this to all this. In the passport of the specialty, one of the fields of the study is indicated: "Methodology of theology."

And since they started talking about the fields of research, then who can object to the following: “Religious apologetics”, “theological analysis of sacred texts, religious literature and monuments of religious writing”, “Liturgics, religious rites, worship”? Quite worthy disciplines!

Moreover, I will tell you, colleagues, some sections of theology can be more than important and topical. Especially in the difficult historical period that our country is experiencing today. So, if we are talking about the latest history of Russia, then we can’t get around the titanic figure of our national leader, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. And if, for example, we will look at the history of his coming to power, that is, a variety of options for the interpretation of this process.

For example, you can study the struggle of different groups of influence in the last period of the reign of Boris Yeltsin, you can discuss which of the Zamremlinsky oligarchs pushed, to consider a kaleidoscope of possible successors - Putin, Stepashin, Yakunin ... But with such a vain approach, is it possible to see the scale of the incident, is it possible to identify its essential measurement? No, no, and not again!

And now let's see from the point of view of such a field of research - a “theological explanation of the course of the historical process”. Let's say that God gave Russia Putin - this, I think, is much closer to our spirituality and more understandable to the people than all kinds of politicalological and conspiracy insinuations. Let's say that the troubles that fell upon Russia in the 20th century are a punishment for sins and, having undergone this punishment, migrating banditry and poverty, in a hemisphere from the collapse, Russia received Putin from above for its salvation. Feel how the heart is filled with hope and pride, how self -confidence and patriotic impulse are stronger? Maybe the essence of what happened is captured here?

Other, of course, will ask in the forehead: you, the economy, do you believe in this nonsense yourself? But the matter, colleagues, is not at all in me! The point is the practical benefits and significance of certain ideas, how much they are able to help our homeland survive vague times. And here Vera can give us much more than physics with mathematics and biology. So the most important of the sciences can be it, theology.

Your Ivan Ekonomov