TARP MEILĖS IR KANČIOS: KAI KURIE RELIGINĖS PASAULĖŽIŪROS IR PASAULĖJAUTOS BRUOŽAI
BETWEEN LOVE AND SUFFERING: SOME FEATURES OF RELIGIOUS MORALITY

Summary/Abstract: The essay is devoted to the analysis of the theoretical background of religious morality. The author distinguishes the following basic features of religious morality: universal causality; responsibility for the universe; suffering as a specific form of responsibility; love as the force that shapes and drives the being. In this essay, religion is viewed primarily as a consistent and complete theory of determinism, which aims to explain processes and phenomena observed both in the material and spiritual world. Religious morality treats the human being as a member of a larger sociocultural unit (family, nation or mankind) rather than as an isolated individual. Being a member of a group, he is held responsible for all the processes taking part within the group, both positive and negative. The highest form of responsibility is suffering. If nothing happens in this world by chance, then suffering is the effect of somebody‘s sins or, in a wider meaning, evil acts. Justice requires that every sin be repented. As sins are committed generally by those who expect to escape – and frequently do escape – responsibility, others are forced to suffer for them. Religion is a voluntary act of taking suffering upon oneself, but we may suffer voluntarily only for those whom we love. It is from here that the special importance of love stems in all the religions of the world. The importance of love results as well from the fact that practically all the religions consider morality as the main life force. Various religions emphasize different aspects and traits of this force. In Christianity, it is named as love. In the author‘s view, religious morality is more complete, consistent, and humanistic than atheistic morality. Therefore, the increasing secularization in the contemporary Western world leads to the spiritual impoverishment of an individual, what in its turn has a negative impact on social relations and the society’s evolution.

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