Religious norms are a type of social norms that are established by various faiths on the basis of religious ideas and are mandatory for those professing a certain faith. These norms determine the order of organization and activities of religious associations, regulate the order of rituals, as well as church services. 1

Schematically, the types of norms, as well as the place of religious norms in this system, can be depicted as follows: 2

Social norms

Technical standards

Religious norms

However, other sources, namely Lebedev V.A. offers the following classification of social norms:

Social norms

By scope

economic

Norms of customs, traditions and rituals: take shape in processes of historical development, in a certain social sphere; as a result of repeated repetitions they become a habit, thanks to which they are observed, supported by public opinion

Norms of public organizations: are established by the communities themselves. organizations; enshrined in their charters and decisions; are protected by the general measures provided for in their charters. impact

Types of social norms

Moral standards: take shape in public life in accordance with people’s ideas about good and evil, justice, honor, and a person’s duty to society and people.

Religious norms: come from people’s ideas about “God” as the creator of the universe and the fundamental principles of human society

Rules of law: established and protected from violation by the state.

Signs of religious norms:

1. It is a type of social norm. Those. sociality. They regulate social spheres, which include:

B) Social relations, that is, relations between people and groups;

B) People's behavior. Thus, religious norms form social structures and regulate socially significant human behavior.

2. Objectivity . Society as a complex social organism (system) objectively needs regulation. Religious norms develop historically, naturally, under the pressure of social necessity. They arise as a result of normative generalization, normative fixation of stable, recurring social connections and acts of interaction between people.

At the same time, the importance of the subjective factor in the formation of religious norms should be taken into account. They cannot arise without passing through, without being refracted through public consciousness: the need for certain religious norms must be recognized by society.

3. Normativity. It manifests itself in the repeated operation of religious norms: a religious norm comes into play whenever a typical situation arises, provided for as a condition for its entry into the regulatory process.

4. Mandatory . Religious norms as a normative expression of social necessity are always, to one degree or another, mandatory and have a prescriptive character.

5. Authorization . Each regulatory regulator has mechanisms to ensure the implementation of its regulations.

6. Consistency is inherent in both individual norms and their array on a societal scale. In any case, society should strive to form such a system, improve its systemic qualities, and establish interaction between types of religious norms.

7. Established by different religions. Those. represent the result of the activities of more than just one denomination.

8. Determine the procedure for conducting church ceremonies, rituals, etc., i.e. contain the internal routine of the religious community.

9. They live in the public consciousness (namely, in social psychology).

10. As a rule, they have a local (across a range of subjects, locality) scope of action.

Thus, we can add that in society there are political, legal, moral, religious, corporate, customary and other social norms. All these varieties are within the normative system of society, while maintaining the qualities of special social regulators.

Concept and general characteristics of religious norms of law

Religious norms are recognized as one of the oldest regulators of social relations, which arose almost simultaneously with customs and acted as prerequisites for modern legal norms.

When characterizing religious norms, one should pay attention to the fact that they are distinguished by a wide variety, due to the diversity of currently existing and historically existing religious movements and directions. The corresponding religious and legal regulations follow from the essence of the religious postulates of a particular denomination, and are distinguished by the properties of being binding for all followers of a particular religion.

From the point of view of external reinforcement, the sources of religious norms are various kinds of sacred scriptures, religious books, the content of which reflects mandatory prohibitions, obligations, as well as certain permissions and regulations.

The sacred nature of religious and legal norms predetermined their significant influence on the life of society in those countries where the influence of religion itself was strong. Moreover, in many countries, religion still retains a significant position in the ordering of various spheres of public life, but one cannot help but admit that its influence is gradually weakening, and most often remains due to the existence of a centuries-old tradition, and not due to the veneration of a deity or fear of divine punishment .

Thus, based on the indicated characteristics, the following definition of religious norms can be formulated:

Definition 1

Religious norms are a set of rules of behavior established in the sacred scriptures that regulate the relationship of believers to God and the church, issues of the organization and functioning of religious organizations, as well as social relations that develop between believers, as well as between believers and non-believers

Examples of Islamic law

Moving on to a direct description of specific examples of religious norms, it seems appropriate to turn directly to the regulatory norms adopted within the framework of certain faiths.

Thus, in Muslim law, much attention is paid to regulating issues of marriage and family. At the same time, among the specific norms adopted in the relevant area are:

• To enter into a marriage, the consent of the father (guardian) of the bride is sufficient;
• Special rules regarding the religion of the spouse: Muslim women are prohibited from marrying a non-Muslim man, and men are allowed to marry Christian or Jewish women;
• A detailed regulated marriage procedure, consisting of four stages: matchmaking, transfer of the bride to the groom’s house, wedding celebration, actual entry into marriage, after which the begun marriage process is considered completed;
• Prohibition on marriage with close relatives;
• Polygamy is allowed (up to four wives);
• Separate rules on the age of majority (vary among followers of individual movements of Islam).

Along with marriage and family relations, the norms of Islamic law regulate in detail issues of criminal law. Moreover, most criminal legal issues are based on religious dogmas, starting with the definition of crime and its severity.

In particular, the norms of Muslim law established the five basic values ​​of Islam: religion, life, reason, procreation and property. The significance of identifying the corresponding categories is that attacks on the designated values ​​were recognized as the most serious and naturally entailed more serious punishment.

A classification of types of criminal offenses was also established:

• Hadd - crimes encroaching on the so-called “rights of Allah”, that is, associated with a criminal violation of the basic values ​​of Islam (apostasy, rebellion, adultery, drinking alcohol, etc.);
• Tazir - acts for which responsibility is determined at the discretion of the court (failure to fulfill religious duties, bribery, violation of Muslim morality). As a measure of responsibility for the relevant acts, the use of verbal reprimand, corporal punishment, a fine, and even imprisonment is provided, but they are not prescribed in the event of repentance of the perpetrator or forgiveness of the offender by the victim;
• Qisas is a category of crimes that covers the largest number of crimes against the person, including murder and bodily harm.

Examples of Hindu Law

Another religious legal system that remains of great importance in the modern world is the Hindu legal system, the regulatory impact of which extends, according to various estimates, to about 1 billion followers of Hinduism around the world.

The most significant and well-known norm of Hindu law is the statement about the existence of social hierarchical categories given from birth, each of which has its own system of rights, duties and moral dogmas.

In this regard, it is also laid down that every person must behave in strict accordance with what is prescribed for his social caste.

At the same time, one should also pay attention to the fact that Hindu law has absorbed many ancient customs, and therefore its customary nature is often emphasized. Moreover, the corresponding customs are very diverse, and each caste (subcaste) follows its own traditions and customs in choosing the forms of everyday social interaction.

Note 1

Hindu law also lays down rules that the resolution of local disputes is the responsibility of the Caste Assembly, taking into account the views of the public. At the same time, the relevant meeting also has significant power.

Normatively, a certain analogue of the analogy of law is also provided, by virtue of which, in the absence of a specific norm on a specific issue, Hindu law assigns the solution of a specific issue to the authority of a judge, who resolves it according to conscience and justice.

Religious norms

These are rules established by various church denominations and mandatory for believers. They are contained in religious books (the Bible, Talmud, Koran, Sunnah, Laws of Manu, etc.), in acts adopted by church societies, meetings of the clergy or higher ranks of the church, in commentaries of religious books. Such norms regulate the performance of rituals, church services, and the observance of fasts. Religious norms can also have moral content (for example, commandments from the Old Testament: do not kill, do not steal, honor your parents, etc.).

In antiquity and the Middle Ages, many religious norms were given a legal character (canon law in medieval Europe). In modern Muslim states, the main sources of law are religious books - the Koran and Sunnah. It is also known that in the first years of Soviet power, the norms of Muslim law were applied in some regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Nowadays, in most civilized countries, people have the opportunity to freely perform religious rituals that are not associated with violence against the individual or violation of public morality (marriage, burial of the dead, etc.), but such acts do not have legal significance.

Religious prohibitions and permissions, representing elementary norms of human relationships, concentrate the experience of social coexistence of people developed over millennia. This is the source of divine and human wisdom, the guiding compass of prosperity, the normal existence of humanity.

Political norms

They regulate the relations of classes, estates, nations, political parties and other public associations aimed at conquering, retaining and using state power. These kinds of norms exist both in the form of general slogans (the principle of democracy, building communism, introducing the foundations of a market economy, etc.) and in the form of more specific political norms (privatization of state property, introduction of the principles of local self-government, economic program, pension, tax reforms etc.). In any case, they act as a form of awareness and expression of class, collective, group interest, and assessment of political existence.

Political norms are contained in the views of philosophers, politicians, leaders of political parties, social movements, their public speeches, in the charters and programs of parties and other public associations regarding their tasks and functions, general and specific programs and areas of activity, the structure and nature of government power. Depending on specific historical conditions, the relationship of class, national, religious forces, the level of consciousness of society and its culture, the interaction of such norms varies. This includes mutual support, compromise, and confrontation.

Political norms should not take precedence over the law, otherwise this gives rise to political arbitrariness and contributes to the creation of totalitarian regimes. Only there are a truly democratic system and a civilized civil society possible, where politics and political norms are based on the law, where law limits political power, where a person, his interests and rights are the main object of state activity.

Norms of public associations (corporate norms)

These norms regulate the rights and obligations of members of parties, trade unions, voluntary societies (youth, women's, creative, scientific, cultural, educational, sports and recreational and other associations), the procedure for their creation and functioning (structure, management procedure, powers of association bodies, size membership fees, etc.), as well as relations of such associations with government bodies and other associations. Such norms are formulated in the charters and other documents of associations, express the will and interests of their members and are binding only for them. Violators of corporate norms are subject to sanctions (reprimand, exclusion from the association, etc.) provided for by the charters of the relevant associations.

Corporate norms also include those provided for by the charters of cooperatives and other non-governmental organizations of a commercial nature.

Some of the most important aspects of the organization and activities of public associations are also regulated by legal norms. The legislation will create a legal basis for the organization and activities of public associations, determine the general procedure for their creation and activities, and relationships with government bodies. The Constitution provides for the right of everyone to associate and guarantees the freedom of activity of public associations. No one can be forced to join or remain in any association.

The law establishes prohibitions on creating associations that have criminal goals or carry out their activities using violent methods, as well as committing actions that go beyond the tasks provided for by their charters.

Moral standards

Under morality (from Lat. - moral) refers to the views and ideas of people about good and evil, about shameful and praiseworthy, about honor, conscience, duty, justice. At the same time, morality is also norms, principles of behavior emanating from this kind of views, as well as feelings and emotions that evaluate one’s own and others’ behavior from the point of view of goodness, justice and decency.

Being a form of social consciousness, morality, like law, is historical in nature. It is in motion, constantly changing, reflecting the level of development of society, its social structure, national, everyday, religious and, above all, economic factors. The morality of primitive society, the eras of slavery, feudalism and modern moral ideas are in many ways different, and some of them are even opposite to each other.

Morality presupposes a value assessment of an individual not only in relationships with other people, but also with oneself, a sense of personal dignity and self-esteem of one’s behavior. The highest moral principles for a person are his conscience, decency, honesty, and awareness of his own duty.

Such universal human moral principles and foundations, developed over centuries, as honesty, philanthropy, mercy, justice, integrity, hard work, are called upon to be the guiding principles of people’s behavior and their relationships. The humane content of morality is formulated in concentrated form in the “golden rule”, known since ancient times: “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.” The general legal prescription of modern civil society that the exercise of the morals and freedoms of man and citizen should not violate the rights and freedoms of other persons (Article 17 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation) harmoniously complements and develops this rule.

Finally, the last type of social norms is rules of law (see chapter 20).

Rules of etiquette exist not only in secular society. Standards of behavior in church can also be attributed to a special etiquette called religious. When visiting a church, you must adhere to its canons and observe religious norms and rules. After all, even those people who do not observe all the requirements of their religion in everyday life at least sometimes attend church. Therefore, everyone needs to know how to behave in church, which we will tell you about in our article.

Basic rules for visiting church.

It is impossible to cover the topic “How to behave in church” completely within the framework of one article, but at least the basic requirements of church ministers for parishioners can be outlined.

How to behave before going to church.

1. You should not come to the temple after drinking alcohol.

2. It is prohibited to take animals with you when visiting church.

3. When you get ready for church, you should be dressed modestly and neatly. For women, clothing is considered obscene: short skirts and dresses above the knee, shorts, T-shirts, sleeves must be no longer than the elbow. Moreover, beach suits are considered a violation of religious etiquette. It is not recommended to decorate yourself with any kind of jewelry before visiting church.

4. Women should wear women's clothing. They should not come to the temple with painted lips and bright makeup on their faces. And even more so, no perfumes or other perfumes, even with a faint odor.

5. Women are strictly prohibited from attending church on their menstrual periods until they are completed.

6. While going to the temple, try to distract yourself from worldly problems. If you are upset about something, try to calm down before you cross the threshold of the church.

7. If you want to attend the Divine Service, you should arrive about twenty minutes before it starts. During this time you will be able to buy candles, stand by the icons, and venerate the relics.

8. Before entering the temple territory, you must cross yourself three times. Men must remove their hats. After this, if desired, the man can put it on again, and take it off when entering the temple. This rule does not apply to women. On the contrary, they must enter the temple territory and the temple itself only wearing a headdress. And you should put on a scarf or something else before crossing yourself.

9. Remember that you need to be baptized (perform the Signs of the Cross) without gloves. If at the time of your visit to the temple there is no fasting, then with bows to the waist, if there is, then according to religious etiquette, they cross themselves with prostrations.

How to behave on church grounds.

1. It is strictly forbidden to smoke, leave garbage, laugh loudly and make noise on the temple premises, as well as spit and blow your nose on the ground.

2. It is not allowed to walk pets on the church premises.

3. If you want to take a photo or video of a ritual or record something on a voice recorder, you must ask permission from the temple abbot for these actions.

How to behave in church.

1. As on the territory, in the church itself, the rules of religious etiquette prohibit talking loudly, laughing, or chewing something. Hands should not be kept in pockets or behind your back.

2. Do not turn your back to the altar and do not walk around the temple unnecessarily, like in a museum.

3. If you want to light a candle or venerate relics or holy images, do it in such a way as not to disturb other people praying.

4. You should talk in the temple only when necessary. When you see your acquaintances, greet them with a nod of your head, and leave all conversations until the end of your visit to church. And one more thing: handshakes are not accepted when meeting in the temple.

5. When visiting a church with children, you must explain to them how to behave in church, that you cannot run around, make noise, laugh loudly or play around. If your child starts crying, try to calm him down or leave the church with him.

6. If you have the need to sing along with the church choir, you should do it quietly so as not to distract others from prayer. And under no circumstances should you try to outshout other people during public singing.

7. During divine services in church, only those who cannot stand due to illness or extreme fatigue are allowed to sit. But even while sitting, you must remember that religious etiquette does not allow a cross-legged position.

8. When the priest reads the Gospel, during the “Cherubim” and during the Liturgy you cannot move around the church or talk.

9. The rules of religious etiquette do not recommend making comments to people who behave incorrectly; it is better to monitor your behavior. If an urgent need arises, then this must be done tactfully and delicately, without attracting everyone’s attention.

10. You should not leave the church before the end of the service without a serious reason.

11. When you leave the temple, at the exit turn to face it and make the Signs of the Cross. When leaving the gate from the territory, do the same.

How to behave with clergy.

According to the rules of religious etiquette, in conversations with clergy, they should be addressed by name as it sounds in Church Slavonic. For example: Ivan - John, Alexey - Alexey and so on. Remember that when addressing a clergyman, one should not allow familiarity, only “you,” despite the fact that in prayers to God we say “you”: “bless,” “have mercy.” You should not address the clergy without mentioning their name. For example, the word “father” by itself, without a name, carries a different meaning. In this case it sounds familiar.

The clergy has its own ranks and responsibilities. A deacon, for example, does not have the grace-filled power that is inherent in a priest, given to him at the time of ordination. Therefore, a deacon cannot perform the sacraments or perform services without a priest. Religious etiquette does not recommend contacting him with requests for this. However, it is perfectly acceptable to seek help or advice. The deacon is addressed without mentioning his name: “Father Deacon.”

When crossing the threshold of the church, forget for a while the secular greetings: “Hello or good afternoon.” The clergy are greeted with the words: “Bless!” In this case, your right palms must be folded over your left to receive the blessing of the priest, who imposes the Sign of the Cross on you and says one of two phrases: “God bless” or “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” covering the parishioner’s palms with his right the hand that the latter kisses. There are other types of blessings. The parishioner must kiss the priest's hand, his cheek and his hand again, but this is only acceptable for men. Or the clergyman places the Sign of the Cross on the bowed head of the parishioner and lays on his palm. Blessing is also possible from a distance.

People who do not often attend church make the following mistake: they apply the Sign of the Cross to themselves, asking for a blessing from the priest. It turns out that they are baptized on him. If you want to know how to behave correctly in church, you should remember that it is wrong, that asking for a blessing and giving it have different meanings. The ability to ask for blessings and the minister’s positive response is the basis of religious etiquette.

Religious norms.

The main meaning of most religious norms is their moral content; let us remember the commandments. History remembers times when religious norms had equal rights with legal ones. They were the basis of state and political regulation and served as a powerful argument in legal, procedural and family relations.

Each religion has its own set of rules - religious norms that underlie religious etiquette. Religious norms are described in the holy books: the Old and New Testaments, the Koran, and so on, depending on religion. In addition, they are contained in various spiritual literature. These norms regulate all activities of religious communities; they describe how rituals should be performed and what is the procedure for conducting church services.

In some Muslim countries and in our time, the Koran and Sunnah regulate not only religious norms, but also other aspects of life: legal and moral. The Orthodox Church now does not have that much influence in Christian countries. Every person has the right to decide for himself whether to believe in God or not, to observe church canons or not.

According to the rules of religious etiquette, every believer must observe certain norms, namely: not break the commandments, constantly attend church, pray every day, observe church holidays and fasts. And all important events in life: baptism, wedding, funeral, must be carried out strictly according to church rules.

Religious etiquette and religious norms are strict regulations. But there are cases when they contradict the norms of the state and society. Let's take for example a situation where a major church holiday coincides with a weekday calendar day. Or you need to go to church, but your clothes do not correspond to church etiquette. If desired, you can always find a compromise solution to these inconsistencies.

An icon in your home.

Every house where believers live should have an icon. What kind of icon it will be, one or several, everyone decides for himself. For faith, there is no difference between icons, be it an image on paper or a valuable icon in a luxurious setting.

But the place where the icon is located is important. This place should be an honorable place in the house. The rule, which came to us from ancient times, prescribed that a place for the icon should be allocated in the red corner. What is a red corner? This is the right corner of the room opposite the entrance. If it is not possible to place the icon in this place, for example, some communications are in the way, then you can make special shelves and put icons on them.

You should not place icons near the TV or place them on the refrigerator. The latter is possible only if there are no other options and only if a place is arranged for them. If the red corner of the room is occupied, then it is allowed to place the icon on the wall. Icons must be present in all rooms of the home.

Religious norms are rules of behavior developed by various faiths. For persons professing a certain religion, they are mandatory. These norms regulate the order of religious worship, rituals, organization and activities of religious associations, etc.
This group of social norms is characterized by the fact that it noticeably combines features inherent in corporate norms, moral norms, and customs. The peculiar combination of these features, however, does not provide grounds for identifying religious norms with any of the listed types of social norms. Rather, on the contrary, it is precisely this quality that predetermines the need to separate them into an independent group.
Religious norms are contained in various religious scriptures (the Bible, Koran, Talmud, etc.), in decisions of governing bodies of religious organizations, meetings of the clergy of religious communities, etc. History knows quite long periods of time when religious norms had legal significance. They regulated marriage, family, property, some political and other social relations. And at present, in some Islamic states, religious norms regulate various aspects of people's lives. However, in most countries of the world, the church and religious organizations are separated from the state, religious norms apply only to believers and, as a rule, have no legal significance.
The connection between religious norms and the law is primarily due to the fact that legislation determines the legal basis for the activities of religious associations and enshrines freedom of religion. In particular, the Constitutions of the Republic of Belarus (Article 16) and the Russian Federation (Article 14) establish the equality of religions and denominations before the law.
The activities of religious organizations that are directed against the sovereignty of the state, its constitutional order and civil harmony or involve a violation of the rights and freedoms of citizens, and also interfere with the fulfillment by citizens of their state, public, family duties or harm health and morals are prohibited.
At the same time Art. 31 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and Art. 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation establishes the right of everyone to independently determine their attitude to religion, to profess any religion, to express and disseminate beliefs related to their attitude to religion, to participate in the performance of religious cults, rituals, and ceremonies not prohibited by law.
In a number of cases, religious associations acquire the status of legal entities. The acts on the basis of which these associations carry out their activities determine their legal personality, and because of this, some of the norms contained in them in this part acquire legal significance.
Many religious organizations are the owners of churches, houses of worship, and other property. They are in charge of educational institutions. Ownership, use and disposal of such property, management of educational institutions predetermine the interaction of the norms of religious organizations and law.
In some cases, religious institutions acquire legal significance. In particular, in the Republic of Belarus, some holidays of the Christian religion (Orthodox and Catholic religions) are recognized by the state as official national holidays, taking into account the fact that this religious tradition is followed by the majority of the population.
The law, in addition, supports religious norms with moral content that contribute to the strengthening of the right order, organization, and social discipline.
* * *
Law occupies an important place in the system of normative regulation of social relations. The features of law are more clearly manifested in the process of normative influence on social relations together with morality and other social norms. Closely interacting with these norms, law supports progressive trends in the development of non-legal regulators of social life. At the same time, compliance with legal requirements is ensured not only by the state, but also by the public. Law, interacting with other social norms, acquires new qualities without losing its inherent legal characteristics. In the process of regulatory regulation, there is a convergence and interpenetration of the entire complex of social norms.
Thus, clarifying the place and role of law in the system of normative regulation of public relations is of great importance for legal researchers, professional lawyers, and law enforcement officers.
Law, as an integral part of the system of social regulation, is closely connected and interacts with other regulators of social relations, and has much in common with them, primarily in relation to their normative content. Along with this, all types of social norms, including law, have significant distinctive features.
Knowledge of the peculiarities of the interaction of social norms, their general and distinctive features, the specifics of their occurrence, their impact on social behavior, and methods of enforcement makes it possible to determine the optimal limits of admissibility and feasibility of regulating certain groups of social relations by law, on which the effectiveness of legal regulation depends.
The issue of determining moral criteria for the quality of positive laws and assessing them as fair or unfair is also of significant importance. It is on this plane that the positions of supporters of the natural (moral) and normative understanding of law diverge and compete.
It should also be borne in mind that in the process of legal implementation it is often impossible to do without taking into account the content of other social norms. This especially applies to moral norms, without reference to which it is impossible to correctly understand some legal requirements, qualify many actions of a legal nature, etc. Understanding the features and regulatory properties of the entire complex of social norms helps jurists navigate the spheres of legal and non-legal existence, and naturally be within the framework legal field in the process of legal activity.