Number DOI: http://doi.org/10.33209/2519-4348-2707-9627-2023-11-149

VB. – № 11, 2023. – P. 341-348

Summary

Analyzing the influence of the Orthodox Church and the believing contingent of the population on the implementation of democracy in the state, it is possible to identify specific features of religion that contribute to, hinder or are neutral with respect to democracy, thereby overcoming the ineffectiveness of classifying religious currents into those that either contribute to democratic processes, or – No. Attempts at such simplistic classifications and contrasts (Orthodoxy vs. Catholicism, Christianity vs. Islam, etc.), as a rule, underestimate the variety of possible interpretations and the dynamism of religious trends and do not provide enough detailed information to help assess the prospects for democratization of certain societies and in determining the desired directions of development of their religious systems. It is obvious that it is quite possible to effectively realize the positive potential of the Church in the formation and establishment of Ukrainian civil society by coordinating the efforts of the Church with the efforts of society and the state itself. It is worth noting that in modern conditions, the democratization of the political process involves the institutionalization of power and the expansion of the role of non-political public entities, in particular, religious and church associations. Therefore, the author in this article seeks to reveal the influence of the Orthodox Church on the process of formation of Ukrainian civil society within the framework of the war in Ukraine. To achieve the set goals, the author set himself the following main tasks: to outline the degree of participation of the Orthodox Church in the events before and during the large-scale war with Russia; determine its influence on the formation of a new type of relationship between the Church, society and the state, which is being formed in modern Ukraine; determine the place and role of the church factor as a whole in the formation of civil society in Ukraine.

Key words: Church, religion, Christianity, state, civil society, democratization, society.

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