One of the main documents of the modern Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church is called "Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church." This extensive document adopted by the Consecrated Bishops' Council defines the main direction of development of relations between the church and the state and society, and also indicates the possibility of the participation of the church community in solving acute problems existing in society.
The social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church
This fundamental document recognizes not only the mystical component of the church, but also its formal structure, which has developed in specific historical circumstances over several centuries.
Since the modern church is also a public organization, which means it is forced to regularly enter into relations with other communities and state institutions, it is assumed that they should be regulated by the "Fundamentals of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church."
The document consists of sixteen chapters, each of which reveals the basic principles that indicate the position of the church on certain issues:
- The main theological provisions.
- Church and nation.
- Church and state.
- Christian ethics and civil law.
- Politics and the church.
- Labor and its fruits.
- Own.
- War and Peace.
- Crime, punishment, correction.
- Questions of personal, social and family morality.
- Issues of health of an individual and people.
- Problems of bioethics and scientific research.
- Ecological problems.
- Extra-church science, culture, education.
- Church and secular media.
- Church in the system of international relations. Globalism and secularization.
Church, nation and state
In its relations with the state, the church proceeds from the fact that in the modern world ruined by sin, the state can’t do without control over society, and states in the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church that this state of things is blessed by God.
At the same time, the church not only recognizes the necessity of subordinating believers to the state, but also obliges church members to pray for the state and its rulers. It is separately indicated that anarchy - anarchy - is an undesirable condition for a Christian, and it should be avoided in every way, and the desire to establish such an order and calls for it are a sin.
As for the relationship between the church and the nation, the church builds relations with it based on the image drawn from the Old Testament books, which describe the interaction of the people and God. It is worth recalling that the Old Testament Jewish state was a classical theocracy, which in modern conditions is impossible to imagine.
Labor and property in the "Foundations of a social concept"
In modern capitalist society, the question of property is more acute than ever, and the church cannot ignore the problems that arise in this connection. Of course, ideally, the relationship of a person and his property should be governed by the gospel principle of love for one's neighbor, which underlies any social relationships.
The attitude of the church towards property is based on the idea that all the blessings that a person has are owned by the Almighty, which means that people are only temporary users, which is repeatedly reported in the Gospels.
At the same time, the “Fundamentals of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Social Concept” indicate that, according to the Bible, a person should avoid striving for excessive enrichment, because human life does not depend on the benefits accumulated by him.
War and peace in the understanding of the Russian Orthodox Church
In its attitude to the war, Christianity proceeds from the belief that it is a manifestation of one of the most terrible spiritual ailments of man - fratricidal hatred, which means that the attitude towards it cannot be positive.
However, there are exceptions when the church can bless the rulers for hostilities. Usually in such cases it is about the defense and defense of the nation, as well as assistance to the Christian community.
Moreover, the "Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church" states that modern norms of international law restricting the use of violence in international politics would be impossible if the spiritual leadership of Christianity did not influence them.
Christian Crime and Punishment
The problems of crime, atonement and forgiveness are fundamental for the Christian and could not but be mentioned in the foundations of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Christianity encourages its followers to be law-abiding citizens and love their neighbor. But the church also recognizes that often spiritual instruction alone is not enough, and for the prevention of crime, it recognizes the need for government intervention, which manifests itself in the creation of law enforcement agencies.
However, it requires careful and humane treatment of people suspected of committing a crime. The basic concept of the Russian Orthodox Church on this issue is that aggressive and cruel treatment of a suspect or criminal will not contribute to his correction, but will only confirm him on this sinful path.
Orthodoxy and Law
Over a two-thousand-year history, the church and the state have developed a variety of ways of interaction, which ranged from the complete submission of the secular ruler to the primate to the deprivation of the church even the minimum level of self-government, as was the case in Peter's Russia, when the church was subordinate to the ruler of the country.
In the modern world, each state has its own rules governing the boundaries of church self-government and the financing of church organizations. In some countries, Christian communities independently finance their activities; in some countries, church organizations are financed through a system of government orders for socially important work.
However, in any case, in all European countries except the Vatican, the church is separated from the state, and the secular nature of the European republics is not subject to revision, despite even a significant percentage of the Christian population in them.