The social phenomenon of situational religiosity in the context of religious identity in modern Russian society

Annotation

The relevance of the research of the phenomenon of situational religiosity is conditioned by modern spiritual and moral crisis, which escalates the existential anxiety of the person and increases the importance of studying the mechanisms of transformation of spontaneous religious experience into a stable identity. The aim of the study is to conduct a socio-philosophical analysis of situational religiosity and its connection with existential fear as a factor of spiritual self-determination. The research methodology combines social-ontological analysis with empirical sociological methods, including narrative interviews with clergies of different confessions, and is based on RPORC (Russian Public Opinion Research Centre) data. The theoretical basics of the study of religion as a social institution are laid in the works of E. Durkheim, P. Berger, M. Weber, and the issues of spiritual experience and the ontology of faith are in the works of M. Heidegger, P. Tillich, N. A. Berdyaev, and I. A. Ilyin. In Russian studies (O. A. Shirko, E. V. Kuzemina, T. P. Lifintseva), we can find not more information about individual manifestations of situational religiosity, however, a comprehensive socio-philosophical analysis of this phenomenon is still fragmentary. The results of the research show that situational religiosity is an adaptive response to crisis states, generated by existential anxiety and social instability, and often acquires a utilitarian-magical character, forming a superficial identity. At the same time, it was revealed that existential fear can act not only as a destructive, but also as a constructive factor, stimulating a meaningful spiritual search. The key conclusion is that the transition from situational religiosity to a true and stable identity is possible only through the deep integration of spiritual experience into a system of personal values and life meanings, which marks the transition from a magical worldview to conscious faith.

Keywords

• situational religiosity
• religious identity
• existential fear
• spiritual and moral crisis
• social ontology
• integration
• utilitarian religiosity
• spiritual search
• social instability
• narrative interview
• sociology of religion
• philosophical anthropology
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