The conference was organized by St Andrew鈥檚 Biblical Theological Institute (Moscow), Vrije University (Amsterdam)听 and Pokrovskie Vorota Cultural Center (Moscow). Topics focused on re-examining religious consciousness, as something that depends on historical, cultural and political contexts, and may experience drastic changes over time. Speakers discussed religious consciousness in so-called 鈥減ost-secular鈥� times, in which religious perception is largely shaped by ideas coming from science, popular culture, mass media and other fields. Being affected by different aspects of contemporary life, religious consciousness is becoming a very complicated and tangled phenomenon.
Professor D啪alto鈥檚 presentation examined the question: 鈥淲hat does it mean to be a Christian in the post-secular society?鈥�
The presentation addressed some of the most basic questions related to the religious/Christian identity:
- Is it, and to what extent, necessary to follow certain practices (such as religious rituals) in order to exercise one鈥檚 religiousness?
- What is the significance of institutional belongings and 鈥減rescribed鈥� practices, as factors that build up someone鈥檚 religious identity?
- How do we make sense of the 鈥渋nner鈥� set of beliefs and knowledge as important (and often neglected) aspects of being a religious person?
- What is the significance of the 鈥渓etting others to believe for me鈥� phenomenon for the articulation of contemporary (both Christian and non-Christian) religiosity?
Many of these questions are examined in AUR鈥檚 Master鈥檚 program Peace Studies: Religion in Times of Conflict which looks at understanding religious and cultural history as the foundation for building peace and cross-cultural understanding in today鈥檚 world. For more information on this innovative program, visit:听
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