Polyvariety of Approaches to the Analysis of the Secularization Problem in the Theological and Scientifi c Literature of the 20th–21st Century

This article analyzes the multiple approaches to understanding the essence of secularization and its meaning for the Christianity in the modern world. On the basis of comparative analysis of the various defi nitions of secularism in theological literature the conclusion is made that only the Orthodoxy clearly negatively estimates the secularization, while Catholics entrench conciliatory attitude towards it, and Protestants not only recognize the positive impact of secularization processes, but also set a task of the total secularization of the very Christianity.
The essence of secularization and its signifi cance is questionable in the scientifi c literature. This manifests itself in that, that if the European scientists consider the presence of secularization as an undeniable fact, then the American sociologists criticize the thesis about the rise of secularism. However the polyavariety of approaches to the assessment of secularization is largely due to its diverse understanding, because different studies refl ect certain aspects of secularization, and a coherent conceptualization of it is absent.
Therefore, this article provides a defi nition of secularization, which refl ects all aspects of this phenomenon. It includes: the autonomization of culture in relation to the traditional Christianity and the deconsecration of Christianity itself, which is manifested in the modifi cation of the Christian dogmata, the destruction of the metaphysical doctrine of Christianity, its ethnicization, the deformation of basic moral principles of Christianity and the refusal to recognize the importance of the church.