Methodological Principles of the Scientific Study of Religion and Their Application in Modern Religious Studies Practice
Authors:   Russian Academy of Education, Moskva, Russian Federation, Elbakyan E.S. 
Published: February 2025

Introduction. Among the methods and principles of religious studies are causal analysis, historicism, typological, phenomenological methods, structural and functional analysis (methods), as well as the following principles: strict objectivity, concrete historical consideration of the subject, consideration of religion in the context of the spiritual culture development, analysis of worldview issues from the point of view of the problems of human existence, its essence and existence, purpose and meaning of life, death and immortality, presentation of issues in the language of tolerance, dialogue of religious and non-religious worldviews about a person, society, the world. Obviously, the listed methods and the principles of objectivism, evidence, historicism, contextualism, anthropologism, and consideration of the traditions of humanitarian freedoms associated with them correspond to classical science, but at the same time reflect modern social realities. Content. In general, science is based on evidence, so it only makes sense for it to confirm or refute. To date, the scientific community recognizes a number of criteria of scientific validity, among which the following fundamental principles can be distinguished. 1. The principle of verification, by virtue of which only the knowledge that can be confirmed is scientific. 2. The principle of falsification, by virtue of which only that knowledge is scientific, which can be changed, refuted or supplemented. 3. The principle of objectivity is the postulation of what belongs to the object and does not depend on the subject, that is, those phenomena or processes that do not depend on the will or desire of the cognizing subject (an individual scholar or scientific community). 4. The principle of rationality is reasonableness by reason, accessibility to reasonable understanding, as opposed to irrationality as something unreasonable. In the methodology of scientific cognition, rationality is understood in two ways. Most often, it is interpreted as compliance with the laws of logic, methodological norms and rules. Sometimes rationality is understood as expediency, a kind of goal-setting, involving certain logically verified steps to achieve a set goal. What is rational is what contributes to the achievement of the goal. The birth of the rationality phenomenon is associated with the radical reform of European philosophy in Modern times, expressed in its scientization and methodologization. 5. The principle of methodicality is a sequence of logical procedures aimed in advance at achieving a certain goal. 6. The principle of truth, which implies the correspondence of knowledge (more broadly, information) to the cognizable subject. In the most general sense, what is true is what corresponds to reality. 7. The principle of consistency, in which only the information is scientific, which is properly structured. Structuring allows you to determine the role and place of information in the general knowledge system. 8. The principle of changeability of parts, where only this information is scientific, the components of which can be changed, i.e. refuted or supplemented. 9. The principle of intersubjectivity expresses the property of universal validity, general obligation, universality of knowledge, in contrast, for example, to an opinion characterized by non-universal significance, individualism. 10. The principle of axiological neutrality, which implies the inadmissibility of making value judgments about the object under study.

Conclusions. In order for religious studies analysis to really be able to fulfill the scientific and practical tasks assigned to it, it seems advisable to strictly follow methodological standards and normalize religious studies research; introduce strict formal criteria for the validity of conclusions; use the categorical and conceptual apparatus generally accepted in modern religious studies and established today; clearly follow the goals and objectives of religious studies, taking into account its specifics in comparison with other forms of scientific activity.