SYCHOLOGY OF “FEAR OF DEATH ” VS SOCIOLOGY OF “I DEOLOGY OF C OUNTERREVOLUTION ”: P OLEMICS OF M. P OKROVSKY AND I. S KVORTSOV -S TEPANOV (1922–1923) AND THE W AYS OF S TUDYING OF R ELIGION IN THE USSR

Abstract

Following article suggests a conceptual analysis of polemics on the question of origin and nature of religion which took place on pages of «Young Guard» and «Under the banner of Marxism» between M. Pokrovsky and I. Skvortsov-Stepanov in 1922– 1923. In the first part of the article the author examines the political, intellectual and social-biographical contexts of the polemics. Second part is devoted to explication of the main points of conceptions of authors under discussion in religious studies: their understanding of science, their interpretations of «historical materialism», their understanding of mutual relations of practice of «struggle against religion», anti-religious propaganda and scientific studying of religion in the context of struggle of classes, their decisions of questions of origin of religion, basic moments of its history. The third part examines the polemics itself: its total movement, basic ideas, argumentation of participants, their systems of values, varieties of Marxist approach to the study of religion, understanding of history of religion, its relation to its economic basis, their attitude to ideas of A. Bogdanov, A. Lunacharsky and other thinkers. In conclusion the author make a number of preliminary findings for discussion on significance and meaning of the polemics in question, its «ethos», its place in the history of soviet «scientific atheism», its role in development of psychology of religion in Russia.

Keywords

• religion
• historical materialism
• psychology of religion
• history of religion
• scientific atheism
• fear of death
• Marxism
• I. Skvortsov-Stepanov
• M. Pokrovsky
• A. Bogdanov
• “Under the Banner of Marxism”