{"id":4310,"date":"2012-12-26T08:00:41","date_gmt":"2012-12-26T08:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=4310"},"modified":"2014-07-17T19:13:32","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T19:13:32","slug":"vital-vocabulary-for-not-talking-about-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/vital-vocabulary-for-not-talking-about-religion\/","title":{"rendered":"Vital vocabulary for (not) talking about religion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u041d\u0430\u043a\u0430\u043d\u0443<\/span>\u043d\u0435 \u0420\u043e\u0436\u0434\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430<\/span><\/b> (“on Christmas Eve”), I did my once-a-year attendance of a \u0431\u043e\u0433\u043e\u0441\u043b\u0443\u0436\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/b><\/span> (“worship service”), more specifically a \u043c\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u0430<\/b><\/span> (“[Catholic] Mass<\/span>“) — not out of personal religious sentiment but because my parents were visiting from Arizona.<\/p>\n

Also, being a \u043d\u0435\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0443\u044e\u0449\u0438\u0439<\/b> (“non-believer”) who was not expected to kneel or \u043a\u0440\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/b><\/span> (“to cross oneself”) when everybody else did, I had both hands free and was designated for camcorder-duty, as my \u043f\u043b\u0435\u043c\u044f<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u0438\u043a<\/b>, “nephew”, was in the children’s pageant as an \u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043b<\/b>. (He wasn’t Gabriel, the \u0430\u0440\u0445\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043b<\/b> who delivers the big news<\/span> to Mary — the kid was one of about two-dozen anonymous angels, with an equal number of shepherds, because of course you can’t have fifteen<\/i> Three Wise Men.)<\/p>\n

Anyway, this got me thinking about the topic of religion. Naturally, in polite company one doesn’t talk about religion or politics<\/a>, but there are still plenty of circumstances where it’s helpful to know the vocabulary for not talking about it. Plus, \u043f\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043e\u0441\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u0438\u0435<\/b> (“[Eastern] Orthodox Christianity”) has been shaping Russian culture and history for more than a millennium. So, let’s look at some Russian words that deal generally with religious beliefs and customs. To start with, what are some of the characteristics of religion?<\/p>\n

Religious leaders<\/h3>\n

One feature common to many faiths is the existence of a \u0434\u0443\u0445\u043e\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/b> (“the clergy,” collectively) that is functionally distinct from the ordinary rank-and-file of \u043c\u0438\u0440\u044f<\/span>\u043d\u0435<\/b> (“members of the laity”).<\/p>\n

Russian speakers outside of the Christian tradition may refer to their own religious leaders using non-Russian words (such as \u0440\u0430\u0432\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u043d<\/b>, from Hebrew). But the most general term for a clergyman\/minister of any religion is \u0441\u0432\u044f\u0449\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u0438\u043a<\/b>, whose duties may include the \u043e\u0441\u0432\u044f\u0449\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/b> (“consecration”) of persons, places, and sacred items. Both nouns come from \u0441\u0432\u044f\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c\/\u043e\u0441\u0432\u044f\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c (\u044f \u0441\u0432\u044f\u0447\u0443<\/span>, \u0442\u044b \u0441\u0432\u044f\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0448\u044c…)<\/b>, “to consecrate, make holy”. In Russian Orthodoxy, \u0441\u0432\u044f\u0449\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u0438\u043a<\/b> by default refers to a “priest,” who ranks lower than a \u0435\u043f\u0438<\/span>\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043f<\/b> (“bishop”). And you may also run across \u043f\u043e\u043f<\/b>, which also means “priest,” but nowadays it has negative connotations and should probably be avoided — unless, perhaps, you’re quoting King Henry II’s famous remark about Thomas \u00e0 Becket!<\/p>\n

Specifically in the context of ancient \u044f\u0437\u044b<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/b> (“paganism”), a “priest” or “priestess” can be \u0436\u0440\u0435\u0446<\/b> or \u0436\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0446\u0430<\/b>, respectively. The words are cognate with \u0436\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0442\u0432\u0430<\/b> (“sacrifice” or “victim”, but originally “sacrificial victim”) — so a \u0436\u0440\u0435\u0446<\/b> was, in other words, the dude with the big knife.<\/p>\n

Finally, quite a few religions have a special category of “clergy” that are different from the \u0441\u0432\u044f\u0449\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0438<\/b> in that they do not lead congregations, and may also lack certain authorities reserved for the \u0441\u0432\u044f\u0449\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/b> (“priesthood”). Instead, they choose a \u043c\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u044c<\/b> (“monastic life”) secluded from the everyday world in a \u043c\u043e\u043d\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044b<\/span>\u0440\u044c<\/b>. A male “monk” is a \u043c\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0445<\/b>, while \u043c\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0445\u0438\u044f<\/b> is “nun”.<\/p>\n

Types of belief and religious customs<\/h3>\n

To many, religion is synonymous with the worship of gods. In fact, though, not all religions have a concept of \u0431\u043e\u0436\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/span><\/b> (“deity”) in the sense of \u0440\u0430\u0437\u0443<\/span>\u043c\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0446\u0430<\/b> (“thinking\/conscious persons”) \u043a\u043e\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u044b\u0435 \u0441\u043e\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0438 \u0432\u0441\u0435\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u0443\u044e \u0438 \u0435<\/span>\u0439<\/span> \u0443\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0430\u044e\u0442<\/b>, “who created the universe and govern it.” Some religions have \u0441\u0432\u0435\u0440\u0445\u044a\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0435\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0441\u0443\u0449\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430<\/span><\/b> (“supernatural beings”) who are not exactly deities, while others believe in unconscious supernatural \u0441\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u044b<\/b> (“forces”), but not in gods as such.<\/p>\n

As you would expect, religions with personified deities often place particular emphasis on \u043c\u043e\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0432\u0430<\/b> — which means both “the act\/process of praying” and also “a traditional standardized prayer” — for instance, \u00ab\u041e<\/span>\u0442\u0447\u0435<\/span> \u043d\u0430\u0448\u00bb<\/b> (the “Our Father”). When you mean “recite a formulaic prayer,” you can say \u0447\u0438\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043c\u043e\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0432\u0443<\/b>, even if it’s known \u043d\u0430\u0438\u0437\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/b> (“by heart”) and isn’t literally being read from a text. But to say “pray” in the sense of “requesting<\/i> something from a deity” the verb is [\u043f\u043e]\u043c\u043e\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f (\u044f \u043c\u043e\u043b\u044e<\/span>\u0441\u044c, \u0442\u044b \u043c\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u0438\u0448\u044c\u0441\u044f…<\/b>)<\/b>, followed by \u043a\u043e\u043c\u0443<\/span><\/b> — with \u043e \u0447\u0451\u043c<\/b> expressing the favor asked for:<\/p>\n

\u041f\u043e\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u0438\u043c\u0441\u044f \u0432\u0435\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u043c\u0443 \u042e\u043f\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0443 \u043e \u043a\u043e\u043d\u0446\u0435<\/span> \u044d<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0439 \u0437\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u0443\u0445\u0438!<\/b>
\n“Let’s pray to great Jupiter for an end to this drought!”<\/p>\n

Whatever their doctrines regarding who or what controls the universe, many religions speculate about \u0437\u0430\u0433\u0440\u043e\u0431\u043d\u0430\u044f<\/span> \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u044c<\/b>, “the afterlife.” Again, there’s a huge diversity of opinion; some speak of \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0432\u043e\u043f\u043b\u043e\u0449\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/b> (“reincarnation”), while others believe in \u0440\u0430\u0439<\/b> (“Heaven; paradise”) which is contrasted with \u0430\u0434<\/b>, “Hell” — and both of these, by the way, have a locative ending in stressed -\u0443\/-\u044e<\/b> (\u0432 \u0440\u0430\u044e<\/span><\/b>, \u0432 \u0430\u0434\u0443<\/span><\/b>). But whatever the nature of life in the hereafter, many religions agree that \u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0448\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0438<\/b> (“sinners”) will not have a very nice time!<\/p>\n

Religion’s effect on cultural norms<\/h3>\n

And the topic of \u0433\u0440\u0435\u0445<\/b><\/span> (“sin”) brings up another common feature of religions: they concern themselves with the definition of \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043c\u044b<\/b> — for instance:<\/p>\n