The Content and Structure of Geoconfessiology. Part 1. Scientific- Problem and Scientific-Disciplinary Structure of Geoconfessiology

The article examines the content and structure of geoconfessiology, which, according to the authors, is a scientific discipline in the modern geopolitical science. In a meaningful sense, geoconfessiology provides research and understanding of the origin and spread of religions in the world; the struggle of religions to influence public policy, to become the dominant religion in the largest number of countries and in the world as a whole. The object of geoconfessiology in a broad sense is all the space of the sacred. Its object in a narrow sense is the formation of religious space, that is, the origin and spread of religions. The focus of geoconfessiology in a broad sense is relations between religion and states and societies. The focus of geoconfessiology in a narrow sense is the study of the origin and spread of religions, the relations between religions and states, the struggle of religions for influence and dominance. The authors determine the place of geoconfessiology as one of the structural elements of geopolitics based on the structure of geopolitics, which in addition to geoconfessiology includes geohistory, geo-economics, geo-ethnopolitics, geoconflictology and geofuturology. The structure of geoconfessiology includes scientific-problem and scientific-disciplinary parts. The scientific-problem part of geoconfessiology consists of the following problems it seeks to solve: the balance of power in the global religious-political arena and the structure of this global religious-political system; the changing balance of forces leading religions and churches, and the transformation of the global religious-political arena; the struggle between national religions for dominance in the public consciousness of believers in each country and globally; the influence of the national church and religion in general on the policies of national states; the struggle between national churches for influence on a global scale; the struggle between national and world religions for dominance in the world powers that determine the world order. The scientific-disciplinary structure of geoconfessiology consists of geographical, sociological, psychological, and political science parts, the content of which is also studied in the article. The geographical part of geoconfessiology studies the geography of the origin of world, regional and national religions, geographical (including climatic, landscape, and soil) conditions and factors for the spread of religious teachings. The other parts of geoconfessiology - sociological, psychological, and political science - are examined in the second part of the article.

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