Methodological aspects of religion study (by example of religious environment in Altai Republic)

Today more researchers understand the necessity of the use and working out of a complex approach to study religion. In a number of cases such phenomena as feelings, belief, mystical experience, emotions, and religion itself fall out of the main target of research. This leads to an adequate question about translation and introduction of scientific terms in the sphere of description and study of religion and vice versa. The problem of typology of religious traditions cannot be sufficiently explained, because it involves the necessity to find both the appropriate scientific notions and the introduction of scientific terms into the science and the consent to this of the scientific society. The necessity of conceptualization (fixation in notions) simultaneously leads to reduction of live religion to almost lifeless theories in religion studies. Polymethodic study of religion is especially important in the light of the introduction of an educational course of Basics of Religious and Secular Ethics (BRSE) in the polyethnic and polyreligious region (the Altai Republic), and of the introduction of topics and discussions about new religious movements (NRM). It is also important to know and study minorities in the religious sense and regional specific features. In the Altai Republic, for example, a specific ethnocultural religious environment should be a separate field for the research. Most of the local Altai beliefs are represented by the activity of social organizations (''Tengry'', ''Ene til'', ''The Altai Spiritual Centre'', etc.), although it is now that the processes of their reforming into religious organizations have begun. An example of this work is the activity of organizations that popularize the ideas of ''White Belief'', burkhanizm and tengrianism. The question about understanding and giving explanation of NRMs is still a critical issue. Important features of NRMs are the following characteristics: takeover of the confessional space and its distortion, specific properties of novations, appearance of new indicators, cultural pluralism, etc. Apart from the traditional religions, such as the Russian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Islamic organizations and different Protestant religious organizations, the local pagan, shaman, burkhanism, tengrianism and White Belief (Ak Dian) organizations work. Part of them are registered in the status of a social organization, for example, ''Tengri'' and ''The Altai Spiritual Centre''. White Belief , burkhanism and some other directions still do not refer to any religious class. It is suffice to mention the problem of extremism. In the Altai Republic this problem exists in the form of Islamic religious extremism and nationalism on the part of some Altai religious leaders. The religion, in its true sense, is a very strong mechanism that resists extremism. It is the religious consciousness that is capable of solving and mitigating the problem of growth of extremism actions in the 21st century. Still, we see sometimes that fake fanatic speculations, composed of chaotic bits from different religious beliefs, are confused with true ideas of religion.

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