Res Humanitariae

The article deals with the attitude to Protestantism in the post-soviet Russia. Formation of Protestantism in Russia can be considered in the present paper. Thus, the purposes of this research are to examine formation of Protestantism in Russia, to analyze attitude of Russians to Protestantism and to identify its reasons. The author’s periodization of Protestantism formation in Russia is proposed. This periodization is based on 3 criteria: types of Protestants activities at each stage; the government’s attitude to it; its functions. It is shown that the establishment of the Russian Protestantism version took five basic steps. In modern Russia, Protestantism has its own history, values it gained its traditions, and it has its own distinctive character. Protestant churches are ready to actively participate in solving the pressing issues facing the people of the country. The authors suggest that the most authoritative of them can and should acquire the status of social partners of state institutions and significantly contribute to the spiritual and moral education of young people, to overcoming child homelessness and neglect, to family strengthening, to improvement of moral atmosphere in society and to the formation of high standards of business, economic and work ethic. The positive development of this process and its dynamics are largely dependent on Russian Protestants consolidation and on their willingness and ability to develop and strengthen interfaith relations and cooperation. According to the article, the attitude of most Russians to Protestantism is largely negative, although most of them have friends or acquaintances among the followers of this religion. The reasons for this are stereotypes in the public opinion of Russians: about the church itself (simplification of ceremonies, of the Bible, of the decoration of the church), and about the personal qualities of the congregation (the rejection of community service and charity, lack of citizenship).

The spiritual aspect is one of essential components of human existence; therefore, it becomes an integral part of holistic support to a human being. Christian spiritual assistance in its various forms is becoming gradually established in our country, and there are attempts to define it in both juridical and theological or psychological aspects. Therefore, it requires a deeper glance and a more detailed analysis. In relation to this problem, the article deals with features of Christian spiritual assistance in the context of perception of spirituality and its relation to psychological support. Relevant approaches to spirituality, features of spiritual and psychological counselling as well as importance of Christ-centred spiritual assistance are discussed.

Spirituality is a basic human drive with diverse forms of expression that make for unique patterns of thinking consonant with an advanced level of cognition and integration of information. The paper features the Humanistic Spirituality Model, which captures the essential dimensions of humanistic spirituality through three components: self-actualisation, transcendence and ultimate meaning in life. The Humanistic Spirituality Inventory (HSI), a measure of spirituality developed on the basis of the Humanistic Spirituality Model, contains three scales corresponding to the three model components. According to the results of the HSI validation study (N = 331), the instrument has good psychometric properties, i.e. adequate content and construct validity as well as satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities, which makes it a proper spirituality research measure.

The article explores the musical culture of East Prussia of the 18th c. in different forms of its expression. The epoch of Enlightenment provided a new impetus for the development of the culture in the region. The Protestant Lutheran hymnody was developing, and the tradition of Evangelical surinkimai (prayer hours held in private homes by lay preachers (German: Stundenhalters)) was progressing. Königsberg University was of great significance for the promotion of the regional culture. In the 18th c., the East Prussian school of composition was born, different techniques of instrumental ensemble and solo music making started developing, the house music making traditions were gaining popularity, and big cities had the first musical theatres. It was in that context that the personality of Donelaitis and the character of his cultural activity was maturing and developing.

In this article I will use my experience with Native American cultures and religions to offer an alternative perspective on Lithuanian paganism. I will compare the definitions, methodology, and politics in the studies of indigenous Baltic and Native American religions, or spirituality and belief systems. In order to understand the situation of Lithuanian paganism, I employ two perspectives: a viewpoint of a “native” Lithuanian combined with the anthropology of “Native” North America. I also argued for the need of interdisciplinary perspectives on a cultural phenomenon. Collaboration of cultural anthropologists, ethno-musicologists, social scientists, historians, and archaeologists would provide the richness of sources, methodologies, and theoretical perspectives on Lithuanian paganism. I also emphasized the need for more fieldwork, especially qualitative, in order to include the indigenous views, stories and contexts. It is also paramount that the scholars of Baltic Studies as a new anthropological school remain open to their re-search outcome and experiment with various methodologies and perspectives, learn from other ethno-graphic examples and apply that experience to the unique local Baltic situation.