THE ETHNO-MENTAL NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY IN UKRAINE: BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST

Abstract

The present article deals with the ethnical and mental nature of Christianity in Ukraine regarding the country’s geographical position. Also, the research’s material deals with borderland issues, the territory linked to the concept of the symbolic whole, which creates its cultural type – the space of cross-cultural communication. Attention is given to the formation by different churches of different views on a man and their mission in the world. The specific state-building process in the Ukrainian region, considering the peculiarities of the dominant religion, is explained. The article also focuses on the mental changes that Christianization caused to the local population.  The concepts of the “East” and the “West,” “cultural heritage,” and the cultural and mental essence of this region are specified. The article studies ethnical shades of Ukrainian Christianity, distinguishing it from others, primarily Russian. Confessional pluralism is considered, which is the result of Ukrainian lands being in the cultural and political circle of other states. Adopting Eastern Christianity as a determinant of forming the local population’s mentality and moral values landmarks has been critically considered. Attention is given to other religions presented in the Ukrainian region, primarily Islam and Buddhism. Briefly, it provides an understanding of the Crimean peninsula's modern religious and cultural environment – the region of the long-lasting coexistence of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars. The religious life of Ukraine is considered among the critical cultural and social processes that took place at different times in Europe. The brightest mental types of Ukrainians of past eras are highlighted, and the main features of the existence of Ukrainians between the imperial “poles” are also formulated. The materials of the article will be helpful to everyone who wants to get a conceptual view of Ukrainian Christianity and the local socio-humanitarian environment.