Consolation by Justice: Religious Consciousness of Pandemic Traumatic Events

The article reviews secular and religious consciousness of the traumatic events of the coronavirus pandemic. Authors use the theory of cultural secularization for distinction of these two types of consciousness. In the modern age, the theory of "multiple worlds" developed, whose authors proved that people live in different worlds, realities and belong to different types of consciousness. The article analyzes two types of consciousness that create different life worlds of those who have these consciousnesses. The ethical component of understanding the universal traumatic event is analyzed in the aspect of the problem of connection between the concepts "consolation" and "justice". Consolation practices have been known since antiquity, and justice as an effect of establishing cosmic order is considered in many world cultures. In times of crisis, archaic layers of social consciousness become actualized, since it is required to use all resources of collective memory. The secular consciousness is characterized by the idea of man-made immanent justice: justice is established by the creators of human laws. Religious consciousness is based on the idea of a transcendental source of justice that is Creator of being who is a transcendental subject. Comprehension of a traumatic event for religious consciousness is a process of its normalization by giving it the quality of a just event that is necessary for ordering the world, restoring balance between the actions of people and the actions of nature. The psyche is calmed down by giving a just meaning by correlating it with the universal law of the Cosmos or the Creator's plan. Religious consciousness will always seek consolation in the aspect of the relationship between the immanent and transcendental levels of being, since its world is fundamentally dual, metaphysical.