HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF FREEDOM OF RELIGION
The problem of freedom of religion, despite a significant shift in society towards secularization, remains topical. The understanding of the essence of this phenomenon is inherent in the process of its formation during the entire time of the existence of society. The presented analysis on the freedom of conscience considers the change in the semantic content of this concept and the mechanism of its implementation in different periods of history. The purpose of the work is to define the concept and realization of the freedom of conscience in the space-time continuum. The article presents a historical overview of the origin and development of freedom of religion, originating in the civilizations of antiquity and concluding with the actual state of affairs in the field of realization of freedom of religion, including the role of the Renaissance and the Reformation (with special role of Martin Luther), the philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, as well as their followers. As an illustration of the current state of affairs in the field of approving, observing and protecting the freedom of conscience, an analysis of the activities of the United Nations in this field is provided. This article argues that to see the origin of freedom of conscience can be found in the forefront of religious tolerance in the states of antiquity, but now freedom of religion is not so much an opportunity to adhere to any religion along with compulsory and not only the opportunity to profess any religion in general, including the human right to openly for society, state and church deny their belonging to all religions and beliefs.