Freedom of Conscience as an Object of Religious Security

The paper describes the category of «religious security». As there is no legal definition, the author reveals its doctrinal meaning and content. On the basis of a systematic interpretation of the norms of law governing security issues, it is proved that freedom of conscience should be considered as the most important element of the mechanism for ensuring religious security, that is, as its object. In modern society, there are a number of negative factors and trends cultivated based on religion, which pose threats to religious security in general and to its objects individually. For example, religious extremism, which is a significant obstacle to the realization of freedom of conscience, being one of such. The author investigates two key approaches to understanding freedom of conscience — restrictive and expansive. Given that freedom of conscience is not equivalent to freedom of religion, it is stated that this legal institution has positive and negative connotations. It is the presence of this circumstance that determines the specifics of freedom of conscience as an object of religious security. It is concluded that in this capacity it can act only when its implementation does not go beyond the limits of permissible behavior and does not pose a threat of violation of other rights and legally protected interests of the individual, society and the state.