Statehood: legal, ideological and religious components

The article is devoted to a number of problematic issues of conceptualizing the statehood. The author considers the use of the word «statehood» in legal practice and in jurisprudence and shows irrelevance of its precise definitions. Attention is paid to the ideological basis of statehood, and the existence of ideology in any modern state, regardless of legislative prohibitions, is justified. An interpretation of Part 2 of Article 13 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation is proposed that is compatible with the existence of state ideology. The article also shows the importance of understanding the modern state as a religious phenomenon that requires appropriate protective mechanisms.