Religious consciousness as the basis for forming legal consciousness in the works of I.A. Ilyin and B.P. Vysheslavtsev

The article examines the ideas of prominent Russian philosophers and legal theorists regarding the relationship between religious and legal consciousness. he authors refer to the works of I.A. Ilyin and B.P. Vysheslavtsev, who linked the crisis of spirituality at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries to the diminishing influence of the Christian Church on legal education and the legal consciousness of citizens. Consequently, this led to a rupture with the traditional foundations of Russian legal culture-such as love, brotherhood, mutual assistance, mercy, charity, religious tolerance, and respect for others as equals. Such a gap predisposed the intensification of destructive processes within legal reality during the period under consideration. The article employs interdisciplinary scientific methods including analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, historical analysis, and an integrative approach to understanding legal phenomena, particularly legal consciousness. It underscores the relevance of I.A. Ilyin’s and B.P. Vysheslavtsev’s ideas on the interconnectedness of legal and religious consciousness as integral components of a unified, internally free consciousness of individual and collective subjects. Moreover, it explores the potential for genuine religiosity to directly influence the axiological and psychological elements of legal consciousness, and consequently, legal behavior, amidst external challenges and internal tasks facing the Russian state. These challenges include enhancing law and order levels, societal integration, as well as implementing national security strategies.