Social functions of religion and the specificity of their implementation in modern conditions

The relevance of the study is determined by the ambivalence of the position of religion in modern society. On the one hand, religion is a personal matter for each person, on the other hand, today it is part of the public space. Therefore, despite the past process of secularization, as a result of which religion lost its monopoly on the construction of social and spiritual space, its role in society is still growing. In this regard, the article aims to identify the manifestation of the social functions of religion. Based on the functional approach, the article analyzes social functions of religion and the specifics of their implementation in modern society. We consider religion as a structure consisting of elements, which perform certain functions in relation to the system as a whole. In that regard, religion is an obligatory and necessary element of the social system. It is the functionality of religion that explains its relevance until the present. We have emphasized the necessity of using a functional approach for research, therefore religion is considered as a social system with elements and structure. The main hypothesis is that it is the change in the essence of the social functions of religion that brings it into line with modern social realities. Religion is relevant in society and is necessary for a person due to the social functions it performs, which are updated every era. We have studied such social functions of religion as regulatory, communicative, compensatory, ideological, integrative, disintegrating, function of legitimation. It is concluded that the integrity of the structure of religion is preserved, but social functions are modified over time.