Predko O. Psychology of religion: formation and assertion of religion science paradigm.

For the first time thesis shows an integral analysis of formation and assertion of religion psychology as a branch of knowledge pertaining to religion science. Through the context of relation "man - God" the premises for idea to cognize religion as a psychological phenomenon were revealed, which prove that a man is rising to God through disclosure of possibilities of his/her inner ego and through correlation of human and divine properties resulted in creation of personality and its transformation. Various ways and tendencies of religion psychology formation as a branch of scientific knowledge were studied, in which its conceptual foundations were laid down and essential correlation between a problem setting and a method of its solving was described. In its basis there were existential and humanistic priorities, which, on the one hand, provided stability of religion-psychological tradition, and. on the other hand, contributed to innovation tendencies in scientific progress. The thesis study stands up for the idea that religiosity as a religion discipline in connection with spirituality constitutes a determining criterion of its problems and acquires a status of human self-determination and self-affirmation exactly in religion psychology. The existentially personal orientation, which reflects strong tradition both of the world and Ukrainian religion thought, is more and more comes to light as a leading tendency of native psychology of religion.