Abstract

Based on the results obtained from sociological research, the authors of this article analyzed the perception of religious and secular values by the inhabitants of modern Kazakhstan. The specificity of value orientations of Kazakhstani society was comprehended in the context of mutual influence of religious and secular content. The authors examined in detail the phenomenon of secularism, a secular state and its legal principles. Secularism is defined as a prerequisite for the possibility of freedom of choice of a person and guarantees creation of conditions for realization of religious needs in a polyconfessional society. In their study, the authors reveal the concept of value foundation of society, its determining factor in human behavior. The comparison of basic values is made through the prism of the influence of the ratio of the balance of religious and secular values on the formation of the public consciousness of the inhabitants of modern Kazakhstan. The article provides an analysis of the results of in-depth interviews and focus groups conducted among representatives of the creative intelligentsia and youth. Questions asked to respondents in the course of these studies were devoted to understanding the essence and characteristics of secular and religious values, their functions, social and individual significance, personal attitude to secular and religious values.
Key words: Kazakhstan, religion, secularism, religious situation, values, secular state.