Binary oppositions as a means of explication the religion axiosphere: value vs anti-value (based on English-language sermons)

The article focuses on studying the manifestation specifics of values and anti-values in English-language religious sermons. The research material is sermons of the XIX-XXI centuries, posted on the Internet (the total sample size is 600 texts). The paper emphasizes the special status of the sermon, due to which the analyzed texts are an oral and public type of religious discursive sphere, focused not so much on the transmission of new information, but on the clarification and interpretation of precedent sacred sources (the Bible). The author notes the axiologically significant nature of religious communication and points out the presence of value concepts with positive and negative semantics in the sermon texts, representing the values and anti-values of religion. Value concepts implying the basic conceptual meanings of Christian teaching (God, love, goodness, light, etc.) are periodically updated in sermons. It is noteworthy that in order to achieve greater effect and exert a speech impact on the target audience, preachers often use binary oppositions such as good – evil within the same context, thereby emphasizing both the power and benefits of religion, the need to follow its canons, and the inevitability of serious consequences in case of unrighteous actions and thoughts. According to the study, the key binary oppositions reflecting the correlation of concepts in the combination of value – anti-value are: God – Satan, Life – Death, Good – Evil, Light – Darkness, Heaven – Hell, Friend – Enemy, Medicine – Disease, Love – Hatred, having their own frequency indicator on the sample scale.