On the issue of formation of religious knowledge within the framework of a competence-based approach in medical education

For many centuries, religion has provided people with a system of ideas about the world, as well as support in difficult life situations, including illnesses. Over the past thirty years, there has been an increase in publications in scientific literature devoted to the influence of human religiosity on their health. Researches are conducted according to conventional scientific methods. Most often, the initiators of the researches are practicing doctors with various specializations. The results show that the patient's religious faith has a positive effect on lifestyle and nutrition (it serves as a factor in reducing alcohol and nicotine addiction, encourages healthy eating, etc.). Research in cardiology shows that patients turn to religion as a source of meaning in illness and a source of moral support; a positive effect of human religiosity on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases has also been revealed. Research on the influence of religiosity on the elderly indicates that religion can provide compensatory behavioral strategies that inhibit the development of severe cognitive impairment. Research in psychiatry shows that religious faith helps reduce anxiety, helps patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder to alleviate the severity of symptoms, and the level of religiosity is inversely proportional to the level of depression. Religious patients who suffered from addiction demonstrate more pronounced positive dynamics of the psychoemotional state during rehabilitation, compared to non-believers. Research shows that religious patients are more likely to trust the doctor and more involved in researches. The results indicate the productivity of doctors' appeal to the religiosity of patients, but this raises the question of doctors' competence in matters of religion. What content of religious knowledge do doctors need? What mechanisms of training of medical students or practicing doctors should be used? Surveys of religious patients indicate that they are hesitant to tell their doctors about their religiosity because they are afraid of being condemned for this or being ignored. Thus, the wishes of religious patients are related not only to the fact that the doctor is aware of the key ideas of their religion, but also to the fact that he is to open to the religious positions of his patients. In this regard, the idea about the importance of a pluralistic philosophical approach in the communication of a doctor with patients with different religious backgrounds is expressed. The article considers the proposals for the trainings with spiritual competencies that are put forward by T. G. Plante, K. Vieten and D. Lukoff. The experience of forming competencies in matters of religious teachings among students of the Samara State Medical University within the framework of the subject "Medical Anthropology" is also considered