Work and Salvation in the Catholicism: Comparative Analysis of Official Doctrine and Laity's Representations (In Case of the Moscow Parishes)

The question about religion and economy interaction is still interesting for many scientists since the M. Weber's work "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism was published. There were many efforts to refute the main thesis about the influence of protestantism on the specific European kind of "capitalist spirit". Weber's investigation is not only refuted but has it's apologists too. One of them, R. Munch proposes his interpretation of concept "ethic". He divides it into abstract and institutional and suggests four ideal-typical types of interaction between religious ethic and secular world. In this paper the R. Munch's theory is applied to analysis of the local Catholic Church in Russia. Using Grounded Theory techniques official Church teachings about economy activity and interviews with Catholic Moscow laity were analyzed. There is the great conformity between these two discourses but they signifies a little bit different central cathegory which binds work and salvation. The Church teaching tells us about calling and it's place in salvation but laity emphasize a service to others. So in this point is seen that human personality and interpersonal relationships are the main aspect which transforms your economy activity in the path of salvation.