SPIRITUAL-VALUE CONCEPT OF LEGAL UNDERSTANDING: CONTENT, ESSENCE AND ROLE IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF CRIME AND COUNTERACTION AGAINST IT

Abstract

Today’s society, striving for harmonious development, needs to rethink the
concept and idea of service - both at the level of the individual and in the general
social dimension/format. Service as a personal position, phenomenon and process
has deep religious, theoretical and legal, criminological/criminotheological
aspects that remain insufficiently studied today. The instruction of serving one's
neighbor, expressed by Jesus Christ in the words: “Whoever wants to be the
greatest among you, let him be the servant of all” (Matthew 20:26-28) not only
has moral, ethical, spiritual and value significance, but also acquires special
relevance and importance, especially now, in the twenty-first century, in the
context of building a rule-of-law state and preventing crime. Realization of the
idea of service and its practical implementation can become a key factor in social
stability, strengthening of law and order institutions, and overall progress and
prosperity. Fostering social responsibility and a healthy Ukrainian nation through
the idea of service and the concept of biblical studies/bibliotherapy is a strategic
direction that can bring the Ukrainian state and law to a new level and stage of
advanced development.
An important element in the realization of social service is an effective
system of the concept of “law enforcement” based on moral and legal standards.
Law is a valuable resource of society, like a diamond, which must be carefully
protected. Without the spiritual and value dimension, this protection becomes
formal and superficial. That is why modern law enforcement is increasingly
integrating humanistic values supported by spiritual and cultural principles,
ensuring a balance between the rules of law, traditions, customs and morality of
society.
True professionalism in criminology is born not only from academic
knowledge, but also from a sincere desire to explore the depths of this science
through self-education. Even starting from an amateur level, a criminologist can
reach the highest levels of proficiency if he or she has the internal motivation, perseverance, and willingness to delve into the complex theoretical and practical
aspects of his or her field. And most importantly, it is the support of teachers,
mentors, and like-minded people. It is the desire for continuous development,
analysis of the deep processes of crime and the search for effective methods of
counteracting it that opens the way to true expertise and recognition in
criminological science.