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Link to share: https://hanglberger-manfred.de/en-glaube-zeitgemaess.htm
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A contemporary
understanding of faith With a farewell to
fear-mongering belief patterns Natural experiences of fear on the path of self-development can become
overpowering due to incapacitating and intimidating beliefs and block mental
maturation processes. A solution to such blockages requires the abandonment
of outdated belief patterns. However, good farewells are only successful if
they do not leave behind an ideological vacuum or a religious “pile of
rubble”, but rather if mentally sustainable and contemporary alternatives can
be developed to replace the old ideas. Incidentally, such processes of farewell are necessary for many
psychological and social maturing processes. It is important not to simply
cut away, devalue or suppress the old, but to recognize the positive effects
in the past, to preserve what is still valid and to reformulate it for the
present. The following comparison of “traditional” and “contemporary”
understandings of faith is intended to help in the process of religious
discernment. The author is aware of the very bold and simplistic way in which
the patterns of belief listed here are presented. However, in therapeutic
processes, such a stark juxtaposition is often necessary in
order to initiate a process of leaving. And on the other hand, we also
find similarly striking antithetical depictions in some of Jesus' parables as
reported in the Gospels. There, too, it is a matter of saying goodbye to
outdated beliefs and moral concepts. |
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The traditional Christian understanding of faith (as it
has largely prevailed in the consciousness of the believers of the Catholic
Church up to our time) |
A contemporary Christian understanding of faith (which takes into account the findings of the natural sciences,
psychology and social sciences of the 21st century) |
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The old image of
nature and the world on the one hand and social experiences of authority and
rule on the other hand shaped the ideas of God and his work in the world: World
view: People
believed that the world was created by God around 6,000 to 8,000 years ago in
the form in which it is now found. =
static world view ► Problem: Why are there
natural disasters, illnesses, suffering and pain and death if the creator and
ruler of the world is a wise and loving God? ► The old answer: ► The old answer: ► So, with so much actual
"punishment" experienced, people must have seriously offended and
angered God, the ruler and director of the world, with such sins from the
very beginning. Concept of God: ► God is an almighty
controller and manager of all natural forces and events, nothing in nature
happens without his will. ► God is a ruler who, like
worldly rulers, ► who demands sacrifices and
offerings from people, who wants to be revered, praised and adored, ► who wants people to serve
him, to surrender themselves to him unconditionally and to obey him unreserved, ► who jealously tests the
loyalty of his subjects, ► who severely punishes
people's disloyalty and can, under certain circumstances, be angry and
offended for a long time. The idea of man ► Man is the subject and
servant of God, obliged to obedience, loyalty and willingness to serve. The temptation of subjects: ► Wanting to be rulers too,
at least to be able to rule over other people or creatures and thus become
more like God or to be like God yourself, because obviously rule is what is
truly divine and ultimately meaningful. ► Rejecting the role of
subject means carrying a hidden rebelliousness within oneself. ► So there is a fundamental
envy of people towards God and people suspect the "envy of the
gods" towards successful and happy people. ► But those who humbly,
obediently and submissively accept their role as subjects will later be
generously rewarded by this ruler god. ► When God blocks man's path
to power, man may try to ally himself with powers that are hostile to God in order to reach his goal. ► It was believed that man
was in danger of falling for promises made by God's adversary. ► It was precisely this
behavior that is believed to be man's terrible original sin, which was seen
as the cause of the man's various punishments by God, which many believed to
be evident in all the suffering in the world. The main problem of man
He is a sinner! His worst sin: ► He is disobedient and
rebellious towards God, he wants to be like God and
not serve but rule. ► He makes a pact with the
adversary of God, Satan; in doing so, he has greatly offended God, his
Creator and Lord. |
World
view (Scientific
data and religious interpretations) - The cosmic world was created
13.8 billion years ago in the mystery of the Big Bang, - the
earth around 4.6 billion years ago - life
around 3.7 billion years ago - humans
emerged from the animal world around 2 - 3 million years ago =
dynamic, evolutionary world view ►Natural disasters are the
effects of sometimes enormous natural forces that are not consciously
controlled by anyone and therefore have no intentions and no “meaning” (no
punishment or testing by God). ► Humans who are exposed to
such natural disasters have senses and reason to learn how to protect
themselves from adverse natural forces. ► For humans, nature is a
“mother”, a giver of life, a nurturer - but also a threatening, deadly
life-devourer. ► In nature and its long
developmental path, there is a (divine) “inner tendency” towards life,
consciousness (humanity), comprehensive love and a willingness to take
responsibility. ► Of course, humans can also
harm themselves and others through irresponsibility and ignorance - but this
is not to be understood as a punishment from God. Concept of God ► God does not (almightily)
control the world externally, but acts as a soul in all things, as a
non-violent, inner tendency towards the positive. ► He is powerless in many
situations, but in the long term his spirit of comprehensive affirmation of
life and love will prevail in the hearts of people and in the world. ► Jesus proclaims God as a
loving, motherly father who wants his children to enjoy life and learn to
treat each other and creation well. ► God is the source of
affirmation of life and all positive forces that people should discover and
absorb. The idea of man Man
sees himself as an absolutely loved child of God. God grants him life and the
world from the bottom of his heart. ► God wants man to use his
senses, his mind and his conscience to understand life and nature better and
better and to learn to live lovingly, responsibly and self-confidently. ► God wants man to find a
healthy self-confidence, to learn to recognize himself and his talents, to
act responsibly and independently and to develop compassion and care for his
fellow human beings and all of creation. The main problem of man He is an
incomprehensible being to himself, ► he often does not
understand himself, ► he is afraid of being
ephemeral, unimportant, unappreciated and not respected, unlovable; ►he is often insecure, weak,
ignorant and hurtful. ► As a result of being born
and growing up, man does not automatically recognize the value and meaning of
his existence, but must first discover it through
arduous inner struggle and searching (“inner listening”). ► This search is often
accompanied by fear and misconduct. For the individual and for human
cultures, becoming aware of this is often a lengthy process of mental
maturation and development (awakening process, process of becoming conscious,
mental and spiritual “healing of the blind”). ► The main cause of his
sinfulness is not disobedience, but his fear of being worthless and his
spiritual blindness and insecurity. ► In addition, people often
feel helpless and powerless in the face of adverse natural forces, illnesses
and inner emotional states and at the mercy of the aggression of fellow human
beings and unjust social conditions. This also robs a lot of the power of
love and affirmation of life, tempts them to adapt to the usual selfish and
unloving patterns of behavior and seduces them into their own unjust and
hurtful behavior. |
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The reaction of God ► He expels people from his
kingdom of God, paradise, closes off his divine world for thousands of years
and is no longer accessible to humans. ► As punishment, people have to earn their living with hard, laborious work
(thistles and thorns). ► The woman will give birth
to children in labor and will be threatened by snakes while working in the
fields. ► Physical death is also
basically a punishment from God for the original human sin. ► Human sin was more
powerful than God's love, it was able to drive God's love out of the world
and open the door to the world for Satan, so that he has ruled the world ever
since. ► Only where the Church has
been at work with its sacraments since Jesus' death on the cross are there
again areas of salvation of divine activity in the world. The world as God's field of punishment and testing Furthermore,
natural disasters and all suffering in the world are either God's punitive
actions for the initial and also for the
ever-repeating disobedience of people (Story of the Flood, Tower of Babel,
Egyptian plagues, etc.) or they are tests of people's faith, obedience and
submissiveness. Old understanding
of redemption After
thousands of years, God sends his Son, who is obedient to God in an exemplary
manner on behalf of mankind, submits to his will without reservation and
offers himself as an atoning sacrifice to the Father in a cruel sacrifice on
the cross in order to propitiate his wrath towards
mankind. The task of man ► Man should humbly and
obediently believe and follow everything that the church leadership commands
to believe and do on God's behalf. ► He should earn his way to
heaven through good works. ► He should make God
gracious through his willingness to make sacrifices and by keeping the
commandments. ► He should reconcile
himself with God through works of penance. Summary: >> Man is a test subject >> The world is a testing
ground >> God is a tester of man >> Man's life is a
probationary period to earn God's heaven |
The reaction of God ► Through Jesus Christ, God
“reveals” to people their absolute (divine) value, their unique dignity,
their fundamental “worthiness of love” (despite their sinfulness and their
mental and spiritual blindness) ► In Jesus, he shows himself
to be compassionate and in solidarity with people, he surrenders himself to
the dynamics of his creation and stands on the side of man towards his
creation. The world as God's self-communication ► The world is entrusted to
man as a space for life and development. He should know that he is one with
the world and, in loving and responsible shaping of the world, grow into the
life context of the whole of creation, in which God is hiddenly present and
communicates himself to man. ► In Jesus Christ, God's
turning towards and becoming one with the world is revealed; this turning
towards creation is to be imitated by man in the way he shapes his life. ► The goal of cosmic world
history is the completion of creation, not the escape from the world into
“heaven”. ► The “beyond” is the
spiritual depth dimension of creation. Understanding of redemption Through the
love of God, which was experienced by man through Jesus (and can still be
experienced today), man is redeemed from the fear of being worthless and from
the helplessness to understand himself and the value of his existence. ► However, this being loved
must be consciously accepted (believed) and one's own calling, one's own
meaning in life, the value of one's own existence must be found in an often long path of self-knowledge. ► In Jesus' death on the
cross, it becomes clear that man is held by God in suffering and death and is
preserved in God beyond death. ► The cross reveals that the
love with which God fills people when they entrust themselves to him is more
powerful than the hatred, injustice, sin, contempt and fear-mongering
of people. The task of man ► Striving for
self-knowledge. ► Striving to understand the
world. ► To accept and affirm life
from its origin, from God. ►Discovering the source of
life-affirming forces (God) and becoming open to allow these forces to take
effect within oneself. ►To treat creation lovingly
and responsibly. ► Advocating a just,
peaceful, tolerant, creative coexistence of people. ► Uncovering and eliminating
injustice, degradation, devaluation and oppression. ► To show the ways of true
humanity: Personality, subsidiarity, solidarity, non-violence Summary: >> Man is a “Child of God”
and his “image”. >> He is called to be the
“heir of God” and the “heir of the universe”. >> He is to mature
spiritually and become an adult - also before God. >>Soul maturation awakens
the awareness of one's own dignity (an absolute, “divine” value), one's own
freedom, one's own uniqueness and personal responsibility. >> Soul maturation awakens a
deep feeling of connection with other people and a comprehensive feeling of
belonging to the whole of life and to the community of creation. >> Maturation of the soul
awakens a universal compassion and a universal
willingness to take responsibility. |
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Manfred Hanglberger
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Link to share: https://hanglberger-manfred.de/en-glaube-zeitgemaess.htm
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