Known as the “father of modern liberal theology,” Friedrich Schleiermacher was a German theologian, philosopher and biblical scholar who directed his attention on the nature of religious experience from the viewpoint of the individual and human nature itself (Mariña 3). Influenced by German Romanticism, Schleiermacher attempted to settle the criticisms of the Enlightenment with conventional Protestant Christianity (Crouter 261). By doing so, he abandoned the pietistic Moravian theology that had neglected to gratify his growing reservations and he embraced the sensible outlook of Christian Wolff and Johann Salomo Semler. He then became accustomed with the methods of historical criticism of the New Testament and of Johann Augustus Eberhard, from whom he attained an adoration of the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. Consequently, he began applying thoughts from the Greek thinkers to a reform of Immanuel Kant’s system (Mariña 3). On this basis, this essay will articulate Friedrich Schleiermacher’s understanding of religion and its association to Christianity as expressed in Speech I: Defense and Speech II: The Nature of Religion of his work On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers. The essay will explore Schleiermacher’s refutation of three notions of religion held by the despisers, clarify his recognition of the true religion with feeling and describe his understanding of the association involving religion and Christianity.
REFUTATION OF VIEWS OF RELIGION HELD BY
The movie Concussion stars Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu who performs autopsies and looks into why people died. He works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has to look into what caused fifty-year-old former NFL quarterback Mike Webster to die. Dr. Omalu finds that Webster had been pulling his teeth out and super gluing them back in. Dr. Omalu who does not watch football catches a glimpse of it one day and begins to study it. He realizes how hard these players are getting hit when contact is initiated and tackles are made. He begins to do more research and finds that animals like woodpeckers and rams have built in shock absorption that protects their craniums from hitting their skulls, but humans do not have this feature. Human brains sit in a fluid disconnected from the skull so every time a football player gets hit the brain slams into the skull. Dr. Omalu finds that humans will obtain a concussion at a force of 60g and NFL players receive blows at 100g. Players were committing suicide by many different was such as shooting themselves, crashing their cars, or drinking antifreeze. Dr. Omalu found out they were all suffering from CTE, which stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. CTE is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain
Arabia to Islam. All practicing Muslims accept belief in the ‘Six Articles of Faith’ and are
This understanding of Schleiermacher’s religion will become important in our later discussion of the value of Christianity.
One influential cult was based upon a mystical interpretation of Plato. Neo-Platonism was like a rational science that attempted to break down and describe every aspect of the divine essence and its relationship with the human soul. An Alexandrian Jew named Philo tried using Greek philosophy to interpret the Jewish scriptures. He wanted to unite the two traditions by suggesting that the Greek philosophers had been inspired by the same God who had revealed himself to the Jews.
The first two speeches of On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers distinguish Schleiermacher as the father of Protestant Liberal Theology, at the very least (Schleiermacher 1996, xiv, xi). The First Speech is "Defence" (Schleiermacher 1996, 1-25) and the Second Speech is "The Nature of Religion" (Schleiermacher 1996, 26-118). Reacting to the orthodoxy, enlightened rationality and detachment, and neoclassical ideals of his time (Schleiermacher 1996, xiv, xvi), Schleiermacher used some established concepts to articulate a newer, liberal approach
Known as the father of modern liberal theology, Friedrich Schleiermacher was a German theologian, philosopher and biblical scholar who focused his attention on the nature of religious experience from the viewpoint of the individual and human nature itself (Mariña 3). Influenced by German Romanticism, Schleiermacher attempted to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional Protestant Christianity (Crouter 261). By doing so, he abandoned the pietistic Moravian theology that had failed to satisfy his increasing doubts and he adopted the rational spirit of Christian Wolff and Johann Salomo Semler. He then became acquainted with the techniques of historical criticism of the New Testament and of Johann Augustus Eberhard, from whom he acquired a love of the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. As a result, he began applying ideas from the Greek philosophers to a reconstruction of Immanuel Kant’s system (Mariña 3). On this basis, this essay articulate Friedrich Schleiermacher’s understanding of religion and its relationship to Christianity as described in Speech I: Defense and Speech II: The Nature of Religion of his work On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers. The essay will explore Schleiermacher’s rejection of various views of religion held by the despisers, explain his identification of the true religion with feeling and describe his view of the relationship between religion and Christianity.
Why is it that people, for as long as one can remember, have lived their lives following the rules and morals of something they cannot see, hear, touch, or smell? For many, when thinking of religion, one may believe that humans have the sense of spirituality and the desire to follow set rules engraved into their heads. Some people think that one’s whole religious path depends on what background a person had and what morals they were raised by. Some people believe that religion originates from both these opinions, plus many more. The definition of religion is the belief in worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially in a personal God or Gods.
As of today, the world’s two largest religions Christianity and Islam share an estimated 3.6 billion members, more than half of the world’s population. On the surface, they appear to have almost nothing in common, however, as one goes beyond the surface and examines the other factors such as the rituals, beliefs, ethics, founders, and convictions, the two religions share many similarities. However, in order to truly see and understand these similarities and differences, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam.
In our modern society, religion can either promote positive, optimistic actions or negative, destructive ones. From Christianity to Daoism, each different religion shapes the lives of its followers. Christianity and Hinduism can propel their followers to achieve moral greatness, while Islam and _____ can cause people to do heinous, damaging acts of violence and self-destruction.
Though each religion is unique, some religions have several traits in common. For example, many religions are polytheistic, meaning that there are many gods. But, some religions only believe in one god, meaning that the religion is monotheistic. The religions also have many things that differ with each other, like the sacred text, symbol, and traditions. These qualities are what make each religion different and special.
Christianity is the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most followers of Christianity, called Christians, are members of one of three major groups--Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox. These groups have different beliefs about Jesus and His teachings. But all consider Jesus central to their religion. Most Christians believe God sent Jesus into the world as the Savior. Christianity teaches that humanity can achieve salvation through Jesus.
In just the first 17 verses of Romans, the word faith is used 6 times, calling the attention of the readers of this book to faith. In reading the first chapter of Romans it is immediately evident that Paul thinks of faith in very high esteem. The dictionary defines faith as: “belief and trust in and loyalty to God.” Throughout Romans, it is evident that Paul holds living in faith to a high standard, the word and its implications are mentioned often within Paul’s letter to the Romans. In this paper, I will show that Paul emphasizes the role of faith for a Christian lifestyle throughout the book of Romans. I will demonstrate this by looking at some key passages in Romans.
The Problem of Definition of Religion The study of religion is problematic. There are so many dimensions to religion (belief, practice, experience, knowledge and consequences) that it is impossible to provide a conclusive definition. Most sociologists do not believe in God. Functionalist views on Religion -------------------------------
Regarded as one of the most influential theological thinkers of the twentieth century, Karl Barth spent a lifetime on taking a closer look at the values of the Christian Church and rewriting, quite literally, the flaws that he found. Karl Barth, a Protestant theologian, was born on May 10, 1886 in Basel, Switzerland. Notably, his father Fritz Barth was a New Testament and early church history professor at the university in Bern, which shows that he had an early exposure and close connection with religious studies. Barth was educated at “universities of Bern, Berlin, Tubingen, and Marburg.” (Torrance). His start in theology was sparked by liberal theologian Adolf von Harnack, whom he attended a seminar for. Others who inspired Barth include Wilhelm Herrmann and Friedrich Schleiermacher. After going through his education, he spent 10 years (Torrance) as “a Swiss Reformed pastor in the town of Safenwil” (Crownfield 29).
What religion am I? In my life, I have been told many things about my religion. My mother is a Roman Catholic, while my father is Jewish. I have learned about both religions, and I have tried to practice both as best I could, but I am now faced with the decision; which one am I?