Does religion needs philosophy
or vice versa?
WHAT DO FAITH AND
REASON HAVE TO SAY TO EACH OTHER?
More than a hundred years ago, Nietzche declared that God
was dead.
God had been something like a guarantor of an absolute
order, structure of the world in which the human being could be meaningfully included.
When looking for meaning in the world, people often turn to philosophy
or religion. Some people have different ideas about where the diving lines are
between religion and philosophy.
Followers of religion may see their beliefs as “truth”
however, it is generally agreed that these believes are a matter of faith. It
is “true” because they have faith in the messages from their supernatural God
or Gods.
Instead of being centered on faith, philosophy involves the
rational pursuit of knowledge and a general understanding about the nature and
purpose of the universe. Philosophers look for knowledge primarily through
questions and observations.
While religion provides dogmatic answer, philosophy provides
provocative question. Philosophy is arguably about discovering knowledge than
accepting the world of an authority or supernatural God. Philosophy can be
based on religious assumption, and their ideas about religion are commonly
explored through metaphysical philosophy.
Philosophy can exist without religion, just as believers do
not have to consider the philosophy behind their faith in order to be
considered religious.
Philosophy seeks to
understand if we exist! Religion tells us how we should live?
Philosophy deals with the Mind and the Intellect, but also
the spiritual essence of life. Philosophers lead to endless debate and
different viewpoint, religion also leads to disputes over which religion is
best. Philosophy is too proud to experience joy; the aim of philosophy is
mental astuteness. Religion sometimes seeks joy, and sometimes feels necessity
of suffering and sacrifice.
17th and 18th centuries was big intellectual
movement in Europe, in which ideas were concerned God, reason, nature, and
humankind were synthesized into a world view that gained wide assent and that
instigated revolutionary development in art, philosophy and politics. This is
an ENLIGTENMENT. Central of this movement were thoughts used as the celebration
of reason, the power by which the individual understands the universe and improves
the human condition. The goals of the rational individual were considered to be
knowledge, freedom and happiness.
The rise of philosophy began big concern for religion,
people turned to question of reason, and they start to question what is important
in life, discussing the matter of religion and philosophy.
Is religion a type of
philosophy! Is philosophy a religious activity?
Both religion and
philosophy wrestle with problems like? What is good? What does it mean to live
a good life? What is the nature of reality? How we treat each other? What is
really most important in life?
The 19th century was era of rapidly accelerating
scientific discovery in invention, with significant developments in the field
of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and electricity.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain and spread
to continental Europe, North America and Japan. The Victorian era was notorious
for the employment of young children in factories and mines, as well strict
social norms, modesty and gender roles.
By the 19th century was developed a philosophical
system call Marxism, known as
dialectic materialism, under which matter gives rise to Mind (Materialism) and
all is subject to change. Founders were German social theorists Karl Marx and
Friedrich Engels.
Since time when Marx described religion as the “opiate of people”, has been open
warfare between Marxists and Christians. Marxists believes in social change,
Christians in faith.
The difference is the fact that Marxism as a philosophy
tends to emphasize just the use of reason and critical thinking, whereas
religions may make use of reason, but at the very least they also rely on faith,
or even use the faith to exclusion of reason.
The Marxism is the political, economic, and social principles
and policies advocate by Marx. It is a system of economic, social and political
philosophy based on ideas that view social change in terms of economic factor.
Marx’s theory of religion
needs to be seen in the context of his general view of SOCIETY, Capitalism dominates
the working class. Marxism sees religion as a feature only of class divided
society, as such there will be no need for religion in classless society and
will be disappear.
For Marx ideology is
a belief system that changes people’s perception of reality in ways that serve
the interests of the ruling class.
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