Theology after Enlightenment: Between Moral and Religion (from Daniel Defoe to Martin Buber)

The article considers the questions of relations between religion and morality, how it appeared in the culture of European Enlightenment, and its further theological resonance. Already in the beginning of the 18th century the problem of relations between religion and morality was eloquently conside...

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Main Author: Oleksiy PANYCH
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Eastern European Instute of Theology 2018-08-01
Series:Богословські роздуми: Східноєвропейський журнал богословʼя
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Online Access:http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/141306
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author Oleksiy PANYCH
author_facet Oleksiy PANYCH
author_sort Oleksiy PANYCH
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description The article considers the questions of relations between religion and morality, how it appeared in the culture of European Enlightenment, and its further theological resonance. Already in the beginning of the 18th century the problem of relations between religion and morality was eloquently considered in Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”. The main character of this novel, who happened to be alone at a desert island, first becomes a true Christian, and then tests his moral, and only later on also religious attitudes in communication with the local cannibal, meaningfully called “Friday”. Voltaire in his L’Ingénu develops this problem further: his character, an Indian converted into Christianity, spontaneously arrives to all-rounded moral criticism of Christianity. Marquis de Sade in his La Philosophie dans le boudoir takes up this motive of all-rounded moral criticism of Christianity, but comes to much more radical conclusions: if a truly rational person necessarily will reach atheism, common people need religion in order to feel certain moral limits; however, this religion cannot be Christianity. Finally, Martin Buber’s works show how topical this problem, discovered by the Enlightenment, remains also in our contemporary culture – and, also, which peculiar difficulties and perspectives appear here in the theological dimension. To solve the problem, posed by the Enlightenment, Buber has to draw a distinction between religion and religiosity, and also postulate continuity of God’s revelation and dialogue between human being and God.
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spelling doaj-art-6a59ae780b6a4ef7b6567eeeda7a12a32025-08-20T02:23:48ZengEastern European Instute of TheologyБогословські роздуми: Східноєвропейський журнал богословʼя2789-15692789-15772018-08-012110.29357/2521-179X.2018.21.5Theology after Enlightenment: Between Moral and Religion (from Daniel Defoe to Martin Buber)Oleksiy PANYCH The article considers the questions of relations between religion and morality, how it appeared in the culture of European Enlightenment, and its further theological resonance. Already in the beginning of the 18th century the problem of relations between religion and morality was eloquently considered in Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”. The main character of this novel, who happened to be alone at a desert island, first becomes a true Christian, and then tests his moral, and only later on also religious attitudes in communication with the local cannibal, meaningfully called “Friday”. Voltaire in his L’Ingénu develops this problem further: his character, an Indian converted into Christianity, spontaneously arrives to all-rounded moral criticism of Christianity. Marquis de Sade in his La Philosophie dans le boudoir takes up this motive of all-rounded moral criticism of Christianity, but comes to much more radical conclusions: if a truly rational person necessarily will reach atheism, common people need religion in order to feel certain moral limits; however, this religion cannot be Christianity. Finally, Martin Buber’s works show how topical this problem, discovered by the Enlightenment, remains also in our contemporary culture – and, also, which peculiar difficulties and perspectives appear here in the theological dimension. To solve the problem, posed by the Enlightenment, Buber has to draw a distinction between religion and religiosity, and also postulate continuity of God’s revelation and dialogue between human being and God. http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/141306GodreligionmoralityEnlightenmentdialoguerevelation.
spellingShingle Oleksiy PANYCH
Theology after Enlightenment: Between Moral and Religion (from Daniel Defoe to Martin Buber)
Богословські роздуми: Східноєвропейський журнал богословʼя
God
religion
morality
Enlightenment
dialogue
revelation.
title Theology after Enlightenment: Between Moral and Religion (from Daniel Defoe to Martin Buber)
title_full Theology after Enlightenment: Between Moral and Religion (from Daniel Defoe to Martin Buber)
title_fullStr Theology after Enlightenment: Between Moral and Religion (from Daniel Defoe to Martin Buber)
title_full_unstemmed Theology after Enlightenment: Between Moral and Religion (from Daniel Defoe to Martin Buber)
title_short Theology after Enlightenment: Between Moral and Religion (from Daniel Defoe to Martin Buber)
title_sort theology after enlightenment between moral and religion from daniel defoe to martin buber
topic God
religion
morality
Enlightenment
dialogue
revelation.
url http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/141306
work_keys_str_mv AT oleksiypanych theologyafterenlightenmentbetweenmoralandreligionfromdanieldefoetomartinbuber