Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary
Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary
human existence, now has to prove its claim to truth and validity” (Bosch, 2000:268). For the radical humanist, faith in God becomes restrictive, repressive and irrational -- much like the zeal that drove the Deist Voltaire and others during the French Revolution to such insane ends. “I believe in God, said Voltaire, not the God of the mystics and the theologians, but the God of nature, the great geometrician, the architect of the universe, the prime mover, unalterable, transcendental, everlasting” (Voltaire, in Cragg, 1960:237). Bosch says the “dominant characteristic of the modern era is its radical anthropocentrism” (Bosch, 2000:268). The dominance over and objectification of nature and the subjecting of the physical world to the human mind and will -- as championed by the Enlightenment -- had disastrous consequences. It resulted in a world that was ‘closed, essentially completed and unchanging ... simple and shallow, and fundamentally un-mysterious -- a rigidly programmed machine’ (Bosch, 2000:355). Especially after the French Revolution, science became the religion of secular humanism. Like Voltaire, God was not yet removed completely, for the Deist ‘god’ remained a mainstay for years, and the ‘death of God’ movement would come much later. The notion of a mechanical and distant ‘god’ was deeply embedded in the minds of many during the period, even among those who called themselves Christian. Historical arguments continue today, wondering to what extent prominent figures, like George Washington, the first President of the United States, were either Christian, or Deist. Secular comes from the Latin, saeculum, in English ‘generation,’ or ‘age,’ meaning that something belongs to this age, or realm, or world -- not to a transcendent, religious order. Secularism is directly related to naturalism, “which holds that this world of matter and energy is all that exists” (Baker, in Moreau, 2000:865). Secularism encourages the socio-cultural process of secularization, in which religious beliefs, values, and institutions are increasingly marginalized and lose their plausibility and power. Secularization may result in the elimination of religion entirely, as in atheistic and agnostic societies. Or it 30 University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
may simply transform the nature and place of religion within society, resulting in ‘this worldly’ secularized form of religion. Secularization is often linked to modernization, so that as societies become increasingly modernized they also tend to become secularized (Baker, in Moreau, 2000:865). Secularism is the proactive marginalisation, and/or removal of the religious from society, and has been a key component of modernity from the beginning. Secularism’s ability to separate religion and politics has proven less effective than its ability to deal with religious diversity, especially under conditions of unequal power. In the idealistic, truly homogenous society, the coercive powers of the state are equitably applied. In the real world, so to speak, there are competing interests for the favours of the state. Those with the most power and/or money are often the ones who control the direction society and government take. This is no less true where religious interests are concerned. At times, the [secular] state is able to stay distanced and objective enough so as not to be the instrument of the majority religion. At other times, the state becomes the puppet of the majority religion -- many examples could be cited regarding this. In many so-called secular nations, religionists have learned how to be persuasive and effective in the political arena, and religious groups often do control great wealth and power, which enables them to be a political force. The Secularization Thesis, which asserted that secularism would eventually replace religion around the globe, has probably affected Europe more than any other region on earth, but has nowhere worked as predicted. Turkey under its first President, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938), became one of the most secular Muslim states ever, but is still a nation very strongly attached to Islam. Societies are still driven by what [pragmatically] makes sense to them, and by what seems to be in their own best interest. The [modernist] secularization process did not remove religion, but has had an effect upon it. In fact, the threat of secularization has in more than a few instances worked against secularization, causing instead the resurgence of traditional religious beliefs, and driving nationalism and the predominant religion closer together. Secular humanism in all its variations -- though not science per se -- is antithetical to 31 University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Page 1 and 2: 1 POSTMODERNITY: IMPACT AND IMPLICA
- Page 3 and 4: 3 Key Terms Postmodern, postmoderni
- Page 5 and 6: 5 An Apologetic Response 115 Compro
- Page 7 and 8: killed massively in the name of goo
- Page 9 and 10: 9 together in an eclectic, rather d
- Page 11 and 12: 11 Postmodernity: Impact and Implic
- Page 13 and 14: 13 heights” (Veith, 1994:30). For
- Page 15 and 16: 15 autonomy proper to human reason
- Page 17 and 18: inviolability and Divine origin, th
- Page 19 and 20: diminished” (Bosch, 2000:6). The
- Page 21 and 22: ‘god’ to keep and to save him.
- Page 23 and 24: Occultism flourished among the Brit
- Page 25 and 26: He was a passionate, powerful chara
- Page 27 and 28: 27 record reveals that the church o
- Page 29: 29 eliminating poverty, hunger and
- Page 33 and 34: Contrary to Christian notions that
- Page 35 and 36: 35 ‘modernize’ the nation. To b
- Page 37 and 38: 37 expression. This “first respon
- Page 39 and 40: 39 of his own awareness of God” (
- Page 41 and 42: 41 Existentialism understandably em
- Page 43 and 44: depends upon our decision makes our
- Page 45 and 46: group Socialisme et Liberte. During
- Page 47 and 48: 47 The Mind of Sartre Sartre’s vi
- Page 49 and 50: ethical absolutes (Craig, 1994:67).
- Page 51 and 52: 51 Chapter II Postmodernity: The Es
- Page 53 and 54: 53 Postmoderns promote individualis
- Page 55 and 56: meaning and language. The postmoder
- Page 57 and 58: pointed out that science, far from
- Page 59 and 60: 59 Ferdinand de Saussure at the tur
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- Page 63 and 64: 63 models and then try not to subve
- Page 65 and 66: marginalized and to the historical
- Page 67 and 68: without essential foundations (Khan
- Page 69 and 70: maximum voluntary community agreeme
- Page 71 and 72: 71 something akin to the virtual re
- Page 73 and 74: 73 During the 1960’s, Foucault wa
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- Page 77 and 78: had been trapped. Through Nietzsche
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human existence, now has to prove its claim to truth and validity” (Bosch, 2000:268).<br />
For the radical humanist, faith in God becomes restrictive, repressive and irrational --<br />
much like the zeal that drove the Deist Voltaire and others during the French Revolution<br />
to such insane ends. “I believe in God, said Voltaire, not the God of the mystics and the<br />
theologians, but the God of nature, the great geometrician, the architect of the universe,<br />
the prime mover, unalterable, transcendental, everlasting” (Voltaire, in Cragg, 1960:237).<br />
Bosch says the “dominant characteristic of the modern era is its radical anthropocentrism”<br />
(Bosch, 2000:268).<br />
The dominance over and objectification of<br />
nature and the subjecting of the physical world<br />
to the human mind and will -- as championed<br />
by the Enlightenment -- had disastrous<br />
consequences. It resulted in a world that was<br />
‘closed, essentially completed and unchanging<br />
... simple and shallow, and fundamentally<br />
un-mysterious -- a rigidly programmed<br />
machine’ (Bosch, 2000:355).<br />
Especially after the French Revolution, science became the religion of secular<br />
humanism. Like Voltaire, God was not yet removed completely, for the Deist ‘god’<br />
remained a mainstay for years, and the ‘death of God’ movement would come much later.<br />
The notion of a mechanical and distant ‘god’ was deeply embedded in the minds of many<br />
during the period, even among those who called themselves Christian. Historical<br />
arguments continue today, wondering to what extent prominent figures, like George<br />
Washington, the first President of the United States, were either Christian, or Deist.<br />
Secular comes from the Latin, saeculum, in English ‘generation,’ or ‘age,’ meaning<br />
that something belongs to this age, or realm, or world -- not to a transcendent, religious<br />
order. Secularism is directly related to naturalism, “which holds that this world of matter<br />
and energy is all that exists” (Baker, in Moreau, 2000:865).<br />
Secularism encourages the socio-cultural<br />
process of secularization, in which religious<br />
beliefs, values, and institutions are<br />
increasingly marginalized and lose their<br />
plausibility and power. Secularization may<br />
result in the elimination of religion entirely,<br />
as in atheistic and agnostic societies. Or it<br />
30<br />
University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, <strong>South</strong> Africa
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