Reasons for and Contexts of Deep Theological Engagement with Other Religious Traditions in Europe: Toward a Comparative Theology
Journal Title: Religions - Year 2012, Vol 3, Issue 4
Abstract
The different contexts of America and Europe have a significant impact on the development of comparative theology, especially in the German-speaking countries. The latter have found other solutions to the problem of religious pluralism that are not really conducive to comparative theology. Hence, the double responsibility of Catholic theology in particular toward the university and toward the Church is a part of the discourse policy of theology, which affects the theology of religions and comparative theology. On the one hand, theology is under the protection of the state, and on the other hand theology is threatened by the risk of unreliability due to ecclesiastical paternalism. But the theology of religions and comparative theology do not evade into science of religion or neo-orthodoxy, rather, they take a risk in a theological engagement with other religions, bringing one’s own faith into a deep encounter with other religions and their faiths while delving into points of detail. After giving short descriptions of these tasks, this article shows some examples of practice in comparative theology and gives a prospect into potential further developments of comparative theology in theories of difference and spaces.
Authors and Affiliations
Ulrich Winkler
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP25293
- DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel3041180
- Views 331
- Downloads 14
A European (German) View on Comparative Theology: Dialogue with My Own Past
For the last couple of years, particularly after the publication of the (German) book ―Comparative Theology‖ by Bernhold Reinhardt and Klaus von Stosch, there was a significant attentiveness of this subject amongst Ger...
Deposito Diademate: Augustine’s Emperors
To assist colleagues from other disciplines who teach Augustine’s texts in their core courses, this contribution to the Lilly Colloquium discusses Augustine’s assessments of Emperors Constantine and Theodosius. His pre...
Transpersonal Psychology: Mapping Spiritual Experience
The first Journal of Transpersonal Psychology was published in 1969. Since this signal event, transpersonal psychology has emerged as a field of theory and application. A way has been made in Western psychology for the...
Impact of Religious Affiliation on Ethical Values of Spanish Environmental Activists
We analyzed the impact of religious affiliation on the ethical and environmental values of Spanish environmental activists, based on an internet survey and a working seminar held with representatives of major environme...
Introduction: Methodical Aspects of Comparison
Much ink has been spilled over the significance, the risks and benefits, and even the very possibility of comparison in the study of religion, but few scholars have reflected on how comparison actually works. Which met...