| Abstract [eng] |
The conception of atheism in Christian tradition Summary This paper analyzes Christian understanding of atheism. It consists of three parts. The first part discusses the historical development of atheism as well as its different variants. The main forms of atheism are viewed panoramically, starting with their oldest manifestations, but without going into details about some or other atheist or each separate period of time. The basic patterns of atheism found both in older times and today, are materialism, positivism and marxism. These three can be defined as naturalistic atheism which considers only natural phenomena and sees human beings from purely biological point of view. Naturalistic atheism rejects metaphysics and idealism, it is based on treating material world as the only existing reality. The second part of the research deals with onother pattern of atheism, namely, humanistic atheism witch is closer to us and more familiar to this generation. It began with Nietsche and gained strength in Sartre‘s atheistic existentialism. Humanists criticize naturalististic atheism and turn towards man who is the only creator of laws and the sovereign. Thus, God is treated as absolete here. This part of the paper also dwells on the process of secularization: what secularization is, whether it can be seen as a kind of atheism, what its limits are, what sort of relationships between believers and non – believers are desirable. Secularization partly includes the agressive tendencies of contemporary atheism. The reasons of these tendencies are analyzed with the reference to such atheistic authors as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, etc. The third part provides Christian response to both kinds of atheism – the naturalistic and the humanistic approach. It starts with showing the absence of contradiction between science and religious faith. On the one hand, this discourse is especially relevent for today‘s society, and on the other hand, it provides a proper response the contemporary atheistic ideologies that proclaim conflict between science and religion, and are trying to show science as capable of solving all the problems of human existence. A separate chapter in this third part of the paper is devoted to the analysis of atheism as an inappropriate world outlook which in its essence is destructive for man. Instead, the Christian faith offers social service, true communication and the notion of love as caritas that arises from the unconditionnal value and worth of the human person as imago Dei. The final chapters of the paper are devoted to this Christian idea as a due responce to all atheistic notions of man as simply an individual. The Christian caritas suggests a proper kind of relationships that do not exclude you, me or God. |
