No God on the Horizon? Voegelin, Buber and Bonhoeffer and the Moment of Surrender

Meins G. S. Coetsier
2010 Social Science Research Network  
In a time when the faith and freedom of men and women in Europe are challenged by radical atheism 1 and by the fanaticism of secularists, religious extremists and political fundamentalists, public discourse reconsiders the possibility that there is simply "no God on the horizon." As Europe is becoming increasingly secular, the moral underpinnings of our Judeo-Christian heritage are shaken, i.e. the constructive elements in Christianity and Judaism which promote peaceful coexistence and
more » ... . Today's racism, intolerance and abhorrence that exist in Europe between different cultural, religious and ethnic groups are alarming. The anti-Christian sentiment, the mounting anti-Semitism and the sweeping statements about "islamization" the so called "negative presence" of Islam in Europe is upsetting public discourse. The three monotheistic religions suffer currently from incitement to hatred, due to a clash of cultures and to the global rise of religious and political fundamentalism, 2 whether in the Middle East, Middle America or in Europe. Judaism, Christianity and Islam and its symbols are recurrently satirized, ridiculed and abused. It seems imperative in the present circumstances not to be carried away by the mixture of secular and atheistic opinions or by the various political ideologies that dominate the public sphere and the media. The increased global interest in religion as well as its rejection, and the political and economical situation in the West, particular the late developments in Europe and the religious-political commotion in my native country the Netherlands, may need a deeper spiritual understanding which could clarify the underlying current of today's cultural malaise. What Europe faces, is a critical moment regarding the flood of ideological and religious language in the evolution of the place of
doi:10.2139/ssrn.1662543 fatcat:s6e2yroeq5frvc74tx3p5muxaa