Zusatzmaterial I Box 38, 39, 46

Religion and Culture (possible outline II) First Lecture: I. The Problem 1. The rise of the problem out of actual con- flicts, both in West and East. At the same time the mu- tual dependence as basis. [* p. 5] 2. Examples of conflicts: always because of interdependence. a] Most embracing: Political conflicts. (Church – State in early and medieval and totalitarian Europe; Indian Buddhism; Japanese persecution of Christianity, state Shintoism and occu- pation). The secularisation of the state and the indirect influence.) b] Most conspicuous: Science and religion. The three great conflicts in Western history. The undercutting of re- ligion generally even in the East. The secularisation of truth. and the usurpation of the concept by natural science , {and its} {analogies} as pattern.

2 [p. 6]  c] Most effective: Technology and religion (the early bondage of techniques). The vic- tory of the horizontal dimension over the vertical. Means swallowing an end. The secularisation of interest. (of eros and passion) d] Most fundamental: Education and religion (education formerly = religious education). The techniques of e-ducation and the loss of in-ducation. (indoctrination as substitute) The secularisation of {humanity} the ideal of man e] Most existential: Social relation and religion. The replacement of communal eros by societal purpose. The secularisation of {community, family, sex.} all social relations (formerly the divine law) f] Most revealing: Art and religion. Religious or quasi-religious suppression of artistic antonomy. The secu- larisation of art and the revolt against it. The ambi- guity of recent art: antireligious and truly religious.

3 II. The Concepts 1. Are the conflicts essential and therefore un- avoidable, or are they consequences of existential dis- tortions, both of religion and culture, and therefore un- necessary? – The answer requests a definition of the two concepts. a] Culture: The whole of transforming creativity of man's spirit, receiving transformation and reacting transformation: Language, science, art and technical, person- forming, society-forming reaction. – In each act subject-matter, cultural form and style. – The freedom of subject-matter, the obediance to the form, the growth of the style. – Interference destroys. b] Religion: the selftranscendence of life in man's spirit; transcending his finite being towards the in- finite, his conditioned being towards the unconditional. But this

4 movement is the answer to the opposite movement, the being grasped by something unconditional, ultimate. And both movements united: ultimate concern. – – This is the core of what religion is. But this is expressed in what ordinarily is called religion, certain symbols etc. The larger and the narrower concept of religion. All conflicts are based on the narrower concept of religion, because re- ligion becomes through its expressions itself a part of culture; and this particular culture can conflict with the other parts of culture. But religion in the larger sense cannot, because it is in all culture. – 2. The double task, therefore, is to show that in every culture there is the religious dimension, an open or hidden ultimate concern and that every concrete religion has a cultu- ral form {and} which is not ultimate but preliminary like every culture. This guaranties the autonomy of the cultural form and the

5 presence of the religious dimension. 3*. As examples I want to give: a] Religion and science b] Religion and the technological Culture. III Religion and Science 1. The meaning of science {and the scientific [...] task} 2. The {indiv} particular sciences. a] natural sciences b] doctrine of man and psychology c] historical sciences d] philosophy.

6 IV. Religion and technical culture. 1. The liberating power of technical culture. 2. Its enslaving power. 3. Its dehumanizing power.