bMS 649/50(20)- Religion and Culture 1963, 5

III. The religious background of political ideas 1. The concept of Idea and ideo-logy. Either: a system of poli- tical ideas or the use of ideas for the sake of power-preser- vation or gain. (analogy to power and vocational consciousness) The fighting function capability of the concept is powerful strong because of the element of truth in it. (Like rationalisation) Nevertheless, as ra- tionalisation is possible only because there is reason, so ideology because there are ideas. And all of them The political ideas have a religious background. The background can be religious in the narrower sense or in the secularized quasi-religious sense larger sense 2. The two basic directions: Bound to where we came from, driving towards the new which histor according to historical time. The political act shapes the present in the light of the one or the other.

From this follow the traditionalistic or the progressivistic ideologies. Both can have many forms according to situation and religious background. a] The oldest form is the bondage to the powers of the earth They produce; nourish and take back all life. Violation of the established sacred rules is leads to tragic guilt and destruction."Blood and soil" not an invention of the Hitler but an attempt to re- turn to these origines. Greek mythology tells in different sym- bolism of the liberation from the powers (Olympic) gods are the background of humanism. But they have not disappeared: The conservativism of the agrarian sections even of this country. The circle of seasons, the repetitious character of nature b] On the Asiatic side. The lack of interest in unimportance of the ca- tegory of the "new". The aim is not "ahead", but "above". Revela- tory Sacred traditions, as the determining factor of the life which is or- ganised in casts as in India united with religiously consecrated, determine the present life. The vocational feeling has no futu- ristic element: Spirituality in India, Noble morality in Confucian China.

Power struggles between individuals and administrative impro- vements, defense and defeat occur, defeat e.g. by people groups with strong futuristic vocational consciousness, Islam in India, Communism in China. c] The Japanes situation: The traditionalistic and non-fu- turistic character of both Japanese religious, Shintoism and the where- from, Buddhism and the transhistorical where-to? And now the democracy with its strong futuristic element has been given to them. And the question: which Spiritual basis? has arisen? (This im- portant for all nations to whom we, according to our own vocational feeling want to bring democracy:) African to 3. The futuristic element is less frequent and like an inva- sion into the large preponderance of the traditional element. It is never alone and in many almagamations almost lost. But it breaks out again, because it is based on man's essential dissatisfaction and his power of askin questioning radically. This

is confirmed by the different religious roots of futuristic political ideas (all in the Near East, includi a] The Greek discovery of autono unbinding of auto- nomous reason. Once unbound it never can rest. The Stoic b] The Roman idea of the empire, based on the Roman law and producing the pax Romana (creating the universal or ecumenical community) [The ambiguity of emperialism] c. The Jewish discovery of history as running towards an aim, the Kingdom of God which includes and surpas- ses the Roman empire idea. d] The Iranian idea of historical periods of progress. with the beginnig of the last period in the presence, the coming of Zarathustrar. 4. All these basic motives were taken into the cul- ture and politics of the Christian West and are decisive upto

today for the political ideas of the West a] The symbol of the third stage of history and the split between its conservative and its revolutionary in- terpretation. Do we live already in the last stage? Augustine says: yes! Then the present situation with hierarchies and authorities is the end. Joachim de Fiori and his Franciscan followers said No: The third stage (Father, Son, Spirit) is ahead, very near. It is without authorities and hierarchies. Everyone is taught by the Spirit. This was continued by the other critical move- ments in the middle ages and by some sects and of the the revolutionary sects of the Reformation period. – and underlies American democracy as living power b. The established churches went took the conserva- tive-Augustinian line with degrees b] Since the Renaissance and Enlightenment the idea of the third stage took on first the form of the "age of reason"

in the Bourgeois revolutions in France, then the idea of the classless society in the proletarian revolutions. The former gave the basic concepts for the American constitution. The second For the former it is An analysis of the roots of the different political ideas shows in these movements shows different combinations of the roots, shown above before. E.g. Bourgeois revolution (modell France) basically based on the libe- ration of reason, but not without the religious idea of the third stage (Rousseau). The same (modell England) based on the valuation of the individual person, combined with the idea of the Kingdom of God and the religious cultural imperialism. in England. American democracy similar but nearer to Enlightenment. Acceptance of the stranger as principle. Estimation of the privat sphere. tremendous emphasis on education of everybody, passionate participation of everyone. Marxism in its original impact a combination of the Jew-pation of everyone. ish-prophetic and the rational element c] All this futuristic. But the counter-forces

always at work; The churches generally either on the side of Augustine as e.g. Lutheranism and the Greek Orthodox and the church, or trying to balance as Rome and Genèva. Never completely on the revolutionary side, not even the churches who were sects and have become churches. This conser- vativism of the churches is one of the reasons of their estrangement from the revolutionary masses and of their estrangement from the churches. d] The meaning of conservativism: The German Lu- theran church in alliance with the remnants of feodal conservativism. Its background: The negativity of man's existential nature, no progress or revolution (Rom 13). Acceptance of the providentially given political authorities: God punishes through them. – The meaning of Fascism: Lutheran conserva-

tivism responsible only in one way: The subjection to the given authorities. Later, loo late, change into clear anti-Fascism. – Fascism is revolutionary against the present state which is produced by progressivistic methods On the other hand: Back to the powers of origine: "There- fore the destruction of Judaism, Christian churches, libe- ralism democracy, communism, going "ahead" to the "yesterday." The necessary distinction between conservativism and neo-fascism in this country. The method: To seek a particular scapegoat amongst the futuristic political ideas and implie that all of them belong to it, giving little po- sitive suggestions and concentrate on the negative (like the fighting communists who decline to give an image of the fu- ture)

IV. Religious Principles and Political Action. 1. Now the second concept of religion, which in- cludes e.g. the relation of Church and state: The answer is given in principle by the distinction of the two concepts. of religion. They can be separeted in terms of the second not in terms of the first concept. The secular state lives on the basis of secularism in one or more of the quasi-religious. – The problem is: Can the awareness of ultimate concern be maintained without the invasion of religous symbols into the secular realm? Probably not. This would request some encounter with a concrete religion. (Religious education)

2. The impact of the churches on the political system. Either by influencing authorities or the voters. – The negative principles of such action. a] Avoiding the confusion of historical processes with te fulfilled Kingdom of God above history. This is avoided, if power is rightly understood, also in its existential ambiguity. – Therefore no legalistic solution of the peace- problem, as ordinary pacifism does. The beatitudes speak of the blessedness of the Kingdom which is present in history (like healing) only fragmentarily. Only symbolic pacifism justified. b] Avoiding to interfer with the autonomous cul- tural processes: Sciences, the arts, the law administration, political decision education, political decisions, in the name of the religious message which is ultimate. In all these things the minister is not expert, and can on the level

of every other expert. c] Avoiding the use of religion for attacking other nations or other political groups. E.g. as atheists. (in- cluding the communist nations (They are quasi-religious and God has not let them alone). 3. The positive principles of such action. a] Establishing the principles which follow from the one ultimate Christian principle of action, agápe! Such principles are: Not making symb Aknowledging everybody as a person, striving for community with the racially, national- ly or socially stranger, using compulsion only in order to protect this community and take the resisting ones into it but not destroying them, etc. b] Critisizing prophetically the trespassing of these

principles by state and society (E.g. Receiving the stranger, promoting racial equality, protesting against wars of mere destruction without the aim of community (e.g. be- ginning an atomic war – though anwsering if started as mere tragedy). c] Fighting against dehumanisin poverty, especially if it is connected with exploitation by a few. – and generally revealing the demonic background of po- litica stuctures, not only in others, but in us, if they start developping in mass society. 4. Conclusion of all lectures: An attempt to give a key to the understanding of the complex religion-culture-si- tuation and, above all, to give a better understanding of the meaning of religion.