Christian humanism

Christian humanism, is a philosophical union of Christian and humanist principles, and like much humanism often refers to a commonality among all humanity as its basic ethos.

Related Topics:
Philosophical - Christian - Humanist

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CH has been traced back to at least the 12th century, and its proponents claim it to be grounded in the mystery of God as present in history as a human being, Jesus, and secondly, on several teachings of Jesus, as found in the New Testament.

Related Topics:
12th century - God - Jesus - New Testament

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It does not elevate ordinary human beings to the status of deities, nor does it deny the primacy of God, but rather it seeks to celebrate humanity and place the serving of one's fellow human beings as one of the highest Christian duties.

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According to sociologist Robert Bellah, such a perspective is characteristic of the 'modern' stage of religion, in which "man in the last analysis is responsible for the choice of his symbolism" (Beyond Belief: Essays on Religion in a Post-Traditional World , p. 42).

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James Davison Hunter believes that Christian humanism carries within it a potential for reaching across the metaphysical divide separating the two sides of what he calls "the American culture war," in which one side places moral authority in something transcending the individual, and the other places moral authority in personal human experience ("The American Culture War," in Peter Berger, ed., The Limits of Social Cohesion: Conflict and Mediation in Pluralist Societies , p. 6).

Related Topics:
James Davison Hunter - Metaphysical

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