종교와 우상숭배

Religion & Idolatry

This article deals with the meaning and implication of religion and idolatry by reviewing the implication of theological imagination. These days people tend to think that religion is just the construction of human imagination. However, we need to draw a reasonable line between religion and idol worship. As we begin our inquiry into the difference between religion and idol worship, it would be helpful to examine the reason why it is not easy for the modern people to acknowledge the existence of the divine being. Since the Enlightenment, there has been a sharp dichotomy between science and religion. We do not want human religious attempt to fall into an intellectual ghetto. We want to admit the legitimacy of human religious attempt to realize the transcendental need which lies in natural human beings. We need to respect the self-transcendental desire of human being. This desire needs to be realized in healthy religious attempt, not in self-destructive attempt. It is always a worthwhile effort to put human desire in the right perspective. The issue of fideism is related to the problem of rationality in theological assertions. By rejecting the restrictive view of religion, we can continue to develop a reasonable view of religion. Drawing on the insights of the new philosophy of science, we can show that religious imagination is important. My final concern is about the relationship between religious experience and human transcendental need. Sometimes, new experiences have the ability to surprise us by contradicting our expectations. It would be healthier to have a more dialectical understanding of religion and idolatry by admitting the interaction between language and experience. I believe that no one in systematic theology cannot afford to ignore the meaning of religion and idolatry in imagining the divine being.