Mūsdienu cilvēks kristīgo vērtību pretstatos

Abstract

Pēteris Plakans has taken up the theme of “Christian Values for the Modern Human”. The author approaches this topic from a relatively new perspective –anthropology of Christianity, which explores how the role of religion has changed in today’s globalised world. The proportion of the population practising a Christian lifestyle is decreasing in the Western world. Religiously conservative Christians and religiously liberal Christians see different solutions to the changes in religiosity. Religiously conservative Christians want to reform the Church to meet biblical standards and rid themselves of the sinful vices of modern society, while religious liberals want to acknowledge social realities and make Christianity accessible to all. Religious liberals want to change existing religious beliefs, to abandon religious dogmas that prevent certain groups in the society from being recognised in religious organisations. Christian values, although retained by many as a definite denominational affiliation, are increasingly being embraced in spiritual practices that are associated not only with different branches of Christianity but also with different religions. Secularisation means not only reducing public support for Christianity but also making Christianity more acceptable because it is no longer so radical. One of the important objects of the study in the anthropology of Christianity is schisms, which are the most frequent among Protestants. In the early 1980s, “family values” came to mean opposition to atheism in schools, rising crime levels, spiritual decay, unbiblical social vices such as drug addiction, abortion, pornography, etc. For Americans, “family values” have come to be seen as almost identical to “religious”. Family value advocates promote their position as Christian conservatives and religious people. The issue of family values is most often understood as the support of traditional marriage. Religious liberal ideas imply recognition of social reality that the traditional marriage model is no longer the only form of cohabitation and therefore, according to the principle of Christian love and social justice, it is necessary to support and improve the living conditions of same-sex couples, formerly discriminated groups in society. Christian love requires promoting the quality of life of transgender people, creating the possibility of conceiving offspring in various ways, for example, through surrogacy. Religious liberals with Christian values, same as religious conservatives, recognise their importance as the basis of Western civilisation, also being aware of the issues of equality and social justice in these values. The spirituality of society is more important than individual religiosity, and that calls for common solutions to social problems.

Pēteris Plakans ir pievērsies tēmai “Mūsdienu cilvēks kristīgo vērtību pretstatos”. Autors to veic no relatīvi jauna skatpunkta – kristietības antro­poloģijas –, ņemot vērā, ka mūsdienu globalizētajā pasaulē ir mainījusies reliģijas loma. Reliģiski konservatīvie kristieši vēlas reformēties, lai atbilstu Bībeles standartiem un atbrīvotos no modernās sabiedrības grēcīgajiem netikumiem, bet reliģiski liberālie vēlas atzīt sociālo realitāti un padarīt kristietību pieejamu visiem. Sekularizācija ne vien samazina sabiedrības atbalstu kristietībai, bet paralēli padara to pieņemamāku, jo tā vairs nav tik radikāla. Svarīgs kristietības antro­poloģijas pētāmais objekts ir shizmas, kuras visbiežāk notiek mainīgajā protestantu saimē. P. Plakans raksta nobeigumā nonāk pie secinājuma, ka svarīgāks par individuālo reliģiozitāti ir sabiedrības garīgums, kas pieprasa kopīgi risināt sociālās problēmas.