Tomáš Halík’s concept of religion

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse the concept of religion by the Czech philosopher, sociologist and theologian Tomáš Halík. He argues in favour of religion, which consists of a interpretation of man’s life in relation to God acting in history, giving a new perspective and enabling its transformation. Religion is therefore a hermeneutic of human existence. The paper consists of three parts. In the first part, attention is drawn to the fact that Halík distances himself from the Enlightenment-derived rationalist and institutional understanding of religion, and from its political and cultural project. Instead, he advocates its more hermeneutic understanding. Part two emphasises his distinction between religion and contemporary, highly individualised and experiential, spirituality. He adopts a critical stance towards it. Part three articulates the distinction between religion and faith, characterised by existential choice and conversion. The Czech intellectual refers sympathetically to man’s living faith, which is a response to the initiative of a revealing God and stands in a certain tension to a formalised religion.