Hegel Philosophy Of Religion Summary

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1B. On Hegel’s Philosophy of Religion (PR) Christianity is the prevailing religion which Hegel attempts to examine in his Philosophy of Religion, another influential text written 20 years after PS. By employing his dialectical process, Hegel is able to provide a just yet innovative examination of the objects and contents of religion. For instance, he explains that the finite human spirit is the thesis and the infinity of God’s spirit as its antithesis. Religion, in this case the Christian community, serves as the synthesis. This is because through a religious community that a finite being such as human can grasp the consciousness of God, an infinite being. Furthermore, Hegel presents an interesting comparison of Religion and Philosophy, based …show more content…
Hegel asserts that it is in Christianity that a sprit is able to perfect itself. He provides three elements as to why Christianity is a complete religion. Firstly, there is the conception of a pure, eternal thought or idea which is God—a spirit in itself and for itself. When individuals say God is love, people fail to consider the true meaning which is that love is a distinction and sublation of two consciousness, outside themselves and in the other, is love. This element, according to Hegel, is assimilated in the Holy Trinity wherein God himself is the unity of three elements. Hegel’s very idea of the spirit and its movement and unfolding is likewise integrated in the idea of God. Secondly, although Hegel believes the common understanding of the God-Man to be inherently contradictory, there is the practical representation of God’s appearance through Jesus Christ. By having such a representation, the idea of God, an infinite and pure spirit, is brought to human consciousness. As with the activities of Jesus Christ who preaches for truth in relation to God, Christianity, in essence, argues that humanity must pursue a higher order of consciousness. In accordance to the teachings of Christ, one must surrender the finite things in life and seek the truth (kingdom of God). Lastly, Hegel introduces the third element, that of …show more content…
For instance, his concept and employment of the dialectic appears to be an all-encompassing approach. It may be applied on ontological issues, sociological, political, epistemological and ethical. This aspect of Hegel’s philosophy is certainly one of kind. Its strong discussion, undying relevance, and its holistic applicability makes Hegel’s claims and overall philosophy, highly influential. The importance of the Hegelian dialectic, which departs from past Socratic dialectics which rely on refuting the postulate of a different participant, is that it the antithesis is inherently a part of the thesis as its negation. This dialectic is important because it address a posited claim and its absolute counter and then synthesizes the two-resulting in a

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