Hermeneutics of Religious Existence

Abstract

From the preceding chapters it should be evident that one cannot glibly dispose of the whole matter by saying : “We, modern men, ‘obviously’ are no longer able to do anything with a mythical or metaphysical conception of God”. At least, I hope to have succeeded in showing that such a statement does not mean anything at all unless the meaning of the terms “mythical” and “metaphysical” is very precisely indicated. A second reason to distrust such a statement is this : who and what are “we, modern men”, and what is so “obvious” about us? Harvey Cox defines “us” as secularized city-dwellers, characterized by pragmatism and profaneness.1 Herbert Marcuse may be said to agree with this “definition” but thinks that it is rendered more profound if we add that modern man is a consumer lulled to sleep and too degenerate to retain the ability to realize what could make his existence authentic.2 Such a type of man may no longer be able to “do anything” with a certain conception or a certain way of life. But why on earth should anyone wish to measure the meaningfulness or meaninglessness of that conception or way of life by such a type of man?