Identity, Denomination and Nationality

Abstract

"Identity pins down accurately who individuals are in relation to God, society, and themselves. God’s statement about Himself (His self-identity) in the Bible “I am who I am” can guide us to find our own “I am who I am”, definitely taking into account the analogia relationis rather than the analogia entis. The constant domi-nant of our human identity as God’s identity as well is that we stay humans despite all circumstances, but its features (“our qualities”) are variable. We are only interested in two of the many identity features: our denomination and our Hungarian ethnici-ty, which are “only” features, but as such they have been decisive. In the 20th centu-ry, we, as Reformed Protestants and Hungarians, got under the burden of the polit-ical and ecclesiastical consequences of the two world wars. Our faith required that the church and the Hungarians did not lose their identity features from the per-spective of the communities and individuals. During the interwar period (1920–1944) and during the totalitarian regime (1945–1989), we, Transylvanian Re-formed Protestants, had one single duty to fulfil: clarify our relationship vis-à-vis the political authority in such a way as to remain disciples and a disciple church without which we are not the ones who we must be. In his prayer, Jesus does not ask the Fa-ther to take all of his followers out of this world (meaning society) but rather to de-fend them from evil (John 17:15). How can we fulfil it? Our yes/no answer is the issue of gratitude towards God and penitence before Him. Keywords: the content of identity, energy of the protective spirit, dominant church, non-democratic church, valve system."