Egyháztörténeti Szemle 13. (2012)
2012 / 4. szám - SUMMARIES IN ENGLISH - Sarnyai Csaba Máté: The religion of the spirit - or the spirit of a churchless religion. Schmitt Jenő Henrik's anarchist vision on religion and church
98 Egyháztörténeti Szemle XIII/4 (2012) from 1987 on. The churches, acting under the close control of the Hungarian Socialist Labour Party (“the Party”) proved to have adapted themselves more fast and flexible to the new social duties and challenges brought about by the growing number of refugees than the state itself. The social experiences and the international network of the catholic and Protestant churches have facilitated organizing the local and international refugee aid program and calling the attention of the international community to the serious violation of human and minority rights in Romania. The church was able to reach some of those international actors and groups of Hungarian emigrants who had refused to cooperate with the communist leadership. Even if the state party tried to offset the growing influence of the church, it deemed the new role of the church all in all beneficial. The underlying reason was that this way the church partly took over the handling of a delicate diplomatic issue and completed the lacking capacities of the Hungarian social system. The research is primarily based on documents of the National Archives of Hungary (MNL), archives of the State Office of Church Affaires (“Állami Egyházügyi Hivatal”), the data of the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) and the press of the examined period. The religion of the spirit - or the spirit of a churchless religion. Schmitt Jenő Henrik’s anarchist vision on religion and church Sarnyai, Csaba Máté In this paper we present Schmitt Jenő Henrik’s ideas about religious community as they appear in his 1899 book „Felekezetnélküli közösségek a szellem vallása alapján” (‘Denomination-free communities based on the religion of the spirit’). His concepts are quite unique in Hungary, if not anywhere else as well. In this rarely referenced work of his, a singular religion- and church- image is emphasised (apart from his anarchistic worldviews on violence, freedom, law or politics). He criticises the traditional (mostly Catholic) church for being hierarchic, and he describes his contrasting views on an ideal denomination or church, as well as on a neo-gnostic, somewhat Tol- stoy-ian interpretation of the Christian teachings. A foundation of his theory is a break from the world (as it had existed until his time - he refers to is as “old world”. The new law is that man must be free from politics (i.e. state) and theology (i.e. traditional church). He must recognise that nor even this law brings freedom, since it is the nature of every rule that they put limits on the person. True freedom can be attained only man’s own soul, if he begins to follow love’s path instead of violence. He who understands the essence of love and freedom, can see that external violence cannot be a means to freedom, only the consciousness and love of the Spirit can do that. Christ had prophesied this enlightenment, that this will become clear in front of the Spirit. By Spirit, he means a Gnostic spirit-concept that permeates and connects the Universe. The traditional (historical) Christian church(es) is/are not a possessor and mediator of the true Christian freedom and love, or God’s land. Instead of
