Sárospataki Füzetek 17. (2013)
2013 / 4. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Szilveszter Füsti-Molnár: Can the Heidelberg Catechism be Neglected in the Life of the Reformed Church of Hungary?
Can the Heidelberg Catechism be Neglected in the Life process), is given by the fact that the structure is fragmented and opens up, and the existing person grasps his or her existence6- and faces the possibility and risks of regeneration. 1.1 The Church in a Transitory Situation Taking a stand on the changes of value orientation has always been the Church’s task. Its precondition is to take notice of the social changes without accepting a kind of logic of conformity or following the force of the spirit of the times. The church should be able to examine the effects of value change carefully from the faith definition’s point of view. It is decisive in what theological scale of value the self-interpretation of Christian faith and church finds their norm. The fact that the religious orientation of church fellowship is not at all homogenous is essential in regard to the evaluation of the situation. The church can be characterized by plurality to such an extent as the world around it. One of the determinant tendencies in this diversity of today’s context is the maintaining of a sort of independent ideology which can take in even the elements of the Christian faith according to choice. The matter in hand is an autonomous ambition having its roots in the subjective relativist view, which features our times. This process is affected in a negative way by the consumer culture in which the modern person is not surrounded first of all by people, but gadgets, and that can easily result in an objectified world. The accumulation of objects becomes overgrown, and this indication of abundance creates the illusion of completeness, or even perfection. The constant collection becomes a duty and consumption creates a social-symbolic status. Consumption is also an attitude in which the illusory signs of happiness are piled up in everyday life. Not only the specific items, but also the symbols, religious as well, have all become consumer goods. Today’s culture shows ambivalence: on the one hand, it is unreserved and characterized by creativity. On the other hand, it is determined by the control of rule of consumption, which paves the way to nihilism through objectification and the illusion of endless surfing. In many cases we can realize that we see an entirely new interpretation of reality, in which the boundaries between illusion and reality grow blurred, and they quite often give us a manipulated outcome. This outcome is very disappointing because people who can easily be manipulated are characterized by foolishness. Foolishness makes us vulnerable, even if a little Freudianism, Marxism, some kind of Christianity, racism or militant chauvinism are poured into an empty head - and then impulsive reactions will overwhelm you. From then on everyone will have opinions about everything, and everything becomes fanaticized. An empty head remain even more foolish in the disguise of false cleverness. Foolishness will become even more dangerous because it is filled with prejudices and unjustified generalizations. It is characterized by naive belief ‘locked into openness’ to everything 6 Martin Heidegger: Lét és idő. Bp. Gondolat 1989., 2. jav. kiad.: Osiris Kiadó, 2004.; p. 5. Sárospataki Füzetek 17. évfolyam 2013 | 4 47
