Theocentrism: what it is and characteristics of this religious phenomenon

Although, in the current age, all thought revolves around the human being himself, this was not always the case.

In contrast to the current anthropocentrism of most societies today, previously there was theocentrism. Next we will take a tour to discover the most relevant aspects of this concept and what led humanity to establish such a profound paradigm shift.

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What is theocentrism?

Theocentrism is an interpretation of reality in which everything happens through God. As the same translation of the word indicates, God (teo) would occupy the center of all thought about the universe itself. Therefore, everything that happens, and the way in which it happens, according to theocentrism, would be by the will of God. Even scientific discoveries would be attributed to divine rules, therefore, any event or reasoning would fit with theocentrism, for the all-encompassing explanation of God is valid everywhere. case.

Thus, theocentrism would explain from the mere existence of the Earth, the sky and the stars (even when their approaches were wrong, such as that the Earth was flat) until the existence of life itself, and of course also the behavior of both animals and beings themselves humans. Any event that happened, whether lucky or tragic, was part of God's plan, of his designs, and therefore it was explained by theocentrism.

Theocentrism was the reigning thought throughout the Middle Ages in Europe, when the Christian religion was inseparable from the monarchies that ruled in all the countries of the Old Continent. Theocentrism was also used at this time to establish social distinctions as a matter that obeyed the will of God, so that the common people, highly influenced by religion, since their whole life revolved around it, did not show resistance to this form of distribution of the society.

The 5 Characteristics of Theocentrism

Although we have already anticipated some of them, the truth is that there are a series of characteristics that clearly explain the background of theocentrism. Below we will explore them carefully in order to understand the implications of this very profound concept.

1. creator god

The first characteristic of theocentrism is that affirms that God is the origin of the universe as a whole, and is the cause that makes it move in the direction that it does, also encompassing the behavior of human beings. Therefore, according to theocentrism, any event will be within the supreme plans of God, although people cannot understand why.

2. omnipresent god

God is everywhere, and he dominates every aspect of the world.. The divine omnipresence is another of the characteristics attributed to theocentrism. And it is that, the concept of a God in the center of everything necessarily implies that any event, however small or great it may be, necessarily passes through the Deity. Nothing in the universe escapes the designs of the Supreme Being.

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3. faith over reason

Nothing is above faith, not even reason. Thus, logical reason should only be aimed at demonstrating the validity of faith and therefore the existence of God. We will go deeper into this point later when we talk about theocentric philosophy. Any logical reasoning would be but another proof of God's will and divine laws.

4. faith as control

Theocentrism also favors the use of faith as a method of controlling society, and it is that in such a deeply theocentric society, political power is inseparable from religious power, so that the sacred teachings themselves become a code of values ​​and guide the behavior of people. Although it may seem surprising, this legacy continues to this day, and clear differences between societies based on the religion that has historically been the majority in that territory.

5. Religious leaders

The last characteristic of theocentrism talks about the appearance of religious personalities who set themselves up as shepherds of society, guardians of the faith and the word of God. Their importance is equal to or even greater than that of political authority, and they occupy a special place alongside monarchs, guiding their actions, because they know that the will of the people depends to a large extent on the guidelines that they, as representatives of God on Earth, impose on the believers.

theocentric philosophy

All the philosophical studies developed during the Middle Ages responded to the theocentric cut, as is logical. As the greatest exponent of the philosophy of this time we find Saint Thomas Aquinas, an Italian theologian, with a more than prolific work in which he tried to explain all existing reality through God, from a rational perspective, or what is the same, according to systematic theology. His works on metaphysics were quite a reference, and remained valid for several centuries.

One of the most important works of Thomas Aquinas, which shows the power of theocentrism, is his theory of the Five Ways. It is a set of reasoning, apparently irrefutable, by which only one can arrive at to the conclusion that God exists, and therefore, indeed, is the origin and end of all universe. Logically, later some critical voices arose, assuring that there were important errors in these reasonings and that, therefore, they were not valid.

The work of Saint Thomas Aquinas was so important for Catholicism at the time because of its magnificent arguments to defend the theocentrism that came to be taken as an absolute reference in institutions such as the Inquisition itself and in the Council of Trent. Such was the importance of his figure, that after his death he was not only canonized, but he was named Doctor of the Church, a title reserved only for sanctified people who have also proven to be masters in their areas of thought, such as case.

Although approaches have changed a lot since then, the importance of the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas reaches our days, and even some eminent philosophers consider him one of the great references in the history of thought in the history of the West.

Its presence in other societies and religions

Although this article is focused on the Christian theocentrism lived in the West during the Middle Ages, the truth is that it is not the only type that has existed, far from it. And it is that theocentrism seems a very common phase in the development of all societies, since it has also manifested itself in places where other religions were professed, such as Judaism or Islam. In fact, in the case of Islam, there are certain regions today where the mode of thought would be merely theocentric.

Furthermore, theocentrism not limited to monotheistic religions, since there is evidence that even in the pre-Columbian peoples of America there were cultures in which religion and its gods were the center of all thought and behavior, as was the case with the Christian theocentrism of which we spoke previously. We can also observe this phenomenon in civilizations as ancient as Egypt, where the Pharaoh, religious and political leader, was considered a descendant of the Sun god himself.

You don't have to go that far back in time to find other examples. In Japan itself, where Shinto predominates, a curious episode occurred when that nation had to surrender before the US in World War II, and that is that said act would mean, for the emperor, admitting that he was not a God. Having seen this example, it is clear that we would be facing an example of theocentrism in a world power in the middle of the 20th century.

Paradigm shift

The end of Christian theocentrism came with the Renaissance, with the entry of the Modern Age, the discovery of the New World and all the changes that society underwent. The human being replaced God at the center of all explanations about the functioning of the world itself, and it was then that theocentrism was abandoned to move to anthropocentrism.

Then each event was no longer seen as the work of God, and the causes of each phenomenon began to be investigated, developing more and more scientific and rational thought, this time without being conditioned to demonstrate the existence of a superior entity that would fit with the dictates of the Church. It was, therefore, a period of splendor and growth in everything related to knowledge about the world, in all existing areas of study.

Bibliographic references:

• Beuchot, M. (2004). Introduction to the philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Salamanca: Editorial San Esteban.
• Hernandez, M. (2014). Theocentrism, inhospitable nature and human self-affirmation: The genesis of the modern lifestyle according to H. Blumenberg. Caracas: New World.
• Talens, J.V. (1997). Christocentrism and Theocentrism from the origins of the Christian faith. The spirit, memory and testimony of Christ: about the Tertio Millennio Adveniente: proceedings of the IX Symposium of Historical Theology.