9 Characteristics of Christian EXISTENTIALISM

Welcome to a PROFESSOR! In today's lesson we are going to study the characteristics of christian existentialism Which stands as one of the three schools (atheist, agnostic and Christian existentialism) that are part of existentialism, one of the most important philosophical movements of the 20th century.

Thus, existentialism focuses on study the human being and in analyzing the human existence from the concepts of existence, freedom, choice, individual or emotion. And following this conceptual line, Christian existentialism will affirm the existence ofGod, the transcendental relationship of the individual-God and the fact of not feel helpless before the existence of the divine being.

If you want to know more about Christian existentialism, keep reading this lesson. Class begins!

Before studying the characteristics of Christian existentialism, it is necessary for you to know what the existentialism as a philosophical current, that's why in unPROFESOR we are going to explain it to you.

This current arises in the S. XIX with authors like

Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, however, it was not until the Second World War when it settled as a philosophical current. Thus, the traumatic experiences of the two world wars (human losses, values, purchasing power...) make intellectuals begin to realize questions about the human being, the existence of being, the meaning of life or freedom.

Therefore, this movement arises as a reaction to the rationalism or empiricism and as a result of the historical changes that favored philosophical research to take a new direction. Focusing on the analysis of being, of human knowledge, granting primacy of the subject over the object and trying to solve problems such as: the absurdity of living, the God-man relationship, life and death or war.

Ultimately, this current is based on the intense search of the individual and in the analysis of the world from the person's own gaze in a moment of moral decline in the West.

existentialist schools

Likewise, during the 20th century, along with Christian existentialism, two more schools will be born. These are:

• atheist existentialism: Maintains that God does not exist, since it is established that existence precedes essence. Its top representatives are Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.
• agnostic existentialism: He affirms that the debate on the existence of God is irrelevant, because this question does not solve the problems of the individual.

The main representative of Christian existentialism is the Danish philosopher kierkegaard (1813-1855) and among his works stand out: The concept of anguish, the deadly disease and fear and trembling. In these he reveals the following ideas:

• Existence is the only thing that is real and, therefore, the problems are real and concrete (they are not something abstract). Thus, we must seek and achieve a human existence because to exist is to exist before God and to avoid existential anguish (identity crisis).
• To believe in God is to doubt: When an individual makes a decision he makes it without certainty or evidence. Therefore, believing in something is a Act of faith and the freedom that the individual has when choosing is a leap of faith.
• Faith and relationship with God must be lived personally.
• God cannot be reached in a rational way (fideism), it is something that goes beyond and transcends rationality.
• Faith does not mean that the person must accept as valid all the revelations of the Bible and of the Church, since the individual can also question from his freedom.