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Kršćanska vjera svoju opstojnost ne duguje niti jednoj ljudskoj kulturi budući da proizlazi iz vrhunaravnih izvora. No, dobro je poznata činjenica da ona za svoje konkretno ostvarivanje uvijek ima potrebu za izražajnim formama kulturnog reda. Te su forme, također uvijek, na različite načine uvjetovane konkretnim oblicima, okvirima i elementima ljudskog suživota i organizacije, među kojima se ističe grad. Prema više nego jasnim i mnogobrojnim socio-demogarfskim pokazateljima, grad je, u različitim intenzitetima i oblicima, već stoljećima i desetljećima posebna meta tolikih milijuna ljudi koji upravo u njemu nastoje ostvariti svoju želju za osmišljenim i sretnim životom. Drugim riječima, grad je već duže vrijeme, a danas posebno, u ekspanziji. Ona u mnogome utječe i na suvremene načine življenja vjere u gradu. Ovaj rad posvećen je temi teološko-pastoralnog razlučivanja današnjeg stanja prakse vjere u gradu u hrvatskim i njemu kulturalno bližim europskim gradskim sredinama, kao i teološko-praktičnom ukazivanju na oznake trendova vezanih za to područje koji će očito biti aktualni u budućnosti. Budući da pitanje konkretnog ostvarivanja kršćanske vjere u tim okvirima nipošto nije marginalno društveno pitanje, ono po sebi zahtjeva što sustavniji pristup, osobito pod vidom teološkog proučavanja uvjetovanosti življenja vjere u kulturalnim promjenama grada. Stoga se ovdje naglasak stavlja na povezivanje elemenata vjere i određenih novijih kulturalnih formi s ciljem traženja mogućih rješenja koja će u budućnosti pomoći oko što kvalitetnijeg susreta ljudskih kultura i vjere u gradu., Christian faith does not owe its existence to any human culture, insofar as its foundation is laid by a supernatural source. Nevertheless, it is a well-known fact that in its realization, it has a need for expressive forms of the cultural order. These forms are always and in various ways conditioned by concrete givens, frameworks, and elements of human co-existence and organization, among which »city« has a special place. According to clear and multiple socio-demographic indicators, for centuries and decades, the city is, in various intensities and forms, a special target of millions of people who were and are trying to realize their desire for a meaningful and happy life. In other words, the city has been for a long time, and is especially today, in a state of expansion. That expansion influences, in various ways, contemporary forms of living out faith in the city. This article, therefore, engages with the topic of theological-pastoral discernment of today’s state of practice of faith in cities in Croatian and similar, culturally related European urban environments and offers a theological-practical analysis of trends related to this area that will obviously be current also in the future. Since the issue of the concrete realization of Christian faith in this environment is hardly a marginal social issue, it demands a systematic approach, especially in terms of a theological analysis of conditions of living out Christian faith amidst cultural changes in an urban environment. Hence, the article puts emphasis on relating elements of faith with certain newer cultural forms while aiming at seeking possible solutions that might be of help in the future when it comes to quality encounters between human cultures and faith in the urban environment.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to reform in the religious security of the world as a whole. Existing research on the problem is based on approaches that are purely informational and non–systemic, which limits the possibilities of understanding the problem to the context of the “religion–person–state” system. Restrictions on visits to places of worship have to some extent diminished the importance of religious practices. Pandemic threats have called into question the authority of religion and religious figures. The proposed methodological tools make it possible to fully substantiate the criteria of both destructive (which under certain circumstances can be a threat to the national interests of the state, the stable development of society, the exercise of the rights and freedoms of citizens) and constructive cases (the emergence of new communication contexts in which ritual and cult practice can take place) for the development of religious security and its historical genesis in the context of the meaning–forming axis “sacred–profane”, “health–disease”. The coronavirus pandemic, firstly, encouraged religious organizations to adopt new adaptive forms for cult practices; secondly, it changed the approach to religious ministry in society, to the role of the priest in this process; thirdly, it raised the question of the implementation of sacraments and rituals in uncommon circumstances; fourthly, it has exacerbated the issue of ineffective relations between religious organizations both at the interfaith level and at the level of public administration; fifthly, it affected the modernization process of religious communication practices which are not a health threat to the people. These new trends made possible not only the expansion of the functionality of religious security, but also prompted the creation of a flexible, adaptive, open model, which would take into account the regulatory, institutional, resource, and information capabilities of the country, as well as the mentality of the people., Pandemija koronavirusa dovela je do reforme religijske sigurnosti u svijetu u cjelini. Postojeća istraživanja toga problema temeljena su na čisto informacijskim i ne–sistemskim pristupima, što ograničava mogućnosti razumijevanja problema u kontekstu sustava “religija–čovjek–država”. Restrikcije posjeta u vjerske institucije u određenoj su mjeri smanjile važnost religijskih praksa. Pandemijska prijetnja dovela je u pitanje autoritet religije i predstavnika religija. Predloženi metodološki alati omogućavaju potkrjepljivanje u potpunosti kriterija destruktivnih (pod nekim uvjetima mogu biti prijetnja nacionalnim interesima države, stabilnomu razvitku društva, ostvarivanju prava i sloboda državljana) i konstruktivnih (pojava novih komunikacijskih konteksta ritualne i kultne prakse) slučajeva za razvitak religijske sigurnosti i njezine povijesne geneze u kontekstu osi oblikovanja značenja “sveto — profano”, “zdravlje — bolest”. Pandemija koronavirusa je, kao prvo, potaknula je religijske organizacije da prihvate nove, prilagodljive oblike kultnih praksa. Drugo, promijenila je pristupe socijalnim službama, ulozi svećenika u tom procesu. Treće, postavila je pitanje podjeljivanja sakramenata i održavanja rituala u neobičnim okolnostima. Četvrto, negativno je utjecala na učinkovitost odnosa, kako između religijskih organizacija na međuvjerskoj razini, tako i na razini odnosa s državnim tijelima. Peto, utjecala je na proces modernizacije praksa religijske komunikacije koje neće ugrožavati ljude. Navedene inovacije omogućile su povećavanje funkcionalnih sposobnosti religijske sigurnosti, ali su također potaknule stvaranje fleksibilnoga, prilagodljivoga, otvorenoga modela, koji će uzimati u obzir regulatorna, institucionalna, materijalna, informacijska i mentalna obilježja države.

U radu se najprije nastojalo sažeto prikazati povijesni pregled najvažnijih teorijâ metafore koje se mogu pratiti od Aristotelova sustavnog proučavanja u dvjema zasebnim područjima, retorici i poetici, pa sve do novijih istraživanja u kognitivnoj lingvistici i semantici. Glavne postavke najvažnijih teoretičara metafore koje su iznesene poslužile su kao okvir u kojemu su se promotrili i raščlanili pojedinačni primjeri metaforâ u Lukinu Evanđelju. U analitičkome je dijelu izdvojeno i opisano nekoliko biblijskih pojmova (srce, kralj, kraljevstvo Božje, vjera i kuća) važnih za razumijevanje središnje evanđeoske poruke., The paper seeks first to give a summarized historical overview of the most significant metaphor theories that can be followed from Aristotle’s systematic studying in two separate areas, rhetoric and poetics, to contemporary research in cognitive linguistics and semantics. The paper describes the main tenets of the most important metaphor theorists which should serve as the framework in which the work on corpus is conducted, analysis of individual examples of metaphors in the Gospel of Luke. At the same time, we would like to emphasize that that is not the only, exclusive model of the analysis, but it contains a lot of its own contribution on the basis of the previous knowledge on metaphor. The reason for such approach can be found in the specific nature of the Biblical text, which is as a whole or in individual parts inherently metaphoric. The mentioned claims can be confirmed in the examples of metaphors from the Gospel of Luke, metaphor examples that put into words Biblical terms important for understanding the central Gospel message. The metaphor examples are taken from the Bible published by Kršćanska sadašnjost, translation of the New Testament by Friar Ljudevit Rupčić, PhD.

This article addresses the problem of preserving the faith in God while discouraging circumstances, based on the first part of Habakkuk’s prophecy. The message of the book teaches us how to benefit from our faith by presenting the process through which the prophet overcomes the confusion around him, even in God’s acting for his people. In the introduction, it is argued that faith is a basic principle of life, which can be questioned because of difficult circumstances. The first part of the article discusses why Habakkuk’s prophecy can be understood as a “burden,” and the second part presents the historical context of the book of Habakkuk. The third section discusses the internal and external crisis in Judah and the fourth section analyses the prophet’s reaction against the Babylonian crisis. The fifth section described the faith as a proper response to the crisis (2:1-4) while the final section discusses implications of Habakkuk 2:4 for the teaching of the New Testament. In general, we can see that in the first part of Habakkuk (1:1-2:4) the prophet questions the validity of his faith in God, because of the apparent long divine silence about injustice in Judah (1:2-4). Then, he was unhappy with God’s answer, who decided to send a new crisis to solve the first crisis (1:5-6). After the prophet’s complaint (1:7-2:1), God advises him and his people to trust His solution in overcoming the crisis (2:2-4). The insights from the message of Habakkuk analyzed in this article, may help the reader to preserve authentic faith in a time of crisis. Also, that pattern of living by faith from this Old Testament book is taken over by the New Testament authors so that Habakkuk’s expression “the righteous live by their faith” (2:4), is quoted as a key statement for the Gospel message of salvation (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). But not only that, this statement defines the proper behavior of people in expecting the divine solution of salvation in the time of crisis.

Raznolikost definicija i mjernih instrumenata religioznosti najveće su poteškoće u njezinu istraživanju. Mjerenje religioznosti trebalo bi uključivati teorijski vidik, psihometrijska obilježja mjernoga alata, reprezentativni uzorak te društvenu i kulturalnu osjetljivost mjernoga alata. Cilj je ovog istraživanja validacija hrvatske verzije Upitnika snage religijske vjere Sv. Klara (Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire). Dobiveni rezultati upućuju na zaključak kako taj upitnik na hrvatskoj populaciji pokazuje izrazito dobra psihometrijska svojstva, čime je otvorena mogućnost primjene u različitim istraživanjima., The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Croatian version of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire. Measuring religiosity should include a theoretical basis, psychometric properties of the measuring instruments, representative sampling, and social and cultural sensitivity. The diversity of definitions and instruments required for measuring religiosity pose the greatest difficulties in its research. The theoretically predicted single-factor structure of the SCSORF Questionnaire has been confirmed herein. Analyses of the primary components reveal a profound dominance of a core dimension, which expounds nearly 70% of the variance. Dimensional stability proves an identical factor structure confirmed through sub-samples based on gender and occupation, as well as congruence coefficients between factor structures obtained in various sub-samples. Convergent and divergent validity confirm a major correlation with daily spiritual experiences and self-reports of religiosity. This is combined with a feeling of fulfilment with one's spirituality and - based on past empirical knowledge - a positive association with subjective well-being. The results acquired indicate that the Croatian version of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire elicits highly positive psychometric properties, which opens the possibility for its use and application.

U XIX. stoljeću, Kierkegaardov pojam vjere određuje početak egzistencijalističke misli jer uvodi velik broj tema s kojima će se egzistencijalizam XX. stoljeća baviti te dalje razvijati, pritom polazeći od individue, i to ne samo u intelektualnom nego i u emocionalnom smislu kao cjelovitoga bića, odnosno subjekta koji nastoji živjeti autentično i slobodno. Naime, riječ je temama poput samoostvarenja pojedinca, anksioznosti, očaja, apsurdnosti življenja i sl. Za Kierkegaarda vjera je polazišna točka k samoostvarenju u puninu ljudskoga bića, a moguća je samo kao vjera u Boga, tj. kao privatni i jedinstveni odnos pojedinca i Boga. Kierkegaard primjer takve vjere utjelovljuje u liku Abrahama, za kojega tvrdi da je vitez vjere, odnosno paragon kojemu svi trebamo stremiti. U radu će se istražiti uloga i značenje vjere u kontekstu viteza vjere kao paragona Kierkegaardove filozofije religije., In the 19th century, Kierkegaard’s concept of faith determined the beginning of existential thought because it introduced a large number of topics that would be used and further developed by 20th-century existentialism, whose starting point was the individual – not only in the intellectual, but also the emotional sense, as an integral being – i.e. a subject that strives to live authentically and freely. The topics in question include individual self-actualisation, anxiety, despair, the absurdity of living, and so on. For Kierkegaard, faith is the starting point for self-actualisation into the fullness of a human being, and is only possible as a belief in God, i.e. a private and unique relationship between an individual and God. Kierkegaard considers Abraham an embodiment of such faith, a knight of faith, i.e. a paragon whom we should aspire to emulate. In this paper I shall therefore explore the role and significance of faith in the context of the knight of faith as a paragon of Kierkegaard’s philosophy of religion.

Budući da je vjera, a time i sloboda Galaćana ugrožena pokušajem vraćanja pod Mojsijev zakon, oslanjajući se na biblijsko pripovijedanje o Abrahamu, Pavao progovara o slobodi kao slobodi od Mojsijeva zakona. Temeljna mu je tvrdnja da Zakon nije početak povijesti spasenja nego Abrahamova vjera koja se oslonila na Božje obećanje. U tomu smislu Zakon je bio nadodan radi prekršaja, radi maloljetnosti čovječanstva, bio je nadziratelj u smislu privremenosti i svojevrsne prisile svojih podložnika, bio je zarobljavajuća snaga od koje je trebalo osloboditi čovjeka. Tu je slobodu Bog ostvario u Kristu koji je jedini istinski Potomak Abrahamov. Oni koji su u Kristu ostvaruju abrahamovski odnos s Bogom, odnos povjerenja i oslanjanja na obećanje, odnos slobode kojemu Zakon nije služio nego ga ugrožavao. Sloboda se ne ostvaruje pod izvanjskom prisilom, nego nutarnjim opredjeljenjem za Božje postupanje koje je nošeno njegovim obećanjem. U ovomu dijelu rada slijedimo Pavlovo razmišljanje u Poslanici Galaćanima o slobodi koju Bog nudi u Kristu i koja je oslonjena na obećanje kao put ostvarenja istinske slobode u odgovornosti. S Abrahamom kao modelom Božjega postupanja sa čovječanstvom i ljudskog odgovora na Božju ponudu i obećanje, Pavao određuje slobodu kao slobodu od prisile Zakona., Since the faith, and thus the freedom of the Galatians, is threatened by the attempt to return to the Law of Moses, relying on the biblical narrative of Abraham, Paul speaks of freedom as freedom from the Law of Moses. His basic claim is that the Law is not the beginning of the history of salvation, but Abraham’s faith, which relied on the promise of God. In this sense, the Law was added because of transgressions, because of the infancy of mankind; it was a supervisor in terms of the temporality and certain coercion of its subordinates and it was an enslaving force of which man had to be freed. This freedom was realized by God in Christ, who is the only true Abraham’s Descendant. Those who are in Christ have an Abrahamic relationship with God, a relationship of trust and reliance on the promise, a relationship of freedom which the Law did not serve but endangered it. Freedom is not realized under external compulsion, but by an inward commitment to God’s conduct, carried by his promise. In this part of the paper, in the Epistle to the Galatians we follow Paul’s thinking of the freedom God offers in Christ, which is based on the promise as the path to true freedom in responsibility. With Abraham as a model of God’s treatment of humanity and human response to God’s offer and promise, Paul defines freedom as freedom from the coercion of the Law.

Iako filozofija religije posjeduje svoje metode i jedinstvenu strukturu istraživanja, ona se, poput ostalih filozofskih disciplina, sustavno razvija naslanjajući se na prijašnje tradicije mišljenja ukorijenjene u zasebnoj kulturi, nacionalnom identitetu i jeziku. Za razliku od “europske” ili “kontinentalne” filozofsko–religijske misli, filozofsko promišljanje o religiji u Engleskoj, i kasnije u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama, naslonjeno je na tradiciju škotskoga pojma common–sense, empirizma i analitičko–jezične metode. U kojoj je mjeri ta razlika prisutna može se prepoznati u djelima dvojice autora, Chestertona i Guardinija. Oba su filozofa nesumnjivo obilježila razvoj kršćanske filozofije u moderni. Chesterton je bio novinar koji je ulazio u javne polemike s istaknutim znanstvenicima i književnicima svojega vremena kao što su Shaw i Huxley, a Guardini se je ipak kretao unutar teologije. U ovom se radu prije svega osvrćemo na temeljna pitanja u njihovim filozofsko–religijskim istraživanjima te ukratko izlažemo opće odrednice i interese. U drugom koraku kritički analiziramo njihove postavke s ciljem izdvajanja onih mjesta koja su različita i podudarna. Na posljetku interpretiramo kritičko–analitičke uvide kako bismo izložili one sinteze koje bi bile relevantne za suvremenu filozofiju religije. Guardini je, s obzirom na prevedena djela i znanstvene članke, prisutan u našoj filozofiji, a Chestertonova je misao još nedovoljno istražena, ako se izuzmu djela i članci objavljeni tijekom katoličke obnove u Hrvatskoj kao i one novijeg datuma. Pretpostavljamo da ćemo ovim izlaganjem doprinijeti proučavanju međusobnih utjecaja filozofija religija u Engleskoj i Europi s kraja 19. i prve polovice 20. stoljeća., In this exposition we have attempted to compare the thoughts of Chesterton and Guardini with the intention of better understanding the different interpretation of Anglo–American and Continental traditions in the philosophy of religion of the West during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the first and second sections we have briefly described the work and interests of these authors and in the third and fourth made a critical analysis of certain subjects in the philosophy of religion which, at the same time, bring them close to each other and divide them. Although Chesterton is familiar with Neo–Scholasticism, in his polemic discussions he uses the pragmatic and common–sense approach to questions concerning the history of religion, and the appearance of positivism and evolutionism, which is the main difference in relation to Guardini who is closer to phenomenalism. Although Chesterton and Guardini are representatives of different traditions and different methodologies, one theme brings them together: a critique of modernity developing in light of the crisis in Christianty and scientific advancement which tells us that their personal insights are not quite as far from one other as one may surmise.

Na početku članka autor u najkraćim crtama govori o društveno-religioznim prilikama u kojima je rođena Kristova Crkva, jer je potrebno i Crkvu i njezine mučenike staviti u povijesni kontekst. Zatim se u radu razrađuje etimologija pojma, a onda i značenje riječi mučeništvo. Nakon ovoga iznesen je kratak pregled državnih progona Crkve. Ovdje je naglasak stavljen na one najžešće progone kako bi se oslikala najvažnija događanja iz prva tri stoljeća u kojima je Crkva proživljavala strahovite muke i patnje, ali to je i vrijeme u kojemu je krv mučenika postala sjeme novih mladica Kristove Crkve. Četvrti i najvažniji dio ovoga rada jest teologija mučeništva u ranom kršćanstvu. Ovdje su o mučeništvu iznijeta razna mišljenja kršćanskih otaca iz prvih stoljeća. Neki od tih crkvenih otaca i sami su postali mučenicima., At the beginning of the article the author shortly speaks about social-religious circumstances in which Christ's Church was born, because it is necessary to put both the Church and its martyrs in the historical context. The article later on elaborates etymology of the term and meaning of the word martyrdom. Short overview of the governmental prosecution of the Church is given the next. The emphasis is put on the most severe prosecutions in order to illustrate the most important events from the first three centuries in which the Church was going through terrible pain and suffering, but it was also the time in which martyrs' blood became the seed for the new shoots of the Christ's Church. The fourth and the most important part of this article is theology of martyrdom in the early Christianity. Different opinions of the Christian fathers from the first centuries are given here. Some of these Church fathers also became martyrs.

U radu je obrađena tema Osoba i vjera u fenomenologiji religije Bernharda Weltea (1906. – 1983.). Temeljni okvir, a koji je ujedno poslužio i kao podloga prvom dijelu rada, jest Welteovo djelo Gesammelte Schriften I/1 Person objavljeno 2006. godine. U cjelini o Osobi istog djela Welte predstavlja svoje viđenje ljudskog postojanja i fenomene koji su uz to postojanje vezani te slijedom toga iznosi originalni koncept ljudske osobe u cjelini. Taj je koncept na tragu aristotelovsko-kršćanske ideje o čovjeku, međutim Welte ovu sliku o čovjeku u bitnom obogaćuje i posuvremenjuje, pri čemu to obogaćenje ni po čemu ne odudara od netom navedene klasične ideje. To se obogaćenje sastoji u Welteovoj razradbi osobe u kontekstu razgovora, jezika, kršćanstva i svijeta općenito, pri čemu čitavim izlaganjem dominira tema dijaloga. Nadalje se iznimno važnom pokazala tema odlučnosti i slobode još jednog istoimenog Welteova spisa Odlučnost i sloboda iz 1966. godine gdje on promišlja o slobodi kao čovjekovoj duhovnoj kategoriji i uz nju vezanoj savjesti kao čovjekovu duhovnom putokazu prema dobru. Teme nade, straha i tjeskobe također su kod Weltea vezane uz ljudsko postojanje. U konačnici ovaj filozof promišlja o ljudskom postojanju kroz prizmu igre i sreće. Sloboda je vezana u Weltea uvijek uz ljudsko postojanje i neodvojiva je od njegova bivstvovanja. U drugom dijelu rada krucijalno Welteovo djelo koje se obrađuje jest Filozofija religije koja je objavljena na hrvatskom jeziku 2016. godine. Welte ovdje promišlja o temeljnim pojmovima i stvarnostima vezanim uz pojam vjere i poglavito njezina izvršenja. Na samom početku drugog dijela riječ je o trenutku kada Welteova filozofija religije 1949. godine postaje fenomenologijom religije, pri čemu je dan svojevrsni uvod u fenomenološku filozofiju uopće. Srž drugog dijela, odnosno cjeline rada jest tema Boga kao začetnika religije te s njim čovjekova odgovora koji je sadržan u vjeri i njezinu izvršenju. Ovdje se također dotičemo i njemačkog mistika M. Eckharta koji je u svojim filozofsko-teološkim djelima predstavljao nadahnuće Bernhardu Welteu. Kao istinski filozof religije, Welte nije zaobišao ni njezine suprotnosti od kojih je ateizam najizraženiji. Stoga završne dijelove rada posvećujemo upravo ovoj temi, pokušavajući dati barem djelomičan odgovor na tako staro, ali i tako novo pitanje je li govor o Bogu i vjerovanje Njemu (još) uvijek moguć unatoč kaotičnosti i zlu koje je prisutno u svijetu. S Bernhardom Welteom smo zaključili da je to moguće. This disertation wishes to explore the topic of The Person and The Faith in Bernhard Welte’s Phenomenology of Religion (1906-1983). The basic framework used as the basis for the first part of the paper is Welte's work Gesammelte Schriften I / 1 Person published in 2006. In Wlete’s work in the part where he talks about the person, Welte presents his view of human existence and the phenomena associated with that existence, which consequently amount, to Welte’s original concept of the human person, a person as a whole. Welte’s concept is in line with the Aristotelian-Christian idea of man, and as Welte explores the classical idea of man as a person, he polishes the classical idea which philosophically speaking brings it up to date, enriching it by expanding it and making it more modern. The enrichment Welte brings consists in the dialogue in which one can elaborate the person in the context of Conversation, Language, Christianity, and The World. In regard to the person the theme of determination and freedom proved to be extremely important, which is discussed in another of Welte's 1966 writings, entitled Determination and Freedom, where Welte reflects on freedom as man's spiritual category and with it associated conscience as man's spiritual compass towards good. With that, in Welte’s philosophy the themes of hope, fear, and anxiety also relate to human existence. Ultimately, Welte contemplates human existence through the prism of games and happiness, where freedom is tied with human existence and is inseparable from man’s existential situation. In the second part of this disertation, Welte's crucial work Philosophy of Religion is examined, where Welte reflects on the concepts and realities related to faith especially those that relate to exercising faith. At the beginning of the second part, Welte's coining the term The Philosophy of Religion, being examined, as the term since he coined in 1949. later becomes known as the phenomenology of religion, which provides a good basis to introduce a philosophical- phenomenological of perspective of The Person and The Faith. The core of the second part of this dissertation explores the theme of God as the originator of religion and Man as the one whose answer to God’s call is contained in faith and its execution. In this part the philosophy of the German mystic M. Eckhart will be explored as his philosophical and theological works were an inspiration to Bernhard Welte. As a true philosopher of religion, Welte also examined atheism, in terms of religious expression, to which the last parts of this work will be dedicated to, in trying to give, at least in part, an answer to the phenomenon of atheism, and to the question whether talking about God and believing in Him is (still) possible despite the chaos and evil that is present in the world.

Ovaj članak svojevrstan je pokušaj tumačenja Pieperove filozofske rasprave O vjeri uz pomoć Newmanovih promišljanja s obzirom na to da se Pieper u svojoj raspravi referira na pojedine Newmanove teze, no ne ulazi u njihovu dubinu. Osim usporedbe te dvojice autora u kontekstu filozofskoga tematiziranja vjere, ovaj rad ima za cilj pokazati da ispravno shvaćena vjera sadrži kapacitet da pruži ono što je čovjeku danas najpotrebnije, i u osobnom i u društvenom kontekstu, a to je sigurnost. S tim ciljem članak u četirima dijelovima prikazuje značenje vjere, aspekte neformalne sigurnosti vjere i moralnih predispozicija koje su nužne za življenje osobne vjere u općespoznajnom i religioznom obliku. U tome smislu ljubav se nameće kao zaključni imperativ – temeljna moralna predispozicija koja štiti vjeru od svih zlouporaba, oblikuje ju, daje joj konzistentnost, usmjerenje i vodi ju prema istini., This article is an attempt to interpret Pieper’s philosophical treatise On Faith with the help of Newman’s thoughts given that Pieper in his treatise refers to certain Newman’s theses, but he does not delve deeper into them. Apart from comparing these two authors in the context of philosophical discussion of faith, this paper aims to show that a properly understood faith has a capacity to provide man with that which is most needed today, both in personal and in social context, and that is security. To this end, in four parts, the article presents the meaning of faith, the aspects of informal security of faith and moral predispositions that are necessary for living personal faith in a general cognitive and religious form. In this sense, love imposes itself as the final imperative – the fundamental moral predisposition that protects faith from all abuses, shapes it, gives it consistency, direction, and leads it to the truth.

Premda je po vlastitom priznanju svoj cjelokupni teološki rad usmjerio prema interpretaciji religijskih simbola kako bi postali razumljivi svim ljudima, Paul Tillich sa svojom teorijom simbola odnosno religijskog jezika izazvao je brojne polemike, stoga ćemo nastojati prikazati njene bitne odrednice. Uže područje istraživanja nekoliko je njegovih ključnih eseja, a pored toga metoda proučavanja odnosi se i na analizu relevantnih ideja njegovih glavnih kritičara. Kritičkom analizom autor je došao do zaključka da je Tillich prije svega želio prevladati pogubne posljedice ‘doslovnog’ i ‘nadnaravnog’ tumačenja vjerskih učenja, zbog čega je zagovarao filozofiju religije koja bi pomogla osnaživanju značenja simbola i rasvjetljavanju simboličke prirode glavnih vjerskih učenja. Pritom je posebno naglašavao da se simboli nipošto ne smiju poistovjećivati s onim što simboliziraju, kako ne bi došlo do njihova demoniziranja, odnosno do tog da se apsolutiziraju te tako postanu sami sebi svrhom i predmetom idolopokloničkog obožavanja; nego da kao ‘sredstvo’ ukazivanja na Sveto moraju sadržavati i svoju vlastitu negaciju, a što je zapravo afirmacija one stvarnosti koja nam u svojoj biti ostaje do kraja nespoznatljiva. U tom smislu simbol raspetog Krista na križu najviše odgovara sadržaju i značenju vjere, a kao konačni kriterij svih religijskih simbola predstavlja glavnog čuvara protiv njihova demoniziranja., Although Paul Tillich, as he himself confessed, directed his whole theological work towards an interpretation of religious symbols so that all people could understand them, he caused a great deal of polemics with his theory of symbols, or religious language. Therefore, our intention is to show its seminal determinants. The focus of the research is on several of his key essays and the study methodology also includes an analysis of relevant ideas of his most prominent critics. Through critical analysis, the author concluded that Tillich primarily wanted to overcome the devastating consequences of ‘literal’ and ‘supernatural’ interpretation of religious teachings, which is why he advocated a philosophy of religion that would help strengthen the significance of the symbols and shed light on the symbolic nature of the main religious teachings. In doing so, he especially emphasized that the symbols must never be identified with what they symbolize, so they wouldn’t be demonized or turned into the absolutes, and in that way become their own purpose and an object of idolatry. Instead, as an ‘instrument’ of pointing to the Holy, the symbols must also include their own negation, which is in fact the affirmation of the reality that in its essence remains unknowable to us in its entirety. In this sense, the symbol of the Christ crucified on the cross meets the content and meaning of faith to the greatest extent, and as the final criterion of all religious symbols, it represents the main guardian against their demonization.

The question of relation between faith and reason is amongst the oldest philosophical questions and throughout the history of philosophy many thinkers tried to answer it. Some gave precedence to reason over faith, others gave precedence to faith over reason, while some perceived the relation to be based on complementarity and harmony. Among this last group of thinkers wefind a distinguished English thinker J. H. Newman, whose understanding and contribution to the above mentioned question will be presented in this article. The question of relation of faith to reason can easily be described as one of the most important questions of Newman`s philosophical thought. He studied it within two philosophical disciplines: epistemology and philosophy of religion. To Newman faith was a specific human act which, as such, had rational character and he considered reason be a faculty which can minister faith in two basic ways: it can help believer to understand what he believes in and it can also partially help a person to assent to supernatural truths by allowing it to see that there are no rational obstacles in accepting reveled truths. This article will also introduce us to Newman`s understanding of the role the reason has to play in apprehending and accepting mysteries, and with Newman`s division of reasoning into formal and informal. While studying the latter kind we will see his original understanding of the special role which informal or implicit reasoning plays in assent to supernatural truths, and his clear distinction between physiological and logical structure of the process of reasoning thanks to which Newman was able to show that the formal reasoning is not the only kind of rational reasoning, and there for it is not the only measure of rationality of assent.

Znanstvena ovjera sekularizacije u ovome članku je okvirno područje istraživanja religiologijski relevantnih društveno-kulturalnih promjena, s posebnim naglaskom na značenju tih promjena za kršćanstvo i u samome kršćanstvu. Način na koji se promišlja o sekularizaciji pretpostavlja se kao prikladan za uvažavanje višeznačja i složenosti sekularizacijskih procesa u pogledu aktualizacije njihove hermeneutičke valjanosti za novije analize i tumačenja položaja i uloge kršćanstva i religije u suvremenom društvu i svijetu današnjice. Istodobno se nastoji oko aktualizacije relevantnih istraživanja Željka Mardešića, kako u pogledu samoga fenomena sekularizacije, tako i s obzirom na novije usporedive društveno-kulturalne procese u sadašnjosti., Scientific verification of secularization in this paper is taken as a general research framework investigating socio-cultural changes relevant in religiology, especially its consequences for Christianity and also within Christianity itself. The way secularization is here considered seems to be adequate for taking into account the polyvalency and complexity of some processes of secularization concerning its hermeneutical validity in due to further analyses and explanations of state and role Christianity and religions take in contemporary societies and in nowadays world. At the same time there is also endeavour to actualize some relevant Željko Mardešić’s researches, concerning both the phenomenon of secularization and some of comparable contemporary socio-cultural processes.