Theology in the search of criteria of authenticity of religion

Krystian Kałuża

Uniwersytet Opolski

Abstract

The aim of the article is to develop criteriology that would enable to evaluate authenticity of particular religions and to distinguish authentic religions from pseudoreligious phenomena. Given the complexity of the problematics, first the historical background of the issue was presented and the attention was paid to its contemporary context. The next step was the analysis of notions crucial for criteriology of religion including “the truth”, “authenticity”, “religion”, and “authenticity of religion”. A major challenge for theology of today is the phenomenon of relativism questioning the existence of universal standards of rationality and consequently contradicting the possibility to develop universally applicable criteria for the evaluation of particular systems (philosophical, religious, cultural, political, etc.) and their claims of authenticity. Thus, the next paragraph of the article was dedicated to criticism of that attitude. In the last part of the presentation criteriology of religion was proposed and it was based on categories of the truth, good, and holiness. Accordingly, the presented criteria are of a rational, ethical, and theological character. This means that in case of authenticity claims, revealing at the level of religious convictions, one should refer to rational criteria. As far as practice and norms of behaviour are concerned, ethical criteria should be applied and in case of revelational and salvific claims theological criteria should be applied.

Keywords:

criteria, criteriology of religion, the truth, authenticity, religion, authenticity of religion, relativism