Autorytety religii chrześcijańskiej w procesie modernizacji

Abstract

In these remarks I give a general thesis saying that no religion could not and cannot function without some sorts of authorities. The main issue lies not just in the fact that often these are radically different authorities, but also in the fact that in the course of history such changes occurred which made the older authorities fade away and be replaced by new ones, including those which were many times an opposition to the former. It is clearly visible when we compare the Christian authorities from the pre-reformation period with the ones from the reformation and also the ones from the time after. It becomes even clearer when we compare the authorities from the first and the second period with the modern ones. Is this process inevitable and does it have its justification in the Christian faith itself (and eventually how it is being justified there)? To these and similar questions a definitive answer is not being attempted. However, I formulate such suggestions that might lead to a serious debate on the topic.