FEB 11

Although the idea of the existence of god[s] differs greatly throughout the religions and cultures followed by the human race, the idea of a superior deity has been a common trait in most people and cultures. In Joseph Ratzinger’s, “Prolegomena to the Subject of God”, we observe as he begins the text by explaining the origins of the idea of G-d. He also does more than just this, in also discussing how it has been such a unique idea in that it has persisted with global strength for so much time. The text continues to dive into the idea of how humans have reached contact with G-d. Ratzinger dives into many different themes of motivation, but the theme that most interested me is written in text as: ‘Loneliness is indubitably one of the basic roots from which man’s encounter with God has risen.’. When I consider this theme, I realize when humans feel without company, or mentally lonely; it is in their own thoughts to consider superior beings, almost as if it is an innate trait in humans to have faith in intangible explanations for that which they don’t understand. In my personal opinion, I feel as if the ideas relating to a god or multiple gods derive from the human craving for understanding. The ideas provide a common belief among cultures and comfort in people, which in effect unites many under the same shared comfort. Although I do not have any firm beliefs in any described deity, I feel as if religion is a beautiful thing, and how it has been represented by humans over history amazes me. The cultures and relationships which have been created because of religious and spiritual beliefs are extremely complex and give people from all sorts of backgrounds hope in their lives.