The Crisis of Western Culture and Secularism

The subject of this article is the crisis of Western culture (Christianity) in terms of its sources and consequences. The author attempts to present the diagnosis of European culture by John Paul II and Benedict XVI. They associate its crisis with the internal weakness of Christianity (the Catholic...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Perszon, Jan 1958- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: [publisher not identified] 2024
In: Verbum vitae
Year: 2024, Volume: 42, Issue: 2, Pages: 377-400
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Johannes Paul, II., Pope 1920-2005 / Benedikt, XVI., Pope 1927-2022 / Christianity / Internet / Crisis / Culture / Secularism
IxTheo Classification:CA Christianity
CB Christian life; spirituality
KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
ZA Social sciences
ZG Media studies; Digital media; Communication studies
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Summary:The subject of this article is the crisis of Western culture (Christianity) in terms of its sources and consequences. The author attempts to present the diagnosis of European culture by John Paul II and Benedict XVI. They associate its crisis with the internal weakness of Christianity (the Catholic religion) and the influence of philosophical trends and ideologies with the purpose of creating a "new culture" on the ruins of the old one. Postmodern thought, which not only breaks with the rationalism of the Enlightenment but questions (in the name of individual freedom) the truth and the ability to get to know it, plays a special role in this respect. The anti-Christian narrative adopted by intellectual elites in the West, which in some manifestations becomes an ideology of secularism, is thus a consequence of philosophical assumptions. The author suggests that the popularisation of a model of life according to the principle "as if God did not exist," i.e. the acceleration of de-Christianisation processes (e.g. in Poland) is significantly related to the development of the so-called new media, especially in the form of virtual reality.
ISSN:2451-280X
Contains:Enthalten in: Verbum vitae
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.31743/vv.17061