Gorman, Sarah (2020) Believing Anew: Gianni Vattimo and A Form of Faith in Contemporary Culture. PhD thesis, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.

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Abstract

Today’s religious landscape is one that invites reflection on the place of faith, its cultural connections,and its future.This is, in part, due tothe variousreligious sensibilities at playin the present time. On the one hand, there is an attraction to astructured, doctrinal-based form ofreligionthat asksoneto recognise a particular authority and to surrender to it. On the other hand, there is a decline in the explicit practiceof religion.Our places of worship reflect these dwindling numbers,rows of once full pews now standingemptyas attendance falls.There are, of course, several reasons for this decline. Many simply cease practicing, while still professingthemselves to be believers; others are drawn to non-Christian religions and New Age practices; and someclaim that they have allegiance to any religion.Thereis, of course,a middle-ground between thetwo religious sensibilities, which will be the focus of this dissertation. Thismiddle-ground constitutes the reality, and the difficulty,ofdeveloping a religious life in contemporary culture. Itmight be best understood in terms ofa search for faith and meaningwithout, often,adheringto any particulardoctrinal framework or authority.Many are choosingto follow their own instincts in searching for something that willprovidea spiritual nourishment or enrichment fortheir lives. While the goal isto encounter somethingthat lies beyondourown selves, the seeker and their own personal experience remainsat the heart of this spiritual quest. As aseeker, oneis free to search, to engage with others, and to express oneselfwithout being confronted with a set framework of beliefs. This middle-ground is not necessarily free from all Christian influence; many events, courses, and spiritual practices are rooted in Christianity, yet retain the freedom for participants to ask and to answerwithout being restrictedby the parameters set by institutionalreligions.This search for meaningmarks a shift away from the emphasis on institutionsand beliefs, focusing more onthe pragmaticand experiential elements of faith as away of life.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Keywords:	Believing Anew; Gianni Vattimo; A Form of Faith; Contemporary Culture;
Academic Unit:	St Patrick's College, Maynooth > Faculty of Theology
Item ID:	13764
Depositing User:	IR eTheses
Date Deposited:	04 Jan 2021 10:48
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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