Beyond Theism and Atheism: Heidegger’s Significance for Religious Thinking

Abstract

This dissertation initiates a reconsideration of religion and religious thinking on the basis of the thinking of Martin Heidegger. Such reconsideration involves arguing against theological models for religious thinking and against theological appropriation (or rejection) of Heidegger's thinking. Thus the argument begins with an examination of two key figures in Heidegger's thinking--Nietzsche and Holderlin--and a correlation of their proclamations of the death or lack of God with key issues and themes in Heidegger's thinking (Chapter 2). This discloses the radical difference between what is at stake in the thinking of Heidegger (and the "religious" nature of that matter) and what is at issue in any sort of theology. The argument against theological thinking is furthered through an interpretation of Heidegger on truth, meaning and world, and how discussions of his understanding of these matters helps "resolve" the current dilemma in theology and philosophy of religion concerning conflicting truth-claims between religions (Chapter 3). By also analyzing what Heidegger says concerning the gods and the holy (Chapter 4), we begin to uncover a religious thinking and consideration of religious matters free of theological overtones. Reflections on the call and response motifs in Heidegger's interpretation of thinking, and the "poetic" and "thankful" aspects he attributes to thinking, further delineate the religious dimension in his thinking and present religious thinking and religious phenomena (e.g. language, myth, ritual, prayer) in a new light (Chapter 5). By confronting the issue of nostalgia and hope and what direction religious thinking might take in a technological world (Chapter 6), we conclude the argument for a religious thinking that is a resolute openedness to the holiness and meaning-fullness of world and thing and submits itself to bringing forth this meaning-fullness in thought, word and deed.