Why not Theology?

Question

Isn't Theology simply Philosophy ++?

Answer 1

Heidegger said the question, "Why are the essents instead of nothing," is the fundamental question and everything else is just philosophizing for its own sake. Theology certainly seeks to answer that question and several others that are also central to the discipline of Philosophy. The big difference between the two disciplines is that Theology uses religious symbology and Philosophy, as it is practiced now, doesn't. Just because some recent theologians don't use philosophical methodologies very well or at all doesn't mean that Theology itself is any less related to Philosophy. The theologians of the Early Church are difficult to understand if you haven't read Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Rational thought and religion are not exclusive of one another, as so many like to think, and I don't think that such a charge is ever leveled at people like Kant or Kierkegaard, just uppity theologians with the audacity to view their discipline as serious academic inquiry.

P.S. Not everyone who studies Theology is a person of faith, some see religious faith and the concept of God as anthropological events. Furthermore, Theology is sometimes defined as "faith seeking understanding" which means that the faithful must examine their beliefs and be receptive to new ideas in order to grow, not just fortify old beliefs. Even Jesus models the re-examination of long-held beliefs when He challenges Mosaic law during his Sermon on the Mount.

Answer 2

Theology uses philosophical methods, certainly. But there is much more to philosophy than just a discussion of the divine, and not EVERYTHING in theology is subjected to philosophical rigor. So it would be inappropriate to say the two are equal... and perhaps not even appropriate to say that one is a subset of the other.

Interestingly enough, it can't even be said that all religions are comfortable with the idea of theology. Some, for example, assert that they have no specific god, so the 'theo' in theology would be inappropriate for them. Others argue that matters of the divine are not subject to rational discourse any more than you can have a discussion about the value of pi or take pictures of invisible things. So it's not even really kosher (heh) to even say that religion is the same as theology.

Answer 3

I would call Theology, Philosophy --. Seriously, it's a couple steps down, not up. In philosophy you seldom know the answer ahead of time, you don't limit yourself to one mode of thought, and questioning assumptions is not only OK but required. Theology is...pretty much the opposite of all that.

Answer 4

No. Philosophy does not come with a built in concept of God. As a matter of fact, it will question every image of god that it is presented with, which is something theology (god talk) does not do.