Has theological debate become more prevalent in recent years?

Question

I see more and more books/articles/movies about religion now than I ever have. Is this because of the islam/Christian war or is it because of science? Other reasons are acceptable as well. I want to here your thoughts!

Answer 1

I think it has increased, but possibly because all communication has increased. This program is a great example. How many of us would have involved themselves in such controversial questions in face-to-face meetings? But the anonymity of the avatar and nickname means I can say what I truly believe, not what others want to hear.

Having said that, it does seem as though the fundamentalists of two different religions, Christianity and Islam, are the primary movers of all this discussion. And they both have major conflicts with atheists, who tend to rely on scientific explanations for things that believers credit God/Allah.

Answer 2

My Pastor was a Philosophies of Education professor. He would state at times that religion and politics, will work more and more into peoples lives, no matter how much they avoid it.

Just think about it. Two things that attempt to get people to live a certain way, often established with power and both claim authority, will NOT sit aside the more people ignore them! It's against the nature of them to be ignored. Neither will allow it.

Science, as I see it has three things going on, two which counter each other, it has touched everyone's life, there are some that know science, but extremely few who are here.

Those that come here tend to not know science at all. They read articles, and never really talk to real scientists. They don't realize that the scientists who are getting the headlines tend to be those with a political agenda. The one's who are true to their craft are typically ignored. So what we get on the news is a political spin.

Answer 3

I think the more we know about God via theology, the more we realize we don't know. The more we know about the universe via science, the more we realize we don't know.

I think the speed that we now have for communicating with each other and the accessibility of ideas, has stepped up discussion a lot.

Seems to me I've been recently reading stuff about God and time: does He exist out of time? within time? Sometimes out and sometimes in? How is God infinite? That kind of stuff.

Another topic I love is incarnation theology: how is it that a deity became human and was 100% human and at the same time 100% divine, with the 2 so entertwined as to be inseparable?

Answer 4

In the US, its because of the work of the religious right in the late 80s and all throughout the 90s. They are doing their best to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of us by mixing their BELIEFS with politics

I would guess that theology also was an interest to many around the time of 199-2000..some thought it was the end of the world

Answer 5

I think it has hit the public market place in large part because of the things that are going on in Muslim lands. The other issue that has increased interest is the gay marriage debate.

I think folks wanted to understand what the rationale for blowing people up is/was. This brought up questions regarding their personal views on faith and religion. The gay marriage issue has brought up all kinds of issues regarding morality, separation of church and state, etc.

Theological debate has always been robust.

Answer 6

There is more theological debate because of our wonderful SECULAR democracy that ALLOWS freedom of thought, religion and belief.

Now you can question, change your mind and debate.

100 years ago, if you DARED suggest a doubt you would be socially cast out.

1000 years ago if you DARED suggest a doubt you would be burned at the stake.

Aren't you glad we live in a free society where we are allowed theological debate? I am!

Answer 7

Well, I think that we are in a time where communication in general is vastly easier and more varied than ever before. Take this forum, for instance. How many of the people on here do you think you would ever exchange ideas with under different circumstances? Change isn't a bad thing.

Answer 8

The last "days"(plural): 1-2000AD are past, gone already,
and the last (not just the past) millennium tried to end bad,
with a false end called Y2K, which had a 42 mo countdwn.
It's now the third day, is the seventh day, is the last "day";
And as noted in Revelation, which takes place on Sabbath,
it (beyond 2000AD) begins with a Sabbath shewdown:
The day of the LORD(LAW) vs the day of God(Grace),
to determine which of these two will be the eternal one.

It's not about Law vs Law, which is Loser vs Loser.
It's about Law vs Grace, which is as Death vs Life.

The day of the LORD is darkness, and not light: Amos 5:18
So then this day speaks of lights out, let there be darkness.

The day of God is light, and no darkness at all: 1John 1:5.
So that day speaks of let there be LIGHT, and there was

The GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ with you all. Amen.

Answer 9

This was bound to happen, what with being at the dawning of the age of Aquarius and all... ;-)

I think, really, it's a convergence of the fallout from 9/11 and the growing influence of Evangelical Christians upon public policy.

Answer 10

You want to "hear," not here our thoughts. Anyways:

I'd say it's more because as society globalizes, more religions are brought into a more constant contact with each other. Untill now, they were content to have their enclaves of strong religiousity, and only clash on the borders (Eastern Europe, Isreal/Palestein, etc.) Now that everything is interconnected, it is more pervasive.