GF art Religious identity 1/22

A note on religious identity and cultural identity* Religious identity and cultural identity are both practical disciplines. Identities are to be lived. As practical disciplines they need a theoretical foundation. The task of a theoretical foundation is to clarify a number of issues, especially conceptual issues, the collective and normative character of both identities, a brief historical perspective together with the impact of the ongoing secularization process on religious and cultural identity. Conceptual issues To speak about religious identity (RI) and cultural identity (CI) suggest that the two identities are distinct. RI, in one interpretation, points to an individual or a society who acquires their identity from a belief in God or some transcendent, absolute entity. CI, then, point to an individual or a society who get their identity from a belief in man and the values in human relationships. However, when speaking about ancient cultures and their identity we usually mean a religious culture in some sense, to the effect that RI and CI are synonymous. History, in either case, clearly shows that no society has ever succeeded in cultivating its entire population in one way or another. Even in the Middle Ages just a small percentage of the population is said to be genuinely Christian – despite the strength and wealth of the Church. The culture of selling and buying has recently been shown to be a pervading force in the Middle Ages. The latter is, however, very often infused with religious belief – a tendency that gets even stronger in the reformed churches: It is the will of God to earn as much money as possible (Calvin). It is a sign of God’s blessing. The secularization process over the least centuries, however, has gradually separated the two. Taken together with the immigration processes, however, * Written upon request from Moufida Goucha, Human Security, Democracy and Philosoph