Demythologization

Demythologizing, also demystification is generally the attempt to investigate in a myth or mythical language traditional outlook on their reality content back and work out the actual statement intention.

Demythologizing the Bible

In the religious context, the term goes back to the Protestant theologian Rudolf Bultmann. Bultmann presented his program of demythologizing ago in his essay " New Testament and Mythology " from the year 1941. He saw in the mythic thought and speech form of antiquity a problem, as people of modernity no longer understand this mythical speech. Faith can not be measured solely from an existentialist interpretation of the Bible arise. The non - mythological meaning a mythological -sounding statement is to be worked out in the demythologizing. As in the myth no distinction between the reality levels immanence and transcendence is made, the demythologizing tries to maintain the difference between God and the world. In the demythologizing is not Bultmann about eliminating the mythical from the texts, but to interpret the texts so that the understanding of existence that underlies them is clearly with the aim that the person feels taken by the biblical kerygma and before a " existential " decision is made. Here Bultmann assumes that the scientific worldview is superior to the myth. For him, therefore, is to formulate the theological statements of the Bible so that they are compatible with the modern world view. "He pursued a modernization project."

For Joseph Ratzinger and other theologians demythologizing has already taken place in the Bible. The talk of the creation of the world by God bein consider the difference between God and the world and is thus a " conscious rejection of the myth ". Ratzinger also sees the theological development of the early church in the decision "for the logos against any kind of myth ", a " definitive demythologizing of the world and of religion." This decision he considers to be the decisive factor that saved Christianity from the fate of the ancient religion, the " internal collapse ". Using the example of " descent into hell " and " Ascension " Ratzinger clarifies that it 's not about " cosmographic " circumstances, but dimensions of human existence.

Critique of Bultmann demythologization

Although Rahner / Vorgrimler recognize that the New Testament kerygma aims to existential decision, Bultmann accuse but to have it reduced it. They insist that it was also to release of "objective" events such as the resurrection.

Scheffczyk sees the crucial mistake in Bultmann's program " in an incorrect determination of the myth." For Bultmann already everything had to call mythical, that does not correspond to the scientific picture of the world, but the world accepting structured as three stories. And as mythological had then to refer to all religious statements that move within the ancient worldview. Only if God's actions and the world would not be mixed together, it is guaranteed by Bultmann, that will not violate the scientific worldview. In this thinking is - so Scheffczyk - the Christian faith fails because it does not " objective statements about God and divine action in Jesus Christ " are possible.

Theologians, religious scholars and philosophers argue against Bultmann, that only with the linguistic form of the myth of the transcendent experience of the people could be adequately brought to language.