Religion as a source of European identity. A few remarks on the margin of the contemporary debate

Abstract

Nowadays, the culture-forming role of Christianity is increasingly being questioned. The fact that it was one of the pillars on which Europe was built is questioned, and even a thesis is being formulated about its harmful influence on the functioning of Western culture. There are also opinions that the Western civilisation built on the foundation of Christianity does not meet the expectations of contemporary man. As a result, models for its profound modifications are being sought in the Enlightenment era as well as in the ideas of liberalism and Marxism.

Since, apart from the Catholic Church, there are many Protestant communities in Europe today, talking about the ‘Christian roots of Europe’ can lead to misunderstandings. Therefore, in the first part of the article, I show that the most important source of ideas shaping Europe and its culture was the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Then, referring to the views of professor Zofia J. Zdybicka, I present philosophical arguments justifying the thesis that religion is indeed the foundation of every culture. I also show, recalling published works of Joseph Ratzinger, that without the culture-forming activity of the Catholic Church there would be no Europe – at least in the form as we know it. The article ends with a list of the most important cultural consequences of attempts to deprive contemporary European culture of its religious roots.