The Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment also referred to as the Age of Reason, took place in Europe in the 17th and 18th Century and later spread to the rest of the world. The main ideas during the period centered on creating human happiness and pursuing knowledge. Other ideas that were advanced during the period include liberty, separation of the state and religion, tolerance, and the formation of constitutional governments, among other Enlightenment ideas. A major development during the Enlightenment period was rationalism. Rene Descartes, a major philosophical contributor during the Enlightenment period, introduced the idea of rationalism. A fundamental underpinning central to rationalism was the need to question longstanding cultural assumptions and beliefs. Descartes and other Enlightenment philosophers encouraged thinkers to question these assumptions and their presuppositions. Because of the above, the Enlightenment period empowered people to exploit the power of the mind to gain insights into complex societal issues like religion.

The ideas introduced during the Enlightenment period were proven beyond a reasonable doubt. One of the reasons for this position is that no counter-Enlightenment position was raised during the period; hence, there is no need whatsoever to try and question the Enlightenment now (Bode 5). The Enlightenment period stood out also because of the work of historians. The historians who contributed to the Enlightenment did so based on first-hand accounts of certain events. Today, these historians do not exist; hence it would be far-fetched to question the ideals that were introduced during the period.

Notably, religion was discussed often during the Enlightenment period. However, it is important to look at the subject of religion during the Enlightenment period in light of the preceding era of protestant transformation. The whole idea of religion was questioned during the protestant transformation; hence Enlightenment thinkers had already been freed. Notably, most thinkers at the time professed the Christian religion, although some also belonged to the unorthodox belief system. Key themes touching on religion discussed broadly during the Enlightenment include deism, anti-supernaturalism, and their connection with biblical teachings and Christianity.

Consistently, Enlightenment thinkers threw serious criticism on the idea of supernaturalism. Their opposition to supernaturalism was based on two ideas; empiricism and rationalism. On the one hand, rationalism emphasizes what can be figured out by the mind before being experienced by the senses. On the other hand, empiricism focuses on what can be proved based on the actions of other people or what has happened before and proved to be true. To that end, the Enlightenment was against the idea of supernaturalism. Another issue that compounded the opposition to miracles is the introduction of physical science, which revealed that most occurrences on the planet are caused by certain laws that have proven to be valid all through.

Therefore, believing in miracles would be akin to opposing the laws of nature or suggesting that nature can act against itself. For instance, the narrative in the Bible suggesting that Jesus walked on water must have been one of those contentious issues raised during the Enlightenment period since it goes against the laws of nature. The narratives that went against the rules of nature were subsequently perceived to be relics of a superstition of the past that had been recorded as true. The resistance to the notion of the supernatural laid the ground for the spread of atheism as more people realized that the narratives around religion, particularly Christianity, were not true as perceived earlier.

Another impact of the Enlightenment on religion is the spread of deism. Unlike theism which avers that there is a single higher being who controls the universe, deism avers that a higher being created the universe and then let it control itself (Barnett 11). The analogy of a watchmaker is introduced to help understand the idea of deism. Just like a watchmaker puts together different instruments to make a watch and subsequently lets it run itself, deism avers that a higher being was involved in creating the universe, but their involvement stopped there (Barnett 11). To that end, religious practices like prayer, the creation of a special relationship with God, and revelation are regarded as useless (Barnett 11-37). Instead, the thinkers during the Enlightenment presented an alternative view that the universe is physically and morally controlled based on information people have learned from physical science and experiences of human behavior. The Bible, as a genuine spiritual book and a revelation of God, was also trashed. However, the thinkers agree that it is a useful moral guide to help people coexist peacefully.

Additionally, Bible criticism, which is the study of the Bible as a historical text, came to the fore due to the ideas of the Enlightenment period. Although actual criticism began in the late 19th Century, the principles guiding the basis of such criticism started during the Enlightenment period (Barnett 75). The Enlightenment thinkers started looking at the Bible based on mechanistic, naturalistic, and scientific viewpoints, and these ideals informed Bible criticism.

An Enlightenment paradigm resisted the Bible based on the context of miracles and supernatural accounts (Barnett 75). A large body of Biblical text often refers to miracles and supernatural narratives, which do not hold water based on physical science, nature, and the empirical study of humans. Among the narratives that received fierce criticism during the Enlightenment period is the assertion that Jesus Christ was conceived differently as His parents did not engage in a sexual relationship. Also, the Bible has a story depicting Sarah, who gave birth in old age, something that is not biologically viable. These and many accounts in the Bible that go against the rules of nature were questioned and dismissed during the Enlightenment period.

Based on the Enlightenment philosophers’ assertions during the Enlightenment period, it is safe to conclude that the Enlightenment hurt various religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Today, Christians are encouraged to despise Enlightenment because it waters down most of the teachings offered by the religion (Peters). Even a slight touch of suspicion concerning Christian teachings amounts to a sin. Christians are never allowed to question issues they find unsettling (Armstrong 26). Instead, spiritual leaders encourage them to believe in such issues without any slight questions.

Also, Judaism was greatly impacted by the teachings of the Enlightenment period. In particular, the Enlightenment focused on doing away with royal absolutism and embracing a secular government. Previously, royals focused on solidifying their identity, protecting their culture, and encouraging absolute following by the people (Armstrong 43). However, Enlightenment thinkers encouraged Jews to do away with royal absolutism and embrace a secular government that protects its people’s interests (Armstrong 131). Jews’ authorities were previously focused on enhancing religion and its teachings, but the Enlightenment paradigm introduced a secular government whose main objective was to improve the followers’ welfare. It is also worth noting that the changes introduced during the Enlightenment period could only occur gradually and take a long time. However, to speed up matters, a social group emerged that pushed for radical Enlightenment to sweep quicker. Another indicator of Enlightenment thinkers’ attitude towards Judaism as a religion and social group is evident in their contempt toward the group. Ultimately, the separation of religion from the state led to the decline of Judaism.

However, Islam was not affected by the Enlightenment significantly. One reason for this is that Islamic tenets do not conflict with science, as is the case with Christianity (Armstrong 72). Unlike Christianity, Islam balances belief and science and religion and reason. Islam as a religion establishes an equilibrium between these components. Also, there are limited occurrences of what Enlightenment philosophers refer to as improbable miracles, something that is quite common in Christianity. A good example showing the contrast between Christianity and Islam is the teachings surrounding how to treat one’s oppressors. On the one hand, Christian teachings discourage vengeance through the teachings that if an individual slaps your cheek, you turn the other cheek. However, the case is different in Islam, where believers are encouraged to take vengeance against oppressors. Based on this, it is safe to conclude that Islam was not affected by the Enlightenment, as was the case for Judaism and Christianity.

Based on the underpinnings of the Enlightenment, one comes to the conclusion that it has significantly contributed to the decline of religious faith. Philosophers aver that the Enlightenment led to the ‘death’ of God due to the many questions that have been raised concerning religious faith (Harrison 106). In particular, the conflict between science and religion on many issues renders most religious accounts untrue, at least for a rational thinker. To make matters even worse, spiritual leaders discourage their followers from raising valid questions concerning issues they find unsettling in the Bible and other religious narratives. Another sign of declining faith due to Enlightenment revolves around the emergence of math and physical laws that explain various events. For instance, the concept of creation and events in the aftermath have been fully explained by math and science without God’s involvement. Therefore, the Enlightenment led to more religious people subscribing to atheism.

In conclusion, the Age of Enlightenment marked the beginning of the decline of religious faith among many people. Such a decision was informed by philosophical teachings that discourage people from believing things blindly without subjecting them to rational questioning and reasoning. To that end, Enlightenment teachings affected various aspects of religion, leading to Biblical criticism, a rise of deism, and anti-supernatural sentiments. In particular, the impact of the Enlightenment on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity is highlighted. Christianity and Judaism were significantly affected by the Enlightenment due to the conflict existing between religion and science. However, Islam was largely unaffected since it balances religion, science, and reason. As more people get enlightened, they are likely to lose religious faith due to many factors, including the dictatorial nature of some religious affiliations, where people are prevented from asking questions. Although the Enlightenment did not completely wipe out religion, it raised awareness about the need to question different aspects of religion, eventually leading to a decline in religious faith.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Karen. A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. New York, Ballantine Books, 1994.

Barnett, S J. The Enlightenment and Religion: The Myths of Modernity. Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2008.

Bode, Mark. Isaiah Berlin and the Problem of Counter-Enlightenment Liberalism. 2011.

Harrison, Peter. Religion and the Religions in the English Enlightenment. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Peters, F E. The Children of Abraham Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Princeton University Press, 2004.

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The Enlightenment has had an incredibly important impact on our understanding of religion and on the old question of the reason vs. revelation debate. Read the following article in Wikipedia through the section on “religion” for a general overview of the Enlightenment period:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment.

Next, read these two articles that highlight slightly different aspects of the Enlightenment:
https://www.gotquestions.org/Enlightenment-Christianity.html.

You can also find the ABC article here: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/recovering-the-religious-character-of-the-enlightenment/11278006.)

Putting all of these sources of information together, write 6-8 pages outlining what were the basic principles and ideas of the Enlightenment. Do you think these ideas are proven beyond a shadow of a doubt or simply reasonable? Next, state what effect you think the Enlightenment has had on people’s religious faith. Has the Enlightenment been helpful or harmful to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? Has it affected them all equally? Finally, in your view, does the Enlightenment inevitably lead to people giving up their faith?