Religion, humanity, and the church : walking together?

Abstract

Human beings cannot be definitively defined. Every definition is merely an attempt to approach the mystery of human essence, yet such attempts inherently impose limitations. Nonetheless, the question of human identity remains one of the most fascinating topics explored by philosophy and philosophical anthropology, which offer various conceptions of humanity. One such definition of the human condition is the concept of the religious being. Humans transcend the order of this world, shaping their nature, finding meaning, and rising above it. As a person, the human rises above the immediate present, transcending themselves as a natural being. There is no human devoid of their natural givenness, nor is there a human outside of their nature, yet they are never solely this given state. [extract]