A Study of Spinoza’s Philosophical Approach to Religion and Its Theological Consequences

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student, Comparative Philosophy, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

2 Associate professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Moral Philosophy, Faculty of Theology, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

10.22034/jrr.2024.332577.1999

Abstract

For Spinoza, religion is a universal and meta-ethnic system actualized for all people through obedience to God. He delineates the seven principles of faith in this context. Spinoza contends that religious doctrines should be simple, minimal, and rooted in history and language. Given his belief that human nature is predominantly influenced by emotions rather than reason, he asserts that religion must be initially reclaimed and ultimately democratized to rescue humanity. According to Spinoza, the key to salvaging most humans lies in rendering religion obedient by distinguishing it from philosophy. Thus, he advocates for the democratization of theology, leading to a moderation of the political authority of religion and a strengthening of the country's political sovereignty. Spinoza's redefined concept of religion is fundamentally democratic, fostering compatibility between his theology and politics. This distinctive characteristic paves the way for the attainment of freedom for individuals and society. This article aims to explore Spinoza's alternative philosophical interpretation of religion and its theological implications within this framework.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Bagley, Paul. J. 2008. Philosophy, Theology and Politics: A Reading of Benedict Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus. Brill: Leiden & Boston.
Bréhier, Émile. 1393 Sh. Tārīkh-i falsafih-yi qarn-i hifdahum [History of seventeenth-century philosophy]. Translated into Persian by Esmaeil Saadat. Tehran: Hermes.
Brown, Colin. 1392 Sh. Falsafih va īmān-i Masīḥī [Philosophy & the Christian faith]. Translated into Persian by Tavoos Mikaeilian. Tehran: Elmi va Farhangi Publishing Company.
Frand, Daniel and Jason Waller. 2016. Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Spinoza on Politics. Routledge: London and New York.
Frankel, Steven. 2014. ''Spinoza's Rejection of Maimonideanism." In Spinoza and Medieval Jewish Philosophy, edited by Steven Nadler (pp. 79-95). London: Cambridge University Press.
Jaspers, Karl. 1378 Sh. Spinoza: falsafih, ilāhiyyāt va siyāsat. Translated into Persian by Mohammad Hassan Lotfi. Tehran: Tarh-e Now.
Nadler, Steven. 1393 Sh. Baruch Spinoza (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Translated into Persian by Hassan Amiriara. Tehran: Qoqnoos.
Nadler, Steven. 2011. A Book Forged in Hell. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Polka, Brayton. 2010. Between Philosophy and Religion: Spinoza, the Bible, and Modernity. V. 1: Hermeneutics and Ontology. Lanham: Lexington Books.
Preus, Samuel. 2001. ''Spinoza, Vico and the Imagination of Religion." In Spinoza, edited by Genevieve Lloyd. London: Routledge.
Robertson, John Mackinnon. 1915. A short history of freethought: ancient and modern. Vol. 2. London: Watts & Company.
Rocca, Michael Della. 2008. Spinoza. London: Routledge.
Spinoza, Baruch. 1397 Sh. Risālih-yi ilāhī-siyāsī [Theologico-Political Treatise]. Translated into Persian by Ali Ferdowsi. Tehran: Sherkat-e Sahami-ye Enteshar.
Spinoza, Baruch. 2005. Risāla fī l-lāhūt wa-l-siyāsa [Theologico-Political Treatise]. Translated into Arabic by Hasan Hanafi. Beirut: Dar al-Tanwir.
Religious Research
Volume 11, Issue 22 - Serial Number 22
February 2024
Pages 333-354

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics