The article The Influence of the Bible on Civilization (The Bible and Natuxal Fciences) shows us the importance of the Holy Bible in relation to the forming of Western civilization. The Bible is at the foundation of the heritage of European civilization. Written down during the period of almost 1500 years, it contains truths that concern all fields of life, both on the individual and the social level. As a work of literature it had its role, together with the civilization of Ancient Greece, in the origins of sciences. Science and religion are two very important elements of human culture. All reflections on the subject of the genesis of the world have their roots in these two basic aspects of seeing reality. Everything that exists needs an explanation of its origin. Thus the basic question that gave the beginning to philosophy was the question of the human being about himself and about the Universe. The relation of the science of creation, originating from the biblical description showing God as giving existence to everything, came into conflict with the empirical description of the beginning of the Universe and man in it. The questions that Latin civilization took from Greek philosophy and Christianity, based on biblical foundations, were transformed during the course of history to a conflict between science and faith, which began with the Copernican revolution and the Galileo issue. It had its greatest inflammation in the 19th century, as the result of the discoveries in the field of bio- logy, mainly connected with the theory of evolution of C. Darwin. One of the basic aspects of this conflict is the question of the origin of the world, which issue is, so to say, a natural place of meeting of theology with natural sciences. This conflict began as a result of trying to discover the essence of God’s message contained in the Bible, by natural sciences. This discovering was an interpretation of the inspired text in relation to the eternal truth and to cultural variables, and also to civilization frames.
Man, wanting to progress, must educate himself, the sense of attaining education is formed both by „the deeper desire in the human being”, which leads him to reflect on the subject of God and by the will to study natural sciences, which have permanently changed our way of thinking about the world surrounding us and about ourselves. In the process of cognition faith cannot take the place of reason, nor reason the place of faith, these are two ways of arriving at the truth, which must collaborate in agreement with each other, thus education should concentrate on outlining the relation between theology and natural sciences. Such complementing leads to the cognition and fathoming of the truth, and this, besides the attainment of wisdom, is one of the main assumptions of education.
Przed dłuższy czas temat stworzenia był zaniedbywany w debacie teologicznej. Dopiero około 35 lat temu, w czasie pojawienia się tzw. kryzysu ekologicznego stworzenie zaczyna pojawiać się w centrum zainteresowań teologicznych. Niektórzy autorzy próbowali zarzucić chrześcijaństwu, że to teologia stworzenia odpowiedzialna jest za kryzys środowiska naturalnego. Ze względu na ten zarzut nauka o stworzeniu musiała zajęć stanowisko w sprawie ekologii.Na ile Ziemia i jej mieszkańcy mają jakąś przyszłość, zależy przecież nie od początków Kosmosu, ale od naszego obecnego postępowania i nastawienia. Dlatego dialog między naukami przyrodniczymi a teologię wszedł w tzw. „trzecią fazę” ich relacji: fazę koniecznej wspólnoty w kryzysie ekologicznym. Dialog teologii i nauk przyrodniczych musi mieć charakter ekologiczny, gdyż w końcu chodzi o wspólną przyszłość tego świata, w którym nauki przyrodnicze i technika należę do Bożego stworzenia.
EN
The subject of creation was neglected in theological debate for a long time. Only about 35 years ago, when the so-called ecological crisis manifested itself, creation began to appear in the center of theological interest. Some authors tried to accuse Christianity that the theology of creation is responsible for the crisis of the natural environment. Because of this accusation, the science of creation had to take a stand on the issue of ecology. The future of the Earth and its inhabitants depends not on the beginnings of the Universe, but on our present-day actions and attitudes. So, the dialog between natural sciences and theology entered the so-called „third phase” of their relation: the phase of necessary collaboration in the ecological crisis, the dialog between theology and natural sciences must have an ecological character, for at stake is the common future of this world, in which natural sciences and technology are part of God’s creation.
One of the characteristics of the teaching of Pope John Paul II is his approach to the subject of faith and reason, which have played a central role in the development of civilization. They work best when they mutually challenge one another to look farther, to probe more deeply, in quest of truth. Hostility between faith and reason is not accepted because both have their source in God. But when both work together, the human person has the chance of discovering the full truth about himself, the world and God. The author of this article argues that a large number of papal documents and pronouncements of Pope John Paul II show his contribution towards the bringing together of natural sciences and theology. This is also a challenge for those who continue this effort.
When speaking publicly, Joseph Ratzinger–Benedict XVI has often addressed the issue of Christian responsibility, which is the founding stone of European identity with its Judeo-Christian roots. Having personally experienced the horrors of World War II, he has warned the people of our continent and the world at large against the dangers that await them if they lose their original sense of human dignity and human rights. According to Ratzinger, retaining these values is a constant endeavor for Christians on our continent. The Christian foundation must not be disregarded if we are to preserve our true European identity. The Europe of today also lives in the shadow of many threats, such as terrorism. In the face of all the threats, Joseph Ratzinger–Benedict XVI puts forward his agenda to depart from the positivist philosophy and to focus on a transcendent relationship to reality. This is the only way for Europe to retain its dignity, equality and identity. And when it comes to building this future Europe, the involvement of the Church is essential.
PL
Joseph Ratzinger/Benedykt XVI w swoich wypowiedziach często odnosi się do problematyki odpowiedzialności chrześcijańskiej, leżącej u podstaw Europy z jej judeo-chrześcijańskimi korzeniami. Sam przeżywszy okropieństwa II Wojny Światowej przestrzega nasz kontynent i jednocześnie cały świat przed niebezpieczeństwami, które grożą mieszkańcom Europy i świata, jeśli zatracą swoje pierwotne poczucie godności ludzkiej i praw człowieka. To jest według Ratzingera ciągłym zadaniem chrześcijan na naszym kontynencie. Podstawy chrześcijańskie nie mogą być lekceważone, jeśli chcemy zachować naszą właściwą tożsamość Europy. Również dzisiejsza Europa nie jest wolna od wielu niebezpieczeństw, takich jak terroryzm. W obliczu wszystkich niebezpieczeństw Ratzinger/Benedykt XVI proponuje swoje programowe rozwiązanie, aby odejść od pozytywistycznego myślenia a skupić się na transcendentnym odniesieniu do rzeczywistości. Tylko w taki sposób Europa może zachować swoją godność, równość i tożsamość. W tym budowaniu Europy przyszłości nie może zabraknąć Kościoła.
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