Why is Theology so Important to Christianity?

By "theology", I am referring to the Western intellectual tradition of applying logical reasoning (sometimes in the context of other techniques) to such questions as the nature of deity or the supernatural, the role of deity or the supernatural in human affairs, etc.

That tradition begins with Plato and Aristotle -- as does so much else in the West -- but it really takes off with the early Christians.

So, why is theology so important to Christianity? After all, many religions -- such as Shinto and most indigenous religious -- have little or no theology at all. Others -- such as some branches of Buddhism and Confucianism -- have some theology, but relative to Christianity, barely touch on the subject. Thus, it can be argued that theology is not a necessary or inevitable form of human religiosity. But if that is so, then why is it so important to Christianity?

By the way, this is not the thread to argue about the worth or value of theology. If you wish to bore us with the cliché that theology is worthless, please start your own thread on that subject.

From an outsider's perspective, it may be because Christianity attempts to take after Judaism, which has heavy theology. I also think that Christianity has some complicated theological concepts that form its base, so there's a need to attempt to explain those, otherwise the base will shatter.

Harel13 said:

From an outsider's perspective, it may be because Christianity attempts to take after Judaism, which has heavy theology. I also think that Christianity has some complicated theological concepts that form its base, so there's a need to attempt to explain those, otherwise the base will shatter.

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At least some of those "theological concepts" seem to be derived from Neo-platonic philosophy. My hunch is the role of theology in Christianity owes more to the Greek theological and philosophical traditions than to the Jewish. But I'm just guessing.

Sunstone said:

At least some of those "theological concepts" seem to be derived from Neo-platonic philosophy. My hunch is the role of theology in Christianity owes more to the Greek theological and philosophical traditions than to the Jewish. But I'm just guessing.

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Good point.

Fear of the afterlife, period !

Harel13 said:

From an outsider's perspective, it may be because Christianity attempts to take after Judaism, which has heavy theology. I also think that Christianity has some complicated theological concepts that form its base, so there's a need to attempt to explain those, otherwise the base will shatter.

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Yes, I was going to blame the Jews too!

Seriously, it seems there was, from the start, a lot of argument about the exact meanings of a lot of ideas in the new religion - something I associate with a legal cast of mind and - perhaps related to this - that argumentativeness for which Jews are so famous (in the best possible sense, I mean). If you combine that with the Greek philosophical tradition, then you get even more scope for theological debate and precision, not to say pedantry.

It seems incredible to me that people actually fought over whether Christ had two natures (human and divine) as the dyophysites maintained, or one combined nature as the miaphysites thought (er, the practical difference is what, exactly?), or that the church would divide, after a thousand years, in part over the issue of whether the Holy Spirit "proceeds" from the Father and the Son, or just from the Father (er, so what?). But these things happened.

Sunstone said:

By "theology", I am referring to the Western intellectual tradition of applying logical reasoning (sometimes in the context of other techniques) to such questions as the nature of deity or the supernatural, the role of deity or the supernatural in human affairs, etc.

That tradition begins with Plato and Aristotle -- as does so much else in the West -- but it really takes off with the early Christians.

So, why is theology so important to Christianity? After all, many religions -- such as Shinto and most indigenous religious -- have little or no theology at all. Others -- such as some branches of Buddhism and Confucianism -- have some theology, but relative to Christianity, barely touch on the subject. Thus, it can be argued that theology is not a necessary or inevitable form of human religiosity. But if that is so, then why is it so important to Christianity?

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This is an intriguing question. I'm sure there is a ton that can be explored in the reasons behind it. My first thought comes to something in the water they drank. I mean that metaphorically to speak of culture, which you touch on. Ignatius comes to mind right away, as setting the tone for what became orthodox Christianity later on.

He represents that proto-orthodox movement, which found itself in competition with other approaches to Christian faith of that time. It's more that conservative thought line, which cannot see beyond only what it can personally relate to. All other approaches to faith, are just wrong, because it's 'not how I see things', general mode of thinking.

Add to that, they spun an origin myth about their own stream of Christian thought, to claim they were the recipients of the original teachings through a line of succession direct from the apostles all the way down to them. So there was the whole self-promotion thing going on there. It's who wins out at the end of the day selling themselves to the masses. The other more esoteric approaches, was much harder to sell and win converts to.

So, starting things off like that, as that became the dominant offshoot of early Christianity, sets the tone going forward. We're right, and the rest of the world are heretics. What sets us apart from others? Why our theology, of course. So it seems to get woven directly into it, in statements like the apostles creed. Even if not said as an overt denial of beliefs branded heretical, it fundamentally is a statement of belief that defines itself as separate from other beliefs. So beliefs, theologies, ideas about God, is a mindset set against the backdrop of "Against Heresies".

Sunstone said:

At least some of those "theological concepts" seem to be derived from Neo-platonic philosophy. My hunch is the role of theology in Christianity owes more to the Greek theological and philosophical traditions than to the Jewish. But I'm just guessing.

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Speculation on who inspired Christian theology doesn't answer the question of "Why is Theology so Important to Christianity?"

I'll speculate that is has to do with Reason Worship. We egocentric humans love our ability to reason. Christians make the mistake of trying to make faith, a belief without evidence, seem more reasonable.

Sunstone said:

That tradition begins with Plato

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The horror!

Sunstone said:

why is it so important to Christianity?

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Although they're merging, the focus of East and West was different for a long time. The West was focused on reason and logic which led to science and theology. The East had other concerns.

We've covered Judaism and Greece, so I'll bring Islam to the mix and note ijtihad and fiqh. For those unfamiliar with those Arabic words:

The revealed sources are the Koran and the Sunnah forming the nass (nucleus/core) of the Sharia whereas qiyas and ijma are the non- revealed sources and are employed to derive law from the nass (plural, nusus) through the use of human reason and endeavour called ijtihad.

Fiqh is an Arabic term derived from the root word faqiha, meaning “deep and comprehensive understanding.” The Arabic literature has used the word “fiqh” and its substracts in seeking of knowledge, wisdom, and in-depth understanding of Islamic laws.

And there's this apparently weak Hadith: "Seek knowledge (ilm) even if it is in China" is a hadith or not?

However, that a hadith is weak does not prevent acting in accordance with it in terms of encouraging and avoiding. It is permissible to act in accordance with these narrations since they encourage knowledge.

It is possible to deduce the following decrees and results from this hadith:

1.Knowledge is universal.
3. Allah has equipped humanity with the ability and equipment to learn the true knowledge.

joe1776 said:

Speculation on who inspired Christian theology doesn't answer the question of "Why is Theology so Important to Christianity?"

I'll speculate that is has to do with Reason Worship. We egocentric humans love our ability to reason. Christians make the mistake of trying to make faith, a belief without evidence, seem more reasonable.

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Or there's another possibility. Could it be that Christian's, and even atheists alike, and even many other mainstream philosophies, ideologies, and religions are all structured on a primary focus in going with following rather than inventing on their own..? Knowledge over imagination...

Sunstone said:

So, why is theology so important to Christianity? After all, many religions -- such as Shinto and most indigenous religious -- have little or no theology at all. Others -- such as some branches of Buddhism and Confucianism -- have some theology, but relative to Christianity, barely touch on the subject. Thus, it can be argued that theology is not a necessary or inevitable form of human religiosity. But if that is so, then why is it so important to Christianity?

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I think Christianity stands out for a couple of reasons:

- a greater emphasis on orthodoxy rather than orthopraxy, and

- a greater emphasis on the role of the individual believer rather than the community.

In Christianity, those two factors combine to create an idea that the individual believer is personally responsible for confirming that their beliefs about God are correct.

sun rise said:

Although they're merging, the focus of East and West was different for a long time. The West was focused on reason and logic which led to science and theology. The East had other concerns.

We've covered Judaism and Greece, so I'll bring Islam to the mix and note ijtihad and fiqh. For those unfamiliar with those Arabic words:

The revealed sources are the Koran and the Sunnah forming the nass (nucleus/core) of the Sharia whereas qiyas and ijma are the non- revealed sources and are employed to derive law from the nass (plural, nusus) through the use of human reason and endeavour called ijtihad.

Fiqh is an Arabic term derived from the root word faqiha, meaning “deep and comprehensive understanding.” The Arabic literature has used the word “fiqh” and its substracts in seeking of knowledge, wisdom, and in-depth understanding of Islamic laws.

And there's this apparently weak Hadith: "Seek knowledge (ilm) even if it is in China" is a hadith or not?

However, that a hadith is weak does not prevent acting in accordance with it in terms of encouraging and avoiding. It is permissible to act in accordance with these narrations since they encourage knowledge.

It is possible to deduce the following decrees and results from this hadith:

1.Knowledge is universal.
3. Allah has equipped humanity with the ability and equipment to learn the true knowledge.

Click to expand...

But what has this to do with the question posed in the OP?

Cooky said:

Or there's another possibility. Could it be that Christian's, and even atheists alike, and even many other mainstream philosophies, ideologies, and religions are all structured on a primary focus in going with following rather than inventing on their own..? Knowledge over imagination...

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I have only a vague idea of what you mean. The word "knowledge" implies that theologians agree on the facts (They Know). Did you mean that?

joe1776 said:

I have only a vague idea of what you mean. The word "knowledge" implies that theologians agree on the facts (They Know). Did you mean that?

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Yes. Everyone is chasing facts/knowledge, while neglecting their creative capacity.

...Whether it be within the scientific spirit or mainstream theologies.

I'm kind of new here but what particular nuculus are we learning about.

Sunstone said:

So, why is theology so important to Christianity?

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So much of our religion is centered on internal processes, attitude, and beliefs that it is only natural for theology to play a prominent role. Orthopraxis is considered a secondary trait arising out of orthodoxy.

When you are commanded to feel, think, and believe correctly and that acting correctly is natural outgrowth from there, the questions surrounding what that means become of utmost import.