The religious freedom as a space for the affirmation of christian theism

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the issue of religious freedom based on the Declaration Dignitatis Humanae, a document from the Second Vatican Council. This Declaration is one of the most significant documents of the Second Vatican Council, an ecclesial event that placed the Church in deep dialogue with modernity, a status spiritualis that allows the emergence of the modern subject with its respective freedoms, including religious freedom, bringing to light the “freedom of freedoms” and religious pluralism. The Declaration recognizes religious freedom based on the dignity of the human person, highlighting it as a fundamental right with legal, social, anthropological, and religious implications. The research was developed through a methodology comprising reading, description, and analysis of fundamental texts. Initially, an analysis of the historical context and structure of the Dignitatis Humanae Declaration was conducted, including its relationship with other documents from the Second Vatican Council, considering three fundamental dimensions: historical, anthropological-philosophical, and theological. Subsequently, the key points of religious freedom were systematically analyzed, both philosophically and theologically, using texts from relevant commentators. The proposed analysis revealed that the conciliar approach to religious freedom transcends mere religious tolerance, previously admitted by the ecclesial magisterium. The research identified the need for a hermeneutical leap, allowing new possibilities for dialogue in the face of religious pluralism. Additionally, drawing from the Spanish thinker Xavier Zubiri, religious freedom was analyzed as a possibility for the affirmation of Christian theism. In summary, the research argues that the theme of religious freedom is complex and its implications are vast, spanning historical, philosophical, anthropological, and theological dimensions across the scenarios of humanity, timelessly.