Notes on religion in the thought of Karl Barth
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2177-952X.2025v19i36p6-21Keywords:
Karl Barth, Revelation, Religion, Theology, ChristianityAbstract
Karl Barth's thinking is strikingly Christian. This is well represented in his Church Dogmatics, the first volume of which is devoted to reflection on the word of God, that is, on how God makes himself known. In this volume, the theme of religion receives attention in a discussion on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In §17, Barth speaks of revelation as the abolition/elevation (Aufhebung) of religion. This study aims to understand how Karl Barth develops his approach to religion based on a bibliographic exploration. It concludes that the radical nature of his criticism of religion is rooted in his understanding of revelation, to the extent that not even Christianity escapes his scrutiny. Furthermore, by pointing out the limits of theology in its attempt to speak of God, the Basel theologian offers clues for a critique of totalising and fundamentalist theologies, which, in their claims to meaning and truth, believe they have a monopoly on the right words about God.
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