19/06/2025
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IN SEARCH OF SELF-UNDERSTANDING
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Ն.Ս.Օ.Տ.Տ. ԱՐԱՄ Ա. ԿԱԹՈՂԻԿՈՍ ՆՈՐ ԳԻՐՔ ՀՐԱՏԱՐԱԿԵՑ
Անգլերէն լեզուով լոյս տեսաւ Ն.Ս.Օ.Տ.Տ. Արամ Ա. Կաթողիկոսի գրիչով նոր գիրք մը, որ քրիստոնէական մարդաբանական դիտանկիւնէն կը ներկայացնէ մարդու ինքնահասկացողութեան փնտռտուքը։ Գիրքին խորագիրն է In Search of Self-Understanding (A Christian Anthropological Perspective) (Ինքնահասկացողութեան Փնտռտուք)։ Գիրքը կը բաղկանայ 16 գլուխներէ:
Իր այս գործին մէջ Արամ Ա. Կաթողիկոս կ՚անդրադառնայ ներկայ դարուս մէջ մարդու ինքնագիտակցութեան հասկացողութեան՝ աստուածաշնչական սկզբունքներէ մեկնած։ Ան հիմնականօրէն կ՚արծարծէ մարդ արարածին քրիստոնէական հասկացողութիւնը եւ ստեղծագործութեան մէջ մարդուն իւրայատուկ կոչումին ըմբռնումը:
Ստորեւ՝ գիրքին վերջին հատուածը.-
MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE
After going through the previous pages, I hope that the reader will agree with me that anthropocentrism, which is the rejection of Theocentrism, is the greatest enemy of humanity? Anthropocentrism which caused human fall and expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden, in all its manifestations and implications continues with growing impetus, threatening human life as well as the entire creation.
In technologically dominated societies the space for transcendence is increasingly narrowing down. Empowered by major breakthroughs particularly in the sphere of science and technology, the human being is moving with rapid pace towards extreme and uncontrolled anthropocentrism. Aggressive globalization is further intensifying and spreading anthropocentrism with sweeping consequences.
The world in which we live is extremely fragile and unpredictable in every sense of the word. Pragmatism and empiricism have become the test of truth and the measure of authenticity and relevance. Secular humanism, which affirms humanity without the transcendence, allied with technological and scientific discoveries are leading the human being to greater self-confidence and self-assertion. On the other hand, moral emptiness, arrogance of power, and strenuous efforts towards greater self-sufficiency, coupled with increasing research related to procreation, conception, pregnancy, birth and genetic cloning, as well as the forceful emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) which eventually intends to control and even to replace human intelligence, are advancing with light speed.
These radical developments are shaping a new human being with a new self-understanding. In fact, the human being is directly and constantly exposed to the transforming impact of the kind of trends of thinking and ways of life which may seriously endanger his very identity and even threaten the human existence. Being human is in great jeopardy. The future of humanity seems to be bleak.
The human being is introduced in the Bible with these powerful definitions: God's proxy, co-worker, ambassador, covenant partner and representative. I wonder whether the human being of today is aware of who he is for God and whether he is ready to assume his God-given vocation? Deeply affected and disoriented by the discoveries and promises of the digitalized age and the global culture, the human being has left no space for the dimension of 'beyond' in his life, he has almost lost the vision of infinitude and eschaton and has confined himself to finitude creating his own comfort zones. It looks that the promise of Satan to Adam and Eve that «you will be like God» (Gen 3:5) continues to echo in the ears of the descendants of the first man and woman who are in constant and rapid move of creating their new gods.
The human being should realize that as long as he considers himself the very center of his life and perceives himself as being self-sufficient and obscures the vision of transcendence, he is doomed to repeat the sin of Adam and Eve.
The human being should realize that the integrity and quality of life, the life itself in its human, ecological, physical and spiritual aspects is in great danger because of human arrogance of power: indeed, a new name for sin, and of ecological crisis, a new expression of disobedience to the call of the Creator.
The human being should realize that he has become the prisoner of his own inventions and victim of his selfish pride. The conflict between God's humility and human arrogance, God's love and human disobedience which caused the human fall continues with growing pace. The human being is challenged to save himself and the creation from new falls.
The human being should realize that anthropocentrism may lead to anthropotheism, the divinization of human being which makes him “not more human, but rather more inhuman.” The human being is endowed with both creative and destructive forces either to build an ethically responsible humanity in an ecologically sustainable creation or lead them towards self-annihilation.
The human being was created by God to live and to fulfil his God-given vocation being “like God by reflecting” Him through deification, but he wanted to become “like God by replacing him.” In fact, in Eden human arrogance of power rejected God's power of love. Love of power dehumanized the human being. Fall remains a potential threat; it may happen every moment of human life. If we assume that Adam's and Eve's immaturity and acedia led them to make a wrong choice, their descendants are mature enough with a rich experience not to repeat the sin of Eden.
Therefore, the human being of present times should not live under the complex of original sin, but under the growing danger of anthropocentrism. In fact, by making himself, his personal glory and pleasure the center of gravity of his life, the human being will expose himself to new forms of falls and the creation to even higher risk of destruction. Hence, in the midst of chaotic world and disoriented and disintegrated humanity, the human being is called to make a radical choice between life and death: «I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live» (Deut 30:19). God not only gave freedom to the human being to make a choice, but also the rationality and the sense of morality, accountability and responsibility to make a right choice.
The revolt of the human being against God which started in Eden, in spite of Christ's salvific mission, continues in different ways and expressions. In Eden the first human beings did not respond to the call of God. In the midst of complexities, uncertainties and ambiguities of the present world, are the descendants of Adam and Eve courageous and humble to respond to the call of God? What God requires from the human being is “to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8). Adam and Eve did not. Harvey Cox, by reminding that “Adam and Eve did not take responsibility for deciding their fate. They left it to the snake,” challenges us: “let's not let any snake tell us what to do.”
In Eden Satan appeared in the form of a serpent. Today Satan appears in so many attractive ways and forms... This is the time of a wake-up call. Self-sufficiency, self-confidence, self-glorification and anthropocentric ways of life will lead the human being to self-alienation from God.
Alienation from God means alienation from true self.
The human being is God's privileged creature bearing His image. Is he ready to turn to God to rediscover and recover his true self-understanding?
The human being is God's co-worker (1 Cor 3:9). Is he obedient to the terms of partnership with God?
The human being is endowed with God-given free will. Is he committed to exercise God's gift of freedom with profound sense of responsibility and accountability by making the free choice a responsible choice?
Recently, in social media I came across the following words of Aristotle: “Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” The freedom of choice led Adam and Eve to make a wrong choice which caused the human misery, determined the destiny of humanity and the course of history. The human being of present times is urged to make the right choice, and the right choice is often a hard choice.
