Theocentrism: what it is, origin and characteristics –

Currently, thought revolves around the human being, but in the past it was not like that. If a person declared himself the center of attention, he was considered a sinner. In medieval times, Christianity was the most deeply rooted current in society. God was the one who took all the credit for what was happening in the universe. Given this, another trend emerged and it is the topic that we will address in this post: Theocentrism: what it is, origin and characteristics.

what is theocentrism

Theocentrism is considered as a current in which it is believed that God is the center of everything that happens in the Universe and it is also the one that controls people’s thoughts and activities. This thought arises in Middle Agesa time when there was a lot of religiosity and devotion.

The philosophy of theocentrism it is related to everything that exists, because it tries to explain everything from the point of view of God’s will. In addition, this thought was the most important in Christian times and in the Middle Ages and promoted by the Catholic Monarchs of the fifteenth century.

Origin of theocentrism

The Origin of Theocentrism goes back to the era of Christianity and ends with the arrival of the Renaissance. All currents arising from Theocentrism believed that God was the center of everything. Once the Renaissance arrives, the human being begins to take center stage in the Universe.

As theocentrism had a lot of prominence in medieval times, the humblest were overwhelmed with pessimism and suffered from discouragement in the face of any struggle. It was thought, for example, that a king became such because God wanted him that way and no one could change that.

Characteristics of theocentrism

Among the characteristics that theocentrism presented are the following:

  • The main characteristic of this philosophy was the belief that God was the creator of the entire universe and the one who controlled everything, including the actions and thoughts of people.
  • This current maintains that God dominates each one of the aspects of the life of human beings.
  • The reason is excluded. There is a difference between faith and logical reason. But faith is above logical reason. The role of the latter is to demonstrate the validity of faith and, thus, the existence of God.
  • Faith is used to move the masses. Theocentrism is used as a method of controlling society. The political is not separated from the religious. The sacred teachings were the guides of the behavior of the people.
  • With the advent of theocentrism, spiritual and religious leaders arose. The importance of these leaders was that they were considered equal to or greater than a political authority, occupying a special space in the monarchy that they used to guide the actions of the people.
  • The theocentric philosophy it had its greatest exponents, who were those who developed their studies during the Middle Ages. Among them was: Saint Thomas of Aquinowho tried to explain all the reality that surrounded the existence of God.

Learn also about Hinduism and Buddhism:

Image gallery Theocentrism: what it is, origin and characteristics