Critically evaluate Karl Barth's theology of religion and work - Essay Example

? Lecturer: Presentation Critically evaluate Karl Barth's theology of religion and work Karl Barth theological views and interpretation made him one of the most influential religious authorities in the 20th century. His theological work became popular soon after the enlightenment period and prior to the commencement of the modern era (Bruce, 2000). Barth work resulted to great effect on how the society interprets and apply Christian teachings. The unpopular and radical approach of Barthian theological thinking about work and Sabbath earned him great criticisms from the mainstream society but his work remains an important component of the current theological scholars and knowledge about Christianity faith. Barth claims that work or human labor is solely utilitarian intended to keep us alive. In this regard, he emphasizes on the importance of observing Sabbath, in order for man to resist the temptation of worshipping work at the expense of serving God (Hughes, 2007). In Barth ideology of Sabbath, the command to rest does not validate man to work for the remaining days of the week. He argues that Sabbath should take precedence of all other activities that man does for the service of God, so that He can reveal His purpose for him. Therefore, Sabbath day according to Barth (2009) gives the meaning and direction of man’s activities for the rest of his working days in the week. During Sabbath, man should not consider it as leisure or passive time but rather a day to join God in celebrating His Creation (Barth, 2009). Work or active life is not entirely, what God requires from man, but an activity that man does for survival (Barth, 2009). In this case, Barth argues that Jesus Christ called his disciples to abandon their work and follow him in his ministry but not join work. From his arguments, it is not necessary for man to work because it is worldly and cannot lead to salvation. I disagree with Barth’s opinion on work and Sabbath. When God was creating the universe, all Creations were made in six days and on the seventh day, He rested (Alister, 1999). In this case, God did not rest and then proceed to the work of creation. Though man’s activities do not add up to God’s creations, his actions have a profound effect on the entire universe and its inhabitants. God created man to be the master of the universe and its creations, and to fulfill the purpose, man must work not only for his own survival, but for the sake of other creations (Alister, 1999). In poor and underprivileged societies, rest days are liability to such people who struggle hard to afford even a single meal in a day. To such people, taking a break from work in Sabbath amounts to starvation, psychological suffering including anxiety, self-humiliation and depression. Thus, considering economic and social status of people, Barth idea of work and Sabbath is a luxury only the rich can afford. A true Sabbath should result after six days of working earnestly, without deceit or oppression, so that all people regardless of their economic status can fellowship with God and celebrate His Creation. 2. Critically evaluate an issue affecting employers or employees in relation to religious faith and practice Different religions have distinct practices that they instill on their followers and believers. These practices normally dictate their daily activities such as mode of dressing, nutrition, duties and responsibilities, health, ways of praying among other behaviors. Alister ( 1999) noted that strict observation of these practices determine the commitment of the believers and more importantly, their desire to attain the highest form of spiritual purity dictated by the teachings of the respective religious denomination. Many religious teachings from diverse backgrounds contain punitive measures meted on followers who fail to comply with the said practices. The punishments are normally carried out by the leaders and/or, adherents of the particular religious grouping on the errant followers (Alister, 1999). In most circumstances, believers are warned that failure to observe the practices attract heavy Divine punishment. Religious dressing is one of the major contentious issues in multicultural work places and educational institutions. In the recent past, the media in different parts of the world has been awash with the issue of banning the face veil and the strict Islamic dress code practiced by Islamic states in public places. In strict and conservative Islamic states such as Iran, Bruce (2000) noted that wearing tight jeans and bright clothes in workplaces and institutions of higher learning is not allowed. According to Bruce (2000), Islamic women are supposed to observe strict dress code, consisting of Hijab that comprises of a headscarf, face veil and clothing that covers their body in its entirety. The fabric used to make these garments should not be transparent and the dress should hang loosely to prevent the body shape of the women from being apparent. In addition, clothes worn by women should not bear slight resemblance of man’s clothes or women who do not subscribe to the Islamic faith (Bruce, 2000). Hughes (2007) argues that this strict dress code on Muslim women protects them from lustful stare of men. In multicultural workplaces, wearing Muslim headscarf undermines universal appeal of an organization to the wider public from diverse religious backgrounds. Though freedom of worship and expression constitute some of the basic tenets of human rights, allowing religious dress in multicultural workplaces infringes on the rights of people from diverse religious beliefs and integrity of the organization. In this respect, most multicultural companies have specific dress codes that reflect neutral religious inclination to the public and its employees. Work places should not be used as platforms for proclaiming one’s faith, but for executing responsibilities pertaining to that particular job. To maintain the integrity of female employees from Islamic background and other religions, organizations should enforce measures that protect its employees from undue attention and sexual harassment. Moreover, companies should enforce effective conflict resolution mechanisms to diffuse tensions arising from interreligious disagreements in the work place. Though these measures are gradually transforming dressing codes from heavy religious influence to a more corporate outlook, conservative Islamic beliefs are still prevalent and companies targeting Muslims do not have the option of banning headscarf in the workplace. References Alister, M. 1999.Reformation thought: an introduction. Third edition. Oxford: Blackwell. Barth, K. 2009. Church dogmatics: the doctrine of creation. Volume 3 part 4. Edinburg: T & T Clark International. Bruce, M. 2000. Trinity and truth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hughes, J. 2007. The end of work. London: Blackwell Publishing. Read More