Homiletical-liturgical Perspectives on Life in the Anthropocene: The Preeminence of People's Cognition, Weltanschauung, and Homeless Minds

Abstract

The central theme of this article is the matter of church participants’ engagement in liturgy and how this could enhance their capacity for making moral decisions when it comes to life in the Anthropocene. First, one should acknowledge that liturgists in faith communities have to deal with the notion of people enclaved in the idea of homeless minds. They are exposed to contradictory views on reality. The concept of cognitive dissonance needs to be addressed, and without constructive homiletical-liturgical address of this matter, it will lead to people looking for answers elsewhere. Liturgy inevitably enables participants to see things they do not or may not want to. People want to make sense of life and experiences in daily life, a process well-known as cognition. It should also be acknowledged that without reflection on the functioning of attitudes within Weltanschauung's framework, numerous challenges for any debate on life in the Anthropocene will be experienced. First, this article offers a description of the currently concerning aspects to be found under this rubric. Second, systemizing perspectives based on the philosophy of religion, anthropology, bioethics, and cognitive psychology are examined as centered on the intimate interplay with ethical conduct in viewing the world and liturgy. Finally, the following research question is formulated and briefly discussed: How could a homiletical-liturgical praxeology dealing with the homeless mind enable its participants to cultivate a Weltanschauung committed to a focused interest in the Anthropocene? The methodological approach of Browning has been carefully identified to arrange the research into coherent phases and reflect on the research question.