freedom

Freedom is one of the most defining characteristics of man. A human being who gives up freedom convicts himself to slavery. Western philosophy has never been able to lay solid foundation under human freedom. That is because true freedom is based on religion, says Beurskens. Without religion there is no freedom. On the other hand, a believer who believes because he has to believe is to be pitied. It belongs to the sense of existence and also to the joy it that every human being has to search and to struggle for himself, with a guarantee for success as is the message of Jesus, but struggle and search he must. Because he is free. This also touches the error of fundamentalism or radicalism: it is fighting without freedom. The real jihad is inside man and it should require more of a fight and more courage than following truth without freedom. Without freedom no truth will survive and without truth freedom has no meaning. It is the middle way, says the Buddha, by which he did not mean a democratic middle between two extremes, but the focal point mans struggle for enlightenment.