A DYNAMIC VOLVING THEOLOGY AS A SYMBIOSIS IN ANALOGY TO A HUMAN FAMILY
(... dedicated to my friend and the most light-driven philosopher I know, Franz Mederer)
In times of crisis people wonder what's really holding at all.
Modern science makes mankind humble by not asking, "How we can know all ?"
But modern science reflecs how we realize our environment and it's phenomena:
So also modern theology can not say how God is.
Modern theology only can reflect, how we think about God.
So at first we have to reflect our own perspective of thinking and feeling:
Psychologists came to analyze that we have 3 ego in course of our lives:
The self-feeling as a child, as grown up and as parents.
At the other hand we realize ourselves naturally as mail or female.
In combination we get 5 categories of self-conciousness:
0 child: O like an egg or a nest - the conciousness of feeling life
1 youngster: 1 for finding the own identity
2 mail: 2 for distinguishing and finding orientation
3 female: 3 for the 3 dimensions of the fullness of life
4 grandparents: 4 (everybody has 4 grandperents and ...) the 4th dimension of time.
Why this series? - For it gives a picture of the process of any cuture:
0) Every culture at first is dependent like a child -
1) then finding it's identity, but still dominated by others, like youngsters -
2) then coming to dominate others (mail) -
3) then being dominated but dictating the culture of the dominants (female) -
4) then being beside and give the guarantee of culture at all -
and so on...
By these cathegories You can also practise theology, for every human being can be a theologian:
0: A child, wo is asking: "What's live and how can I be proteced by God ...", is a theologian.
1: A youngster, wo is wondering: "Wo am I and what's my relation to God ...", is a theologian.
2: A man, who is searching orienation - by guidance of God ..., is a theologian.
3: A woman, who is seeking real life - and its source in God ..., is a theologian.
4: Grandparents, wo are asking: "What remains?" - What ist God's eternity? ... are theologians!
In setting this in a 2-dimensional diagramm:
4
/
2 - 1 - 3
/
0
... You may get in christian symbolism a cross.
But You also could cover it in a standing half-moon according to islamic symbolic,
or in a buddistic wheel, a ying-yang for basic-religions or the star of David in Judaism.
And also the confessions within religions can be cathegorized by that way -
e.g. in christianity:
0) the Pentecostals - like children: Very intuitive but also conservative (in understanding the bible)
1) the Evangelicals - like youngsters: Very dynamic, but not ripe in reflection
2) the Protestants - like men: Masters of theology, but a narrow ecclesiology
3) the Roman-Catholics: Brillant Masters but also servants of their own ecclesiology
4) the Orhtodox Churches: Living from the tradition, but mystical transcendence
Perhaps it could be thought also in other religions ...
e.g. in Judaism: 0 Thora -1 Thalmud - 2 Rabbi -3 Chazzan - 4 Chasid
... in Islam: 0 Koran - 1 Kharijits - 2 Shia - 3 Sunna - 4 Sufis / Alevits
... in Buddhism: 0 pupils of Buddha - 1 teravada - 2 hinayana - 3 mahayana - 4 vajrayana
... in Hinduism: 0 Veda - 1 Upanishads - 2 school of baboons (enlightment) - 3 school of cats (salvation) - 4 yogis (fullfillness)
Also the different religions could be seen in this manner:
0) Hinduism (psycho-kosmos of an unlimited amount of gods reflecting any situation of existence (like the dolls of children)
1) Judaism (exploring the own roots and personality)
2) Islam (seeking guidance in life)
3) Christianity (stressing the relation and individuality of God and mankind)
4) Buddhism (reflecting the essencials of being at all)
Why trying to see the confessions or religions in relation like families?
I think this is stressing the chance not to see each other as concurrents (for Got allone news, why there are so many different groups),
but, like in a family, the members shoud complement each other,
so the different denominations / religions can ask:
"What can I, what can You contribute to the worldwide community of God's children?"
This might be a good impulse for an existential necessary peace.
Using the frame of Academic Theology:
- preliminary -
Here has to be said that the following is based on the Theological Compendium of Prof. H.G.Poehlmann ... During my academic studies, students said that these, wo are preparing themselves according to that compendium, are not the good theologians!! - Perhaps it's due to that Prof. Poehlmann concluded every chapter with a comfortable summary - therefore You did not have to write Your own for learnig. On the other hand, he kept on the traditional partition of theological items in: A de Theologia - B de Revelatione - C de Sacra Scriptura - D de Fide - E De Deo - F de Creatione - G de Homine - H de Peccato - I de Christo - J de Gratia - K de Mediis Salutis - L de Ecclesia - M de Novissimis. But the most sympathic: In all his reflections Poehlman is not arrogant, but wants to be a modest and humble cristian: The Augustinian view of Jesus: "victor quia victima" is a steadily repeating motive in his theolocical compendium.        
Nevertheless the traditional partition allows a certain compatibility to the "family"-system:
- concretion -
If we see "+0" - the childhood of a mankind, as the question: "Where I come from?" and "What is life?", we could summarize among it:
"A: the Theology": "How can we reflect our own thoughts about God?"
"L: the Ecclesiology": "Where is our religious home?"
"J: the Redemption spiritually / Gratia": "How can we gain new life?"
If we see "+1" - the youth, as a self-finding in the mirror of my human opposit, we could link it with:
"E": about God / de Deo": How can we think about God at all?"
If we see "+2" - the fatherly seeking for ways and orientation, we could summarize among it:
"G: Anthropology / de Homine": "Whas's specific for mankind in the view to God?"
"H: Hamartology / de Peccato": "Where we trace our guilt?"
"C: Reflecting the Bible / de Sacra Scriptura": "Which orientation do we have from the Holy Scripture?"
If we see "+3" - the motherly caring for us ... simply, what is coming from God? - we could summarize among it:
"B: the Revelation": "How does God appear to us and in which ways?"
"F: the Creation": "What does God give us by the creation?"
"M: the Eschatology / de Novissimis": What does God give to us beyond our life?"
If we see "+4" - the grand-parently supervising us and leading us to God, we could summarize among it:
"K: the Redemption concrete / de Mediis Salutis": "What is preparing us to God's being near?"
"I: Jesus as the bridge of God and mankind": "How das Jesus take us to God?"
"D: the Faith / de Fide": "How can we belive beeing children of God?"
-> -> -> -> NOW IT STARTS DYNAMICALLY !!!! ->
Perhaps You saw in the upper classification the "+" before each number:
That means the dynamic in comparison to the fix system of
1:childhood 2:youth 3:father 4:mother 5:grandparents
Therefore IF YOU HAVE A THEOLOGICAL QUESTION AND CLASSIFY IT AMONG AN UPPER SEEN THEOLOGICAL CHAPTER, YOU GET AN OPERATING "+"-NUMBER TO TURN 0 TO 4 STEPS FURTHER,  BECOMMING ANOTHER STAND / VIEW IN THE SETTING OF THE FAMILY !!!! (.. counting more then 4 You simply jump back to 0 - o.k.?)
- for example:
The self-feeling christianity might be to be a motherly religion ("3" <-):
loving to reflect herself (theology "0")
caring for her children (ecclesiology "0")
hoping for inspiration from God's grace - de Gratia approaching to humans (-> "0")
... That's her home ("0"): NO GOING FURTHER IN COUNTING SYSTEM!
BUT if You reflect her thinking about God "+1" THEN PLEASE STEP +1 -> (3+1=4) TO the grandparents ("4")!!!! REALIZING:
The view of God in christianity is very differenciated! You also have normally up to 4 grandparents beeing all different personalities (-> trinity), they are really wise, sometimes rich and very strong, but sometimes also week (-> the suffering of Jesus and the world) ... (I hope You feel also, how this way of theological thinking psychologically tries to approach even  delicate theologoumena, like the Holy Trinity (... !!!))
FURTHER ...
if You want to reflect christianities "asking for the way" (+2) THEN PLEASE STEP +2 -> (3+2=5 -> minus 5 (one turn) = 0) TO the childhood ("0") - REALIZING:
Christianity asking for the way / orientation, like a child:
... feeling joy about the biblical stories, avoiding the cruel ones and hoping to get the best life-empulses from it (de Sacra Scriptura).
... feeling themsesves as chidren of God (de Homine / Anthropology)
... having a bad consciousness making mistakes hoping for forgiveness (de Peccato / Hamartology)
FURTHER ...
if You wand to reflect christianities "desiring what comes from God (+3) THEN PLEASE STEP +3 -> (3+3=6 minus 5 (one turn) = 2) TO youth ("1") - REALIZING:
Christianity desiring what comes from God is strong, impulsive and seeking for identity, like people in their youth:
... being fascinatet and sometimes exaggerating all kinds of revelation (visions, miracles, saints, mirroring in pictures, music, architecture etc.) (de Revelatione)
... has a big interest in creation (exploring and using it)
... tries to find out very carfully and critically about the eschatology and God's new world ... even reflecting in each our reality surrounding us.
FINALLY ...
if You want to reflect christianities "extending to heaveen" (+4) THEN PLEASE STEP +4 -> (3+4=7 minus 5 (one turn) = 2) TO the fatherly oriith entation ("2) - REALIZING:
Christianity extending to Heaven
... tries to go this way,  eye in eye to Jesus as Lord, but also as best Friend and Brother (de Christo)
... tries to cultivate forms of faith giving the best direction in life (de Fide)
... tries to use alle means to reach this aim ... for all people comming nearer to God ....
THIS WAS ONE TURN REFLECTING SELF-FEELINGS AND IMPACTS OF A RELIGIOUS GROUP, HERE E.G. the christian one....
But You can adhibit it also to other religious groups mentioned upper, e.g. also Islam (starting at "2", or Judaic belief, starting at "1" ... BUT PLEASE DON'T QUALIFIE THE RESULTS OF THIS DYNAMIC REFLECTION: IT ONLY PERHAPS MIGHT HELP YOU FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR OWN RELIGION AND IMPROOVING THE UNDERSTANDING TOWARDS OTHERS ... SO BETTER HARMONY AND PEACE MIGHT COME TRUE!!! (and perhaps finally some inner impressions of pictures and music mentally travelling through the several thinking and culture (aistetic effect plus) ;-))
...  THANKS TO GOD!!!!!
P.S.: Please excuse this minimalistic design, but if You like to discuss these thoughts substantially, please contact the mail adress <pfarramt.geiselhoering@elkb.de>