Evaluation of Alexander Men’s Views on Brahmanism in the Light of the Declaration Dominus Iesus
Abstract
The Catholic Church welcomes the intensification of the inter-religious dialogue after Vatican II. At the same time, in the decades following the Council, some problems and negative tendencies in this area surfaced that were addressed by Catholic magisterium. One of the documents devoted to these problems was declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Dominus Iesus. Significant part of legacy of Russian Orthodox priest Alexander Men (1935-1990) is related to religions of the world. The purpose of this article is to assess to what extent Alexander Men’s views on Brahmanism are in line with the guidelines presented in the declaration Dominus Iesus. The teachings and practices of Brahmanism are examined as divided into three areas, namely, the doctrinal teachings, the moral code, and the ritual celebrations. The analysis shows that Men sees both elements of truths and religious errors in Brahmanism’s doctrinal teachings and moral code. In the area of ritual Men does not indicate positive elements in Brahmanism. He sees search for God as essential element of this religion. The analysis in this article shows that Alexander Men’s views on Brahmanism are in line with the guidelines presented in the declaration Dominus Iesus and related documents of the Catholic Church.
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