Search

What is Natural Theology and what is its relationship to Revelation? Is the former merely an introduction to the latter? Or does only Natural Theology reveal the truth of Revelation? And are these the sole possibilities of determining their relationship? Or do we rather have to ask if it is possible to presuppose that Natural Theology can be identified with the negation of Revealed Theology and vice versa? Because with this opposition the foundation of theology in divine revelation seems to become accidental instead of essential. But isn't this impossible since God has to work all in all? And if it is, which conclusions have to be drawn from this with regard to the question of how the relationship between Natural Theology and Revelation has to be understood? This paper addresses the above questions in five steps: a first summarises a few central aspects of Natural Theology before Kant. A second addresses problems that are generated by an opposition of Natural Theology and Revelation. A third confronts these questions with Kant's attempt to dismiss all theology that is based on speculative principles and reflects on problems of Kant's approach to "Moral-Theology". A forth step focuses on German Idealism and its answer to Kant. A fifth asks what impact the afore developed has on determining the relationship between Natural Theology and Revelation today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]