Can humanization be salvation: A journeying with the musings of Juan Luis Segundo, Madathiparambil Mammen Thomas and Arundhati Roy.

摘要

This dissertation poses a question, "can humanization be salvation?" where an attempt is made with the prospect of seeing humanization as salvation taking into account that a third of the human population live in inhuman conditions; in a state of dehumanization. If human beings are created in the image of God, then why is it that only few have and own that privilege while the majority is denigrated to a subhuman level? What does salvation mean to them? If humanization is being able to be and function as human beings to their full potential as God created them to be and salvation is the liberation from all that holds human beings in bondage and prevents them from being what they were created as---in the image of God---and to realize their potential as created beings, then can humanization be salvation? Incarnation is God's humanization, God being human in Jesus Christ and if we can believe what Gregory of Nazienzus said, "what is not assumed cannot be saved," then humanization is indeed salvation. The conversation partners that I have in this journey of mine are two theologians and a humanist activist. The two theologians are Juan Luis Segundo and Madathiparambil Mammen Thomas, who has stressed the importance of humanization, and both come from countries riddled with dehumanized situations. Juan Luis Segundo sees humanization as the essential task of the church. M.M.Thomas, on the other hand, sees humanization as the promise of the gospel. While their contributions provide the theological footing, Arundhati Roy, a humanist, an activist and a writer, gives me the drive to look at the problem of dehumanization form a woman's perspective. Keeping in mind that women and children are the worst affected, this dissertation also examines what salvation/humanization means to women and in that regard the role of feminism and humanism.