What Is Paul Tillich's Understanding Of Religion

Paul Tillich was an American theologian and philosopher who born on August 20, 1886, in Starzeddel, Brandenburg, Germany. Tillich was a deep thinker and very compassionate where faith was concerned, and he used different avenues to describe faith and belief to grasp the attention of readers, other theologians, and believers of faith. According to author Wendy Morrison from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, Tillich's understanding of faith differs from the common understanding of faith, as he relayed that message in Dynamics of Faith, where he states that there is hardly a word in the religious language, both theological and popular, that is subject to more understandings, distortions and questionable definitions than the word "faith" (Morrison, 2011).

Being "concerned" can be confusing to some, but when we look at the word from Tillich's perspective, he was not talking about having momentary concern, but the concern that lasts, such as the "concern" of faith. To ensure that readers did not confuse concern as a temporary focus, he began referring to these concerns as ultimate concern. Ultimate concern, according to Paul Tillich, gives life meaning and affects the whole person, which is felt as the presence of the holy. Tillich further explained that if a concern claims ultimacy, then it demands the total surrender of him who accepts this claim, and it promises total fulfillment even if all other claims have to be subjected to it or rejected in its name (Morrison, 2011). Ultimate concern varies from person to person, and the ultimate concern may be anything that a person gives his/her attention or all to. This concern may not be faith that is consistent with Christianity or God, but this ultimate concern, in my opinion, could be one's goals, or anything(s) that a person is fixated on; the accomplishments or