Wasn’t the Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, a good era in the development of Western culture? By these names, one would think so. Indeed, many helpful scientific discoveries were made during the period. However, a strict reliance upon rationalism and science in the pursuit of truth brought with it a dramatic shift in the worldview of Western society, one that still continues to unfold today. Deistic thought was ultimately responsible: the idea that God created the world, endowed it with natural laws, and then separated himself from it. In this video, Dr. Eaton teaches the core ideas that shifted Western culture from a God-centered to a man-centered society.
That explanation was very helpful in understanding how the mindset was influenced during the Enlightenment period. As time as gone on and technology has increased, it has just influenced man’s thinking about a relationship with God even farther away from what God intended.
Thank you, Ruth. Yes, the Enlightenment of the 18th century was a very pivotal time in the history of West, turning us from centuries of God-centered thinking.