The Last Supper. Leonardo da Vinci, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milano

Homo Religiosus

17/07/26 : This website has been updated and made more user-friendly.

The Trinity (Andrei Rublev)

Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Incarnatio Dei, hominis deificatio.

The Incarnation of God leads to the deïfication of man.

God comes to man, whereby that man is divinized.
The ancient Christian religion as wisdom, 'healing', and cure.

The “Homo religiosus,” the religious person, is he or she who directly experiences the sacred as a subtle force. Western people generally no longer understand what religion, conceived in this way, once was in, and still is in, a number of cultures. Since the 18th century, the century of the “Enlightenment,” our culture has barely had any contact with the essential core of that religious world. And this website aims to provide a great deal of information about that.

Just as one can develop various scientific theories regarding the same established fact, so too can one hold many religious views. A plurality of opinions is a democratically acquired right and accommodates every view. However, ultimately, opposing views cannot possibly all be equally true. Further experimentation and logical reasoning will identify a number of views as less probable or false. Ultimately, the view that most closely approximates reality prevails. It seems to us that this is no different in religious matters. And that is what this site aims to address.

In compiling this website, extensive use was made of the philosophy courses taught by André T’Jampens, the charismatic former pastor of Ouwegem and a lecturer at the Higher Institute for Educational Sciences in Antwerp from 1957 to 2000.

Anna Netrebko

"When I come on stage, something happens, like in the quality of the performance... was like then times more, like..; I had something - I'm not religious - but I had something that... some voice which is telling me how to do, and what to do..., like appears and then disappears. It is very, very strange, but is's been always with me and especially in important roles".

Anna Netrebko, the world-famous Russian-Austrian prano, stated this on the occasion of the official announcement of the 2000 Polar Music Prize, which was awarded to her on February 11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9dO3ky9sH8).

In that respect, Mrs. Netrebko's experience is in a sense analogous to the story of 'Bapuka' (see tab 'texts 4', text 34). We recall that the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates also claimed to have an inner voice that never urged him to do anything, but did warn him of danger. Jesus also says that he constantly hears the inner voice of his Father and always follows it. And so, among others, Mr. T'Jampens had also an inner voice.

Estin è sofia katerchomènè eis therapeian toon Etnoon

Es la sabiduría descendida para la curación de las naciones.

It is wisdom descended for the healing of the nations.

Es ist die Weisheit herabgestiegen zur Heilung der Völker.

C’est la sagesse descendue pour la guérison des nations.

È la saggezza, scesa per la guarigione delle nazioni.

Het is de wijsheid neergedaald ter genezing van de volkeren.

homoreligiosus@telenet.be

And one more thing: Notre Dame de la Guérison
When coming from the North Italian city of Aosta and approaching Mont Blanc along the river – the Dora Baltea – one sees a small church in Courmayeur, the last town before the tunnel on the left, quite high in the mountains. If one heads towards it, one emerges onto a smaller river that flows into the Dora Baltea, the Dora di Veni – called ‘Val Veny’ in local French – where a mountain stream thunders down Mont Blanc with a fierce roar. Moments later, one stands before the lovely little church, dedicated to Notre Dame de la Guérison. If, after a prayer, one pauses for a moment to contemplate the scene, the contrast is striking. On the one hand, there is the graceful little church, in its unassuming small isolation, and on the other, there is the wild and majestic massif of Mont Blanc. Many pilgrims sense the soothing tranquility that the church radiates. Sensitives claim to feel the energies as tingling in their bodies. And the same applies to the icon of the Trinity at the top of this page.