Eine moralische Geschichtsschreibung – ohne Moralismus. Kritische Bemerkungen zur modernen Kirchengeschichte

A moral Historiography without Moralism. Critical views on modern Church History
Efforts for realism without moral judgments have identified morals with present law. This leads to positivistic positions, where moral questions are being answered with references to historical legal situations only, without moral implications. With the political changes 1989–1990 a change in historiography followed. This became a problem to historians who saw their task not only in judgment, but in understanding and explaining history. A reverse danger is re-perspectivation and political instrumentalisation. Post-modern theories may not excuse historical relativism. To avoid moralism, we must understand the difference between theological and political discourses. Moralism may be regarded as a secular confessionalism. Moralism in historiography will lead to immoral consequences. In moral historiography without moralism I find a position between moralism and relativism. Moral principles may be found in Natural theology or in the Declaration of Human Rights. We may encounter moral dilemmas both in history and in future. While making moral judgments, we must understand history as a moral problem with several possibilities.