The sign “God” in post-secular Estonia – a critical-hermeneutical and constructive contribution to conviviality of the religious and the secular in liberal democracy (GODINEST)

The project includes preparatory activities for a group grant application of the same name. The starting point of this project is the religiously and ideologically tense and conflicting diversity in Estonian society. The project revisits the question of what critical, transformative and bridge-building potentials the sign “God” involves. Current situation requires a new approach to the relationship between the religious and the secular. The project argues that the significance of the sign “God”, which transcends the secular-religious dichotomy, deserves to be reconsidered and explored. In a theosemiotic framework and through conceptual studies, the project examines carefully selected life situations and problems that are relevant in the context of liberal democracy. The project includes case studies on Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Chinese philosophies and issues such as financial ethics and ecological crisis. The project gives impetus to theological, philosophical, and semiotic research on religion in Estonia and to public debates on the relationship between the religious and the secular.