Formation of the European consciousness

Which is the role of the church, of the media and of the politics in the formation of the European consciousness? We would like to get answer to these questions with the help of our famous gests and we hope, that the light of the Easter and of the resurrection will illuminate the tomorrow of our European living together.   

With these words has introduced Balogh Barnabás - member of the advisory board - the conference of the Studium Academicum Foundation organised in Fugyivásárhely. 

Which verse from the Bible should be the most expressive, that can be related with the right definition of our European consciousness? - asked the president of the foundation László Kállay in his devotion at the beginning of the conference.   

He has searched and obtained an answer upon his question in Mathieu 16,16: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God”. The European man has to know, that the European consciousness is based on this creed. The importance of this is valid even if at the time Peter did not know what influence his creed will have on the formation of the European consciousness.  

In this creed is based everything what is in Europe, without this Europe could be not what it is, what we call as Europe. European consciousness can exist just there where we build upon this creed. If Europe is just a cultural, political and economical connection of interests, than the EU will remain a fragile unity.

After the devotion followed the lectures of the invited guests as Dr. Sulyok Elemér Benedictines professor of the New Testament, Pálfy G. István media specialist, and Lakatos Péter RMDSZ Member of Rumanian Parliament.

Dr. Sulyok Elemér’s lecture was a work based on demanding theological research, a personal testimony, nearly intonated evangelistically.

In the first part of his lecture, the “Formation of the European consciousness - theoretical foundation, theological introduction” he has cleared: the biblical expression of the “formation of the consciousness” is the “return”, which became justified in different times and in case of different sins.

The lecturer has spoken at a great length about the meaning of the formation of the consciousness, about the changes of life, changes of sentiments and changes of people. As he said, the Bible did not know the difference among these changes, because these differences were unknown for the people in the middle age as well as for the Greeks, until the 19th century. Jesus considered as most important the change of the life, of the way, of the people. He had called to conversion, in interest of worthy waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God.    

The lecturer said in correspondence with the devotion: The formation of the consciousness, of the life is the process when we realise that we follow the wrong path, and we return to our first love.

Pálfy G. István media specialist, member of board of the Hungarian TV Foundation, after the biblically inspired formation of the consciousness revealed to the audience the every day life.

In his lecture titled “The role of the media in the formation of the consciousness” he has shown mainly the situation of the Hungarian media and its effect. In his opinion “...all correlations which control the world around the media, according to the actual way of thinking, are so far from the biblical basis, that it is almost a sin”.

The problems mentioned raise grave questions: On one hand arises the question, if the media could have any role in the formation of the European consciousness, even more, if the media has any positive role in whatever formation of the consciousness? Today’s experience is that if it has a role, that is rather destroying than improving of the consciousness.

The second question weighed by the lecturer was the relation of the Hungarian consciousness to the European consciousness, irrespective of the role of the media.

“Formation of the European consciousness in the Rumanian legislation” - Lakatos Péter, RMDSZ Member of Rumanian Parliament, has approached his presentation from two aspects:

- How is formed the contemplation and the acceptance of the European consciousness in the Rumanian parliament?

- Would the Rumanian parliament have any influence upon the European consciousness, or how is the European consciousness in the European parliament?

The lecturer enumerated some positive examples, which are validating small but significant changes in direction of the European mentality. It seems to be confirmed that our politicians are growing up to the European attitude in the Rumanian parliament as well as in the EU parliament, and they became active part of it, and they are forming it. 

After the lectures some questions were asked. On one hand they were about the negative influence of the Hungarian politics trough the TV, and the possibilities to stop them. But it came to discussion also the need of a news channel, which should serve the unity of the between the Hungarians form the motherland and from all over. At least but not last arose the question: how can Hungary and Rumania contribute to the formation of the Europeanism, to the formation of the European consciousness?

One of the answers was, that the politics has to be transformed in a way, that it cannot be badly influenced by the media. In the Hungarian media a new news channel is forming, with the goal to give values, to form values, even if economically will not be profitable.

A number of politicians can be mentioned in the Rumanian politics - and we can consider not just the RMDSZ (Hungarian) politicians - whose presence is serving not only the Rumanian politics, but they are also acknowledged by the European political elite with respect - was the next answer.

If the Hungarian nation will represent consequently the Christian values - as one, who accepted between the firsts this value - that is already exemplary, and it shapes Europe’s consciousness - was the next answer.

Balogh Barnabás has thanked the guest lecturers that they have accepted to percept through their lectures the necessity of the formation of the consciousness, and to the participants, that they have contributed with their question to the appreciation of this current subject.