can be said or known about God in either terms of faith or of reason. The
critical theory of society and religion is not concerned with Absolutes or
knowledge of the Infinite, but rather with the socio-historical comprehension
of all spiritual phenomena for the practical purpose of creating a reconciled
future society. To this end, as Horkheimer (1970:60) states, the existence of
the totally Other is nevertheless important because theology stands behind
all genuine human action. Without the meaning and purpose of such an
inverse or negative theology as a motivating power of human praxis, such
activity collapses into being nothing more than mere business and stratagem.
Negative Theology
Therefore, for Horkheimer, theology is not understood in metaphysical or onto-
logical terms as the science of the divine or knowledge of God. Rather, from
the critical perspective of dialectical materialism, theology means the con-
sciousness that the world is finite, appearance, and that it is not the absolute
truth. Theology is the hope that the injustice and horror of history will not
have the last word. It is the expression of the longing that the murderers may
not ultimately be victorious over their innocent victims. It is this theological
hope and longing that is subsumed into the materialism of the critical theory
of religion as its dynamic purpose. Again, as Horkheimer stated in the mid-
1920’s, one of the most important functions of religion is to give oppressed and
suffering humanity such a theological vehicle through which they can express
their misery and their longing for its end in terms of the newness of that which
is totally Other. Religion did not always distract people from the injustice of
society and the world but functioned to expose such horror and enabled peo-
ple to resist it. It is at this most historical materialistic concern that the critical
theory comes to agree with the liberational substance of religion and theology.
An example of such a theological longing is expressed in the mythical notions
of the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment. Through these beliefs,
the idea of an absolute and disinterested justice was expressed; a justice that
holds everyone accountable for what they did or did not do to overcome the
causes of human need and suffering. A biblical expression of this is found in
the gospel of Matthew, where the verdict of inclusion in or exclusion from the
community of God is based on what the “nations”did to alleviate the condi-
tions and causes of the suffering of the least in society: the hungry, the thirsty,
the stranger – the “other”, the naked, and those imprisoned (Matthew 25:31–46).
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