PERFECTIBILITY. The etymology of the word perfect indicates the centrality of the idea of perfectibility in religion. Derived from the Latin per facere, the English word perfect implies completion or being thoroughly made. Also the Greek word teleios is translated as "perfect," and it lends to the concept the idea of attaining a goal or end (telos). Aristotle saw human perfectibility as the capacity to achieve the goal of fulfilling or realizing one's nature. Drawing on these definitions, we can say that perfection as the goal of actualizing the highest human potential plays an important role in religion.

Anders Nygren (1960) has described the dynamic of religion as fourfold. First, religion reveals the eternal, the ultimate reality, which represents perfection in the sense of wholeness, completeness, and integrity. Second, this revelation of a perfect ultimate reality throws into sharp relief the imperfect nature of humanity. The human predicament becomes...