Religion In Public Life

As this collection of scholarly case studies reveals, religion once played a major public role in all aspects of Canadian society, including politics, education, and culture.

Introduction: Religion's Role in American Public Life -- Religion and the Constitution : Historical Origins -- Religion and the Constitution : Some Key Concepts and Cases -- Faith and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue : The Role of Religion in the White House -- Religion, Policy, and Politics : Barring Religious Texts--Protecting Rights to Engage in Policy and Politics -- Religious Expression on Government Property : Prohibiting Government Speech Endorsing Religion--Protecting Nongovernmental Religious Speech -- Government Partnerships with Faith-Based Organizations : Creating Partnerships to Serve People in Need -- Faith and Federal Funds : Supporting Secular, Not Religious, Activities -- Religious Exemptions and Accommodations : Balancing Claims of Conscience with Other Interests -- Faith and the Workplace : Respecting Religious Freedom in Employment -- Religious Discrimination and Hate Crimes : Fighting Hatred and Bias--Protecting Freedom and Pluralism -- Conclusion: A Crossroads for Faith in American Public Life.

Liberal theologians believe in the necessity of a revision of Christian doctrine, trusting that science excludes the belief in divine intervention. However, divine intervention is perfectly in agreement with the laws of nature and science. Accordingly, there is no reason to reject the Bible and traditional Christian doctrine. A new model of the coexistence of religious and secular discourses is revealed in this collection.Most of the existing papers focus on the problem of the relationship between church and state in the modern era. In this collection, different experiences are presented along with their significance for specific countries, mostly the Georgian experience on the issues of church and state relations. The role of the eligious leader in modern society is described, focusing on his spiritual mission in restoring, enhancing and developing traditional values ​​in society. In particular, the role of His Holiness and Beatitude, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II is examined for his multifaceted endeavors to strengthen Georgian society and develop traditional spiritual values after the perennial atheism. This collection is intended for readers interested in the problems of the main right of humanity, freedom of belief, in the modern global era and in the age of secularism.Today, there is a lack of spirituality around the world. Traditional spiritual values ​​are inhibited; in many European countries, the activity of church figures is stalled, and people are not allowed to choose ​​education based on traditional values. This causes great dissatisfaction in society, as it is believed that traditional spiritual values ​​are the main markers of national identity, and their development and preservation are essential. Hence, this book will be of great interest for readers interested in the problems of spirituality in both Christian and non-Christian countries. It will be of interest for scholars, as well as for political figures who often encounter such problems in their activities.

How far can religion play a part in the public sphere, or should it be only a private matter? Roger Trigg examines this question in the context of today's pluralist societies, where many different beliefs clamour for attention. Should we celebrate diversity, or are matters of truth at stake? In particular, can we maintain our love of freedom, while cutting it off from religious roots? In societies in which there are many conflicting beliefs, the place of religion is a growing political issue. Should all religions be equally welcomed in the public square? Favouring one religion over others may appear to be a failure to treat all citizens equally, yet for citizens in many countries their Christian heritage is woven into their way of life. Whether it is the issue of same-sex marriages, the right of French schoolgirls to wear Islamic headscarves, or just the public display of Christmas trees, all societies have to work out a consistent approach to the public influence of religion.

In July 2002 chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court had a two-ton monument of the Ten Commandments placed into the rotunda of the Montgomery state judicial building. But this action is only a recent case in the long history of religiously inspired public movements in the American South. From the Civil War to the Scopes Trial to the Moral Majority, white Southern evangelicals have taken ideas they see as drawn from the Christian Scriptures and tried to make them into public law. But blacks, women, subregions, and other religious groups too vie for power within and outside this Southern Religious Establishment. Religion and Public Life in the South gives voice to both the establishment and its dissenters and shows why more than any other region of the country, religion drives public debate in the South.

"This book puts forward the most sophisticated and subtle treatment available on the relation between religion and politics and church (synagogue, mosque, temple) and state. Thiemann has taken our impoverished discourse on these matters to new heights and higher ground." --Cornel West. [from back cover.]

Religious crosses the spheres of both the private life and the public institution. In a liberal democracy, public and private interests and goals prove to be inseparable. Clarke Cochran’s interdisciplinary study brings political theory and the sociology of religion together in a fresh interpretation of liberal culture. First published in 1990, this analysis begins with a reassessment of the nature of the "public" and the "private" in relation to the political. The controversy over religion and politics is examined in light of such contested issues of political life as sexuality, abortion, and the changing nature of the family. Clarifying a number of debates central to contemporary society, this timely reissue will be of particular value to students with an interest in the relationship between religious, society, and politics.