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RELIGION IN POLITICS: WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
- Source :
- Think: Philosophy for Everyone; Spring2013, Vol. 12 Issue 33, p65-73, 9p
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- A few years ago, I, an American, was giving a talk at a political philosophy conference in the United Kingdom. My topic was religion in democratic politics, and I delivered what I thought was a splendid line of argument supporting the idea that religion has at most a highly constrained role to play in democratic politics. The audience was appreciative enough, but during the question and answer session, there emerged the charge that my paper had addressed a uniquely ‘American’ problem, a problem that was not of general significance to political philosophers outside of the United States. I replied that although the political scene in the contemporary United States provides many high-profile examples of the problem I had been addressing, the general problem of religion in politics confronts democracy as such. I then provided some cases from outside America in which the problem shows itself: the public slaying of Theo Van Gough, the controversy surrounding the publication of cartoon representations of Muhammad in Denmark, the reemergence of religiously-affiliated and reactionary political parties throughout Europe, and so on. Yet for the most part my audience remained unmoved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- RELIGION & politics
AMERICANS
POLITICAL philosophy
CARICATURES & cartoons
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14771756
- Volume :
- 12
- Issue :
- 33
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Think: Philosophy for Everyone
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 84598805
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S1477175612000279