Whose God rules? : is the United States a secular nation or a theolegal democracy? /
"The United States is not a secular democracy where laws guarantee freedom from religion, nor is it a theocracy, where a single religion prescribes all laws. This book demonstrates that the United States, whether we like it or not, is a theolegal nation--a democracy that simultaneously guarante...
| Other Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Palgrave Macmillan,
2011.
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| Edition: | 1st ed. |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | "The United States is not a secular democracy where laws guarantee freedom from religion, nor is it a theocracy, where a single religion prescribes all laws. This book demonstrates that the United States, whether we like it or not, is a theolegal nation--a democracy that simultaneously guarantees citizens the right to free expression of belief while preventing the establishment of a state religion. This guarantees officials the right to use theology as one of many resources in making, applying, or administering law because a theolegal democracy does not prevent citizens or officials from using their religious worldview in the public arena as seen in secular nations. However, theolegal democracy also does not permit officials to use their theology to deny civil rights to those who do not meet those creedal tests as seen in theocracies"--Provided by publisher. "Theolegal democracy defines a political system that allows public officials to use theology in its democratic process to shape law without instituting an official state religion. In Whose God Rules?, preeminent scholars debate the theolegal theory, which describes the gray area between a secular legal system, where theology is dismissed as irrational and a threat to the separation of religion and state, and a theocracy, where a single religion determines all law. The United States is neither a secular nation nor a theocracy, leading scholars to ask whether the United States is a theolegal democracy. If so, whose God rules?"--Provided by publisher. |
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| Physical Description: | xii, 263 pages ; 22 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780230117839 (hardback) 023011783X (hardback) |