Religious Motivation And The Democratic Citizen

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Religious Motivation and the Democratic Citizen

Author : Jay Jennings
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (128 download)

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Book Synopsis Religious Motivation and the Democratic Citizen by : Jay Jennings

Download or read book Religious Motivation and the Democratic Citizen written by Jay Jennings and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There has been both praise and vilification of religion's role in shaping democratic citizens. By focusing on individual differences, religious motivations can help explain the complex relationship between religion and good citizenship, especially concerning the important topics of political engagement and prejudice. This dissertation will demonstrate that in order to understand the connection between religion and democratic citizenship, we must consider people's religious motivations. We must go beyond traditional approaches that only consider people's beliefs and behaviors. Religious motivation is a powerful measurement tool providing a richer framework than traditional measures of religiosity when answering a variety of questions regarding democratic citizenship. It is also a unique measure of individual difference with independent effects going beyond measures of personality, open-mindedness, ideology, and religiosity. The goal of this dissertation is twofold. First, it will establish religious motivation as an important measure that can greatly aid our understanding of the relationship between religion and democratic citizenship. Second, this dissertation will demonstrate how religious motivation can clarify religion's relationship with two specific measures of democratic citizenship: prejudice and political engagement. To meet these goals, this dissertation employs nationally representative surveys including a unique survey-experiment to provide evidence of religious motivations' important explanatory power. The findings suggest it is not what religious service you attend, or even how often you attend, but the motivation for being religious that best explains the level of political engagement and prejudice.

Religion and Democratic Citizenship

Author : J. Caleb Clanton
Publisher : Lexington Books
ISBN 13 : 9780739120811
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (28 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and Democratic Citizenship by : J. Caleb Clanton

Download or read book Religion and Democratic Citizenship written by J. Caleb Clanton and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2008 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Polls indicate that many, if not most, Americans think that their religion should play some sort of role in the political arena. But are they misguided? When citizens allow their religious convictions to filter into the political sphere, are they acting as bad citizens? In a pluralistic democracy such as ours, what is the proper relationship between religion and politics? Religion and Democratic Citizenship critically examines a variety of proposals to address the question of whether and how religion should influence the activities of the American public square, from public deliberation to voting. These proposals commonly fall into two broad types of familiar strategies. On the one hand, mainstream liberal political theorists like John Rawls and others seek to keep religion and politics largely separate. On the other hand, pragmatists like William James, John Dewey, and Cornel West seek to reinterpret the meaning of religion itself so that it can be rendered compatible with democracy. Religion and Democratic Citizenship outlines the shortcomings of both of these strategies and aims to reframe the nature of the debate concerning the proper relationship between religion and politics by offering a useful framework for further discussion. Drawing influence from both Socrates and C. S. Peirce, the author proposes a model of the deliberative democracy designed to accommodate as many democratically predisposed citizens as possible, whether they are religious or not. In so doing, this book ultimately offers a strategy to accommodate religious participation in the activities of the democratic public square -- a strategy that enables citizens to employ religious reasoning and meet the epistemic obligations of good deliberative democratic citizenship. Readers of this book will include researchers interested in Philosophy, Political Science, Law, Sociology, and Theology, as well as teachers, students, politicians, clergy, and concerned citizens.

Religious Education as a Dialogue with Difference

Author : Kevin O'Grady
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351064363
Total Pages : 202 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (51 download)

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Book Synopsis Religious Education as a Dialogue with Difference by : Kevin O'Grady

Download or read book Religious Education as a Dialogue with Difference written by Kevin O'Grady and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-12-21 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious Education as a Dialogue with Difference addresses current issues over the study of religion in publicly maintained schools. Are liberal, inclusive approaches to the study of religion suited to the aims of education in a democracy? Do liberal democratic aims offer the right framework for the study of religion? By presenting research on English secondary school pupils' motivation in religious education, this volume argues that religious education is best understood as a democratic dialogue with difference. The book offers empirical evidence for this claim, and it demonstrates how learners gain in religious literacy, both through the exercise of democratic citizenship in the classroom and towards the goal of life-long democratic citizenship.

Religion, Citizenship and Democracy

Author : Alexander Unser
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030832775
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (38 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion, Citizenship and Democracy by : Alexander Unser

Download or read book Religion, Citizenship and Democracy written by Alexander Unser and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-03 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This innovative volume is focused on the impact of religion on the realization of democratic citizenship. The researchers contributing provide empirical evidence on how religion influences attitudes towards citizenship and democracy in different countries. The book also tackles the challenges and opportunities for citizenship education. Experts contributing from sociology, political science, theology, and educational science look at the impact of religious beliefs and practices on democratic attitudes and behavior. Chapters also concern how religion influences the recognition of others as citizens. The text appeals to graduates and researchers in these fields with a secondary market for the general interest reader.

Religion and the Obligations of Citizenship

Author : Paul J. Weithman
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139433997
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (394 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and the Obligations of Citizenship by : Paul J. Weithman

Download or read book Religion and the Obligations of Citizenship written by Paul J. Weithman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-08-15 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Religion and the Obligations of Citizenship Paul J. Weithman asks whether citizens in a liberal democracy may base their votes and their public political arguments on their religious beliefs. Drawing on empirical studies of how religion actually functions in politics, he challenges the standard view that citizens who rely on religious reasons must be prepared to make good their arguments by appealing to reasons that are 'accessible' to others. He contends that churches contribute to democracy by enriching political debate and by facilitating political participation, especially among the poor and minorities, and as a consequence, citizens acquire religiously based political views and diverse views of their own citizenship. He concludes that the philosophical view which most defensibly accommodates this diversity is one that allows ordinary citizens to draw on the views their churches have formed when voting and offering public arguments for their political positions.

The Ethics of Citizenship

Author : J. Caleb Clanton
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 492 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis The Ethics of Citizenship by : J. Caleb Clanton

Download or read book The Ethics of Citizenship written by J. Caleb Clanton and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering the most significant contributions on the topic from leading contemporary scholars, J. Caleb Stanton's carefully edited and organized The Ethics of Citizenship seeks to answer one of the most salient and hotly debated questions of the day: What role, if any, should religion play in U.S. politics? While there is a considerable body of writing in response to this question, until now there has not been a one-volume collection of relevant answers. Here, at last, a variety of distinguished political theorists--from John Rawls to Richard Rorty, and from Nicholas Wolterstorff to Cornel West--weigh in on this important topic, and, together, provide a balanced and engaging overview of the debate that continues to grip the nation.

Religious Commitment and Secular Reason

Author : Robert Audi
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521775700
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (757 download)

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Book Synopsis Religious Commitment and Secular Reason by : Robert Audi

Download or read book Religious Commitment and Secular Reason written by Robert Audi and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-03-13 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many religious people are alarmed about features of the current age--violence in the media, a pervasive hedonism, a marginalization of religion, and widespread abortion. These concerns influence politics, but just as there should be a separation between church and state, so should there be a balance between religious commitments and secular arguments calling for social reforms. Robert Audi offers a principle of secular rationale, which does not exclude religious grounds for action but which rules out restricting freedom except on grounds that any rational citizen would accept. This book describes the essential commitments of free democracy, explains how religious and secular moral considerations can be integrated to facilitate cooperation in a world of religious pluralism, and proposes ideals of civic virtue that express the mutual respect on which democracy depends.

Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy

Author : Robert Wuthnow
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691222649
Total Pages : 326 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

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Book Synopsis Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy by : Robert Wuthnow

Download or read book Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy written by Robert Wuthnow and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the actions and advocacy of diverse religious communities in the United States have supported democracy’s development during the past century Does religion benefit democracy? Robert Wuthnow says yes. In Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy, Wuthnow makes his case by moving beyond the focus on unifying values or narratives about culture wars and elections. Rather, he demonstrates that the beneficial contributions of religion are best understood through the lens of religious diversity. The religious composition of the United States comprises many groups, organizations, and individuals that vigorously, and sometimes aggressively, contend for what they believe to be good and true. Unwelcome as this contention can be, it is rarely extremist, violent, or autocratic. Instead, it brings alternative and innovative perspectives to the table, forcing debates about what it means to be a democracy. Wuthnow shows how American religious diversity works by closely investigating religious advocacy spanning the past century: during the Great Depression, World War II, the civil rights movement, the debates about welfare reform, the recent struggles for immigrant rights and economic equality, and responses to the coronavirus pandemic. The engagement of religious groups in advocacy and counteradvocacy has sharpened arguments about authoritarianism, liberty of conscience, freedom of assembly, human dignity, citizens’ rights, equality, and public health. Wuthnow hones in on key principles of democratic governance and provides a hopeful yet realistic appraisal of what religion can and cannot achieve. At a time when many observers believe American democracy to be in dire need of revitalization, Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy illustrates how religious groups have contributed to this end and how they might continue to do so despite the many challenges faced by the nation.

Democratic Authority and the Separation of Church and State

Author : Robert Audi
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190208147
Total Pages : 192 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis Democratic Authority and the Separation of Church and State by : Robert Audi

Download or read book Democratic Authority and the Separation of Church and State written by Robert Audi and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-09-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Democratic states must protect the liberty of citizens and must accommodate both religious liberty and cultural diversity. This democratic imperative is one reason for the increasing secularity of most modern democracies. Religious citizens, however, commonly see a secular state as unfriendly toward religion. This book articulates principles that enable secular governments to protect liberty in a way that judiciously separates church and state and fully respects religious citizens. After presenting a brief account of the relation between religion and ethics, the book shows how ethics can be independent of religion-evidentially autonomous in a way that makes moral knowledge possible for secular citizens--without denying religious sources a moral authority of their own. With this account in view, it portrays a church-state separation that requires governments not only to avoid religious establishment but also to maintain religious neutrality. The book shows how religious neutrality is related to such issues as teaching evolutionary biology in public schools, the legitimacy of vouchers to fund private schooling, and governmental support of "faith-based initiatives." The final chapter shows how the proposed theory of religion and politics incorporates toleration and forgiveness as elements in flourishing democracies. Tolerance and forgiveness are described; their role in democratic citizenship is clarified; and in this light a conception of civic virtue is proposed. Overall, the book advances the theory of liberal democracy, clarifies the relation between religion and ethics, provides distinctive principles governing religion in politics, and provides a theory of toleration for pluralistic societies. It frames institutional principles to guide governmental policy toward religion; it articulates citizenship standards for political conduct by individuals; it examines the case for affirming these two kinds of standards on the basis of what, historically, has been called natural reason; and it defends an account of toleration that enhances the practical application of the ethical framework both in individual nations and in the international realm.

Politics and the Order of Love

Author : Eric Gregory
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226307514
Total Pages : 434 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (263 download)

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Book Synopsis Politics and the Order of Love by : Eric Gregory

Download or read book Politics and the Order of Love written by Eric Gregory and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-08-15 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Augustine—for all of his influence on Western culture and politics—was hardly a liberal. Drawing from theology, feminist theory, and political philosophy, Eric Gregory offers here a liberal ethics of citizenship, one less susceptible to anti-liberal critics because it is informed by the Augustinian tradition. The result is a book that expands Augustinian imaginations for liberalism and liberal imaginations for Augustinianism. Gregory examines a broad range of Augustine’s texts and their reception in different disciplines and identifies two classical themes which have analogues in secular political theory: love—and related notions of care, solidarity, and sympathy—and sin—as well as related notions of cruelty, evil, and narrow self-interest. From an Augustinian point of view, Gregory argues, love and sin constrain each other in ways that yield a distinctive vision of the limits and possibilities of politics. In providing a constructive argument for Christian participation in liberal democratic societies, Gregory advances efforts to revive a political theology in which love’s relation to justice is prominent. Politics and the Order of Love will provoke new conversations for those interested in Christian ethics, moral psychology, and the role of religion in a liberal society.

The Churches and Democracy in Brazil

Author : Rudolf von Sinner
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 160899385X
Total Pages : 406 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (89 download)

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Book Synopsis The Churches and Democracy in Brazil by : Rudolf von Sinner

Download or read book The Churches and Democracy in Brazil written by Rudolf von Sinner and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2012-05-04 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brazil is a rapidly emerging country. Brazilian theology, namely the Theology of Liberation, has become well known in the 1970s and 1980s. The politically active Base Ecclesial Communities and the progressive posture of the Roman Catholic Church contrasted with a steadily growing number of evangelicals, mostly aligned with the military regime but attractive precisely to the poor. After democratic transition in the mid-1980s, the context changed considerably. Democracy, growing religious pluralism and mobility, a vibrant civil society, the political ascension of the Worker's Party and growing wealth, albeit within a continuously wide social gap, are some of the elements that show the need of a new approach to theology. It must be a theology that is both critical and constructive, resisting and cooperative, a theology that is able to give orientation to the churches, valuing and encouraging their contribution in society while avoiding attempts of imposition. The Churches and Democracy in Brazil, the fruit of years of interdisciplinary study of the Brazilian context and its main churches and theology, makes its case for an ecumenically articulated public theology. It seeks inspiration mainly in Luther and Lutheran theology, emphasizing human dignity, freedom, trust, the disposition to serve, and the ability to endure the ambiguities of reality, as well as a fresh interpretation of the doctrine of the two regiments. These are the fundamental elements of what makes human beings full members of the body politic: citizenship, their right to have rights and to be able to effectively live them, together with their corresponding duties, in a move of growing political participation conscious of their religious motivation in view of the commonweal.

Obligations of Citizenship and Demands of Faith

Author : Nancy L. Rosenblum
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780691007076
Total Pages : 438 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis Obligations of Citizenship and Demands of Faith by : Nancy L. Rosenblum

Download or read book Obligations of Citizenship and Demands of Faith written by Nancy L. Rosenblum and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of the many challenges facing liberal democracy, none is as powerful and pervasive today as those posed by religion. These are the challenges taken up in Obligations of Citizenship and Demands of Faith, an exploration of the place of religion in contemporary public life. The essays in this volume suggest that two important shifts have altered the balance between the competing obligations of citizenship and faith: the growth of religious pluralism and the escalating calls of religious groups for some measure of autonomy or recognition from democratic majorities. The authors--political theorists, philosophers, legal scholars, and social scientists--collectively argue that more room should be made for religion in today's democratic societies. Though they advocate different ways of carving out and justifying the proper bounds of "church and state" in pluralist democracies, they all write from within democratic theory and share the aim of democratic accommodation of religion. Alert to national differences in political circumstances and the particularities of constitutional and legal systems, these contributors consider the question of religious accommodation from the standpoint of institutional practices and law as well as that of normative theory. Unique in its interdisciplinary approach and comparative focus, this volume makes a timely and much-needed intervention in current debates about religion and politics. The contributors are Nancy L. Rosenblum, Alan Wolfe, Ronald Thiemann, Michael McConnell, Graham Walker, Amy Gutmann, Kent Greenawalt, Aviam Soifer, Harry Hirsch, Gary Jacobsohn, Yael Tamir, Martha Nussbaum, and Carol Weisbrod.

Religion in the Public Square

Author : Robert Audi
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 9780847683420
Total Pages : 194 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (834 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion in the Public Square by : Robert Audi

Download or read book Religion in the Public Square written by Robert Audi and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 1997 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This vigorous debate between two distinguished philosophers presents two views on a topic of worldwide importance: the role of religion in politics. Audi argues that citizens in a free democracy should distinguish religious and secular considerations and give them separate though related roles. Wolterstorff argues that religious elements are both appropriate in politics and indispensable to the vitality of a pluralistic democracy. Each philosopher first states his position in detail, then responds to and criticizes the opposing viewpoint. Written with engaging clarity, Religion in the Public Square will spur discussion among scholars, students, and citizens.

Religion and Brazilian Democracy

Author : Amy Erica Smith
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108482112
Total Pages : 223 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (84 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and Brazilian Democracy by : Amy Erica Smith

Download or read book Religion and Brazilian Democracy written by Amy Erica Smith and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-28 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evangelical and Catholic groups are transforming Brazilian politics. This book asks why, and what the consequences are for democracy.

Competences for democratic culture

Author : Council of Europe
Publisher : Council of Europe
ISBN 13 : 9287182647
Total Pages : 78 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (871 download)

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Book Synopsis Competences for democratic culture by : Council of Europe

Download or read book Competences for democratic culture written by Council of Europe and published by Council of Europe. This book was released on 2016-04-04 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new Council of Europe reference framework of competences for democratic culture! Contemporary societies within Europe face many challenges, including declining levels of voter turnout in elections, increased distrust of politicians, high levels of hate crime, intolerance and prejudice towards minority ethnic and religious groups, and increasing levels of support for violent extremism. These challenges threaten the legitimacy of democratic institutions and peaceful co-existence within Europe. Formal education is a vital tool that can be used to tackle these challenges. Appropriate educational input and practices can boost democratic engagement, reduce intolerance and prejudice, and decrease support for violent extremism. However, to achieve these goals, educationists need a clear understanding of the democratic competences that should be targeted by the curriculum. This book presents a new conceptual model of the competences which citizens require to participate in democratic culture and live peacefully together with others in culturally diverse societies. The model is the product of intensive work over a two-year period, and has been strongly endorsed in an international consultation with leading educational experts. The book describes the competence model in detail, together with the methods used to develop it. The model provides a robust conceptual foundation for the future development of curricula, pedagogies and assessments in democratic citizenship and human rights education. Its application will enable educational systems to be harnessed effectively for the preparation of students for life as engaged and tolerant democratic citizens. The book forms the first component of a new Council of Europe reference framework of competences for democratic culture. It is vital reading for all educational policy makers and practitioners who work in the fields of education for democratic citizenship, human rights education and intercultural education.

Faith in Numbers

Author : Michael Hoffman
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0197538037
Total Pages : 213 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (975 download)

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Book Synopsis Faith in Numbers by : Michael Hoffman

Download or read book Faith in Numbers written by Michael Hoffman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-01-18 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why does religion sometimes increase support for democracy and sometimes do just the opposite? In Faith in Numbers, political scientist Michael Hoffman presents a theory of religion, group interest, and democracy. Focusing on communal religion, he demonstrates that the effect of communal prayer on support for democracy depends on the interests of the religious group in question. For members of groups who would benefit from democracy, communal prayer increases support for democratic institutions; for citizens whose groups would lose privileges in the event of democratic reforms, the opposite effect is present. Using a variety of data sources, Hoffman illustrates these claims in multiple contexts. He places particular emphasis on his study of Lebanon and Iraq, two countries in which sectarian divisions have played a major role in political development, by utilizing both existing and original surveys. By examining religious and political preferences among both Muslims and non-Muslims in several religiously diverse settings, Faith in Numbers shows that theological explanations of religion and democracy are inadequate. Rather, it demonstrates that religious identities and sectarian interests play a major part in determining regime preferences and illustrates how Islam in particular can be mobilized for both pro- and anti-democratic purposes. It finds that Muslim religious practice is not necessarily anti-democratic; in fact, in a number of settings, practicing Muslims are considerably more supportive of democracy than their secular counterparts. Theological differences alone do not determine whether members of religious groups tend to support or oppose democracy; rather, their participation in communal worship motivates them to view democracy through a sectarian lens.

Why Religious Freedom Matters for Democracy

Author : Myriam Hunter-Henin
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1509904751
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis Why Religious Freedom Matters for Democracy by : Myriam Hunter-Henin

Download or read book Why Religious Freedom Matters for Democracy written by Myriam Hunter-Henin and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-06-11 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Should an employee be allowed to wear a religious symbol at work? Should a religious employer be allowed to impose constraints on employees' private lives for the sake of enforcing a religious work ethos? Should an employee or service provider be allowed, on religious grounds, to refuse to work with customers of the opposite sex or of a same-sex sexual orientation? This book explores how judges decide these issues and defends a democratic approach, which is conducive to a more democratic understanding of our vivre ensemble. The normative democratic approach proposed in this book is grounded on a sociological and historical analysis of two national stories of the relationships between law, religion, diversity and the State, the British (mainly English) and the French stories. The book then puts the democratic paradigm to the test, by looking at cases involving clashes between religious freedoms and competing rights in the workplace. Contrary to the current alternative between the “accommodationist view”, which defers to religious requests, and the “analogous” view, which undermines the importance of religious freedom for pluralism, this book offers a third way. It fills a gap in the literature on the relationships between law and religious freedoms and provides guidelines for judges confronted with difficult cases.