The Laws of Nature and of Nature's God: The Role of Theological Claims in the Argument of the Declaration of Independence
It is not uncommon in this country to hear someone say something like, "America is a country based on Judeo-Christian principles." Many of us would accede to some such claim. It has the ring of truth about it, but I suspect that the ring of truth depends on the vagueness of each crucial te...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
1994
|
In: |
Journal of law and religion
Year: 1994, Volume: 11, Issue: 2, Pages: 551-589 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | It is not uncommon in this country to hear someone say something like, "America is a country based on Judeo-Christian principles." Many of us would accede to some such claim. It has the ring of truth about it, but I suspect that the ring of truth depends on the vagueness of each crucial term in the claim, including "based on," "Judeo-Christian principles," and "America." "America," for example, might stand in here for the Constitution, popular mores, governmental institutions, or extra-Constitutional fundamental political claims, etc. I intend to make this claim precise in a number of ways, and then to ask whether the ring of truth remains. Although I address a considerably narrower claim, that claim is not without interest. If nothing else, I hope the reader will see what an immense task awaits those who wish to defend the claim in its general form. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 2163-3088 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of law and religion
|
Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1051380 |