Under God? Religious Faith and Liberal Democracy

Abstract:     
The proper role of religious faith in the public life of a liberal democracy is one of the most important and controversial issues in the United States today. I have addressed the issue - actually, a complex of related issues - before, principally in two books: Love and Power (Oxford, 1991) and Religion in Politics (Oxford, 1997). I revisit the central questions in this book, because my views have continued to develop and, in some important respects, to change.

I argue, in "Under God?," that political reliance on religious faith violates neither the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment nor, more broadly, the morality of liberal democracy. I also argue, however, that religious believers sometimes have good reasons to be wary about relying on religious beliefs in making political decisions. Along the way, I address three subjects at the heart of fierce contemporary political debate: school vouchers, same-sex marriage, and abortion.

Keywords: Law and Religion, Establishment of Religion, Law and Morality

JEL Classifications: K10

Accepted Paper Series