Human Dignity Found In Religious Community
Barry W. Bussey, "Human Dignity Found in Religious Community," in Barry W. Bussey & Angus J. L. Menuge, Eds., The Inherence of Human Dignity Law and Religious Liberty, Volume 2 (London: Anthem Press, 2021), 115-145, ISBN 9781785276552
32 Pages Posted: 14 Apr 2021
Date Written: February 15, 2021
Abstract
This chapter argues that the communal religious experience of individuals forms a vital part of who they are: their being. My point is not that we are literally created by communal religious experience, but that it is only through such experience that we actualize our full potential as relational beings. So, by analogy, the person who wants to be a hockey player and has the potential to be one can exist even if the state bans hockey; but, in another sense, he cannot be a hockey player (actualize his potential) unless playing hockey is permitted. Likewise, as an inherently relational and religious being (homo religiosus), one cannot realize one’s potential outside of a community of shared religious experience. In that sense, one cannot be a Catholic without a Catholic Church. Therefore, denying communal religious experience to a person is like denying vital food for that person’s body, leading to stunted development and sickness. As such, it deserves our respect as a crucial part of their human dignity.
Keywords: communal identity, human dignity, religious identity
JEL Classification: K39, Z12
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation