Investigates the importance of civility in the expansion of the Christian Right's influence in US politics, drawing on a discussion of Oliver North's campaign in the 1994 VA Senate race. It is found that, although 67%-80% of evangelicals supported North, 20%-30% of these Christians withheld their endorsement. North's failure to carry the entire evangelical population is interpreted in terms of a basic ambiguity in evangelical Christianity: between the purity of their moral principles & their accommodations to their communities. Although North was widely viewed as holding religiously pure beliefs, many evangelical Christians understood his conduct during the Iran-Contra affair to be morally repugnant. These questions about his moral integrity prevented North from mobilizing evangelical Christians to his cause. It is concluded that if the Christian Right is to become more powerful in US politics, it must learn to accommodate to other groups in their communities. 1 Table, 29 References. D. M. Ryfe
"This essay describes the situation of religion in Hong Kong. Particular attention is paid on its social role in the community. Starting in the 19th Century, Hong Kong transformed from a rural region dominated by traditional Chinese culture to a modernized, globalized and value pluralistic society. It also underwent a process of colonization and de-colonization. It is an interesting issue how various types of religion adapt to this rapidly changing social and political environment. The following section introduces the historical background of Hong Kong. Section III provides a brief sketch of the ethical situation of this society. It is intended to set the stage for the analysis of the situation of religion and its social role in the society in sections IV and V. The historic process of de-colonization in the 1980's and the 1990's has big impact on religion. Section VI discusses how various types of religion are affected by this political change and how they respond to it." (author's abstract)
According to the author, James Madison, a major architect of American constitutional government, operated from a deep Christian commitment & perspective. First, Madison's family background & education are described, which provided him with Christian theology, republican political theory, & the Calvinist notion of work (in his case a political career) as divine calling. Examples of his historical shifts between Lockean liberal & classical republican ideologies, often viewed as inconsistent, are attributed to his Christian worldview. For him, the main goal of religious freedom was to serve the cause of Christian evangelism. Finally, examples of religious perspective in "The Federalist Papers" & examples of Christian language in his political writings are given. D. Miller
"The history of relations between the church and political authorities have shaped remarkable differences in the influence of religion on values of population in Poland, Hungary and Czecho-Slovakia. The differences in religious involvement, both on the level of personal beliefs and institutionalized behavior, among the countries in Central-Eastern European region are quite large. In Poland the Value Survey of 1990 revealed a level of religious beliefs and practice as high as in Ireland. An obvious explanation for this similarity is that in both Poland and Ireland 'Catholicism as the dominant religion has come to serve as the symbol and guardian of the nation in times threat or domination from external sources' (Martin 1978: A General Theory of Secularization). In Hungary and the Czech Republik levels of church attendance and personal religiosity are low, rivaling the rates in several West European countries, such as France, Netherlands and Scandinavia. The impact of industrialization and urbanization, combined with the hostility of the communist regimes toward religion, resulted in a high degree of secularization among Hungarians and Czechs. This paper explores several dimensions of religious values, beliefs, attitudes and practice of Poles, Czechs and Slovacs in 1990, based on results of the EVSSG survey. It analyzes the interrelationship between such aspects of religious values and behavior as - on one hand - church attendance, institutional attachment, adherence to traditionel beliefs, confidence in the church, support for a public role of the church, and on the other hand - 'intrinsic' forms of religiosity: identifying oneself as a religious person, the importance of God in one's life, and getting comfort and strength from religion. Hypotheses dealing with the connection between religion and morality, would predict that secularization processes and a diminshing influence of the church would give rise to relativistic moral attitudes, moral permissiveness and tolerance toward different groups. The results suggest that some modification of these hypotheses on the basis of the different historical experience in this region is needed. The relationship between religious and political attitudes and behavior is particulary important in the analyzed countries, taking into account the atheistic policy of the communist regimes and the recent collapse of these regimes. These changes and the impact of socio-demographic factors, such as age, education and place of residence, though also somewhat different, allow us to predict that similar trend toward secularization and individualization will occur as have been observed in Western Europe." (Autorenreferat)
An introductory chapter looks at the dynamic nature of gender concepts, stressing that gender constructions can only be understood in relation to historical, cultural, social, political, & religious contexts. It is maintained that this collection goes beyond examinations of women's roles in various settings, or representations of gender in narrative contexts, to focus on the intersection of gender & religious identities in India, as well as the relation of the complex notion of gender identity with cultural & religious ideas about sexuality. It is noted that most of the essays grew out of a 1996 conference at the U of London on "Gender, Religion, & Social Definition." Although the contributors employ different methodologies & frameworks to explore gender in varied socioreligious contexts, the papers focus on one theme or an intersection of two themes: gender identity & gendered discourse. The studies include investigations of gendered constructs in ancient traditions/texts like the Indian vedic grammars, folk narratives, contemporary possession rituals, & urban communal violence. A synopsis of each essay is included. 79 References. J. Lindroth
When one considers the results of social scientific surveys, secularisation in Germany seems to be a more or less linear process of erosion of what is traditionally named religiosity. The percentage of citizens who affirm that they are "religious", believe in God or otherworldly beings, hope for life after death or participate regularly in the praxis of a religious community has been – by and large – steadily declining for decades. This decline has occurred over the succeeding generations: The younger the generation, the fewer "religious" people in it. But the process of secularisation is apparent not only in this persistent quantitative shrinkage from generation to generation. Above all it also manifests itself – this is the thesis of the article – in the transformation of the habitus formations and contents of faith of the generations. The essence of ongoing secularisation naturally is reflected most clearly in its contemporary state of development which is represented in the youngest adult generation. Therefore the analysis of this generation is particularly interesting for the sociology of religion. But the article does not confine to analyze this generation. After indicating some basic premises of the sociology of generations and the notion of secularisation presupposed in this paper, the succession of generations in Germany is outlined hypothetically, from the so-called generation of '68 to the youngest adult generation, concluding with some remarks about the progress of secularisation.
Explores the notion of Just Peace, demonstrating the validity of three propositions. First, the implications of religion for the topic are significant & intricate: significant due to religion's vital role in today's international system & vital because religions at times differ in their doctrinal understandings of justice & peace. Second, the concept of Just Peace should be regarded as a rubric, an "umbrella term" that encompasses a host of sub-problems. Third, despite the complexity of the issues at hand, the enduring significance of internationally acknowledged human rights constitute one major unifying theme for the diverse considerations of peace & justice. K. Coddon
Examines the nature & consequences of the multiple interconnections between religions & wars both historically & in the contemporary world, highlighting their geographic dimensions. The function of religions as "cultural systems" & the mutable nature of such systems are described in terms of how they provide the impetus, motivation, or rationale for war. The relationship between geographic context & the religious discourses that fuel war is explored, along with religion's role in the "territorial concerns & spatial strategies of combatants." Also discussed are differences between religiously motivated wars & other types of conflict; linkages between religion, nationalism, ethnicity, & war; wars resulting from secular opposition to religious activities; & the function of religion in the political pursuit of peace. References. K. Hyatt Stewart
John Adams' views on religion & politics are explained through the history & provisions of the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution, which Adams in large measure drafted. In a broad sense, Adams upheld as his first principle of political philosophy a balance of the freedom of many private religions with the establishment of one public Christian religion. For him, too little religious freedom is a recipe for hypocrisy & impiety, while too much religious freedom is an invitation to depravity & license. He advocated for a "mild & equitable establishment" of Protestantism. D. Miller
