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The Theoretical Foundations of the Relationship between Politics and Religion in Liberal Democracy
May 31 - June 2, 1985
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Introduction
Sessions
- The Founders' Intentions: What were the intentions and expectations of the great early modern philosophers who conceived of the separation of religion and politics? What institutional arrangements and intellectual changes did they think were necessary to effect this separation? What did they hope would be the effects on religion? On politics?
- Paper: Hillel Fradkin, The Olin Foundation, Barnard College
- Respondent: Emil Fackenheim, Visiting Professor, Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
- The State without Religion: What has been the effect on the modern liberal state, in America in particular, of being separate from religion? Has it fulfilled its founders' intentions as a humane and tolerant community bonded together by mutual respect? Has it become the "cold monster" Nietzsche decried? Or has it been compelled to establish its own civil religion? Does it remain endangered by religious intolerance and fanaticism?
- Paper: Richard J.Neuhaus, Director, The Center on Religion and Politics
- Respondent: George Marsden, Professor of Theology, Calvin College
- Religion without the State: What has been the effect on the churches, in America in particular, of being separate from the State? Have they been purified of worldly ambition and artificial irrationality and renewed by true charity and inwardness? Have they lost vitality and been reduced to a lowest common denominator of watery civil religion? Or do they continue to pose a danger to public and private liberty and to prudent policy-making?
- Paper: Ernest Fortin, Professor of Theology, Boston College
- Respondent: Martin E.Marty, Professor in the Divinity School, The University of Chicago
- The Secularization of Theology: To what extent has the intellectual core of religion, the interpretation of scripture itself, been secularized through historical criticism or turned into a handmaiden of modern secular political ideologies? Does scripture still have any authority? To what extent have fundamentalisms developed in exaggerated reaction to modern politics? Can authentic and sober theology obey its own spiritual imperatives in these cross currents?
- Paper: Robert Alter, Professor of Comparative Literature, The University of California
- Respondent: Henry Higuera, St.John's University
- The Sacralization of the Profane: Has the secularization of both state and theology been matched by a discovery of the sacred in other realms of human life from art through sex to sports and environmentalism? Can these new versions of the sacred deepen the spiritual life of modern men and women and compensate for whatever losses arise from separation?
- Paper: Werner J.Dannhauser, Professor of Government, Cornell University
- Respondent: Wilson C.McWilliams, Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University
Summary Discussion
Conference Schedule
Friday, May 31
10:00am - 12:00 noon
Session One
Hillel Fradkin
Emil Fackenheim
2:30 - 4:30pm
Session Two
Richard Neuhaus
George Marsden
Saturday, June 1
10:00am - 12:00 noon
Session Three
Ernest Fortin
Martin Marty
2:30 - 4:30pm
Session Four
Robert Alter
Henry Higuera
Sunday, June 2
10:00am - 12:00 noon
Session Five
Werner Dannhauser
Wilson C.McWilliams
2:30 - 4:30pm
Session Six
General Discussion
©1999, 2000 The John M. Olin Center for Inquiry into the Theory and Practice of Democracy, University of Chicago
Revised: January 2nd, 2000
http://olincenter.uchicago.edu/relpol_1985.html