Religion and the Obligations of Citizenship
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: September 2, 2002
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 240
ISBN-13: 9780521808576
Subjects: Civil rights & citizenship; Philosophy; Religion: general; Religion and politics; Moral and ethical aspects; Religion - Church History; Religious; Comparative Religion; General; Philosophy / General; Citizenship
First sentence: Aristotle offered the most famous definition of citizenship when he defined a citizen as someone who takes part in ruling and being ruled.
Description: "In Religion and the Obligations of Citizenship, Paul J. Weithman asks whether citizens in a liberal democracy may base their votes and their public political arguments on their religious beliefs. Drawing on empirical studies of how religion actually functions in politics, he challenges the standard view that citizens who rely on religious reasons must be prepared to make good their arguments by appealing to reasons that are "accessible" to others. He contends that churches contribute to democracy by enriching political debate and by facilitating political participation, especially among the poor and minorities, and as a consequence, citizens acquire religiously based political views and diverse views of their own citizenship.

He concludes that the philosophical view which most defensibly accommodates this diversity is one that allows ordinary citizens to draw on the views their churches have formed when they vote, and when offering public arguments for their political positions."--Jacket.