Presidential Abortion Rhetoric
Editors
Nathan C. Walker; Edwin J. Greenlee
Document Type
Chapter
Publication Date
12-2011
Publication Title
Whose God Rules? Is the United States a Secular Democracy or a Theolegal Nation?
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
First page number:
123
Last page number:
136
Abstract
The United States is not a secular democracy where laws guarantee freedom from religion, nor is it a theocracy, where a single religion prescribes all laws. This book demonstrates that the United States, whether we like it or not, is a theolegal nation - a democracy that simultaneously guarantees citizens the right to free expression of belief while preventing the establishment of a state religion. This guarantees officials the right to use theology as one of many resources in making, applying, or administering law because a theolegal democracy does not prevent citizens or officials from using their religious worldview in the public arena as seen in secular nations. However, theolegal democracy also does not permit officials to use their theology to deny civil rights to those who do not meet those creedal tests as seen in theocracies.
Keywords
Abortion; Democracy; Presidents; Religion; Rhetoric; Secularism; Theocracy
Disciplines
American Politics | Political Science | Political Theory
Language
English
Permissions
Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.
Repository Citation
Jelen, T. G.,
Morris, B.
(2011).
Presidential Abortion Rhetoric. In Nathan C. Walker; Edwin J. Greenlee,
Whose God Rules? Is the United States a Secular Democracy or a Theolegal Nation?
123-136.
Palgrave Macmillan.
COinS