Religion in the public square: what, exactly, do liberals want to quarantine, and why doesn't it work?

Abstract

Fuelled by the power of the evangelical right, 'Religion and the public square' debates form a veritable industry in US political theory. Yet successive volumes frequently seem to retread old ground, making few advances. In the much less heated Australian religious atmosphere, such soul-searching can seem quaint or obsessive; yet recent political developments here, notably the success of 'family values' social conservatism, suggest that the relationship between political and religious views might merit further analysis here, too. I will take up recent US debates about the place of religion in public debate and argue that, although coming from widely divergent philosophical directions, they share a peculiar, and highly limiting, conception of the relationship between religious and political conviction. I will spell out where I think US debates grind themselves into an impossible corner and then point out how a more textured account of the political dimensions of religious belief can illuminate both US debates and the very different Australian religio-political climate. Show more