All but four countries in the world claim to be democracies. While this statistic is demonstrative of democracy’s widespread appeal, it fails to articulate the extreme differences in the level of democracy that is experienced in these countries. Many states are merely democratic in name. Others began the democratization process but have failed to progress toward a true democracy. Scholars identify religion as a source of promotion or hindrance to democratic development. They argue that some religions are predisposed to liberal forms of democracy while others are a few steps shy of theocracy. Certain religious-based societies are not willing to incorporate all the elements of democracy, thus hindering democratic development. According to the Dahl and Linz-Stepan criteria listed in chapter eleven of Arguing Comparative Politics, the tenants of democracy are: “(1) freedom to form and join organizations; (2) freedom of expression; (3) the right to vote; (4) eligibility for public office; (5) the right of political leaders to compete for support and votes; (6) alternative sources of information; (7) free and fair elections; (8) institutions for making government policies depend on votes and other expressions of preference;” (9) the presence of a written democracy that respects fundamentals of liberty; and (10) a government that operates within the constraints of the constitution. These parameters help evaluate the impact of specific religions on their government, and will identify which groups obtain true democracy. Christianity, Islam, and Confucianism will be compared to determine their impact on democratic development within a state. When determining whether religion shapes the nature of democratic development, we must fi...
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...te’s job to ensure all minority groups (civil associations) are accessible to the public. Unfortunately, not all pseudo-democratic nations subscribe to this belief. Nations such as Pakistan have a history of oppressing religions other than Islam. In comparing Christianity, Confucianism, and Islam it becomes apparent that democracy is adaptable to each religion. Different approaches have been taken in different countries. Some nations prevent democratic development while others embrace it. Proponents of modernization theory are correct in their basic assumption that economic development will eventually create some level of political liberalization. Specific components of each religion seem to frown upon democracy; however, it is up to the interpreters of each religion to determine whether they will hinder or promote democratic development in their society.
Religion is one of the many factors that define an individual. So, any threat to a person’s beliefs is a threat to his or hers’ very being. The clash between Muslims and Christians is just one of the many groups with distinct differences and beliefs. Therefore, these differences in religion often influence political rivalries as well. Throughout history, someone observing world affairs may note that religion is a contentious issue; however, political tension emerges from this very issue in recent times. Doing so has labeled politics as the core of many conflicts worldwide. These battles between religions also inhibit agitation by one group against another, for gaining reputable land, wealth, and political power. Thus, politics is the primary
In the 2011 article ‘The True Meaning of Separation of Church and State’ by Bill Flax, “Faith is no civil contract, but a personal matter not to be profaned by politics.” These are the exact intentions of the US Constitution and the federal government. The goal is to allow citizens religious freedom that is uninhibited by federal regulation. This essay describes the fundamental reasons why faith groups and institutions should not be allowed to form political parties. This will be done by defining what religion is and how it applies to moral living. Second, this essay will cover the US Constitution and why it also defines moral living. Finally it will define why religion and government in the United States do not belong together. This essay is designed to only examine the US government.
While the impact of religion on democracy has been well documented, it is difficult to trace the impact of democracy on religion. Nevertheless, historians like Nathan Hatch argue that democracy was a significant influence on the development of American religion. Hatch identifies three marks of democratic spirit found in early American religious movements – redefined leadership, acceptance of spiritual experience, and grand ambitions. All three are exempli...
In his 2006 “Call to Renewal Address”, Barack Obama gives his thoughts on the role of religion in democracy through a response to earlier accusations of his un-Christianness during his 2004 Senate race against Alan Keyes. He addresses both his accuser, who suggested that Obama's views disrespect his faith as a Christian, and his liberal supporters, who urged him to ignore these statements because “a literalist reading of the Bible was folly” (2). In his speech, Obama recommends a middle ground between these two views, in which “the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values” (7), as the only way to connect religion and politics in a “pluralistic democracy” (7). This attempt, motivated in part by the role of religion in his own upbringing, is his way to “bridge the gaps that exist and overcome the prejudices each of us bring” to debates in which “faith [is] used as a tool of attack, … to belittle [and] to divide” (8). However, contradictions in his speech prevent his vision from becoming a useful model for religiously-motivated political action. Moreover, the fundamental nature of religion, which he admits “does not allow for compromise” (7), makes such a vision impossible.
In Dr. Robert Kraynak’s article, he questions whether or not the Christian faith is compatible with modern liberal democracy. He begins by explaining that the assumption that these principles are in harmony with each other is an idea that goes back to the founding fathers of America. Yet, it seems that this harmony is turning into hostility at a very alarming rate. Now Christians are faced with the dilemma of conforming to a culture and supporting a government that legalizes abortion and gay marriage, emphasizes materialism while leaving behind the lower class, and regulates the freedom of religion in public despite promoting self-expression. Other modern democracies in Canada and Europe have altogether put aside their Christian roots and became
down by this religion state a man must have a calling in life, or in
Our understanding of democracy is not only dependent on the education we receive on such government, but where we are born. In addition, not all countries have a democracy government system. Currently, there are countries that are of communist and monarchy government types in the world such as China and Vatican City. People being born in countries without a democracy will have less experience of it and therefore have a different opinion about democracy then those that are born in one. Furthermore, everyone’s beliefs are different depending on if your family is religious or not. I also believe that everyone’s attitude and beliefs are developed through life experiences such as how your family has raised you and the traditions of the country of your birth. In my case, I am born in the multicultural country Canada. I am raised in a non-religious, well off family, where most of my daily life necessities are fulfilled. In addition, the education system here in Canada has taught me to treat everyone equally. Moreover, our education system taught us that a democratic government is a much more beneficial system than others such as communism. Through my education, how I am raised and the influences of my country, I believe that a democracy government that promotes equity with diversity of different races is a very wonderful
When explaining democracy, one must look at the cultural norms of the population of a nation. In observing the political interests in different cultures and explaining what influences the active political role, one can also understand the most indicative beacons of a strong democracy. Empirical evidence from the research of Ifra Mushtaq (and associates) as well as cultural observations prove that the best indicators of a strong democracy are political participation in society and the freedom to speak and print a variety of opinions critical of government leaders without fear of oppression.
Democracy is about eradicating hierarchies of power and citizens. Kraynak argues that “… hierarchies of a certain kind are absolutely necessary for spiritual life because hierarchies elevate the soul above mundane concerns and provide institutional support for transcendent goods and higher culture (Kraynak),” The Christian faith believes in universal love, but not in accepting all lifestyles as valid and moral. While democracy typically rescues society from a dictatorship or tyranny that imposes its own standard of moral code, democracy can also be responsible for imposing a sense of “social tyranny”. Democracy tends to favor the majority, but unfortunately the Christian beliefs system and their standard of morals is rarely the majority. Instead the common man seems to have a derogative sense of cultural that invades his decision making in a democracy. This derogative sense of culture will lead to the eradication of practices and morals that are sacred to the Christian belief. Despite what current society might think, abiding by Christian beliefs does not mean sitting idly by while immoral lifestyles are considered the societal
In comparing the average citizen in a democratic nation, say the United States, to that of a non-democratic nation, for instance Egypt, it will be found that the citizen in the democratic nation is generally better off – free of persecution, free from fear of the authorities, and free to express his opinions on governmental matters. And while national conflicts occur everywhere, incidents like violent revolts have shown to be more prevalent in nations where citizens are not allowed to choose who governs them. It is slightly paradoxical that democracy, so inherently flawed in theory, can lead to such successful outcomes in practice. The question, then, becomes: “If democracy has so many weaknesses, why does it work?”
Democracy is robust, widely accepted and highly anticipated around the world. It is the triumphant form of government; dominantly used in Europe, North and South and America and becoming reformed and taking new roots in Africa and Asia. Although the term democracy is based on its Greek origin, demos kratos, meaning people rule, the term cannot be simply understood as such. Due to vast coverage, the adaptation of democracy has varied greatly, whether regionally, nationally, by state or through different branches of government. Perhaps this can be advantageous when the different categorizations listed above can use democracy to rule and suit themselves best, but other factors, such as globalization and neoliberalism, has caused the need for
In the UK the queen is both the head of state and head of the Church
There have been enormous efforts to spread democracy as a political system throughout the world by the developed democratic countries and the international development organizations including the World Bank. By the late 1990s the United States alone spent over a half billion dollars to promote democratic expansion throughout the world (Diamond, 2003). These were done considering that the democratic system leads towards development. As a result in the late 20th century we saw a huge political transformation towards democracy. During the last few decades a huge number of countries adopted democracy as their political system. However, it retain a big question how far democracy is successful in bringing development of a country? At this stage, some people also criticizes the effort of democratization arguing that it is done without considering the context of a country, sometimes democracy is not ideal for all countries and it is an effort to extinct diversity of political system. In studying the literature regarding the debate, we found a paradoxical relationship between democracy and development. Some argue that democracy has failed to ensure expected outcomes in terms of development. While others confronted that democracy has a considerable impact on development. Another group of people argue that form of political system actually does not have any impact on development process. On the verge of these debates, some development institutions and academics throw light on why democracy is not working properly, and what measure should be taken to make it more successful in bringing effective development of developing countries. Consequently, this writing is an effort of revisiting the different views about impact of democra...
The role of religion in politics is a topic that has long been argued, and has contributed to the start of wars, schisms (both political and religious), and other forms of inter and intra-state conflict. This topic, as a result of its checkered past, has become quite controversial, with many different viewpoints. One argument, put forth by many people throughout history, is that religion and the government should remain separate to avoid any conflicting interests. This view also typically suggests that there is one, or several, large and organized religions like the Roman Catholic Church, which would be able to use their “divine” authority to sway the politics of a given state by promising or threatening some form of godly approval or disapproval. By leveraging their divine power, individual figures within a religion, as well as the religion as a whole, could gain secular power for themselves, or over others. A second view, which was developed by many theologians through history, suggests that that without religion there would be a general lack of morality in the people and leaders of a given state, which would give way to poor political decisions that would not be in the interest of the people and perhaps even God (or the gods). This argument, however, does not address the fact that morality can exist without religion. In sociology, it is commonly accepted that social norms, which include morality, can result from any number of things. Religion, laws, or the basic desire of survival can all create these norms, so it suffices to say that as a society, our morals reflect our desire to live in relative peace through the creation of laws that serve to help us to survive. The argument of whether or not religion and politics should mix...
“Are political Islam and democracy compatible?” This question has been troubling both Muslims and non-Muslims living in East and West for a long time now. Contemporary Islamic political thought has become deeply influenced by attempts at reconciling Islam and democracy. Muslim thinkers who deal with political debates cannot disregard the significance of the democratic system, as it is the prevailing theme of modern western political thought. Hence, it is necessary for any alternative political system, whether it is religious or secular, to explore its position with regards to democratic government. In fact, a large literature and media publications have developed over the last century on this heated discourse of democracy versus Islam. While many argue that Islam has all the ingredients of modern state and democratic society, many other reject the phenomena “modernism” and “democracy” as a whole because of their “foreign nature”—alien to “Islamic values”. For Islamists and modernists, the motivation for such effort to either embrace or reject democracy often is to remove suspicion about the nature and goals of Islamic movements and Islamic revivalism or resurgence. But before diving into this discourse, one needs to understand the definition and origins of “democracy.” Although purely a Western ideology in its origin, there is no consensus on the definition of “democracy” as a political system. The Oxford English Dictionary describes democracy as: “A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives” (“democracy, n.”). In my paper, I will examine whether or not democracy and Sunni political Islam are compatible through the eyes of three revolutionary Sun...