Religion or Worldview: Enhancing Dialogue in the Public Square
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17192/mjr.2009.14.3468Keywords:
Religion, Begriffswahl, öffentlicher Raum, Weltsicht, term, public square, worldviewAbstract
Discussions involving religion’s place today in politics, the academy, the media, even in shaping public policy, in essence the public square, is not without its controversy, misunderstandings and challenges. At what point, however, does use of the term religion become counter-productive or serve to impede that discussion. At what point does its use limit our understanding of the variety of other beliefs and values equally at play in the public square? Might a more inclusive term, implemented at certain times and in certain situations, be more helpful in understanding the variety of beliefs, values and principles operating in the public square? This paper suggests that use of the term worldview, rather than exclusively religion, might enhance dialogue, broaden the discussion and expand the parameters to create a more level playing field, and to examine other perspectives which contrast or compete with religion in the public square.
References
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● Taylor, C. (2007). A Secular Age. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
● Tillich, P. (1957). Dynamics of Faith. New York, NY: Colophon Books.
● Tutu, D. (1999). No Future Without Forgiveness, New York, NY: Doubleday.
● Wright, N. T. (1992). The New Testament and the People of God. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.
● Bellah, R. et al. (1985). Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
● Belmonte, K. (2002). Hero for Humanity: A Biography of William Wilberforce. Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress.
● Berger, P. (Ed.). (1999). The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
● Berger, P. and Luckmann, T. (1967). The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise
in the Sociology of Knowledge. New York, NY: Doubleday.
● Brinkley, D. (2007). The Reagan Diaries. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
● Carter, S. L. (1993). The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize
Religious Devotion New York,NY: Basic Books.
● Chickering, A.W., Dalton, J.C., & Stamm, L. (2006). Encouraging Authenticity and Spirituality in Higher Education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
● Clark, M. (1989). Ariadne’s Thread: The Search for New Modes of Thinking. New York, NY: St. Martin’s.
● Cox, H. (1999). “The Market God”, Atlantic Monthly. March.
● Dale, G. (2000). God's Politicians: The Christian Contribution to 100 Years of Labour. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
● English, J., Gwyn, R., & Lackenbauer, P. W. (2005). The Hidden Pierre Elliot Trudeau:
The Faith Behind the Politics. Ottawa, ON: Novalis/St. Paul’s University.
● Goldman, A. (1992). The Search for God at Harvard. New York, NY: Ballantine.
● Gregg, A. (2005). “The Christian Comeback.” Saturday Night, November.
● Hart, D. G. (1999). The University Gets Religion: Religious Studies in American Higher
Education. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University.
● Hurd, E. S. (2008). The Politics of Secularism in International Relations. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University.
● Ibbitson, J. (2003). “Keep God in the calendar.” Globe & Mail, April 19.
● Ingham, M. (1997). Mansions of the Spirit: The Gospel in a Multi-Faith World Toronto,
ON: Anglican Book Centre.
● Iyer, P. (2008). The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. New York, NY: Knopf.
● Jacobsen, D., & Jacobsen R. H. (Eds.). (2007). The American University in a Postsecular
Age: Religion and Higher Education. New York, NY: Oxford University.
● Lappé, F. M. & Lappé, A. (2003). Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet. New York, NY: Penguin.
● Lerner, M. (2006). The Left hand of God: Healing America’s Political and Spiritual Crisis. New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco.
● Marmur, D. (1997). The Place of Religious Voices in Public Discourse. Unpublished.
● Marsden, G. M. (1994). The Soul of the American University: From Protestant
Establishment to Established Non-belief. New York, NY: Oxford University.
● Ebd. (1997). The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship. New York,NY: Oxford University.
● McIntire, C. T. (2007). “How Religious Studies Misunderstands Religion”, Academic Matters, December, 9-13.
● McKenzie, L. (1991). Adult Education & Worldview Construction. Malabar, FL: Krieger.
● McLeod, T.H. & McLeod, I. (2004).Tommy Douglas: The Road to Jerusalem. Calgary, AB: Fifth House.
● Metha, V. (1976). Mohandas Gandhi & His Disciples. New York, NY: Yale University.
● Mickelburgh, R. (2004). Nobel trio’s roundtable captivates. Vancouver, Globe & Mail, April 21.
● Nelson, R. H. (2001). Economics as Religion: From Samuelson to Chicago and Beyond.
University Park, PA.: Pennsylvania State University.
● Newbiggin, L. (1989). The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans.
● Newman, J. H. (1982). The Idea of a University. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame.
● Nord, W. (1995). Religion & American Education: Rethinking a National Dilemma. Chapel Hill, NC.: University of North Carolina.
● Hunter, J. D. (2000). The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age Without Good or Evil. New York, NY: Basic Books.
● Olthuis, J. H. (1985). “On Worldviews”, Christian Scholars Review, XIV, 2: 153-64.
● Polanyi, M. (1958). Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago.
● Ratzinger, J. & Pera, M. (2006). Without Roots: The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam. New York, NY: Basic Books.
● Reuben, J. A. (1996). The Making of the Modern University: Intellectual Transformation
and the Marginalization of Morality. Chicago,IL: University of Chicago.
● Sachs, S. (2008). Sarkosy’s communion with God. Globe & Mail, February 25.
● Schlosser, E. (2002). Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New
York, NY: Perennial.
● Sharlet, J. (2008). The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. Toronto, IN: HarperCollins.
● Sinclair-Faulkner, T. (1997). “A Puckish Reflection on Religion in Canada” in Peter Slater, ed., Religion and Culture in Canada. Toronto, ON: Canadian Corporation for Studies in
Religion.
● Sire, J. W. (2004). Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept. Downers Grover, IL: InterVarsity.
● Smart, N. (1983). Worldviews: Cross-cultural Exploration of Human Beliefs. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
● Somerville, M. (2003). Faith and Politics: an uneasy mix. Globe & Mail, August 8.
● Stark, R. (2005). The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success. New York, NY: Random House.
● Suzuki, D. (1997). The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature. Vancouver, BC: Greystone.
● Taylor, C. (2007). A Secular Age. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
● Tillich, P. (1957). Dynamics of Faith. New York, NY: Colophon Books.
● Tutu, D. (1999). No Future Without Forgiveness, New York, NY: Doubleday.
● Wright, N. T. (1992). The New Testament and the People of God. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.
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2015-04-28
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Valk, J. (2015). Religion or Worldview: Enhancing Dialogue in the Public Square. Marburg Journal of Religion, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.17192/mjr.2009.14.3468
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