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Cornerstones of a Civilized Society: Law, Morality, Faith and Spirituality
Author(s) -
Maples Mary Finn
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
juvenile and family court journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.155
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1755-6988
pISSN - 0161-7109
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-6988.1996.tb00837.x
Subject(s) - morality , faith , spirituality , environmental ethics , social connectedness , law , sociology , political science , philosophy , epistemology , psychology , social psychology , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
The linkages among law, morality, faith and spirituality are historically accepted. Yet, the separation between law and morality/faith/ spirituality have also been accepted and expected in order to preserve the traditional separation of church and state. Nevertheless, application, infusion and adoption of legal, moral, faith and spiritual principles have been the cornerstones of the building of this country for almost three centuries. Recently, and increasingly, those cornerstones are being chipped away. Stated more succinctly by Selleck and Josephson (1995). “There is a hole in the moral ozone and we've got to fix it” (p. 53). This paper explores and revisits the unique contributions of each and the connectedness among law, morality, faith and spirituality as partners in refurbishing the cornerstones that can support this nation securely into the next millennium. While examined separately, it is clear that these four components of lifespan development are not mutually exclusive and overlap considerably, both historically and in modern society. Included are models of morality, faith development and spirituality which may provide the reader with concrete touchstones for reflective thought.