Open Access’n Etiese perspektief op godsdiensvryheid
Author(s) -
J.M. Vorster
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
in die skriflig/in die skriflig
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2305-0853
pISSN - 1018-6441
DOI - 10.4102/ids.v37i2.468
Subject(s) - theocracy , state (computer science) , fundamentalism , perspective (graphical) , religious freedom , separation of church and state , religious studies , law , sociology , political science , environmental ethics , theology , philosophy , islam , algorithm , economic freedom , artificial intelligence , politics , computer science
An ethical perspective on religious freedom This article investigates the concept of religious freedom from a Christian-ethical perspective. In view of the current reality of religious fundamentalism in a growing heterogeneous world community, the concept of theocracy as justification of religious intolerance is investigated. A survey of the concept of theocracy in the Old and New Testament reveals that the official identification of the state with one particular religion, and the state thus giving prominence to that particular religion, cannot be founded on Christian-ethical principles. This practice is also detrimental to the execution of the principle of religious freedom. The conclusion is that the separation of church and state is the most suitable way to uphold the principle of religious freedom