基督教、民主和美国理想

joseph

基督教、民主和美国理想 <br>Jacques Maritain <br>  <br>一些美国人要求我们应该在公开场合排除基督徒价值。与此相反，哲学家Jacques Marit <br>ain 认为好基督徒成为好公民。  <br> <br>   他们以福音价值为准绳: 诚实、正直, 和慈爱。他们服从法律。他们抵抗不信和唯物 <br>主义所助长的自私。并且他们把自己的利益相对于大众利益摆在次要地位。  <br> <br>  难怪, Maritain 说, 从基督徒中诞生的美国民主已经服务的这么好和这么长时间了。 <br> <br> 这里Maritain 说明了在一个未经由宗教理想发酵过的社会, 持久的民主不可能生根。并 <br>且有宗教信仰的人一旦摒弃他们的信念, 最伟大的民主甚至也必然会凋枯和死亡。不被卓 <br>越价值引导, 民主就会变成由最强有力和冷酷的人所最终赢取的斗争。 <br> <br>。。。 <br> <br>正如Maritain 所展示在这些清楚的页面里的, 基督徒对民主是至关重要的。好基督徒成 <br>为好公民, 好公民成就强大的民主。如果美国和她的理想将会持久, Maritain 说、基督 <br>徒和他们的价值一定不能从公众舆论中被排除, 而是热切的欢迎它。  <br> <br>Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) 曾在欧洲和美国讲授哲学, 担任过法国驻梵蒂冈大使,  <br>写了许多关于人的尊严以及基督教和民主的联系的书。 <br>(翻译 deskproo & <a href='http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr)' target='_blank'>http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr)</a> <br> <br>Christianity, Democracy And The American Ideal <br>Jacques Maritain <br> <br>Some Americans claim we should exclude Christian values from the public squar <br>e. On the contrary, argues philosopher Jacques Maritain, good Christians make <br> good citizens. <br> <br>They live by gospel values: honesty, integrity, and compassion. They obey the <br> law. They resist the selfishness that unbelief and materialism breed. And th <br>ey subordinate their own interests to the common good.  <br> <br>No wonder, says Maritain, that American democracy — which arose from a Chris <br>tian people — has served so well and lasted so long.  <br> <br>Here Maritain shows that in a society unleavened by religious ideals, an endu <br>ring democracy can never take root. And once a religious people abandons its  <br>faith, even the greatest democracy must wither and die. Untethered from trans <br>cendent values, democracy becomes little more than a struggle to be won by th <br>e most powerful and the ruthless. <br> <br>The hour is late. Too long have we stood by while politicians promise never t <br>o let their religious beliefs influence their political judgments. Too long h <br>as a false understanding of democracy cowed us into laying aside our Christia <br>n values when we vote. <br> <br>As Maritain demonstrates in these lucid pages, Christians are vital to democr <br>acy. Good Christians make good citizens, and good citizens make strong democr <br>acies. If America and her ideals are to endure, says Maritain, Christians and <br> their values must not be excluded from public discourse, but eagerly welcome <br>d into it. <br> <br>Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) taught philosophy in Europe and America, served  <br>as French ambassador to the Vatican, and wrote numerous books on the dignity  <br>of the person and on the relation of Christianity and democracy. <br> <br><a href='http://www.aquinasandmore.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/store.ItemDetails/SKU/2019' target='_blank'>http://www.aquinasandmore.com/index.cfm/Fu...etails/SKU/2019</a> <br>9/Category/226/