Preliminary communication
Secular State and Religious Freedom Today. Theological Review on the Contribution of Charles Taylor
Ivica Raguž
orcid.org/0000-0002-0083-0325
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Đakovo, Croatia
Abstract
The author presents a recently published book by Charles Taylor and Jocelyn Maclure entitled “Secularism and Freedom of Conscience”. The first part brings Taylor’s definition of lay or secular state in the context of “moral pluralism”. The second and most important part of the article makes an important distinction between two regimes with regard to their attitudes towards religions, namely: the republican and the liberal pluralist. Taylor specifically warns of the danger from the republican model that uses a lay state to achieve its secular goals. The third part examines “rational exceptions” in the context of the liberal pluralistic secular regime. In the fourth part, special emphasis is placed on the importance of the “ethics of care” for another in today's society, because it is often suppressed by the idea of rights, which are granted, but which do not take care of the other. The fifth and final part of the article brings theological analysis of Taylor's statements in the dialogue with Jürgen Habermas and with regard to the sociopolitical situation in Croatia.
Keywords
Charles Taylor; secular state; “Dignitatis humane”; republican regime; liberal pluralist regime; secularism; state; Jürgen Habermas
Hrčak ID:
116154
URI
Publication date:
12.2.2014.
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