Tema: USA's konservative kristne

Orienterings Niels Lindvig ser i denne serie på de konservative kristnes genrejsning i USA. De enkelte indslag i serien kan findes nederst på denne side. I de enkelte indslag indgår bla.  interviews med en dekan, professor og to studerende fra Regent Law School, samt en professor ved Marchall University. Disse fem interviews kan aflyttes i fuld længde til højre i skærmbilledet.

I de senere år, men især efter at Præsident George W. Bush blev genvalgt i november 2004, har kristne konservative grupper i USA udkæmpet kulturkrigene om kristen livsførelse, etik og moral med betydeligt større gennemslagskraft end tidligere.

Evangeliske kristne forsamlinger rammer i disse år en voksende stemning i USA; en længsel efter kulturelt enklere tider.

Blandt nordamerikanerne hersker der dyb uenighed om tilværelsens grundlæggende spørgsmål om abort, aktiv dødshjælp, livets tilblivelse, ja, sågar hvad ægteskab er.

Når man ikke engang kan enes om, hvad noget så fundamentalt som ægteskab er, bør det måske ikke undre, at mange mennesker ser bagud mod nationens grundlæggende principper i deres søgen efter vejledning. Det er når fundamentale spørgsmål kommer til debat, at spørgsmålene melder sig: Hvilken slags mennesker er vi? Hvor kommer vi fra?

USA’s grundlovsfædre om religion

Er USA en kristen nation? Nogle kristne konservative siger ja med den begrundelse, at grundlæggerne var inspireret og styret af deres tro. Modstandere mener, at nationens grundlæggere netop bestræbte sig på at undgå kristen dominans på det offentlige område.

Her nogle af de historiske citater, som benyttes af de to sider i dagens debat:

Citater for kristendom i det offentlige liv:

"It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue." -- John Adams (letter to cousin Zabdiel Adams, June 21, 1776)

"While just government protects all in their religious rights, true religion affords to government its surest support." -- George Washington (address to the Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church in North America, October 9, 1789)

"Our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament, or the Christian religion." -- Noah Webster, author of the first American dictionary (writing in History of the United States, 1832)

"Our liberty depends on our education, our laws, and habits… it is founded on morals and religion, whose authority reigns in the heart, and on the influence all these produce on public opinion before that opinion governs rulers." -- Fisher Ames, Federalist party leader (An Oration on the Sublime Virtues of General George Washington, 1800)

"The… law established by the Creator… extends over the whole globe, is everywhere and at all times binding upon mankind… This is the law of God by which he makes his way known to man and is paramount to all human control." -- Rufus King, signer of the Constitution (letter to C. Gore, February 17, 1820)

"I concur with the author in considering the moral precepts of Jesus as more pure, correct, and sublime than those of ancient philosophers." -- Thomas Jefferson (letter to Edward Dowse, April 19, 1803)

"The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments." -- Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence (Of the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic, 1798)

"The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments." -- Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence (Of the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic, 1798)

Citater imod kristendom i det offentlige liv:

"Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion." -- John Adams (letter to Benjamin Rush, June 12, 1812)

"The number, the industry, and the morality of the Priesthood, & the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the Church from the State." -- James Madison (letter to Robert Walsh, March 2, 1819)

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." -- Thomas Jefferson (letter to the Danbury, Connecticut. Baptist Association, January 1, 1802)

"The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent national gifts. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support." -- George Washington (letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, RI, August 18, 1790)

"The Constitution of the U.S. forbids everything like an establishment of a national religion." -- James Madison (Detached Memoranda, ca. 1817)

"We should begin by setting conscience free. When all men of all religions… shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for honors and power… we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society." -- John Adams (letter to Dr. Price, April 8, 1785)

"As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of government to protect all conscientious protesters thereof, and I know of no other business government has to do therewith." -- Thomas Paine (Common Sense, 1776)

Konservative kristne jurister

Inden for de seneste år har konservative kristne erkendt, hvad deres mere liberale modparter indså for længe siden: Kulturkampene i USA vindes og tabes i retslokalerne. Nogle religiøse ledere som Pat Robertson og Jerry Falwell har oprettet deres juridiske institutter med henblik på at uddanne deres egnen bataljon af advokater til at udkæmpe kulturkampen ved domstolene.

Konservative kristne juridiske fakulteter

Regent University School of Law: Virginia Beach, Virginia. Grundlagt af TV-evangelist, Pat Robertson i 1986 som et fuldtids tre-årigt jurastudium. Det opnåede som det første religiøst funderede institut fuld godkendelse fra USAs Advokatsammenslutning (American Bar Association, ABA) i 1996. I dag følger ca. 500 studerende undervisningen. De kommer fra 44 stater i USA og fra en lang række lande i øvrigt.

”Det vigtigste princip for fores institut er, at der undervises ud fra et religiøst perspektiv; tro influerer på alt i klasseværelser og auditorier”. (Dekan, Jeffrey Brauch)

Liberty Law School: TV-evangelist, Jerry Falwell grundlagde Liberty University i Lynchburg, Virginia i 1971 som et fundamentalistisk baptist universitet. Det juridiske fakultet åbnede dørene for studerende i efteråret 2004 og arbejder på at opnå en foreløbig godkendelse fra USAs Advokatsamfund. For nærværende findes her 56 studerende fra 22 stater i USA samt Indien.

”Det juridiske fakultet ved Liberty University er grundlagt på den forudsætning, at der eksisterer et integreret forhold mellem tro og fornuft og at begge har deres oprindelse i den treenige Gud” (Liberty’s hjemmeside)

Ave Maria School of Law: Hjemsted i Anne Arbor, Michigan. Ave Maria’s jurastudium åbnede i 2000. Fakultetet er grundlagt af den stærkt katolske, Thomas S. Monaghan, der osse er grundlægger af kæden: Domino’s Pizza. Studerende fra 43 stater blev indskrevet på instituttet for 2004-2005. I maj 2005 anbefalede USAs Advokatsammenslutning fuld akkreditering for Ave Maria School of Law.

”Vi ønsker at bibringe de studerende en forståelse for lovens nødvendighed med fokus på de filosofiske og moralske dimensioner i loven.” (Dekan for eksterne anliggender, Michael Kenney)