Restraint As To Religious Grounds: Separation of Church and State

This chapter considers restraint from making arguments based on religious grounds as a premium self-restraint principle in politics. There is a claim that such reliance is contrary to fundamental premises of separation of church and state and religious liberty, or is particularly threatening to social life. The chapter discusses the principle of secular motivation—that one should not advocate or promote any legal or public policy restrictions on human conduct unless one not only has and is willing to offer, but is also motivated by, adequate secular reason; the principle of secular rationale—that people should not construct secular rationalizations when they are really persuaded by religious considerations; and the principle of secular resolution—that political issues be finally resolved along secular lines.