In her thesis theologist Liza Lansang-Espinoza introduces the concept of the Christian Imperative to determine how religious minorities can participate fully in political life without compromising their beliefs to advocate for faithful laws.
“I examine the role of religious reasons in the public sphere and how citizens with different beliefs coexist in democratic societies. It involves the questions whether Christians should:
- Focus primarily on ‘getting their voices heard’, or should they seek to be heard as well and influence the legislative process?
- Aim for political positions that are fully in line with their own convictions or try to find a way to compromise, perhaps just to prevent some of the most ‘far off’ legislation, and hence to restrict, moderate, contain ‘bad legislation’?
- Use explicit religious language or try to find ‘secular’ language and secular reasons for their position, to convince others?
- Opt for a ‘majority position’, aiming at shaping generally binding legislation or try to secure ‘minority rights’?
Lansang-Espinoza concludes: “The Christian Imperative is conscientious-engagement, rather than withdrawal or assimilation in the public sphere. There should be religious freedom in the public sphere, this way religious (or secular) arguments can strengthen liberal democratic debate through ‘argumentative democracy’. But in official decisions of the state, only public reasons are allowed for the state to remain impartial to different faiths.”
More information on the thesis
