Overview

"The founders of the United States were well aware of religious differences in the new nation. Oppression had forced varied European religious groups to seek homes elsewhere, some in the new world of America. Governmental pressures toward conformity in religion had in the past led to corruption and civil strife. Thus, Congress made a dual assertion in its First Amendment to the Constitution: ""Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."" However, the ethical foundations of American society--and therefore its laws--intermingle with the moral codes of religions, including the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments. This handbook helps bring understanding and meaning to the controversies that have arisen in present day society over the application of the Ten Commandments to public law and moral problems. Applications can be logical and legal, or can violate the separation of church and state called for in the First Amendment. Part One provides background on the Ten Commandments. It gives the various versions found in the Old Testament, and explains the non-Israelite influences on those versions (the Hammurabi Code, for example). The moral thinking of the ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Hebrew cultures is examined. The modern Jewish tradition is detailed, as well as the different interpretations placed on the Ten Commandments by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and other Protestants. Part Two focuses on the modern controversies, assessing the differing sides of each. Among the many controversies covered are government funding of faith-based charities, posting the Ten Commandments in public buildings, science versus religion in schools, prayer in public places, blue laws, stem cell research, cloning, euthanasia, capital punishment, abortion and war, racial profiling and covenant marriages."

Full Product Details

Author:   Joseph P. Hester
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Edition:   2nd Revised edition
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.503kg
ISBN:  

9780786426584

ISBN 10:   0786426586
Pages:   291
Publication Date:   06 February 2006
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Preface     Introduction     PART I: THE HISTORY AND MEANING 1. Biblical Content     Versions of the Ten Commandments     Analysis of the Ten Commandments     Interpretation of the Ten Commandments     2. Ethical Inquiry and the Development of Morality     Approaches to Ethical Inquiry     The Development of Moral Thinking in Ancient Cultures     Three Types of Religious Ethics     3. Reflective Morality     The Role of Reason in Ethics     Religion as a Type of Ethic     PART II: ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES 4. Separation of Church and State     Controversy: Funding the Faithful—Faith-Based Initiatives     Controversy: Posting the Ten Commandments in Public Buildings     Controversy: Character Education—What Values Do We Teach?     5. “Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me”     Controversy: One Nation Under God?     Controversy: Religion, Science, and the Schools—Evolution or Creationism?    Controversy: Prayer in Public Schools     Controversy: Keeping the Sabbath Holy     6. “Thou Shalt Not Kill”     Controversy: Federal Funding of Stem Cell Research—Extending the Cloning Controversy   Controversy: Is Euthanasia Ever Morally Correct?     Controversy: Capital Punishment     Controversy: The Morality (or Immorality) of War     Controversy: Is Abortion Murder?     7. “Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness”     Controversy: Racial or Religious Profiling     8. “Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery”     Controversy: Covenant Marriage     Glossary     Notes     Bibliography     Index    

Reviews

“thorough notes are included...useful...recommended”—Choice; “commentary is balanced and well-researched”—C&RL News; “interesting information”—The Society for Old Testament Study; “useful”—ARBA; “discussion throughtout is comprehensive, lucid and serves in many ways as an introduction to general ethical theory. This is enhanced by extensive references to North American legal cases, bibliographies, references and a glossary”—Theological Book Review.

thorough notes are included...useful...recommended --Choice; commentary is balanced and well-researched --C&RL News; interesting information --The Society for Old Testament Study; useful --ARBA; discussion throughtout is comprehensive, lucid and serves in many ways as an introduction to general ethical theory. This is enhanced by extensive references to North American legal cases, bibliographies, references and a glossary --Theological Book Review.

Author Information

Now retired, Joseph P. Hester taught at the university level for ten years, at the public school level for ten years, and served as a public school administrator for seventeen years. He holds the Master in Theology from Southeastern Seminary, Wake Forest, and the Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Georgia, Athens. He has written extensively on ethics, philosophy and education and is also the author of Ethical Leadership for School Administrators and Teachers and Public School Safety: A Handbook, with a Resource Guide (both in 2003). He lives in Claremont, North Carolina.

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