Faith in liberalism: Exploring religion and democracy in the state of Israel.

Does liberalism necessitate a strict separation of religion and state? Or are there some ways in which religion may play a role in constituting a liberal state? Steering clear of a tendency among some political theorists to insulate questions of justification from a rigorous engagement with actual political practices, this dissertation addresses these questions by closely analyzing the links between Judaism and democracy in the State of Israel. Chapter 1 debunks a common assumption that varieties of religion-state interaction are limited to either wholesale integration or strict separation; fleshes out John Rawls's arguments concerning the proper role of religion in public deliberation; and argues that political liberalism makes room for more religion in political life than is often thought. Chapter 2 begins the investigation of Israel's religion-state arrangement by outlining the role of religion in Israeli constitutional development and describing the Jewish dimensions of the state. Chapters 3--5 turn to the illuminating results of an original research study funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. SES-9910903). Here I introduce 31 religiously diverse Israeli interview subjects; critically analyze their arguments about the nature of Israel as a Jewish state and as a democratic state; explore what Israelis mean when they call for separation of religion and state or a state of all its citizens; and take a microscope to three sets of religion-state linkages: those agreeable to the vast majority of Arab and Jewish citizens alike, those objectionable to liberal Jews; and those particularly troublesome in the eyes of Arabs. Chapter 6 reflects on the results of the field research and on Rawls's arguments in The Law of Peoples to develop a more contextual account of political liberalism. I conclude that while mixing politics with religion is fraught with potential dangers, distinctions must be made between religion-state connections which threaten civil liberties and those which affirm and express a society's deeply held values or serve genuinely liberal purposes without sacrificing individual freedom. Through a detailed exploration of a provocative case study, the project offers a nuanced and politically engaged appraisal of the risks and opportunities of religion in politics.Ph.D.Middle Eastern historyPhilosophyPhilosophy, Religion and TheologyPolitical scienceSocial SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/132533/2/3058010.pd