Democracy and The Human Face Divine Religious Humanism and Politics in the World of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein and Jacques Maritain

Abstract

Yet, even as one embraces the political and legal dimensions of Judaism, which demand some relationship between religion and state, need the theocracy Herzog and Bar-Ilan propose be the inevitable conclusion? To put the question more sharply—does a rejection of a full separation between religion and state necessarily lead a religious Jew (or any religion with a political or communal element) towards pure theocracy and rejection of democratic values? 4¶ Among chorus of modern religious thinkers who have resisted the call of theocracy, arguing that from within religious tradition one can find expressions and elements of democratic values, an important voice was R’ Aharon Lichtenstein. His approach is particularly noteworthy for his integration of religious humanism into his political theory. It is his approach, alongside another similarly inclined political philosopher, Jacques Maritain, that will be considered in this paper. (From Introduction)