RT Article
T1 Religious Pluralism, Legal Development, and Societal Complexity: Rudimentary Forms of Civil Religion
JF Journal for the scientific study of religion
VO 13
IS 2
SP 177
OP 189
A1 Cole, William A.
A1 Hammond, Phillip E. 1931-
LA English
PB Wiley-Blackwell
YR 1974
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1668052520
AB We explore the question of why civil religion might arise in the first place. Essentially the argument is: (1) the condition of religious pluralism creates special problems for social interaction; (2) social interaction, in such situations, is facilitated by a universalistic legal system; (3) a universalistic legal system may, therefore, be elevated to the sacred realm. Actually, the data bear on only the first two of these propositions, showing that the association between legal development and societal complexity increases with every increase in religious pluralism. We prepare the groundwork for the plausible claim, therefore, that, in the absence of a universally acceptable meaning system (traditional religion), the legal order may become a universally acceptable substitute (civil religion).
K1 Catholicism
K1 conflicts of laws
K1 Fairness
K1 Legal systems
K1 Protestantism
K1 Religious laws
K1 Religious rituals
K1 Social evolution
K1 Social Interaction
DO 10.2307/1384378