“THE RELATIONSHIP between politics and religion has always been very complex and intriguing issue all over the world,” said Prof Ted Jelen of University of Nevada (Las Vegas).
Delivering a lecture on ‘Religion and Politics’ in BHU today, Prof Jelen spoke in length about religion and politics in America. He said that among the most fascinating phenomenon in American politics is the recurring appearance of the Christian Right.
“At various points in the twentieth century of American history, religious conservatives have emerged as a potent political force and have attempted to assert traditional moral, intellectual and social values in the face of changes associated with modernisation,” he said.
“From the Scopes ‘Monkey Trial’, which mobilised Christian conservative in the 1920s to contemporary political conflicts over gay rights and abortion, American politics has regularly been animated by a religious and moral component,” he said.
“In one sense the persistence of the Christian Right in American politics is not surprising, since the United States is a fertile ground for religion-political movements. Although the claim is largely a matter of definition, the United States is described by some analysts as an unusual combination of a high-level economic development and a very high-level religiosity among its population,” he added.
“The American public, taken as a whole, thus seems to possess the theological requisites for consequential religion-based political mobilisation. At the beginning of the 21st century, nearly one-sixth of all Americans identified themselves as supporters of the Christian Right,” said Prof Jelen and admitted that there exists a strong communal tradition in American religion and politics.
{{/usCountry}}“The American public, taken as a whole, thus seems to possess the theological requisites for consequential religion-based political mobilisation. At the beginning of the 21st century, nearly one-sixth of all Americans identified themselves as supporters of the Christian Right,” said Prof Jelen and admitted that there exists a strong communal tradition in American religion and politics.
{{/usCountry}}BHU rector Prof S Lele presided over the lecture whereas head of Political Science Department, Prof Anjoo Sharan Upadhyay delivered the welcome address.