I have studied government, Christian theology, philosophy of religion, and law. I research and write on the same, with an emphasis on the way in which these disciplines intersect with American culture.
While central to the Christian religion, the act of faith has been notoriously difficult to defin... more While central to the Christian religion, the act of faith has been notoriously difficult to define. This essay is an attempt to illuminate, with the aid of insights from cognitive science and process philosophy, what it means for a Christian to have faith, specifically in God. In doing so, the apriori and aposteriori aspects of faith are explored, along with its connections to science and empirical evidence, revelation, knowledge, doubt, morality, and additional Christian beliefs.
LOGOS: A JOURNAL OF CATHOLIC THOUGHT AND CULTURE, 2007
The Religion Clauses of the First Amendment comprise the American citizen’s first freedoms. The ... more The Religion Clauses of the First Amendment comprise the American citizen’s first freedoms. The Supreme Court’s interpretation of these freedoms is in a state of hopeless confusion. The reasons for the confusion have to do with three ideas – separationism, neutrality, and coercion – which have no content independent of the political proclivities of the jurist. This generally ignored fact points to the need to re-cast the jurisprudence of religion in a fashion that competing political visions are clearly and straightforwardly considered by judges and citizens alike. Religion, law, and politics are finally inseparable, leave no room for neutral ground, and will constrain (or “coerce”) those who disagree with the adopted regime.
This essay is an explanation of the significant influence of the American Jewish population on th... more This essay is an explanation of the significant influence of the American Jewish population on the movement to secularize America's public culture.
A central and most fundamental concept in neo-Darwinian theory is natural selection. The term ref... more A central and most fundamental concept in neo-Darwinian theory is natural selection. The term refers to an algorithmic process whereby life developed and expanded after its fortuitous appearance. There is no purpose and no design intrinsic to the process. The main argument of this Article is (1) that evolutionary theory, when interpreted as a view of the origin of life that is non-intelligent and purposeless, has unmistakable religious implications and (2) that teaching it as a "fact" and as orthodox doctrine in public schools, when most of the American people do not subscribe to it, is violative of the Establishment Clause. In the Article, I describe and analyze Kent Greenawalt's view of how evolution should be taught and also examine several pertinent, well-known judicial opinions. Finally, I indicate how my theory of religionjurisprudence, advanced in a previous law review article, accommodates the view expressed in the present Article concerning the teaching of evolutionary theory in public schools.
This Article is the third in a trilogy, initially conceived as a book. Its point is that the juri... more This Article is the third in a trilogy, initially conceived as a book. Its point is that the jurisprudence of religion has been overwhelmed by classical liberal political philosophy. There are correctives to be found in other political positions, such as communitarianism, revised liberalism, and de facto establishmentarianism, which I have previously described and explained.
Synopsis: The political toleration of religion is a timely subject in light of the recent outcry ... more Synopsis: The political toleration of religion is a timely subject in light of the recent outcry over the Obama administration's Health & Human Services (HHS) mandate pertaining to contraception. This essay is an analysis of religious toleration based upon political typologies arising from the Religion Clauses in the First Amendment of the American Constitution. The essay is an attempt also to chart the path for a jurisprudence of religion based upon the critical core values of traditional American culture. The goal is to explicate and to analyze the respective approaches to the subject by way of (1) classical liberalism, (2) communitarianism, (3) revised liberalism, and (4)"cultraderianism," which is a neologism referring to the transmission of core cultural values.
Politics and Religion Journal (University of Belgrade), 2018
This is a polemical essay providing an historical and cultural analysis of John Rawls's political... more This is a polemical essay providing an historical and cultural analysis of John Rawls's political liberalism, and arguing that the " original position " in his philosophy is not only hypothetical, but also unrealistic by virtue of ignoring comprehensive religious and philosophical points of view. Rawls attempts to derive the ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity from a mere thought experiment without considering the foundational role of the Christian religion, which was instrumental in the birth and refinement of these ideas.
Summary of Article: This article builds upon a previous one, entitled 'Constitutional Meanings of... more Summary of Article: This article builds upon a previous one, entitled 'Constitutional Meanings of " Religion " Past and Present: Explorations in Definition and Theory,' in which I set forth a new typology for understanding the jurisprudence of religion. In the present article I employ the same typology for interpreting the various meanings of neutrality, which has become in recent years an important concept in both free exercise and establishment jurisprudence. The concept is systematically examined from the point-of-view of classical liberalism, communitarianism, revised liberalism, and de facto establishmentarianism. Combining concerns from law, politics, religion, and philosophy, the article seeks to probe generic and specific aspects of the concept of neutrality and concludes that it is not a helpful one in the jurisprudence of religion.
This Article begins with an examination of Kramnick's and Moore's thesis that ours is a " Godless... more This Article begins with an examination of Kramnick's and Moore's thesis that ours is a " Godless Constitution " that was intended to form the basis of a secular state. The conclusion of this portion of the Article is that, regardless of the position one takes concerning the thesis, neither it nor its antithesis can be irrefutably demonstrated by an appeal to the early history of the Republic. The second portion of the Article begins by asking why, when the historical inquiry turns out to be indecisive, America's public square continues to be defended as a secular place. The answer provided is that a secular revolution was waged and won in this country during the nineteenth century. Education, natural science, and law, to single out but a few of many areas, were secularized. The secularization process of American culture continued through the twentieth century with the Supreme Court leading the way under the Establishment Clause. The last portion of the Article concentrates upon the two recently-decided Ten Commandments cases, with highlights of the arguments advanced and critical observations concerning them. The Article concludes by calling for a re-interpretation of the Religion Clauses by means of a political jurisprudential theory, which I have set forth elsewhere.
Weaver warned that " ideas have consequences. " 1 Indeed they have. They can enter our lives braz... more Weaver warned that " ideas have consequences. " 1 Indeed they have. They can enter our lives brazenly, or as a thief in the night without the least detection, and thereby frame our reality. In either case, it is as if, in due time, we are sleepwalking, guided by ideas we indifferently take for granted. The foremost responsibility of the intellectual should be, whenever possible, to shine a light upon these ideas and to expose them to the strictest scrutiny. One such idea is the subject of this essay. We typically, even today, assume a radical cognitive divide between ideas of religion and those of science. We " know " that water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, but only " think " of freedom, immortality, God, and natural purposiveness. For one to breach this sacrosanct boundary is met by cultured despisers of religion either raising their eyebrows in shock and dismay or, depending upon the circumstances, even excoriating the offender. The fact that those of the intelligentsia who possess the spirit of reprobation may actually be taking a point of view no longer intellectually viable seems far-fetched. That human cognition is radically bifurcated between knowing and thinking is an idea bequeathed to us in all its glory by none other than Immanuel Kant, one of eighteenth century Europe's most celebrated philosophers. It is no secret that natural scientists are enthusiastically applauded and hailed as ambassadors of progress. They receive adulation for expanding the treasury of knowledge in combating pestilence, poverty, and ignorance. Those who profess and teach Christianity, on the other hand, are 1 Richard M. Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1948).
Everywhere one turns in American society the relativity of truth is proclaimed. In this essay, th... more Everywhere one turns in American society the relativity of truth is proclaimed. In this essay, the issue of whether truth is relative is examined in general and from the respective points of view of several well-known thinkers.
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Papers by L. Scott Smith