The Politics of Religion and the Religion of Politics Looking at Israel

by Sharkansky, Ira

• ISBN13: 9780739101094
• ISBN10: 0739101099
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-04-26
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

Prominent political theorist Ira Sharkansky looks at the intersection of religion and politics, using the case of Israel--where a chief rabbi officiates along with a prime minister--to examine how the two inform each other. Focusing more on similarities than differences, Sharkansky demonstrates that both religion and politics can justify their position on the moral high ground. Both are involved in shaping our values and standard of living; however, neither religion nor politics can claim a monopoly of virtue: Political demagogues have their religious equivalents in self-serving prophets and false messiahs, and politicians and religious leaders both may violate the morality that they preach. Sharkansky examines the place of intellectual certainty, doubt, charisma, and passion in both realms. He argues that Israel, among other Western democracies where politics and religion intersect, supports a successful fusion of the two.

Author Biography

Ira Sharkansky has been Professor of Political Science and Public Administration at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem since 1975.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Religion and Politics Cannot Be Separated, in the Holy Land or Elsewhere	1	(22)
Studying Religion and Its Relevance for Politics	23	(12)
Where Judaism Prevails	35	(20)
The Religious and Political Significance of the Promised Land	55	(16)
Conditions That Produced a Messiah, or Yet Another Jewish View of Jesus Christ	71	(12)
Modern Jewish Wars between Old and New Religious Movements: Ultra-Orthodox and the Orthodox versus the Conservative and Reform	83	(22)
Representing Judaism in Israel: Religious Political Parties	105	(14)
Ambiguities in Religion Resemble Those in Politics: One That Makes Promises for the World to Come and Another That Makes Promises for the Government to Come	119	(12)
If Conditions Resemble Those That Produced a Messiah, Why are Religion and Politics Relatively Moderate?	131	(8)
Notes	139	(16)
Bibliography	155	(4)
Index	159	(4)
About the Author	163