Of course it might just be that a number of the ideas about living a good, moral life have little to do with god and lots to do with what people throughout the ages and in most cultures have decided is the right way to live.
And so back to Durkheimian concept of society as god.
In any event, it seems that we ought to go back to Egypt and pagan Greece for a bunch of these ideas. Not to mention that the whole idea of a confederacy or union of states comes from Native Americans in upstate New York. Let us not forget that the Constitution is quite a bit more than the first amendment freedom of religion.
Steve
On Friday, December 17, 2004, at 07:00 PM, Scarberry, Mark wrote:
Kurt knows a lot more about this than I do (and allow me to put in a plug--
for his two articles on the 9th amendment that are about to come out), but
my comment was not limited to law relating to religious freedom. The claim
that the Decalogue influenced American law is not limited to that part of
the law that deals with religion. To the extent that the Decalogue
influenced British law generally, it is important to note the general
continuity of law between the pre- and post-revolutionary period.
Mark S. Scarberry
Pepperdine University School of Law
Prof. Steven D. Jamar vox: 202-806-8017
Howard University School of Law fax: 202-806-8428
2900 Van Ness Street NW mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Washington, DC 20008 http://www.law.howard.edu/faculty/pages/jamar
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... 'In this world Elwood' ... She always used to call me Elwood... 'In this world Elwood, you must be Oh So Smart, or Oh So Pleasant.' Well for years I was smart -- I recommend pleasant. You may quote me." --Elwood P. Dowd
- Mary Chase, "Harvey", 1950
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