Legislating Morality: Is It Wise? Is It Legal? Is It Possible?
Overview
America's moral decline is not secret. An alarming number of moral and cultural problems have exploded in our country since 1960—a period when the standards of morality expressed in our laws and customs have been relaxed, abandoned, or judicially overruled. Conventional wisdom says laws cannot stem moral decline. Anyone who raises the prospect of legislation on the hot topics of our day encounters a host of objections. Legislating Morality answers those objections and advocates a moral base for America without sacrificing religious and cultural diversity. It debunks the myth that "morality can't be legislated" and amply demonstrates how liberals, moderates, and conservatives alike exploit law to promote good and curtail evil. This book boldly challenges prevailing thinking about right and wrong and about our nation's moral future.
Key Features
- Examines difficult political topics from a theological perspective
- Emphasizes the importance of moral reasoning in the public sphere
- Argues that America, as a nation, desperately needs a moral foundation
Contents
- Part One: Can We Legislate Morality?
- Is it Constitutional?
- Is it Enforceable?
- Is it Ethical?
- Part Two: How Has Morality Been Legislated?
- “We the People...”
- Roots of the Power Shift
- “We the Supreme Court...”
- Part Three: Whose Morality Should We Legislate?
- Yours or Mind?
- Ours!
- Part Four: How Should We Legislate Morality on the Touch Issues?
- Homosexuality: Tolerating Ourselves to Death
- Abortion: Choosing Ourselves to Death
- Euthanasia: Exterminating Ourselves to Death
- Epilogue: Where Do We Go From Here?
Top Highlights
“We’re living in a society in which people feel no obligation to control their own actions” (Page 16)
Praise for the Print Edition
An extremely valuable book at a crisis point in our culture—a must-read for those on both sides of the issues that are tearing our country apart
—Ravi Zacharias
This is a powerful message for these feeble times. Geisler and Turek have mapped out how we can get real answers to long-perplexing questions: Should morality be legislated? And if so, how and by whom? This book is the new standard for resolving debates over the nature and necessity of legislated morality among civilized societies
—D. James Kennedy
This book will challenge your thinking about ‘legislating morality.’ Geisler and Turek's thorough critique of conventional wisdom will force you to reevaluate just about evert aspect of this topic.
—William C. Adams, professor of public administration, George Washington University
Product Details
- Title: Legislating Morality: Is It Wise? Is It Legal? Is It Possible?
- Author: Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek
- Publisher: Wipf & Stock
- Publication Date: 2003
- Pages: 272
- Christian Group: Evangelicals
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Ethics
About the Authors
Norman Geisler is author or coauthor of some fifty books and hundreds of articles. He has taught at the university and graduate level for nearly forty years and has spoken or debated in all fifty states and in twenty-five countries. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Loyola University and now serves as Chancellor of Veritas Evangelical Seminary, in Murrieta, CA.
Frank Turek holds two master degrees: one in apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary, and one in public administration from George Washington University. He is a sought after speaker and award-winning author who has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs including ‘The O'Reilly Factor’, ‘Hannity and Colmes,’ and ‘Politically Incorrect.’ His forthcoming book, also co-authored with Dr. Norman Geisler, is titled I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.