Christelike oortuigings in ‘n konstitusionele demokrasie

Abstract

Christian convictions in a constitutional democracy
The new “genre” of parliamentary submissions on new and revised legislation has caught many church denominations off guard. An example is the South African law on marriage and civil unions. The Dutch Reformed Church prepared a submission which brought to the fore the deeper issues of Christian convictions in a constitutional democracy and how a church that wants to have a “public witness” should partake in discussions in the secular sphere where religious convictions do not have the last say. In this article the author follows the debate about religious convictions in the secular sphere, as well as the question whether believers should withhold these convictions from public discussion. The author argues against total denial of religious conviction, but asks for a mode of tolerant and bilingual dialogue. The bilingualism requires honesty on the religious basis of convictions, but also the skill to translate these convictions into a more universal language.