Many years ago I was a senior lecturer in jurisprudence and legal theory. It was a compulsory subject of the law degree course I lectured on. The subject delves into various 'schools' of jurisprudence as well as analysing how judges reach decisions. The most important aspect of the subject is understanding the relationship between politics, economics and religion and how they interact with each other.
Students had to have an understanding of the works of philosophers, theologians and economists, an appreciation of political theories and the impact all these have on the creation and application of law. Law does not exist in a vacuum. It is the result of many influences. One of the major problems regarding law is that it may reflect attitudes which have been superseded and thus the unsatisfactory state of the law may lead to political agitation. Law is not a reflection of things as they are, but as they were.
Fast forward a couple of decades and I decided to study for a diploma in theology. It was a comfort that much of my knowledge of jurisprudence was of relevance to my theological studies. On the diploma course we explored the world's major religions, methods of scriptural interpretation and the writings of major theologians. It was interesting to look again after twenty years at many of the same issues but through a theological as distinct from a jurisprudential perspective.
Have you stayed with me so far?
I informed my law students that I was the founder member of the Cynical School of Jurisprudence. Also, I was a postmodernist before it became the 'in thing'.
My journey has taken me to the theological and social movement known as liberation theology and beyond to the radical ideas of Don Cupitt and the rejection of metaphysical concepts and meta-narratives. Thirty years ago I argued against the idea of the 'divine right of kings to rule' as a basis for law. Now I argue against any ideas based on a divine assumption. But, and importantly, I regard myself as a Christian.
No comments:
Post a Comment