Religious Person and His or Her Implication in Institutions

Abstract

The general belief is that the constitutional structure of checks and balances is the perfect structure of restricting power but ignores the fact that this system of heteronomy still faces the problem of failing to restrict the highest practical power. More generally, as long as an economic person exists, no entirely effective system of heteronomy exists that can restrict power without omission. We must resort to human self-discipline. Unlike economic people, religious people are self-disciplined individuals who transcend themselves and care about others and society. Research on religious psychology shows that, through the process of conversion and self-cultivation, a person can become a religious person. Religious and cultural traditions are important mechanisms for the generation of such religious persons. The success of the U.S. constitutional system depends not only on its institutional structure but also on the religious background of the American fathers and their enthusiasm for religious ideals. This success also shows that religious persons play an important role in the constitutional structure.

Translated from The Review of New Political Economy, Volume 28.