论基督教与美国自由主义的源起

Christianity and the Origin of American Liberalism

发端于欧洲、孕育于中世纪、兴起于市民社会的自由主义意识形态,最终能够在北美扎根,并非偶然,它与基督教文化的影响密不可分。美国早期殖民地的环境与实践使基督教中的自由主义因素得以发展:从基督教自由观到公民自由观,从基督教契约观到个人自由观。北美殖民地的宗教和种族多样性进而培植了美国的自由主义。美国立国时期的先驱们接受并发扬了欧洲的基督教文化和自由主义思想传统,使自由、民主、平等精神在北美大陆深入人心。因此,美国的宗教自由从一开始即是美国经济自由和政治自由的基石,基督教也因此而成为美国自由主义思想的渊源。

The liberalism, which originated from Europe, bred in the Middle Ages and sprung up in the civil society, took roots in North America at last. It did not happen by chance, and was closely related with the Christian culture. The early American colonial environments and practices promoted liberalist factor that was within the Christianity to grow up： from the view of religious freedom to civil liberty concept; from the Christian conn＇act perspective to individual freedom ideology. North America colonial religious and ethnic diversity fostered American liberalism. The pioneers of America founding accepted and carried forward the culture and liberalist tradition of European Christianity, so that the spirits of freedom, democracy and equality spread extensively. The religion freedom is the cornerstone of American economic freedom and political freedom from the very beginning. It is also the source of liberalist thought in the United State.