美国宪法思想基础中的宗教因素

The Religious Factors in the Foundation Thoughts of American Constitution

美国宪法是世界上最早也是使用时间最长的成文宪法。在美国宪法形成的过程中,无疑受到了基于当时社会发展状况基础之上的各种思想的影响,这些思想为美国宪法的制定提供了理论武器与智力支持。而分析思想产生的社会背景、主体、流派等要素,可以发现,这些思想大都受到了宗教的影响,或者说宗教对美国宪法制定所依据的思想的形成与发展产生了重要的作用,宗教通过这种方式间接或直接地影响了美国宪法的制定。

The constitution of the United States is the earliest written constitution in the world. Undoubtedly, its formation was influenced by the various thoughts in then society, which had provided a theoretical weapon and intellectual support for its formulation. While analyzing the social background, subject and schools of thoughts, we find that most of them bore the impact of religion. In other words, religion had played an important role in the formation and development of the ideas. In this way, thus, it can be said that religion had exerted direct or indirect effect on the establishment of American constitution.