中西宗教伦理的宪政意义

Chinese and Western Religions and Their Constitutionalism

对于中西宪政的不同命运,宗教或类似宗教的文化传统扮演了一个不可小觑的角色。基督教的超验之神、有限理性、对人性的双重预设与儒教的天人合一、理性自负、等级人性构成了鲜明的对比,儒教的上述传统,窒息了宪法至上、有限政府、人权保障、民主等宪政要素的生长。然而,近代中国一直存在着强劲的“尊儒”意识和波澜壮阔的“排教反教”运动,在民族主义胜利的同时,宪政是否失去了有利的文化环境,这个问题值得思考。

Different religions of Chinese and Western countries play an important role in different destinies of Chinese and Western constitutionalism. Christianity persists that God surmounts mankind while Chinese Confucianism insists that God combines with human beings. Moreover, Christianity, whose design of limited human reason and double human nature supplies constitutionalism with concepts of limited government, freedom under the law and right. On the contrary, Chinese Confucianism suffocates the growth of constitutional factors such as supreme constitution, limited government, hu- man rights and democracy. In the enlightenment of modern China, there was strong consciousness of worshiping Confucianism in mainstream society and there were constant movements of excluding Christianity in all social classes. Therefore, when nationalism gained its victory, at the same time, constitutionalism lost its favorable cultural environment.