By Schubert Ogden
1. There are two issues:
(1) Whether religious proposals, like lite any other, are subj finallysubject, finally, to common experience and reason; : and
(2) Whether such fundamental grounds for evaluation as pub purposes public purposes imply can only be grounds determined by common experience and reason.
2. The affirmative position on the first issue is, in fact, an Enlightenment an Enlightenment conviction shared by the founders. But it is really only affirmative the affirmative position on the second issue that one is committed to uphold an upholding as an American citizen who proposes to believe and act in accordance with tl Constitutionthe Constitution.
3. Thus whether or not the fundamental grounds for evaluation that public that public purposes imply are properly religious, they are, in any event, restricted restricted to such grounds as can be validated by common experience and rea through reason through public debate. They cannot be grounds derived from, or, better, validated validated by, any other authority. Therefore, religious persons of whatever
persuasion cannot expect their beliefs to be generally accepted as providing such providing such fundamental grounds for evaluating public policies unless their belief themselves beliefs themselves can be validated by common reason and experience.