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The Sins of the Fathers

The Law and Theology of Illegitimacy Reconsidered

  • Paperback
  • 226 pages
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press
  • 13.8 x 21.4 x 1.3 cm

£33.21

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For those seeking justice for illegitimate children

Challenges historical discrimination against these children

You will understand the need for equality and dignity for all

This book reconsiders the law and theology surrounding illegitimacy.

For nearly two millennia, Western law visited the sins of fathers and mothers upon their illegitimate children, subjecting them to systematic discrimination and deprivation. The graver the sins of their parents, the further these children fell in social standing and legal protection. While some reformers have sought to better the plight of illegitimate children, only in recent decades has illegitimacy lost its full legal sting. Yet the social, economic, and psychological costs of illegitimacy still remain high even in the liberal, affluent West. John Witte analyzes and critiques the shifting historical law and theology of illegitimacy. This doctrine, he argues, misinterprets basic biblical teachings on individual accountability and Christian community. It also betrays basic democratic principles of equality, dignity, and natural rights of all. There are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents, Witte concludes, and he presses for the protection and rights of all children, regardless of their birth status.
The Sins of the Fathers and From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition
From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western TraditionThe Sins of the Fathers

  • Title

    The Sins of the Fathers

  • Author

    John Witte

  • Book Format

    Paperback

  • Publisher

    Cambridge University Press

  • Published

    March 2009

  • Weight

    268g

  • Page Count

    226

  • Dimensions

    13.8 x 21.4 x 1.3 cm

  • ISBN

    9780521548243

  • ISBN-10

    0521548241

  • Eden Code

    3950856