政教關係=theories of church-state relationships; 教派=religious sects; 內容分析=content analysis; 深度訪談=in-depth interviews; 異營支持者=the dissent within the religious sects
Ever since the Positivism of political science rose in the 1950s, the factor of religion became a useless variable in political research. There were two causes: first, political science shrank the field of politics, as to ignore the meaning of normal and metaphysical theory, to the social science. Second, most of political researchers ignored the differences of the conception of God in religion and its effect of political understanding. This kind of dilemma changed in the 1990s due to the increasingly tense conflicts between politics and religion in the globe. Another reason is the standpoint changed in ontology and methodology of politics. Researchers gradually realized the importance of religion to effect political attitudes and values. This effect not only points out what a political society ought to be but also offers an origin and criteria of morality. And it can build a logical system of political actors too. All of the above concerns the development of democracy. This dissertation based on the pluralist religious societies of Taiwan. According theories to select the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, I-Kuan Tao, Tzu Chi and Bread of Life Christian Church. So as to explain the relations of religious sect’s and their political values and attitudes. For the sake of theory`s completeness, it compared the same conception of God, the different conception of God and the different political understanding within a sect. It became apparent that religious sects` political preference were affected by their theology and its interpretation. This in turn, it shaped their comments on contemporary politics. Although this phenomenon did not happen in all sects, some cases proved the factor of religion still works in Taiwan politics. Three features are important in this research. To compare different political values and attitudes affected by different conception of God, to explore the relationship between politics and religion from metaphysical theology and the combined qualitative research and quantitative research. In short, this dissertation hope to build a new model and to be more objective and research deeper. To examine to what degree political science has caused politics to shink, and to explore the factor of morality behind democracy. It’s important to the human lives living in that political system and to their dignity and rationality. Eventually, this work explained the initial reason why this dissertation studies religion.
