Letting religion in
When you see the word “veritas” standing alone, you likely think of Harvard. You probably even know that the word is Latin for truth. But what you may not know is that the University’s motto has decidedly religious origins. The word is a key to the Latin saying “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae,” or “Truth for Christ and the Church,” Harvard’s original motto before it was shortened. With a nod to that venerable religious tradition, the Veritas Forum, a nonprofit founded at Harvard by a group of students, faculty, and ministers in 1992 to explore “life’s big questions,” asked two renowned political philosophers on Tuesday to discuss the hot topic: “Does religion have a role in public life?” Harvard’s justice guru Michael Sandel and Jean Bethke Elshtain of the University of Chicago Divinity School explored how the teachings of myriad faiths can help inform civic discourse. In his remarks, Sandel suggested that a public discourse...