Introduction

Scalia writes dismissively: 'The Living Constitution, a "morphing" document that means, from age to age, what it ought to mean'. Even if one does not agrees fully with Scalia on textualism and originalism, his concern regarding the relation between current decisions and the law is one that should be appreciated as reflecting a major feature of the rule of law. Changing the terms of a social contract is a different matter from living the social and legal contract as it is at any given time. Historians of religion have revealed a bewildering variety of religious behaviour. A major theory in the history of religions suggests that ritual comes first, with mythical narratives and creeds as subsequent stages of rationalizations. In the Western world creeds have become a prominent characteristic of churches and the Protestant Reformation has set a major example. The Bible is inspired in what we need to know, believe and obey for the sake of our salvation.