Civil Society

“Fundamental to Abrahamic politics is a distinction between the state on the one hand and civil society on the other. Civil society – the domain of families, communities, religious congregations, voluntary associations, charities, neighbourhood groups and the like – is where we relate to one another on the basis of friendship, reciprocity and a moral bond, without the use of power. Abrahamic politics depends on a strong civil society to counterbalance the power of the state, a power that has an inbuilt tendency to grow over time.”

The Great Partnership, Chapter 7, p. 119