The Family and the Political : On Belonging and Responsibility in a Liberal Society Joseph E . David The relationship of modern liberalism vis - a - vis the religious and cultural traditions that preceded it is an ambivalent one . On the one hand , it embodies the realization of the principles of freedom and humanity rooted in the Bible which developed within the religions that stemmed from it ; on the other hand , it marks a fault line and disconnect between the traditional world and the liberal - modern one . As far as the institution of family is concerned , the establishment of the principle of personal freedom and the perception of the individual as an autonomous being with rights constitute not only a turning point from the old world , but also a process resulting in the unraveling and dismantling of a traditional institution that insists on existing . Viewing liberalism as a watershed line and as a crucial junction in the history of moral and political theories carries great sig...
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