Religion and Secularism in the European Union: State of Affairs and Current Debates

ISBN-13: 9782807603332 / Angielski / Miękka / 2017 / 220 str.

Jan Nelis; Caroline Sagesser; Jean-Philippe Schreiber

Opis

This book analyzes religious issues, faith-based organizations, State-Church relations and secularism in the EU. The authors develop the major themes that are relevant to their country of expertise. They show that religion, once thought to be of minor importance in a highly secular society, has made quite a vigorous political comeback.

Spis treści

Content: Jan Nelis: Foreword - Richard Potz: Austria: the pluri-religious challenge of a secular State ready to integrate religion into the public space - Caroline Sägesser: Belgium: the challenge of a highly secularized yet multiconfessional society - Daniela Kalkandjieva: Bulgaria: encounters between religion and secularism in a post-atheist society - Sinisa Zrinscak: Croatia: the role of religion in a predominantly Catholic country - Victor Roudometof: Cyprus: a deeply religious society - Roman Vido: The Czech Republic: new challenges for Churches in a highly secularized society - Henrik Reintoft Christensen: Denmark: the still prominent role of the national Church and religious traditions - Ringo Ringvee: Estonia: the debate on the role of religion in a deeply secular State - Teemu Taira: Finland: a christian, secular and increasingly religiously diverse country - Anne-Laure Zwilling: France: the struggle for laïcité - Sylvie Toscer-Angot: Germany: the challenge of religious pluralism and secularization - Konstantinos Papastathis: Greece: the politics of secularization and the financial crisis - Gergely Rosta: Hungary: declining Church religiosity and increasing religious individualization in a post-communist country - Brian Conway: Ireland: the erosion of the Catholic Church's authority and power - Giuseppe Casuscelli: Italy: secularization, abstract model vs. reality - Anita Stasulane: Latvia: an example of Christian diversity - Milda Alisauskienë: Lithuania: Catholic Church and public debates - Antoinette Reuter: Luxembourg: new legal dispositions in a changing religious landscape - Mario Vassallo: Malta: a society with values in turmoil - Agnieszka Szumigalska: The Netherlands: the impact of secularization on a pillar-based society - Michal Czelny, Marta Ordon and Michal Zawislak: Poland: the Catholic Church's influence on social, political and private life - Henrique Machado Jorge: Portugal: a lingering Catholicism - Olivier Gillet: Romania: exploring the bond between Church, State, and Nation - Miroslav Tízik: Slovakia: secularization of public life and desecularization of the State - Egon Pelikan: Slovenia: the Catholic Church between historical heritage and current financial problems - Julia Martínez-Ariño: Spain: important changes in religious landscape and public policy - Ann af Burén: Sweden: blurring boundaries: patterns of contemporary religiosity - Anthony Bradney: The United Kingdom: the prevalence of secularism - Gabrielle Caceres: Religion as seen by the European authorities: liberty, equality and non-discrimination within the Council of Europe and the European Union - Jean-Philippe Schreiber: Religion in the European Union: a conclusion.

O autorze

Jan Nelis has done research on the reception of antiquity under nazism and fascism, on the relation between catholicism and totalitarianism, and on the role of christianity in the EU. Having worked in Italy (Rome, Bologna) and Belgium (Ghent University, Université Libre de Bruxelles), he is currently affiliated with the Université de Toulouse-Jean Jaurès.

Caroline Sägesser holds a PhD in History from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. She has worked extensively on the relationship between public authorities and religious groups. Since 2013 she has been monitoring current developments in religion and secularism at the Observatory of Religions and Secularism.

Jean-Philippe Schreiber, historian of religions, is research director at the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research - FNRS and full professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, where he heads the Observatory of Religions and Secularism.