Vol. 8, No. 2 (Summer 2010)
There is an organizational dimension to religious freedom. This issue presents a diverse international collection of papers on this theme drawn largely from a conference series on religion and rule of law that the Institute for Global Engagement has helped catalyze and organize.
In Defense of Organized Religion
Dennis Hoover Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Americans tend to think of the "free exercise of religion" as an individual endeavor. But the communal expression of religion—particularly in non-Western contexts—is at least as important as individual expression. [FREE]
Legal Status of Religious Organizations: A Comparative Overview
W. Cole Durham, Jr. Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Modern societies are experiencing increased pluralism, and the need to respond in fair ways to different religious communities has created the need for neutral legal structures that are easily adaptable. [FREE]
Read more: Legal Status of Religious Organizations: A Comparative Overview
The Religion-State Relationship in Europe
Rik Torfs Tuesday, 6 July 2010
European systems share specific values and approaches that indicate a coherent European model for religion-state relationships, characterized by the continuous existence of a two level system.
The Creation of Muslim Representative Institutions in the “Secular” European States
Silvio Ferrari Tuesday, 6 July 2010
European governments want Muslim communities to organize coherent structures to better interact with the state. As they encourage this process, they should remember three fundamental principles: freedom, cooperation, and autonomy.
Read more: The Creation of Muslim Representative Institutions in the “Secular” European States
The Dutch Model of Positive Neutrality in European Context
Sophie van Bijsterveld Tuesday, 6 July 2010
The Dutch system of separation of church and state is one of benign, friendly separation. As for the financial relationships between church and state, there are a variety of forms of support.
Read more: The Dutch Model of Positive Neutrality in European Context
Legal Regulation of Religion in the Third World: Afro-Asian Paradigms
Tahir Mahmood Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Current constitutional documents from various Asian and African countries reveal three different models of religion-state relations. Legal regulation is not a magic formula that eliminates religion-based inequality and injustice.
Read more: Legal Regulation of Religion in the Third World: Afro-Asian Paradigms
The U.S. Government and Faith-based Organizations: Keeping the Uneasy Alliance on Firm Ground
Stanley Carlson-Thies Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Faith-based organizations and the United States government will always be "uneasy allies." President Obama has broadly maintained the faith-based initiative as it was developed under his two predecessors, although with some changes.
Taxing Religious Organizations: A European Perspective
Alain Garay Tuesday, 6 July 2010
The power to tax organizations (and the contributions organizations receive) is not necessarily exercised by the state in a way that is strictly neutral and consistent with the ideals of religious freedom and equality under the law.
Read more: Taxing Religious Organizations: A European Perspective
On Rule of Law and Religious Organizations in China
Gao Quanxi Tuesday, 6 July 2010
China regulates religion through a binary pattern, employing both legal guidelines and administrative decision. China needs to change how the administrative centralism regulates religious organizations and activities, and allow religious complaints to be addressed by judicial procedures.
Read more: On Rule of Law and Religious Organizations in China
Converting the Foreign Policy Elite
Chris Seiple Tuesday, 6 July 2010
A review of Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy, by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Task Force on Religion and the Making of U.S. Foreign Policy (Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 2010).
Toward Robust Religious Liberty
Joshua White Tuesday, 6 July 2010
A review of World of Faith and Freedom: Why International Religious Liberty Is Vital to American National Security, by Thomas F. Farr (Oxford, 2008).