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The relationship between religion & politics sometimes referred to, particularly in the West, as church & state is explored in wide-ranging global terms. This involves multidimensional explication of the concept of globalization, as well as its refinement in terms of the notion of globalization. The significance of 9/11 (2001) & subsequent events & circumstances are also briefly inspected. 23 References. Adapted from the source document.

Recently, many parts of the world, including Western democracies, which are historically shaped by Christianity, have experienced new developments in the religio-political field. These changes result in calls for a revision or renegotiation of the relationship between religion & politics. This concerns not only the religiously asymmetrical constitutions in the European democracies where established churches are privileged & religious, in particular Muslim, minorities are struggling to achieve recognition & equal status. Also, countries with a strict separation of church & state such as the US, France, & Turkey are facing criticism of their religio-political arrangements -- arrangements that have acquired a hegemonial status in modern political theory as well as in Western publics. This article attempts a critique of the (normative) principle of a separation of the public & religious spheres, as embedded in liberal thoughts & democratic justifications. It strives for a normatively more convincing & politically more productive paradigm of the relationship between religion & politics & its proper regulation in a religiously & culturally plural democracy. 79 References. Adapted from the source document.

Two main issues form the focus of attention in this paper. The first is the relationship of senior religious figures to the state in Africa & the role of the former in the region's democratization in the 1990s. The second is the political importance of "popular" religions in Africa. The overall aim is to examine the relationship of religion & politics in Africa in the context of democratization. I aim to: (1) establish the nature of the links between senior religious figures & state elites in Africa, & (2) make some preliminary observations about the political nature of popular religions in the region, with the primary intention of posing interesting questions for future research. 49 References. Adapted from the source document.

The essay analyzes the relationship of politics & religion in the Confucian countries of East Asia in historical, systematic, & comparative perspectives in order to assess the potential for economic modernization & political democratization of the various religious traditions in these countries. The analysis starts with the historical development of the relationship between politics & religion in imperial China & proceeds to the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, & South Korea. It shows that the various religious traditions contribute in varying degrees to the economic modernization & political democratization of these countries. 72 References. Adapted from the source document.

The relationship between religion & medicine has a long history & was often conflict-ridden. Historically, the boundaries between religion & medicine have manifested themselves in a number of different ways. By looking at the US & Germany, it is shown how biomedical progress has led to a reshaping of the relationship between religion & politics. The example of human embryonic stem cell research shows massive efforts by religious groups to influence science in the political arena. These efforts were much more successful in Germany than in the US. Whereas in the US religiously motivated attempts to influence research were strongly rejected by secular-liberal forces, in Germany the Churches were much more efficient to reach their policy goals. These variations can be explained by differences in varying discursive constellations. 43 References. Adapted from the source document.

Many developments within & beyond Europe demonstrate a perseverance of religion & a new role of religion in the political realm. These new realities correspond with both an increase in research on religion & politics & a differentiation of the academic discourse on this subject. This article highlights three central debates: the controversy about the secularization paradigm, the discussion of the relationship between religion & democracy, & the analyses of the nexus between processes of globalization & religious fundamentalism. It becomes clear that the assumption of a decline of religion in the modern world, a long-held view dear to secularization theory, is as problematic as is the narrow but popular focus on religious fundamentalism. Moreover, contemporary democratic theories begin to challenge the idea that democracy & the values of freedom & equality can only be guaranteed if a strict separation of church & state & of the political & religious spheres are upheld. 197 References. Adapted from the source document.

The contribution investigates the factors that influence the development of church & religion in Central & Eastern Europe, &, more specifically, the factors that have an impact on the social relevance of church & religion. Whereas classical approaches in the sociology of religion assume a close correlation between religious changes & processes of modernization, today's models in the sociology of religion point out the relevance of the relationship between state & church or, more generally, of politics & religion for the social attractiveness of churches & religious communities. The relationship between state & church in Central & Eastern Europe were often subject to fluctuation. Therefore, the article first analyzes the change of the political status of churches & religious communities in these countries since the revolutionary upheavals of 1989/90. Secondly, it investigates the effects of different church/state relationships on the vitality of religion & church by taking into account other factors such as modernization, religious upbringing, religious pluralization, & confessional homogeneity. The analysis comes to the conclusion that the more religious communities are associated with the state, the more they suffer from losses of social legitimacy. 8 Tables, 3 Illustrations, 45 References. Adapted from the source document.

Oriented at the idea of multiple European identities, the article attempts to explain the conspicuous differences between the more secular types of national identity in Western Europe & the more religiously shaped national identities in postcommunist Eastern Europe. Following a historical-comparative sociological approach, the article assumes that these divergent & varying relations between national identity & religion are the outcome of historical long-term processes of nation-state formation in interaction with different types of religion & secularization patterns. Four main zones of nation-state building (Western Europe, West Central Europe, East Central Europe, & Eastern Europe) & four main types of dominant religion in Europe (Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, & Islam) are distinguished &, on this basis, all in all eight core constellations of national identity & religion are identified. Each of these core constellations are illustrated by one typical case: France, GB, Germany, & Italy/Austria as well as Poland, Yugoslavia, Russia, & Turkey. 1 Illustration, 111 References. Adapted from the source document.

"What about religion?" Today, this crucial question is answered differently on both Atlantic shores. International comparative studies suggest that the "laical universe" Europe has taken a singular path regarding national sovereignty -- contrary to laical Turkey. Adapted from the source document.

The spread of freedom & democracy in the Near & Middle East has become the fateful question of our time, where not only secular intellectuals but also prominent voices contemplate the liberal, Western style democracies & free orders stemming from Islamic tradition. This discussion between the Iranian religious philosopher Abdolkarim Sorusch & Dieter Grimm, rector of the Scientific College & Professor of Public Rights, moderated by Mariam Lau, explores questions of religious freedom, democracy & values, & duty vs rights in government & religion. Islam has always had a political element, & modern extremes range from political religion in Iran to the concept of politics as a free room for independent decision of the individual in Islamic law. The decisive question is whether an individual truth demands that competing truths be oppressed. L. Reed