Freedom of Religion in post-secular Australia

2021 ◽  
pp. 003776862110147
Author(s):  
Adam Possamai ◽  
Alphia Possamai-Inesedy
Keyword(s):  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Freedom Of Religion ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Social Tension ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Social

Habermas coined the term post-secularism to reflect a time period in which religions are given a more central part in social and political life. Even if there is more openness to religion, many religious groups would claim that Western societies are nevertheless still dominated by secularism and want to ensure that freedom of religion and belief remain protected and promoted. This article explores the recent Australian Religious Freedom Review as a case study of the social tension between freedom for and from religion to argue that we might have moved beyond a post-secular sphere in this country. In this phase, what is meant by freedom of religion has shifted from a focus in having all religious groups being able to freely practice their faith to a focus by some mainstream religions to remain free to discriminate on the basis of their faith.

Freedom of Religion

2020 ◽  
pp. 229-264
Author(s):  
Adam S. Chilton ◽  
Mila Versteeg
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Freedom Of Religion ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Minority Religions ◽  
Russian Constitution ◽  
The Face ◽  
Constitutional Protections ◽  
Organizational Character

This chapter analyzes the freedom of religion. It first describes the doctrinal aspects of religious freedom, and how it is organizational in nature. It also theorizes why religious groups are particularly well equipped to protect religious freedom, and how the constitution can help them to protect their rights. It then presents results from a global statistical analysis, which reveal that constitutional protections of religious freedom are systematically associated with higher levels of respect for religious freedom in practice. It attributes this finding to the organizational character of religious rights. Religious groups have tremendous capacity to protect their own rights in the face of transgressions of power, especially when they can rely on the constitution. This chapter further illustrates how this can play out with a case study on religious rights in Russia, which tells the story of how religious groups have used the Russian Constitution to mitigate the worst consequences of proposed constitutional violations. Finally, this chapter draws attention to the differences between majority and minority religions.

The Ideology of Socialism and the Armenian Political Parties

wisdom ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-113
Author(s):  
Gegham HOVHANNISYAN
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Organizations ◽  
Social Democrats ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Forces ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Given

The article covers the manifestations and peculiarities of the ideology of socialism in the social-political life of Armenia at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. General characteristics, aims and directions of activity of the political organizations functioning in the Armenian reality within the given time-period, whose program documents feature the ideology of socialism to one degree or another, are given (Hunchakian Party, Dashnaktsutyun, Armenian Social-democrats, Specifics, Socialists-revolutionaries). The specific peculiarities of the national-political life of Armenia in the given time-period and their impact on the ideology of political forces are introduced.

scholarly journals PRAISE OF THE CONVERT: BELIEVE AND BELONG FROM THE CATHOLICITY OF LATIN AMERICA

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-339
Author(s):  
Felipe Gaytán Alcalá
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
The Church

Latin America was considered for many years the main bastion of Catholicism in the world by the number of parishioners and the influence of the church in the social and political life of the región, but in recent times there has been a decrease in the catholicity index. This paper explores three variables that have modified the identity of Catholicism in Latin American countries. The first one refers to the conversion processes that have expanded the presence of Christian denominations, by analyzing the reasons that revolve around the sense of belonging that these communities offer and that prop up their expansion and growth. The second variable accounts for those Catholics who still belong to the Catholic Church but who in their practices and beliefs have incorporated other magical or esoteric scheme in the form of religious syncretisms, modifying their sense of being Catholics in the world. The third factor has a political reference and has to do with the concept of laicism, a concept that sets its objective, not only in the separation of the State from the Church, but for historical reasons in catholicity restraint in the public space which has led to the confinement of the Catholic to the private, leaving other religious groups to occupy that space.

scholarly journals Religious interfaith work in Canada and South Africa with particular focus on the drafting of a South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain T. Benson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Freedom Of Religion ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
African Charter ◽  
The Creation ◽  
South African Constitution ◽  
Constitutional Protections

Constitutional protections for religious freedom (and related freedoms of conscience, belief and association and equality), once interpreted by courts and tribunals, apply in a precedential manner to future cases. They have an influence well beyond the particular community to which they first applied. For this reason, religious communities have increasingly banded together and sought to intervene or even, on occasion, to initiate legal actions asserting or defending their rights. This article reviews some of the principles around the freedom of religion as understood in South Africa and Canada to show how courts have understood the freedom of religion in its social context. In addition, interfaith cooperation is discussed with particular reference to the recent process which led to the formation of a Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms pursuant to Section 234 of the South African Constitution (which is attached to the article). This section, a unique provision in any constitution, allows for the creation of additional Charters to give greater specificity to the general language of the Constitution itself. As such, it is an encouragement to civil society to determine what it thinks are the important provisions that should be spelled out to give guidance to politicians and the judiciary. Awide variety of religious groups participated in the creation of the Charter. The Charter does not claim to be, nor could it be, exhaustive of such concerns but demonstrates that religions can cooperate across a host of issues in education, health care, employment and other issues. The next stage – passage into law, is still in the future but the first important hurdle has been crossed with the signing of the Charter in October of 2010. The Charter might be a template for other countries though changes would be necessary to deal with local issues.

Political Traditionalism in Nigeria: a Case-Study of Secret Societies and Dance Groups in Local Government

Africa ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvin Magid
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Secret Societies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Opening Paragraph ◽  
Dance Groups

Opening ParagraphThe notion that rural political life is essentially traditional tribal in Africa and therefore scarcely relevant to modern decision-making at higher echelons of government has had a commanding influence in African studies. Associated with this viewpoint has been a tacit division of labour in the social sciences which emphasizes the pre-eminence of anthropology in the tribal domain and the pre-occupation of political science with macropolitics especially in the urban sphere. Happily, a younger generation of political scientists has emerged in recent years to challenge an essentially artificial arrangement.

طبيعة الجماعات الدينية وانعكاسها على الأمن الاجتماعى فى المجتمع المصرى: رؤية سوسيولوجية

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (first) ◽  
pp. 48-87
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
The Social ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
Political Dispute ◽  
Descriptive Method

يهدف هذا البحث إلى التعرف على عواقب وجود الجماعات الدينية ومدى خطورتها على الضمان الاجتماعي في المجتمع المصري. كما تهدف إلى دراسة الجماعات الدينية، وتأسيسها، وهيكلها، وما هي خلفيتها الفكرية، وكيف تجذب أعضاءها، وأنماط الممارسات العنيفة التي تستخدمها تجاه المجتمع المصري. اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج الوصفى التحليلى، واستخدمت طريقة دراسة الحالة وأداة دليل المقابلة لجمع بيانات البحث. وتوصل البحث إلى مجموعة من النتائج من أهمها أن السياسة هي السبب الرئيسى لعنف الجماعات الدينية. وأن هذا الخلاف السياسي يؤثر بالسلب على الأمن الاجتماعي للمجتمع المصري. هناك انعكاسات سلبية على أبعاد الأمن الاجتماعى فى المجتمع المصرى التى من أبرزها الآثار السياسية الخطيرة لعنف الجماعات الدينية، ومن بين النتائج أيضاً أن الأسباب الرئيسة للعنف هى الأسباب السياسية وتحتل مرتبة أكبر من أى سبب آخر . This study aims to identify the consequences of the existence of religious groups and the extent of their danger to social security in the Egyptian society. Also, it aims to study the religious groups, their establishing, their structure, what is their intellectual background, how they attract their members, and the patterns of the violent practices they use toward Egyptian society. The study is based on the analytical descriptive method, used the case study and the interview guide tool to collect the study data. The study reached a set of results, the most important that politics is the main cause of violence by religious groups and that this political dispute negatively affects the social security of the Egyptian society.

The “Social Pact” as Anti-Inflationary Policy: The Argentine Experience Since 1973

1976 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Ayres
Keyword(s):  
Labor Union ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Market Forces ◽  
Political Movements ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Pact ◽  
Economic Considerations

Inflation has long been a fact of economic and political life in Argentina. The Peronist government which assumed office in mid-1973 attempted to control inflation through the so-called Social Pact, a wage-price agreement of two years’ duration involving the leading labor union organization, a leading businessmen's organization, and the Argentine state. An awareness of the principal issues of the economic situation is essential to an understanding of the crisis of contemporary Argentina, and a description of the evolution of the Social Pact reveals some of the essential contours of the economic debate. But the importance of the Social Pact extends beyond mere economic considerations. The study of the latest Argentine experience with anti-inflationary policy suggests some generalizations about the nature of populist political movements, the symbolic functions of economic policy initiatives, and the functions of such policies in co-opting private economic actors and legitimating governmental interference with free market forces. It also reveals some important characteristics of Argentine politics, especially concerning relations between the state and private economic groups. With economic and political implications of comparative significance, the Argentine Social Pact is an important case study in political economy.

Religious Liberty in Indonesia and the Rights of “Deviant” Sects

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfitri
Keyword(s):  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Religious Liberty ◽  
Freedom Of Religion ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Civil And Political Rights

AbstractAlthough Indonesia has acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and freedom of religion is a mandate of the 1945 Constitution, there is a significant difference between the promise and the practice of religious liberty, especially regarding the rights of sects in Indonesia. The article explores this theme in the context of the Congregation of Ahmadiyah Indonesia, a minority Islamic sect which is not considered as an agama, or official religion, as a case study. This designation has had various discriminatory effects on its adherents, which waters down significantly the guarantee of religious freedom in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Religious Freedom in Pakistan: A Case Study of Religious Minorities

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Musferah Mehfooz
Keyword(s):  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Religious Freedom ◽  
The Other ◽  
Islamic Republic ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
The One ◽  
Religious Nation ◽  
Muslim Minorities

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a multi-racial and multi-religious nation, with Muslims being in the majority. Its 1973 Constitution guarantees religious freedom to all religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. This is mainly because Islam itself ensures religious freedom to the whole of humanity. Unfortunately, some Muslim clerics seem to be attempting to deny religious freedom to other faiths in Pakistan. Their opposition to the plurality of faith contradicts Islamic principles. This research paper identifies such Islamic principles and examines the undesirability of the mistreatment of religious minorities in Pakistan, focusing on the arguments for and against religious freedom in Pakistan on the one hand, and the religious rights and freedoms of non-Muslim minorities from an Islamic perspective on the other. The methodology applied in this discussion is critical analysis. The conclusion drawn is that both the Constitution of Pakistan and Islam guarantee religious freedom to the country’s religious minorities. Finally, this study suggests some practical mechanisms to reconcile the different religious groups in Pakistan.

scholarly journals Opposing abuse in religious high-demand groups in South Africa: the case study of the “prophet” of Hertzogville

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 602-621
Author(s):  
S. P. Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Freedom Of Religion ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
High Demand ◽  
Human Right ◽  
The Right

Since the new Constitution came into force, there has been an increase in the number of high-demand religious groups. The more accommodating and tolerant approach towards religions brought about by the Constitution has created a fertile environment for the development of alternative religious groups. In certain cases, unfortunately, this has resulted in the violation of other basic human rights within the confines of these groups. There is very little monitoring of the various religions in South Africa and these violations seem to be on the increase. A need arose to oppose the infringement of human rights in high-demand religious groups. The organisation RIGH (Rights of Individuals Grant Honour To) was established to address this need. This article aims, first, to point out how the exercising of one basic human right, in this particular case the right to freedom of religion as exercised in Hertzogville, led to the violation of other basic human rights. Secondly, it suggests ways of opposing the infringements on other basic human rights by high-demand religious groups.

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