Research On Religion » democracy

Jeremy Menchik on Islam, Tolerance, Democracy, & Indonesia

tonygill — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 08:00:54 +0000

Indonesia currently represents the largest Muslim-majority democratic country in the world, successfully balancing a plethora of ethnic, religious, and geographic divisions. Jeremy Menchik, an assistant professor in the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, explains how the Indonesian state is able to promote “Godly nationalism” while promoting tolerance towards religious minorities including Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, and even various sects of Islam (e.g., the Ahmadiyah). Prof. Menchik begins by discussing how he came to study Indonesia, tracing his interests back to his academic family as well as a novel method of choosing dissertation topics — the “PI index.” We then review the basic geography, demographics, and history of Indonesia, a country comprised of more than 17,000 islands. Jeremy defines what it means to be a “consolidated democracy” and how this multi-ethnic, geographically-dispersed country fits into that definitional category. This conversation includes a comparison with European notions of democracy based upon Lockean concepts, and how Muslim versions of democracy differ. One of the primary differences is that in Indonesia, the state is seen as a force for promoting spirituality as compared to a neutral secularism. While favoring a religious worldview, though, the state is careful to show tolerance towards non-Muslim minorities. Communists, we learn, have a bigger uphill battle to have their ideological disposition recognized. Jeremy further details the three major groupings of Islam — Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Muhammadiyah, and Persatuan Islam (Persis) — and how these different organizations vary in terms of their tolerance to other religions and secular political groups. One of the key factors explaining the variation is the exposure of different geographical groupings of Muslims to Christian missionaries in the past century. The discussion includes how Hindus — known for polytheism — are blended into a regime of tolerance. We finish the discussion with Jeremy’s thoughts on what the rest of the world can learn from Indonesia, along with his appreciation for the role of intellectual humility in the academic profession. Recorded: April 21, 2017.

Prof. Jeremy Menchik’s personal website and Twitter feed.

Islam and Democracy in Indonesia: Tolerance without Liberalism, by Jeremy Menchik.

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Dan Philpott on Democracy & Religious Resurgence.

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Does America Need a Christian Democratic Party?

tonygill — Sun, 12 Mar 2017 08:00:18 +0000

The American political landscape appears in chaos, and Christians are seemingly under assault in both the legislative arena and judicial system, or so says Hunter Baker, an associate professor of political science at Union University. Based upon these reflections, he began wondering whether the United States was in need of a Christian Democratic party to defend religious liberty and promote other Judeo-Christian values in the polity. To this end, Prof. Baker organized a symposium of scholars to write their thoughts on topic. The results were published in the Winter 2017 issue of the academic journal Perspectives on Political Science. We pick up this debate here with Prof. Baker and two additional scholars — Bryan McGraw (Wheaton College) and Micah Watson (Calvin College). Prof. Baker argues that a Christian Democratic party represents the best means of defending Christian interests in the public arena considering that lobbying attempts by religious organizations have not been entirely effective in convincing either the Democratic or Republican parties to protect religious freedoms and promote Christian values. Tony questions Hunter as to how effective such a partisan effort might be given that CD parties have not been able to hold back the tide of aggressive secularism in Europe, though Prof. Baker counters with evidence from Germany that shows how their CD party has favored traditional definitions of marriage and has been open to refugees. Prof. McGraw provides additional historical perspective in his segment of the debate, noting that CD parties were crucial in a number of European countries — most notably Belgium — during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and were also important in helping promote policies that favored religious interests such as funding for religious education. Nonetheless, Bryan points out that the political structure of the United States lends itself to a two party system wherein third parties have a hard time making any headway, and with Christianity much more diverse than in Europe, the chance for any one party to coalesce around a religiously-based platform would be very difficult. Prof. Micah Watson responds to all of this arguing that irrespective of whether a CD party could be successfully created in the U.S., it is nonetheless a bad idea because associating Jesus’s name with a variety of mundane policies that could divide citizens is not the proper use of the Christian mission. Tony asks if this even applies to potholes. Micah notes that while it may be acceptable to pray for pothole relief, building a political party around a single Christian identity would be difficult (echoing Bryan McGraw’s concerns) and bad for the long-term evangelization agenda of Christianity. Tony adds his own perspective to the debate with an intellectual appeal to public choice theory. (Those interested in reading Tony’s paper can request it via our Facebook or Twitter pages.) Prof. Watson shares some of his ideas for how Christians may engage the world politically based upon the ideas of C.S. Lewis. Recorded: March 3, 2017.

RELATED LINKS

Symposium on Christian Democracy in America in Perspective on Political Science (may require subscription or university affiliation).

Prof. Hunter Baker’s bio at Union University.

Prof. Hunter Baker’s article, “Can Christian Democracy Be America’s Next European Import?”

Prof. Bryan McGraw’s bio at Wheaton College.

Prof. Bryan McGraw’s article, “Europe’s Christian Democratic Parties and American Possibilities.”

Prof. Micah Watson’s bio at Calvin College.

Prof. Micah Watson’s article, “Another Meditation on the Third Commandment.”

Prof. Anthony Gill’s article, “Christian Democracy without Romance.”

The End of Secularism, by Hunter Baker.

Political Thought: A Student’s Guide, by Hunter Baker.

The System Has a Soul, by Hunter Baker.

Faith in Politics: Religion and Liberal Political Thought, by Bryan McGraw.

Natural Law and Evangelical Political Thought, edited by Jesse Covington, Bryan McGraw, and Micah Watson.

C.S. Lewis on Politics and the Natural Law, by Justin Dyer and Micah Watson.

The Political Origins of Religious Liberty, by Anthony Gill.

Rendering Unto Caesar: The Catholic Church and State in Latin America, by Anthony Gill.

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Should Christians Have Fought in the US War for Independence?

Hunter Baker on Secularism.

Hunter Baker on the Past and Future of the Religious Right.

Hunter Baker on the Future of Religious Higher Education.

Micah Watson on C.S. Lewis.

Francis Beckwith on Taking Rites Seriously.

David Buckley on the Demand for Clergy in Politics.

Nathanael Snow on the Evangelical Coalition and Public Choice.

J0n Shields on Democratic Virtues and the Christian Right.

Aaron Saiger on Religion and Charter Schools.

Clark Lombardi on Sharia Law

tonygill — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 08:00:08 +0000

What is sharia law? How can sharia law be accommodated into formal constitutions? These questions and more are the topic of discussion with Prof. Clark Lombardi, the Law Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Washington. Prof. Lombardi explains what sharia law is and how it compares with Western variants such as common law and canon law. We dig into the historical development of sharia law and how, given the decentralized nature of Islam, that there were numerous interpretations. Dealing with this diversity meant relying upon a number of scholar-jurists (fuqaha), who had organized themselves into guild-like organizations and schools, and having respect for different opinions when agreement could not be reached. We examine how the rise of a more bureaucratized state affected the use of sharia in society, covering some of the developments in the Ottoman Empire and then the changes occurring in the post-Ottoman and post-colonial era. With secular states coming to the rise in the post-WWII period, and then faltering in the 1970s, we begin to see the rise of more Islamist influence in government and a demand for “sharia guarantee clauses” (SGCs) written into formal constitutions, wherein secular rulers are obligated to follow the guidance of sharia. More than merely a “bill of rights,” these SGCs were implemented to ensure government officials did not make law that would force Muslims to sin, and also served as a check to get these same rulers to act on behalf of the welfare of the community. We discuss how such SGCs have been implemented in a number of countries. Clark lays out three general methods: 1) political constitutionalism wherein the passage of sharia law falls largely in the hands of executives and parliaments; 2) legal constitutionalism giving courts the ability to review the adherence of legislative and executive actions to sharia law; and 3) hybrid systems that combine a bit of both. Clark illustrates these systems by referring to various countries with special concentration in the recent Egyptian constitution. We finish off with some of Prof. Lombardi’s ruminations on events in Turkey and how his study of sharia has affected his understanding of the legal system in the United States. Recorded: August 11, 2016.

Clark Lombardi’s Social Science Research Network (SSRN) page.

State Law as Islamic Law in Modern Egypt, by Clark Lombardi.

Religion and Human Security, edited by James Wellman and Clark Lombardi.

Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Law, by Clark Lombardi.

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Alessandra Gonzalez on Islamic Feminism.

Ann Wainscott on the Politics of Islam in Morocco.

Nathan Brown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Jared Rubin on Religion and Credit Risk in the Ottoman Empire.

Karen Elliott House on Journalism and Saudi Arabia.

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Paul Kubicek on Islam, Political Islam, and Democracy

tonygill — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 08:00:34 +0000

Can Islamic nations craft functioning democracies? While a cursory glance at the Arab Middle East would suggest the difficulty with such a task, Dr. Paul Kubicek, professor of political science at Oakland University, discusses his comparative research that shows a number of tentative successes with democracy in the Muslim world. We discuss Turkey and a number of other countries that receive little attention in the popular media such as Senegal, Mali, Tunisia, and Bangladesh. While many of these countries have experienced democracy in the past decade or so, and some of them (e.g., Bangladesh) still face significant challenges, Prof. Kubicek’s research shows that Islam and democracy are not necessarily incompatible.

As per usual, Tony asks Paul about his background with particular attention to how someone who studied post-communist nations in eastern Europe would end up taking a job in Istanbul at Koc University, especially since he had never visited that nation prior to his job interview and did not know Turkish. We chat a bit about his time there and his reflections on being a “stranger in a strange land.” It was his three year stint as a professor at Koc that created the seeds of interest that eventually became the basis of his book Political Islam and Democracy in the Muslim World.

We then take care of a few definitional issues talking about what democracy is and where nations in the Muslim world — stretching from Morocco to Malaysia — fit in comparative perspective. Paul notes that on empirical scores of democracy (mainly from the Polity data set), Muslim countries score significantly lower (i.e., less democratic) than the non-Muslim world. He reviews a number of reasons other scholars have advanced for this “democratic deficit,” including theories about poverty’s relationship to democracy, the “resource curse,” and some political culture factors, as well as hypotheses linking Islam’s incompatibility with democratic governance. We then talk a bit about the variation within Islam — not a monolithic religion by any means — and briefly explore the topic of political Islam.

The last half of our interview surveys a number of countries that have had some success with democratization. We start with Turkey, the country that was Paul’s home for three years. He reviews the history of that nation and notes how religion was removed from political consideration during and following Kemal Ataturk’s rule. Paul then talks about the democratization process and how it has opened up to individuals who want a more public space to express their religion and the rise of the Justice & Development Party (AKP). While there has been a few steps backwards in terms of free speech and other civil liberties, Paul does not attribute this to Islam per se, but rather just the natural desire of governments to want more power. We also discuss the pull that Europe has had on the political landscape of Turkey, and Paul notes that while Europe did exert some influence towards democratization in the 1990s, this influence has faded in the past decade.

We then move on to a number of lesser-known countries, starting with Senegal — a west African nation that has shown considerable success with democratic governance. Again, Paul reviews the history of this country (a former French colony) and explains how the “national brand” of Islam, which is Sufi-based, assisted (or at least did not inhibit) the process of democratization. Paul points out that a great deal of toleration for other religions exists in this country and a number of the first presidents were, in fact, non-Muslims. We then travel a bit to the northeast to look at Mali. Of all the countries examined in his book, Mali would appear to be the least conducive to democracy given its low GDP per capita and high rates of illiteracy. Nonetheless, beginning in 1992, the country moved in a democratic direction with competitive elections. A brief military coup in 2012 prompted by separatist unrest in the north was short-lived as the generals handed back power to civilians. Bangladesh is then offered up as a case where things have not progressed as well and Paul explains how “creeping Islamization” from Pakistan has caused backtracking on a variety of civil liberties.

We finish off the interview with some discussion of the Arab Spring, a movement starting back in 2011 that offered hope for political liberalization in North Africa and the Middle East, but which has not been as successful in that area as was hoped. Paul points out that Tunisia, the point of origin for the Arab Spring, is doing well with respect to democratic liberalization but other countries have floundered, including Egypt. Paul offers up some final thoughts on the political future of the region. Recorded: July 2, 2015.

Political Islam and Democracy in the Muslim World, by Paul Kubicek.

From Solidarity to Infirmity: Organized Labor in Post-Communist States, by Paul Kubicek.

Unbroken Ties: The State, Interest Associations, and Corporatism in Post-Soviet Ukraine, by Paul Kubicek.

The European Union and Democratization, edited by Paul Kubicek.

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Alessandra González on Islamic Feminism.

Religious Freedom & Political Flourishing: A Panel Discussion

tonygill — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 09:00:49 +0000

Can religious liberty trailblaze a pathway towards greater political liberalization in autocratic countries? Is religious freedom a necessary condition for democratic societies? And how does religious liberty orginate and sustain itself in regimes around the world? Are other freedoms necessary to sustain the rights of conscience? These were questions that were posed to an esteemed panel of four scholars assembled by the Religious Freedom Project of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University in early October. Moderated by Timothy Shah (Religious Freedom Project), the panelists include — in order of appearance — Dan Philpott (RFP and Notre Dame), Nukhet Sandal (Ohio U), Ani Sarkissian (Michigan State), and Tony Gill (U of Washington).

Prior to assembling the panel, Timothy Shah mailed all four discussants a set of questions as follows:

Is it possible to have a polity that is liberal and democratic in most respects bu that also suppresses religious freedom?
Does the presence of robust religious freedom promote political freedom, limited government, and democracy? If so, what specific elements of religious freedom ar most crucial for promoting political freedom and vibrant democracy?
Are there wasy in which religious freedom helps to promote transitions from authoritarianism to democracy?
Are there context or regions important for American national security and global stability that illustrate the causal linkages between religious freedom, on the one hand, and political freedom and democratization, on the other?

All four panelists were given about 10 minutes to respond to any and all of these questions using any region of the world and historical era that they chose. This was then followed up by further questions by the moderator, Tim Shah, and several questions from the audience. Recorded: October 10, 2013 at Georgetown University.

RELATED LINKS

The panel discussion in video format available at YouTube.

Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, & World Affairs (Georgetown University).

Timothy Shah’s bio at Religious Freedom Project.

Dan Philpott’s bio at Religious Freedom Project and Notre Dame (Political Science).

Nukhet Sandal’s bio at Religious Freedom Project at Ohio University (Political Science).

Ani Sarkissian’s bio at Religious Freedom Project and Michigan State (Political Science).

Tony Gill’s bio at Religious Freedom Project and U of Washington (Political Science).

God’s Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics, by Monica Toft, Daniel Philpott, and Timothy Shah.

Religious Freedom, Why Now? Defending an Embattled Human Right, by Timothy Shah and Matthew Franck.

Religion in International Relations Theory: Interactions and Possibilities, by Nukhet Sandal and Jonathan Fox.

Religion as an Issue in Politics, by Nukhet Sandal.

The Political Origins of Religious Liberty, by Anthony Gill.

(Ani Sarkissian has a forthcoming book. Stay tuned for details.)

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Anthony Gill on the Political Origins of Religious Liberty.

William Inboden on Religious Liberty, Foreign Policy, and the Arab Spring.

Thomas Farr on Religion, Religious Liberty, and US Diplomacy.

Robert Woodberry on Missionaries and Democracy.

Allen Hertzke on Religious Liberty.

Joel Fetzer on Confucianism and Democracy.

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Joel Fetzer on Confucianism and Democracy

tonygill — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 08:00:20 +0000

Max Weber, the famed sociologist who shaped a great deal of the social scientific study of religion, once wrote that a certain ideational version of Protestantism, namely Calvinism, was responsible for giving rise to industrial capitalism and, by extension, liberal democracy in Western Europe. In contrast, Weber also argued that Confucianism acted as an ideological roadblock to economic and political development. With the recent democratization of several countries that were historically influenced by Confucian thought, Joel Fetzer — a professor of political science at Pepperdine University — examines whether or not the claim that Confucianism is incompatible with democracy still rings true. Our primary focus is on Taiwan, a country that he studied extensively with his frequent collaborator Chris Soper, though we also extend an eye to the democratization process in South Korea, as well as the still-authoritarian countries of China and Singapore.

Joel begins the conversation by detailing the political history of Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore to set the table for latter discussion. He then discusses some of the more prominent political explanations for the political liberalization of the former two nations, which includes an emphasis on economic variables such as the rise of a middle class as well as the political manuevering of interest groups. Often overlooked in the study of democratization, though, is the role ideas play in reshaping the political landscape. We briefly talk about how ideas or culture may affect the shape of a political regime, with a tip of the hat to scholars such as Robert Putnam who have argued that cultural traditions can play an important role in the political organization of society.

With the potential influence of ideas on the table, we then examine Confucianism. Prof. Fetzer provides a basic introduction to this religion/philosophy. He notes that key elements of Confucian thought do seem to coincide with more authoritarian notions of leadership. We discuss the “five right relationships” that emphasize a deference to elders and to authority, the importance of filial piety, and the desire to promote social harmony over conflict. All of these virtues can be seen as working against the conflict and social fluidity that tend to characterize modern democratic thought. We then discuss how Confucianism, like many other religions, is rather malleable and how interpretations or emphases can change over time. This leads to an interesting discussion of how the educational system in Taiwan was used to emphasize different facets of Confucian thought at different times in its history, most specifically in the authoritarian and post-authoritarian eras. This is compared with how it is taught in Singapore currently.

Prof. Fetzer than shares some of the empirical observations from his study conducted with Chris Soper. In conjunction with what Weber and others have argued, they find that adherence to Confucian values do correspond to holding authoritarian values under autocratic regimes. Interestingly, this relationship doesn’t necessarily hold under democratic regimes. Indeed, people identifying with Confucianism may be more favorable to values such as minority rights under democratic regimes. This leads to one of the main assertions of their research, that while Confucianism may not be a cause of political liberalization in these societies, the philosophy itself is not necessarily inimical to democratic values under more liberalized regimes. We finish our discussion by examining the role that Christianity may have played in the democratic process both in South Korea and Taiwan. Recorded: October 4, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Joel Fetzer’s bio at Pepperdine University (includes links to available articles).

Confucianism, Democratization, and Human Rights in Taiwan, by Joel Fetzer and J. Christopher Soper.

Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany, by Joel Fetzer and J. Christopher Soper.

Luxembourg as an Immigration Success Story, by Joel Fetzer.

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Robert Delahunty on Alexis de Tocqueville and Religion.

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Robert Delahunty on Alexis de Tocqueville and Religion

tonygill — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 08:00:51 +0000

Back in the 1830s, a young Frenchman by the name of Alexis de Tocqueville travelled to the United States to write a report about its prison system. Although he did write such a report, the trip became more notable when Tocqueville put pen to paper and generated a two-volume set of observations about American political and social life known as Democracy in America. While the book contains many profound observations, we invite Prof. Robert Delahunty (University of St. Thomas) to discuss Tocqueville’s thoughts on the importance of religion in a democratic society based on a series of posts he recently wrote on the Center for Law & Religion Forum hosted by St. John’s University Law School (see below).

Our discussion begins with an examination of the historical setting for Democracy in America, namely the Jacksonian era of U.S. history. Prof. Delahunty reviews the many social, economic, political, and religious changes taking place in this fledgling nation. He then reviews the personal background of Alexis de Tocqueville, who was only in his mid-20s when he journeyed to America. His early life as a Catholic is covered as well as his “deconversion” at about age 16. Interestingly, though harboring doubts about his Catholic faith, Alexis continued to participate in the Catholic Church throughout most of his adult life. Robert notes how these personal experiences come to shape Tocqueville’s views of American relgion, most notably the more mainstream form of Protestantism typical of the northern US at the time, and also how he understands the growing Catholic presence in America during the 1830s. Robert makes an interesting historical observation that Tocqueville seems to have overlooked the dynamic ferment that was the Second Great Awakening in America. We also cover Tocqueville’s political outlook, noting how his parents had been persecuted during the French Revolution and how Alexis was also influenced by various French Enlightenment thinkers.

We then plunge fully into Tocqueville’s thinking on church-state relations and the role of religion in society more generally. Robert connects Tocqueville to a long tradition of Western political thought about religion dating back to Niccolo Machiavelli. This dialogue with previous philosophers, and Machiavelli in particular, helps to anchor our conversation. Robert notes that religion has been seen as being connected to governance in three ways. First, religion has historically been used to sacralize or legitimize secular authority and the state. Second, religion serves to moralize the population in ways that are beneficial to a smooth-functioning society. Finally, he notes that religious groups and leaders have served a “prophetic role” of challenging abuses of state authority. It is the latter two functions, Delahunty argues, that Tocqueville comes to increasingly see as the important aspect of religion in a democratic republic. Tocqueville is concerned that American Protestantism may not be sufficiently prophetic enough in the era in which he observed the nation. Nonetheless, we explore how important religion is, and could be, in limiting what Prof. Delahunty calls the “political immagination.” Religion, as a force in civil society, helps to restrict the options before democratic political leaders preventing it from devolving to mob rule. We close with Prof. Delahunty’s thoughts about how Tocqueville’s philosophy could be useful for understanding church-state relations and the role of religion in America over the past half century. Recorded: August 23, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Robert Delahunty’s bio at St. Thomas University.

Prof. Delahunty’s short blog articles on religion and Tocqueville at the Center for Law & Religion Forum.

“Russell Moore: From Moral Majority to ‘Prophetic Minority’,” by Naomi Schaeffer Riley in Wall Street Journal (mentioned in podcast; subscription required for access).

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Ron Mock on Pacifism, War, and Terrorism

tonygill — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:00:02 +0000

In light of the eleventh anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, and with an eye towards more recent assaults on US diplomatic missions overseas, we explore the topic of Christian pacifism in the face of war and terrorism with Prof. Ron Mock, associate professor of political science at George Fox University and the director of GFU’s Center for Peace & Justice. Our interview begins, though, with Tony posing a questions he has asked several other guests in the past: As a Christian, would you have fought in the American War of Independence in the 1770s? We offer up this question early in the podcast as a means of exploring the dimensions of Prof. Mock’s own pacifism. In the process of this discussion, Ron talks about his background growing up in the Church of God and why he joined the Religious Society of Friends (i.e., Quakers). The conversation then returns to whether or not Ron sees the War of Independence as a just war and what the colonists could have done differently at that time. We then fast forward to the contemporary era and Tony asks Ron where he was on the morning of September 11, 2001 and how he reacted to the news of those terrorist attacks. We use this discussion to set the table for our discussion of pacifism by realizing that there is a natural, perhaps innate, tendency for humans to react to such events with anger and a desire to strike back. This leads Ron, who is a self-identified pacifist, to offer up an intriguing critique of pacifism wherein he notes that pacifists have rarely struggled with the dual Christian mandate of loving both your enemy and your neighbor. Sometimes, as we note with a couple hypothetical scenarios, can be difficult. If an enemy is attacking your neighbor, can you sit by idly or be so forgiving of the aggressor that you neglect your duty to the victim? This prompts us to look at the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who during World War II faced a difficult choice as a Christian pacifist. We then turn to the issue of terrorism in the contemporary world and Prof. Mock offers us his five-part definition of terrorism as a means for understanding how to respond to this threat. He proceeds to offer a critique of contemporary US foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in particular the use of unmanned drones. Ron is concerned with the process that many militaries (or terrorists) have to dehumanize their enemies and drone attacks only augment this problem even more. He then offers up his solution from a pacifist perspective on how to deal with such threats. Recorded: September 14, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Ron Mock’s biography at George Fox University.

Loving Without Giving In: Christian Responses to Terrorism and Tyranny, by Ron Mock.

When the Rain Returns: Toward Justice and Reconciliation in Israel and Palestine, by Ron Mock

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Should Christians Have Fought in the US War of Independence?

Sean Everton on Dark Networks.

Eli Berman on Religious Terrorism.

Monica Toft on Religion, Violence and Civil War.

Christian Novetzke on Kung Fu Fighting and Eastern Religions.

Jonathan Fox on Religion & State Around the World

tonygill — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:00:57 +0000

Research on Religion is pleased to welcome our first guest from outside the United States. Prof. Jonathan Fox of Bar Ilan University in Israel joins us to discuss the research findings from his Religion & State Project, which has not only proven to be of enormous benefit to scholars worldwide in terms of the data that has been collected, but has produced a vast literature on the relationship between government and religious institutions. Prof. Fox tells us how the project came about and what it has been involved in over the past decade. We then delve into the nature of religion-state relations, a term that is applied more broadly than “church-state relations” since Jonathan’s project encompasses all of the major faith traditions around the globe. We talk about definitional issues surrounding religious liberty and religious freedom, and differentiate this from the concept of “separation of religion and state.” We note that religious liberty and/or separation of religion and state is not just some dichotomous switch that one can turn on or off, but rather encompasses a number of different policies and decisions about what types of activities are permissible in society. Jonathan illustrates this with references to Baal, wiccans in San Francisco, and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Prof. Fox then reviews the various broad patterns of religion-state relations including the separationist, neutrality, and laicism (or “laicite” in French) models. The U.S. is one of the few examples worldwide of the “separationist” model, and Jonathan points out how most of (secular) Europe tends to either have state-supported churches, state-favored churches, works on the “neutrality” model or — as in the case of France — tries to limit religious expression from the public sphere as much as possible. We then review some of the non-constitutional means whereby governments regulate religious minorities, including definitional issues of what constitutes a religion, what constitutes “hateful” religious speech, and even non-application of laws on the books. Tony provides some examples from Latin America based on his own prior research. The conversation then veers in a different direction to examine how religious beliefs and organizations influence the political landscape of their respective countries. Prof. Fox works through several categories in how this occurs in terms of conditioning worldviews, providing legitimacy, and organizing through religious institutions. The issue of worldviews is illustrated via how the European and Arab world diverged on their perspectives on the role of religion in politics following the Treaty of Westphalia (1648), wherein the Europeans removed religion from the realm of politics, and the Holy Roman Empire’s defeat of the Ottomans at the Battle of Vienna (1683), which began several centuries of Europe’s dominance over Arab Muslim territory. Jonathan also notes that it is not just a clash of religious worldviews that determines political outcomes, but a clash between religious and secular worldviews that has become a factor in our world as of late. We then turn to the issue of legitimacy with Prof. Fox providing a very relevant analogy to explain the concept using the often familiar issue of trying to parent children. This discussion of how religions can legitimate governments opens the door for Jonathan to mention Tony’s first book, Rendering Unto Caesar, and Tony provides an example for how religious organizations can actually harm themselves by legitimating clearly unpopular governments. A bit of discussion of Turkmenistan and North Korea also ensues. We finish up with Jonathan’s thoughts on how religious organizations are ideally suited for mobilizing collective political action and his thoughts on what he has learned over the past decade working with his Religion & State Project. Recorded: July 22, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Jonathan Fox’s biography at Bar Ilan University.

The Religion and State Project, created and directed by Jonathan Fox.

A World Survey of Religion and the State, by Jonathan Fox.

Religion, Politics, Society, and the State, by Jonathan Fox.

Bringing Religion into International Relations, by Jonathan Fox and Shmuel Sandler.

Religion, Civilization and Civil War, by Jonathan Fox.

An Introduction to Religion and Politics: Theory and Practice, by Jonathan Fox (forthcoming).

The Association of Religious Data Archives (ARDA) at Penn State University (run by Roger Finke).

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (as noted in the podcast).

Rendering Unto Caesar: The Catholic Church and the State in Latin America, by Anthony Gill (mentioned unprompted by Jonathan in the podcast).

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Timothy Shah and the Case for Religious Liberty.

Thomas Farr on Religion, Religious Liberty, and US Diplomacy.

Allen Hertzke on Religious Liberty.

Roger Finke on Religious Persecution.

Robert Woodberry on Missionaries and Democracy

tonygill — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 08:00:38 +0000

Did Protestant missionaries help plant the seeds of democracy throughout the world? We take up that question with Prof. Robert Woodberry, associate professor of political science at the National Univesity of Singapore, whose recent article “The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy” in the American Political Science Review is reinvigorating interest in the link between religion and political outcomes around the world and throughout history. Our conversation begins with an examination of the standard theories for why democracy has emerged in some places but not in others. Prof. Woodberry carefully indicates that democracy is more than just elections, but includes respect for civil liberties and the rule of law. Our conversation tuns to the role religion plays in the promotion of liberal democracy and how Bob became interested in this topic. He mentions that one of his dissertation advisors, Ken Bollen, had noticed an interesting historical correlation between Protestantism and democracy back in the 1970s, but most other scholars simply ignored that observation. It was left to Bob to pick up the torch and run with it, a task he was well-suited for given his family’s history in missionizing. Tony then asks Bob why he thinks scholars have so frequently overlooked the “religious factor” in the study of democratization, and Prof. Woodberry then provides some interesting speculations that click well with previous discussions we have had with other guests on our podcast. Prof. Woodberry then spells out his thesis, arguing that “conversionary Protestants” — Protestants interested in fulfilling the task of The Great Commission (Matthew 28: 16-20) be it in post-Reformation Europe or elsewhere — have a strong interest in convincing individuals to make a free choice to accept Jesus as their savior. In doing so, these Protestants encourage literacy, which in turn incentivizes the creation of mass printing. The voluntarism inherent in these Protestant churches also foments the development of skills associated with civic organization, which become the basis for the vibrant civil society needed to challenge autocratic rulers. Tony notes that this finding is consistent with other sociological research finding that church attenders are more likely to be involved in non-church civic organizations than their secular counterparts. Tony also encourages scholars studying “new social movements” to look at “old social movements” (i.e., churches) because they have been collectively organizing for centuries, if not millenia. Finally, Bob also notes that conversionary Protestants were strong advocates for religious liberty, which often corresponded with respect for other civil liberties such as the right to assemble and speak one’s mind. This led many of these Protestants to also speak out against the more severe abuses of colonialism such as slavery. All of this then prompts non-religious organizations to follow the lead of these Protestant groups so as to not be outdone in the competition for the hearts and minds of the general population. It is at this point where Tony gets a chance to plug his first book which connects well with Prof. Woodberry’s findings. We look at why the Catholic Church did not proceed along a similar path until very recently, and why civilizations such as Imperial China did not allow for the expansion of printing and literacy despite having invented movable typeset printing long before Europe. We conclude our discussion with Bob’s thought on the Arab Spring. Recorded: June 12, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Robert Woodberry’s bio at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

“The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy” by Robert Woodberry in The American Political Science Review (requires purchase or subscription).

“The Pioneering Protestants” by Robert Woodberry and Timothy Shah in The Journal of Democracy (requires purchase or subscription).

Rendering Unto Caesar: The Catholic Church and the State in Latin America, by Anthony Gill (host of Research on Religion)

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