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The Challenge of Pluralism: Church and State in Five Democracies

Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Dec 1, 1999

Monsma and Soper turn their attention to the study of religion and politics-"two vital spheres of...

more Monsma and Soper turn their attention to the study of religion and politics-"two vital spheres of human endeavor"-in a cross-section of democratic countries (p.1). One of their aims is to promote a better understanding of how liberal democracies grapple with "basic questions" centering on "church-state" relations.

These include defining the scope of freedom that can be given to religious groups, determining the extent to which the state can go in fostering the religious "beliefs and traditions" that undergird a democratic order's shared values, and figuring out ways to "ensure" that activities undertaken by the state provide neither "advantages" nor "disadvantages&q