Religion in the Public Sphere: A Comparative Analysis of German, Israeli, American and International Law

Descriere

How closely connected should church and state be? May a state recognize or endorse the role and meaning of religion at all? Can it treat distinct religious groups differently? This book seeks to address these questions and more through a portrayal and comparison of the legal systems of Germany, Israel, France, and the United States.

Some of the authors of this contributed work also consider the issue of church and state from an international law perspective. Their analyses are structured from both a state-institutional as well as from a fundamental rights and human rights perspective.

This thought-provoking book brings the often opposing demands of religious and secular freedoms into clear focus. You’ll discover how different nations have managed this thorny issue, what the current hot topics are in the church versus state debate, and what efforts have been taken to address them.

• Church-State relations
• freedom of religion
• religious symbols
• state neutrality