The Challenge of Pluralism: Church and State in Five Democracies

Monsma, Stephen V.; Soper, Christopher J.

ISBN 10: 0742554171 / ISBN 13: 9780742554177

Verlag: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008

This book is a well used but readable copy. Integrity of the book is still intact with no missing pages. May have considerable notes or highlighting. Cover image on the book may vary. Ships out quickly in a secure plastic mailer! Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 56JTFR0025NZ_ns

Inhaltsangabe:

Now in a thoroughly revised and updated edition, this essential text offers a rigorous, systematic comparison of church-state relations in the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, and England. As successful and stable political democracies, these five countries share a commitment to protecting the religious rights of their citizens. Yet as the book demonstrates, each has taken substantially different approaches to resolving basic church-state questions. Stephen V. Monsma and J. Christopher Soper examine the historical roots of those differences and explain how each state addresses contemporary church-state issues. The authors judge each government's success in protecting the religious rights of its citizens using a framework based on the ideal of governmental neutrality or evenhandedness toward people of all faiths and of none.

Providing clarity on the little-understood, evolving relationship between church and state in the West, this book provides an invaluable comparative analysis of a topic that is increasingly a source of profound political and social conflict. Monsma and Soper conclude that the American conception of church-state separation, with its traditional emphasis on avoiding government establishment of religion, actually discriminates against religious groups by denying access to government services provided to other organizations. The authors persuasively argue that the United States can learn a great deal from other Western nations in promoting religious neutrality and the free exercise of religion.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor: Stephen V. Monsma is research fellow in the Paul Henry Institute at Calvin College and emeritus professor of political science at Pepperdine University.J. Christopher Soper is Blanche E. Seaver Professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University.

Bibliografische Details

Titel: The Challenge of Pluralism: Church and State...
Verlag: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Erscheinungsdatum: 2008
Einband: Softcover
Zustand: acceptable
Auflage: 2. Auflage