Religious democracy

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Religious democracy^[1] is a form of government where the values of a particular religion affect laws and rules. The term applies to all countries in which religion is incorporated into the form of government.

Democracies are characterized as secular or religious.^[2] The definition of democracy is disputed and interpreted differently amongst politicians and scholars. It could be argued if only liberal democracy is true democracy, if religion can be incorporated into democracy, or if religion is a necessity for democracy. The religiosity of political leaders can also have an effect on the practice of democracy.

Criticism

Major criticism of religious democracy include criticism from the secular and the legalist points of view.^[3]^[4]

From the secular point of view, religion is a hindrance to democracy as it enforces a set of legal and societal principles. Separation of religion and state is required to protect freedom and ensure equality. As many countries, including the United States incorporate religion into their legislation, it could be argued as to what constitutes a secular democracy.
From the Legal point of view, democracy can never enjoy general acceptance in a religious society. Anything outside of rigid interpretation of religious texts is rejected and God rather than the people is sovereign.

Examples

Historical democracies with state sponsored religious laws:

Athenian democracy (Ancient Greek religion)
Roman Republic (Ancient Roman religion)
Buddhist ganarajyas
Icelandic Commonwealth (Norse paganism, after AD 1000 Christianity)
Old Swiss Confederacy (Christianity)

Contemporary democracies with state religions:

Christian:
- Greece, Argentina, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom
Islamic:
- Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan
Jewish:
- Israel
Buddhist:
- Bhutan

Contemporary states with state religions that claim to be democratic but are not recognised as such by the international community:

Christian:
- Armenia
Islamic:
- Iran

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/7/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

Religious democracy

Criticism

Examples

See also

References