Abstract (may include machine translation)
The formulation of freedom of religion and conscience as an individual right stems partly from placing religious choices in individual conscience, and partly from the fact that strong, privileged claims against the state are formulated most successfully in the language of rights. While concerns of free exercise of religion may prevail in the regulation of religion, considerations related to the collective aspects of religious exercise and historical traditions in matters of church-state relations continue to play a role in the regulatory area. This article discusses the changing meaning of freedom of religion; reasons for and justifications of freedom of religion; what is religion; what is protected as religious freedom; accommodation as a positive enforcement of freedom of religion; and models of church-state relations.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Constitutional Law |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780191751967 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780199578610 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 21 Nov 2012 |
Keywords
- Church-state relations
- Constitution
- Constitutional rights
- Freedom of religion
- Religious choice