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11 pages, 831 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Management of Religious Diversity—Theoretical Stakes and Case Studies in Europe, Latin America and Beyond

by Juan Cruz Esquivel and Roberta Ricucci

Religions 2025, 16(6), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060686 (registering DOI) - 27 May 2025

Abstract

Religious diversity is a widespread phenomenon in contemporary societies [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Religious Diversity: Comparing and Contrasting Experiences across the World)

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Research

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17 pages, 250 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Management of Religious Diversity in Chile: Experiences from Local Governments

by Nelson Marín Alarcón and Luis Bahamondes González

Religions 2025, 16(4), 535; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040535 - 21 Apr 2025

Viewed by 305

Abstract

This article analyzes the origins, characteristics, and functioning of the Chilean public institutions dedicated to managing religious diversity at the municipal level. Paying attention to the effects produced by the promulgation of the 1999 Cults Law, the text problematizes how the tensions between [...] Read more.

This article analyzes the origins, characteristics, and functioning of the Chilean public institutions dedicated to managing religious diversity at the municipal level. Paying attention to the effects produced by the promulgation of the 1999 Cults Law, the text problematizes how the tensions between political, technical, and religious elements affect the daily functioning of the Municipal Offices of Religious Affairs (OMARs in Spanish). Here, the influence of evangelical pressure groups seeking to position themselves at the level of local politics meets local governments led by mayors searching to expand their access to forms of organized citizenship. The article is based on a historical review of the forms of religious management in Chile and interviews with those in charge of the OMARs in communes of the city of Santiago. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Religious Diversity: Comparing and Contrasting Experiences across the World)

28 pages, 288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

We Are Not One, We Are Legion—Secular State in Mexico, Local Dynamics of a Federal Issue

by Felipe Gaytan Alcala

Religions 2025, 16(3), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030304 - 27 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 961

Abstract

The management of laicity in Mexico, legally and politically, is a federal issue that involves regulating the activities of Churches and religious communities in the public space, in their practices, rituals, and relations with the organs of the state. However, in recent years, [...] Read more.

The management of laicity in Mexico, legally and politically, is a federal issue that involves regulating the activities of Churches and religious communities in the public space, in their practices, rituals, and relations with the organs of the state. However, in recent years, the growing presence and activity of Churches at the local level has called into question the need to observe how laicity is managed by subnational governments, both state and municipal. Are there mechanisms at the local level to regulate the presence of religion in the public space? How are religious traditions presented as culturally managed? What are the demands of Churches on local authorities and what is their political relationship with them? How is the demand for religious freedom resolved locally without violating citizens’ other freedoms, such as the freedom of conscience in issues such as education, health, traffic, and freedom of expression? All this has put into perspective whether laicity and the secular state should continue to be a national dimension or whether it is necessary to rethink legal and political forms at the local level, building new frameworks of governance and governability. This text reviews the public management of laicity in eight entities of the country, which in turn is representative of the rest of the entities with their local variations. However, they generally move in the constant dimensions of religious diversity, interreligious councils, offices, or those in charge of religious affairs, and levels of municipal participation. The construction of a new laicity is then proposed, which does not exclude religion from the public agenda but rather a new secular perspective on the participation of religious communities in public affairs. From a Latin American perspective, Mexico is seen as an effective government regime that separates religion from politics, restricting the participation of religious organizations in the public agenda. However, at the local level, this regime is changing with the inclusion of faith-based organizations in politics. This will undoubtedly lead to a change in the historical concept, a reference point in the region. The term management of laicity refers to the regulation and administration of governments (services, legal support, spaces, and dialogues) with religious communities. Management (control, regulation, permits, sanctions, and recognition) is defined by law and in public policy towards religion from the federal government, but not in local governments that lack clear regulatory frameworks, intervention guidelines, and support, hence the emphasis on the term. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Religious Diversity: Comparing and Contrasting Experiences across the World)

18 pages, 873 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Religious Governance in Interaction: Network Analysis of Public Management of Religion in Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina)

by Mariela Analía Mosqueira and Marcos Andrés Carbonelli

Religions 2025, 16(3), 269; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030269 - 21 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1727

Abstract

Despite the unchanged nature of the general regulatory framework, the last decade has witnessed the emergence of new forms of governance over religious affairs at the local and provincial levels in Buenos Aires (Argentina). These initiatives constitute, on the one hand, a response [...] Read more.

Despite the unchanged nature of the general regulatory framework, the last decade has witnessed the emergence of new forms of governance over religious affairs at the local and provincial levels in Buenos Aires (Argentina). These initiatives constitute, on the one hand, a response to the demands presented by religious groups that were once invisible and experiencing marked demographic growth. On the other hand, they are a way of integrating religious expertise into territorial governance strategies, given the structural ineffectiveness of public policies in locally grounding them. In view of this scenario, this article will present a network and dynamic analysis of the public management of religion at the local and intermediate levels in the province of Buenos Aires. Specifically, we will give an account of the genesis of these state units, as well as the profiles of the political decision makers who direct them and the interactions between local and provincial religious affairs officials in the period of 2022–2023. Based on these data, we will evaluate the levels of innovation that these regulations present with respect to the general normative framework and the limits and advantages that they postulate in the face of the question of religious citizenship. In methodological terms, this research combines the analysis of secondary sources, participant observation, in-depth interviews, and network analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Religious Diversity: Comparing and Contrasting Experiences across the World)

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7 pages, 225 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Existence to Being: Reflections on the Transformation of Personal Identity Through Confrontation with Cultural, Religious, and Spiritual Diversity

by Martin Dojčár and Rastislav Nemec

Religions 2024, 15(12), 1467; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121467 - 1 Dec 2024

Viewed by 1553

Abstract

(1) Background: This study describes an exploration of the potential of cultural, religious, and spiritual diversity to trigger one’s psychological self-image and open the possibility of personal identity transformation as a tool for deep intercultural, interreligious, and interspiritual dialog (2) Results: The study [...] Read more.

(1) Background: This study describes an exploration of the potential of cultural, religious, and spiritual diversity to trigger one’s psychological self-image and open the possibility of personal identity transformation as a tool for deep intercultural, interreligious, and interspiritual dialog (2) Results: The study provides a philosophical argument for understanding the existential experience of the “unknown” as a stimulus for critical reflection or even for the transformation of personal identity of the individuals involved in such interactions. (3) Methods: The method of phenomenological analysis was employed in this theoretical research. (4) Conclusions: The circumstances were philosophically considered under which the existential experience of the unknown in intercultural, interreligious, and interspiritual contexts can facilitate processes of critical reflection or the transformation of personal identity based on the philosophical distinction between ontic and ontological identity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Religious Diversity: Comparing and Contrasting Experiences across the World)

18 pages, 390 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Liberal Citizenship Through the Prism of Shia Jurisprudence: Embracing Fundamental over Partial Solutions

by Javad Fakhkhar Toosi

Religions 2024, 15(12), 1457; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121457 - 29 Nov 2024

Viewed by 1145

Abstract

This article explores the compatibility of liberal citizenship with Twelver Shia jurisprudence, a topic previously analyzed from the perspective of Sunni schools, most notably in the extensive research of Andrew F. March. This study confronts the challenges of reconciling liberal citizenship with Islamic [...] Read more.

This article explores the compatibility of liberal citizenship with Twelver Shia jurisprudence, a topic previously analyzed from the perspective of Sunni schools, most notably in the extensive research of Andrew F. March. This study confronts the challenges of reconciling liberal citizenship with Islamic jurisprudence, as highlighted in March’s work, through the lens of Shia legal thought. Rather than aiming to critique or review March’s research, this article considers his work solely as a representative example addressing the topic from the perspective of Sunni jurisprudence. This approach provides readers with a fundamental contrast, illuminating the unique insights that emerge from examining the subject within the framework of Shia jurisprudence. Unlike Sunni jurisprudence, which addresses these issues case-by-case by reviewing relevant Quranic and narrational sources, Twelver Shia jurisprudence offers a more foundational resolution. Owing to the belief in the occultation of the twelfth Imam and its implications for the implementation of Islamic law, Shia scholars have advanced theories such as the theory of obstruction (insidād) and the suspension of the social and political dimensions of Sharia. These theories effectively narrow the scope of Sharia, allowing for the acceptance of laws from non-Islamic states and circumventing potential conflicts with liberal citizenship in the absence of the twelfth Imam. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Religious Diversity: Comparing and Contrasting Experiences across the World)

25 pages, 374 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Regulation of Religion through National Normative Frameworks: A Comparative Analysis between Italy and Argentina

by Luca Bossi and María Pilar García Bossio

Religions 2024, 15(7), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070799 - 29 Jun 2024

Viewed by 1613

Abstract

The normative framework is one of the constitutive edges of state regulation of religion. It contributes to the configuration of different forms of relations between state and religions. This can be observed in at least three areas. First, in the way the state [...] Read more.

The normative framework is one of the constitutive edges of state regulation of religion. It contributes to the configuration of different forms of relations between state and religions. This can be observed in at least three areas. First, in the way the state defines religion. Second, in the way it recognises and legislates its relationship with different religions. Finally, in the rules it establishes for confessional institutions and actors at different levels of social life (education, health, prisons, etc.). In this article, we propose to comparatively analyse the national legal systems that regulate religion in Italy and Argentina, with special emphasis on the equal or differentiated treatment of different religions. The policies of recognition and integration of religious minorities find in the normative framework an empowering or limiting factor, depending on the national context. Although both countries share a dominant Catholic matrix, their historical developments and legal formats present contrasts that project different scenarios of religious governance, which we will try to elucidate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Religious Diversity: Comparing and Contrasting Experiences across the World)

12 pages, 274 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spiritual Articulation and Conscientious Objection: Dynamics of Religious Diversity Management in Healthcare Practices in Argentina

by Gabriela Irrazábal and Ana Lucía Olmos Álvarez

Religions 2024, 15(6), 652; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060652 - 27 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1886

Abstract

This article delves into the dynamics of managing religious diversity within the healthcare field in Argentina. It focuses on the articulations between health practices and individual belief systems among healthcare professionals and users. Applying a comparative approach based on qualitative interviews, we draw [...] Read more.

This article delves into the dynamics of managing religious diversity within the healthcare field in Argentina. It focuses on the articulations between health practices and individual belief systems among healthcare professionals and users. Applying a comparative approach based on qualitative interviews, we draw conclusions that underscore the imperative of acknowledging the sociocultural diversity within our societies. This recognition is fundamental in cultivating healthcare environments that not only respect users’ diverse worldviews but also healthcare professionals’ religious perspectives. Our findings advocate for incorporating religious diversity management principles in healthcare, emphasizing the development of inclusive approaches in dealing with health, illness, and wellbeing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Religious Diversity: Comparing and Contrasting Experiences across the World)

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