Religion in Liberal Democracy as a Form of Life

This book advances a theory to deal with the challenges connected to the liberal democratic ideal that all people are free to codetermine the future of their society and equally entitled to their religion and beliefs, given the historical bias towards Christianity in politics and culture within many European societies.

Christoph Baumgartner is Associate Professor of Ethics in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, where he is also currently the Director of the Research Institute for Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Part I 1. Religious Diversity in Liberal Democratic Societies 2. Self-Determination and the Predominant Liberal Account of Religious Freedom Part II Introduction to Part II 4. Recent Developments of the Religious Field 5. Systematic Reflections on Past and Present Policies of Religion in Germany and the Netherlands Part III 6. Temporal Religious Forms: Holidays 7. Material Religious Forms: Crosses, a Crescent, and Anti-Jewish Sculptures 8. Bodily Practices-(Not) Shaking Hands with People of the Opposite Sex 9. Pictures and Norms Concerning Acts of Expression Part IV 10. Taking Stock; The Liberal Account of Freedom of Religion or Belief and Liberal Democracy as a Form of Life 11. Religion and Liberal Democracy as a Form of Life Bibliography Index