Religion and Politics

Fundamental Issues of a Complex Relationship

Abstract

This paper examines essential questions to understand the complex relationship between religion and politics, highlighting the intensity of the mutual influences between the two. The “complexity” of the relationship reveals the growing importance of the topic, especially with the return of religion to the center of political discussions. The text is divided into three parts. The first deals with the concepts of “secularity” and “secularism”, exploring their role in understanding the position of religion in modern societies and states. The second part examines the justification of the right to religious freedom, focusing on the critique of the liberal version of this justification. The final section discusses religious tolerance, highlighting the risks of treating this concept as a “lazy solution” to the dilemmas of a multi-religious society. Each section is supported by a different theoretical framework, bringing together authors from different philosophical traditions, not with the aim of studying their works, but to address the questions in the article. The reflections of Charles Taylor and Jocelyn Maclure are used to address secularity and secularism, while the critique of the liberal foundation of the right to religious freedom is based on the work of Michael Sandel. Religious tolerance is analyzed in the light of Eric Weil's perspective, with a focus on confronting intolerance. The article seeks to situate the issues precisely, pointing out the limits of certain perspectives and contributing to discussions on the political instrumentalization of religion, especially at a time of growing relevance of the topic.