Religion and State Around the World

This recent Research on Religion podcast is an interview with Jonathan Fox, a political scientist who has recently been studying religious liberty around the world.  He has constructed a database of information about religious freedoms around the world that can be accessed here.  The interview is a bit long but there are some good points made about the subtleties associated with religious freedom law.  For example, every country regulates religion in some form or another, but the extent and bias in privileges is what differs across countries.

USCIRF Comparative Study of Constitutions of OIC Countries

The USCIRF has released a special report that compares the constitutional protections of religious freedom in member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).  The report's front page is here, the full report here, and the two-page summary here.

From the two-page summary:

The study shows that:

• Approximately 44% of the world’s Muslim population live in 23 majority Muslim countries that have declared Islam to be the state religion; the remaining 56% live in countries that either proclaim the state to be secular or make no pronouncements concerning an official state religion.

• Approximately 39% of the world’s Muslims live in 22 countries whose constitutions provide that Islamic law, principles, or jurisprudence should serve as a source of, or limitation on, general legislation or certain select matters. This is the case in 18 of the 23 countries where Islam is the religion of the state, as well as four majority Muslim countries where Islam is not the declared state religion.

• Only 6 of the countries surveyed, in all of which Islam is the declared state religion, provide no constitutional provision at all concerning religious freedom specifically.2 Other countries, including ones in which Islam is the declared state religion, provide constitutional guarantees of the right to freedom of religion or belief, which comply in varying degrees to international human rights norms. For example, some provisions compare favorably in clearly specifying that the right to freedom of religion or belief is to be extended to every individual, or in protecting individuals against coercion in matters of religion or belief. Others do not compare favorably, for example by only protecting particular religions or class of religions, only encompassing worship or the practice of religious rites, or allowing limitations by any ordinary law.

To be sure, religious freedom abuses occur in countries whose constitutional provisions compare favorably with international standards. Constitutional text alone may not necessarily reflect actual practice, especially in the field of human rights. Nevertheless, constitutional text remains important, not only as a statement of fundamental law and national aspirations, but also as tool for those seeking to enforce its promises.

2011 International Religious Freedom Report

The 2011 International Religious Freedom Report was just released by the U.S. State Department.  Full information can be accessed here;  but you might want to see the shorter Executive Summary.  The State Department has yet to designate the Countries of Particular Concern.

Church Towers as Cell Phone Towers

Charging a cell phone company to put its antennas in your church's tower is a new way some churches are earning revenue.  See this story in the Baltimore Sun.  On the surface, it makes perfect sense:  churches, particularly old ones, are often located on centrally located real estate and have large towers ideal for antennas;  those same churches need revenue to cover operating expenses; and those cell phone companies need antennas in prime locations to provide good cell coverage.  It sounds like a win-win scenario.

The GetReligion blog identifies some aspects of the story that deserve attention, namely, that this church tower-cell phone tower phenomenon may, for some particular reasons, be more common among mainline Protestant denominations than other denominations.

The Eight Religious Wonders of the U.S.

Large resources are devoted to religous activities, and that includes the construction of religious edifaces.  Large, dramatic, and breathtaking buildings have been built by a number of religious groups, and CNN has identified the top eight such wonders in the U.S.  Link here.

Crime and Punishment... and Hell

The title of this article says it all:  Belief in Hell Lowers Crime Rate, According to International Study.

Cambodian Religious Switching and Cheapness Considerations

According to this story, members of the Jarai indigenous group in Cambodia are switching from their traditional worship to Christianity because it is cheaper.

Is Technology Good or Bad For Religion?

Lisa Miller at the Washington Post says it can be good.  And she even quotes me in making her case.  See her article here.

She contacted me after seeing our class blog post on religious apps.