Religions in the public space of France, in the past and today
Christine Mengès-Le Pape
Université Toulouse 1 Capitole , FranceAbstract
Questions concerning the presence of religion in the public space of France are today particularly valid. The attempts to answer questions about the appropriateness of the current solutions cannot be given up in the face of European crisis concerning the issue of immigration. The concept of secularism currently implemented in France is in fact often explained with reference to the requirements of integration policy and the needs and pressure from various religious groups. Regarding the current changes, seen often, and not without a reason, as a threat to public order, the discussion should start with the revision of concepts, often mistakenly understood, that have defined the areas of religion since the entry into force of the Act of 9 December 1905. The research of these issue requires a juxtaposition of the present and a historical situation. Such a comparison highlights any new elements that are associated with the phenomenon, which can be described as an act of distorting the consciousness of societies of the Western world. In the light of this situation the essential differences between religions should be also taken into account; those on which the creators of regulations from 1905 focused and those which in Western Europe today play an increasingly important role in the consequences of migration. The same rules that apply to Christianity cannot be applied to them because often they take on the theocratic concepts and do not accept the distinction between the sacred and the profane.
Keywords:
Secularism, secularization, public space, integration, religious pluralism, freedom of conscience and religion, religion in public spaceReferences
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Université Toulouse 1 Capitole
Professeur agrégé des Facultés de droit ; Membre du Centre Toulousain d’Histoire du Droit et des Idées Politiques ; Université Toulouse 1 Capitole ; 2, rue du Doyen-Gabriel-Marty, 31042 Toulouse cedex 09 ; République française
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