This text highlights key aspects of the religion/church-state relationship/debate, and related hitherto marginal topics. The contributions make clear that there is no clear blueprint for an optimal relationship between religion/church and state.  Individual states and countries are analysed on the granular level for example, to address mono-religious against poly-religious as well as secular societies.  Among others, chapters address education, migration and politics against religion as well as the effect of LGBTQ+ communities on religion and societies. This collected volume appeals to researchers, and students working in religious studies and political science.

Religion can play a dual role with regard to conflict. It can promote either violence or peace. Religion and Conflict Attribution seeks to clarify the causes of religious conflict as perceived by Christian, Muslim and Hindu college students in Tamil Nadu, India. These students in varying degrees attribute conflict to force-driven causes, namely to coercive power as a means of achieving the economic, political or socio-cultural goals of religious groups. The study reveals how force-driven religious conflict is influenced by prescriptive beliefs like religious practice and mystical experience, and descriptive beliefs such as the interpretation of religious plurality and religiocentrism. It also elaborates on the practical consequences of the salient findings for the educational process.