In both Europe and North America it can be argued that the associational and institutional dimensions of the right to freedom of religion or belief are increasingly coming under pressure. This book demonstrates why a more classical understanding of the idea of a liberal democracy can allow for greater respect for the right to freedom of religion or belief. The book examines the major direction in which liberal democracy has developed over the last fifty years and contends that this is not the most legitimate type of liberal democracy for religiously divided societies. Drawing on theoretical developments in the field of transnational constitutionalism, Hans-Martien ten Napel argues that redirecting the concept and practice of liberal democracy toward the more classical notion of limited, constitutional government, with a considerable degree of autonomy for civil society organizations would allow greater religious pluralism. The book shows how in a post-secular and multicultural context, modern sources of constitutionalism and democracy, supplemented by premodern, transcendental legitimation, continue to provide the best means of legitimating Western constitutional and political orders.

In both Europe and North America it can be argued that the associational and institutional dimensions of the right to freedom of religion or belief are increasingly coming under pressure. This book demonstrates why a more classical understanding of the idea of a liberal democracy can allow for greater respect for the right to freedom of religion or belief. The book examines the major direction in which liberal democracy has developed over the last fifty years and contends that this is not the most legitimate type of liberal democracy for religiously divided societies. Drawing on theoretical developments in the field of transnational constitutionalism, Hans-Martien ten Napel argues that redirecting the concept and practice of liberal democracy toward the more classical notion of limited, constitutional government, with a considerable degree of autonomy for civil society organizations would allow greater religious pluralism. The book shows how, in a postsecular and multicultural context, modern sources of constitutionalism and democracy, supplemented by premodern, transcendental legitimation, continue to provide the best means of legitimating Western constitutional and political orders.

Contents:
1. Introduction David Broughton and Hans-Martien ten Napel
2. The political culture of secularisation: European trends and comparative perspectives Brian Girvin
3. Reading the runes: the religious factor in Scandinavian electoral politics John Madeley
4. A confessional cleavage resurrected? The denominational vote in Britain David Seawright
5. The ever-shallower cleavage: religion and electoral politics in Germany Geoffrey K. Roberts
6. The bells toll no more: the declining influence of religion on voting behaviour in the Netherlands Joop J.M. Van Holsteyn and Galen A. Irwin
7. Religious voting in a secular frame Pierre Bréchon
8. An elusive cleavage? Religiosity and party choice in Spain José Ramón Montero and Kerman Calvo
9. Italy: a dramatic case of secularisation? Mark Donovan
10. Religious and clerical polarisation in Hungary Zsolt Enyedi
11. The religious base of politics in post-communist Poland: a case of bounded secularisation Kenneth ka-loc Chan
12. Conclusion: European exceptionalism? David Broughton and Hans-Martien ten Napel