The relationship of religion to freedom and democracy has been a matter of controversy throughout known history. Locke believed that religion is not compatible with individual freedom or democracy. These essays explore the links between nation,

Religion and politics in American democracy, Horst Mewes; religion and politics in the United States, Corwin Smidt, Lyman Kellstedt, John Green, James Guth; religion and "Laiecite" in a Jacobin republic - the case of France, William Safran; the significance of religion in British politics, Josephine E. Squires; religion, national identity and the conflict in Northern Ireland, Adrian Guelke; chutch and state after transition to democracy - the case of Spain, Victor Urrutia Abaigar; Poland's transition to a democratic republic - the taming of the sacred?, Ray Taras; Greece - a problematic secular state, Adamantia Pollis; religion and collective identity - the ethnopolitical barriers to democratization in the Balkans, Steven Majstorovic; religion, politics and democracy in Turkey, Joseph S. Szyliowicz; religion and state in Israel - another round of an ancient conflict among the Jews, Ira Sharkansky; secularism in India - accepted principle, contentious interpretation, Swarna Rajagopalan.

'Safran's volume succeeds marvellously at documenting the role that religion continues to play in modern democracies ... [it] stands as an example of the high standards to which all scholarly books should aspire.' - Nationalism and Ethnic Politics