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European Religion in Comparative Perspective
Abstract
This article seeks to describe and analyze the place of religion in contemporary
Europe through a comparison with the religious situation in the United
States. Given their common grounding in Judeo-Christian traditions, such a
comparison is both interesting and revealing. The article focuses on three
important and loosely related dimensions of religious experience: the extent
and nature of institutional belonging; the extent and nature of spirituality
amongst church members; and the extent and nature of religious belief. The
article then discusses one possible product of such features—the extent to
which churches command an authoritative voice in the public square. The
analysis reveals a consistent pattern in all four areas: generally speaking, the
United States has a significantly more “religious” culture than Europe with
more robust religious institutions and a more accepted voice in public affairs.
Some possible reasons for this difference are then briefly explored.
Europe through a comparison with the religious situation in the United
States. Given their common grounding in Judeo-Christian traditions, such a
comparison is both interesting and revealing. The article focuses on three
important and loosely related dimensions of religious experience: the extent
and nature of institutional belonging; the extent and nature of spirituality
amongst church members; and the extent and nature of religious belief. The
article then discusses one possible product of such features—the extent to
which churches command an authoritative voice in the public square. The
analysis reveals a consistent pattern in all four areas: generally speaking, the
United States has a significantly more “religious” culture than Europe with
more robust religious institutions and a more accepted voice in public affairs.
Some possible reasons for this difference are then briefly explored.