Religious influences in European politics

Abstract

Newspapers and television everyday carry stories in which religion and politics are seen as interconnected and at the same time, operating within different bodies of societies. To assess adequately the complex interaction between religion and politics, both sides need to be considered. Throughout my findings, I will focus on the religious entities/communities living inside the European continent and the legislative components of European states, especially those found in the European Union and those joining in.In many parts of the world, it seems that both the state and its religious bodies have enlarged their sphere of influence. Many states have chosen to legislate on a range of 'deep-life' matters, such as the recognition of human rights, concern about global inequalities, and about national identities. On the other hand, numerical growth of religious orders might have given rise to new fundamentalism and traditionalism. It has been argued from the Western European evidence that the religious perspective does not operate in politics in isolation but, as might be expected, in conjunction with other social variables. Religion is a dominant cultural feature, which has taken over the function of the most common identification mark of ethnics, such as language. For example, in Europe there are ethnic groupings such as the Irish, Croats, Serbs, Yugoslav Muslims and Jews, which make religion to appear as the decisive factor differentiating them from people speaking the same language as the group in question. This sort of religions influence exists strongly all over Europe and it is highly effective when it comes to politics. My objective is to detect the major religious influences and demonstrate how these factors are placed and maneuvered in European Politics.