Representing Religion in the European Union Does God Matter?

Preface: Understanding Religion in Modern Europe Grace Davie Does God Matter in the European Union? Lucian N Leustean  Part I: Religion and Politics in the European Union  1. Political Realism and Roman Catholic Faith in the Construction of Europe: Konrad Adenauer, Robert Schuman, and Charles de Gaulle Michael Sutton  2. Deus ex Machina: Representing God on the Stage of the European Union John T. S. Madeley  3. Turkey and Europe: Religion, Nationalism and International Relations Jeffrey Haynes  Part II: Representing Churches, Religions and Communities of Conviction in the European Union  4. The Roman Catholic Church and the European Institutions: Dialogue and Advocacy at the European Union Frank Turner  5. From Athens and Berlin to Brussels: Reflections on Community Knowledge and Dialogue between the EU Institutions and the Churches Gary Wilton  6. The Dialogue of Churches with European Political Institutions: Does It Matter? Peter Pavlovic  7. Religion and the European Union Tariq Ramadan  8. Article 17: Reasons for Concern David Pollock  Part III: Representing Religion: The State Dimension  9. Eurosceptic Allies or Euroenthusiast Friends? The Political Discourse of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland Simona Guerra  10. Christian Churches in the Process of the EU Treaties’ Reform Sergei A. Mudrov  Part IV: Representing Religion: The Transnational Dimension  11. The Shape of Post-Secularity: Why the United States is More Religious but Less Christian than Europe? Adrian Pabst  12. Why Brussels is neither Washington nor Berlin. Political Catholicism in Differing Political Systems Antonius Liedhegener  Part V: Representing Religion: The Institutional Dimension  13. How Many Roads Lead to Brussels? The Political Mobilisation of Religious Organisations within the European Public Sphere Freiderike Bollmann  14. Religious Contributions to Law and Policy Making in a Secular Political Order: The Approach of European Institutions Ronan McCrea

Biography

Lucian N. Leustean is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the Aston Centre for Europe and the Associate Dean for Postgraduate Programmes in the School of Languages and Social Sciences at Aston University, Birmingham

Is acquiescence to neoliberal secularism the only viable option in light of the increasing religious pluralism, driven mainly by immigration, which is by no means experienced equally across the continent? Furthermore, while it is certain that the policies of the EU being formulated in Brussels will continue to leave questions of policies toward religion up to the individual member states, there is plenty of support and precedent for establishing common policies in areas such as upholding basic human rights. How far is the loose federalism of the EU stretched if and when policies of an individual nation toward the practice of religion within its own borders are conceived by other member states as approaching basic human-rights issues? […] these are the most interesting and important questions being raised, discussed, and variously answered by the historians, religious figures, sociologists, economists, and political scientists included in this valuable collection. Daniel Liechty, Religion

One paradoxical impression to take away from the book is that the EU, despite its secular outlook, favours religious interests over non-religious communities of conviction.

Michael Minkenberg, West European Politics