Krocení bohů Náboženství a demokracie na třech kontinentech (Edice 21. století) – Buruma Ian (2012)

Journalist and professor at Bard University Ian Buruma (Murder in Amsterdam) contributes to the discussion on the role of organized religion in the public sphere with political and cultural analyses from the United States, Europe, and Asia. He examines the history of church-state relations in the USA and Europe, the role of religion in the politics of China and Japan, and the growing influence of Islam in contemporary Europe, attempting to resolve how democracy in various cultures has been affected by this tension (between religious and secular authority). In one of his provocative studies, he touches on secular, liberal Europeans, some of whom today find common ground with conservatives in the fight against Islam, fearing that it may lead to a reduction of progressive gains made in recent decades. Buruma parts ways with theocrats and strict secularists, instead demonstrating through the example of Martin Luther King Jr. that expressions of religious views in politics are legitimate if these views shape positions that are subject to reason. Thanks to Buruma's insight and moderation, this is the most informative introduction to the warming relations between religion and state in modern times.