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Is it Really God's Century? An Evaluation of Religious Support and Discrimination from 1990 to 2008

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2013

Jonathan Fox
Jonathan Fox*
Affiliation:
Bar Ilan University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jonathan Fox, Department of Political Studies, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study uses data from the Religion and State Round 2 dataset to examine the trends in religious discrimination and religious support between 1990 and 2008, finding a statistically significant increase in both variables. These findings are based on a longer time span and more comprehensive variables than previous studies, remain constant when controlling for world region and majority religion, and predate the events of September 11, 2001. This undermines the aspects of secularization theory which predict a decline in religion's public influence. Furthermore, economic development, one of the processes predicted by secularization theory decrease religion's public influence, is correlated with increased religious discrimination and support.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , March 2014 , pp. 4 - 27
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2013 

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