Principles for the Bernese policy on religion

Abstract

Traditional confessional-based state policies on religion only address the relationship between the state and the state-recognised churches. In view of the changing religious landscape, these policies suffer from a loss of relevance. By ignoring other churches and religious communities and the non-denominational part of the population, unadjusted policies may in the foreseeable future represent a social minority. They fail to meet today’s demands for an inclusive policy. This article illustrates this fact, using the policy on religion of the Swiss Canton Bern as a case study. Due to the lack of inclusiveness, the policy creates challenges and leads to key questions. The Canton Bern treats churches and faith communities unequally. The state ignores relevant growing churches, religious communities, and the needs of their members, while it gives preferential treatment to the recognised churches. The legal foundation of the policy of the Canton Bern furthers asymmetries between privileged and ignored groups. This hinders the healthy development of ecumenical and interreligious processes and irritates social cohesion and religious peace. The urgency of policy revision is evident. The very principle of these discrepancies must be reconsidered.

Contribution: This article argues that the Canton Bern should approve democratic principles to follow when revising its policy on religion. These principles should be aligned with human rights and constitutional requirements. Firstly, the article outlines what is understood under principles. Secondly, the current practices of the Bernese policy on religion are presented, arguing that these practices are merely procedures that do not follow any overall principles. The article then argues that some current Bernese practices would be connectable to a future principle-based policy on religion. This is followed by the expert’s recommendations for imperative principles for a timely Bernese policy on religion. As a study from a Christian-Reformed viewpoint, this article also considers the relevant theological-ethical principles for societal, ecumenical, and interreligious dialogue of the Swiss Reformed context. The main contribution of this article is to recommend a set of seven principles that support the development of a fair, progressive, and peacebuilding Bernese policy on religion.