The Regulation of Religious Diversity in Quebec (Essay‪)‬

A study concerning the regulation of religious diversity by the State calls for some general considerations on religious pluralism. On the one hand, the arrival of new religious groups in western countries, or in some cases the exodus of others, cannot be clearly understood without referring to the break-up of the contemporary religious field. On the other hand, the question keeps returning in a recurrent fashion, because it is very often linked to the generalized phenomenon of immigration (Koussens). From the very beginning inthe twentieth century, the secularization process (which Max Weber calls "the disenchantment of the world") has brought about a progressive loss of Church control over society and over the State itself. At the same rime, we have witnessed a fragmentation and a spatial spreading out of religious beliefs. Moreover, affiliation with one specific religion has become much more individualistic and no longer rests on the obligatory strict acceptance of transmitted dogmas or on a regular form of religious practice. The dominant religious models are now less constraining and have become more oriented toward the primacy of personal religious experience. This, in turn, accentuates the differences among certain religious groups--especially the more radical ones--and consequently these differences tend to become much more visible. We are now witnessing a blossoming of religious and spiritual trends and currents, and the development of various forms of syncretism.