FAITH AND GOVERNANCE: BALANCING RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION AND GOVERNMENT NEUTRALITY IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICS

As nations grow more diverse in religious beliefs, the debate intensifies over what, if any, public religious displays governments should allow. Some argue that the separation of church and state does not hinder the state and religious institutions from coexisting peacefully, thereby allowing the public display of some religious symbols. In contrast, others firmly believe in preventing overlap between the two and that public displays of religion are inappropriate. I argue that in democratic republic nations with laws upholding the separation of church and state, the government should not allow religious displays on public, government-owned land by examining John Rawls’ theory of liberal pluralism and applying its principles to case studies from the United States and Italy, countries that recognize the separation of church and state.