Religion in the Public Sphere

The public sphere is a social life arena, in which people come together, talk about their subjects of interest freely and openly, possibly reaching a common understanding. Thus, in modern societies the "public sphere" refers to an arena in which the political cooperation is done through dialogue; it may also correspond to a social life arena in which the public opinion is formed and a variety of actions are taken. By the public sphere I mean a political sphere which includes collectives that operate at different levels, such as the nation, the state, and the civil society. On the other hand, religion is not outside the public sphere; neither is it regarded as neutral in relation to the public sphere. Therefore, one may ask the question: In what forms is religion expressed in the public sphere in modern societies? Ms. Furseth presents five forms in which religion is expressed in the public sphere: the official religion of the state, civil religion, religious nationalism, public religion, and religious legitimation of political power.