'...in favour of secularism, correctly understood.'

Abstract

The question of religion in the public sphere is an important issue in many Western countries today that is characterised by disintegration of Christian hegemony (secularization), and by the emergence of religious diversity. The starting point for the discussion in this paper is the new relations between Church and State in Norway, i.e. how the connection between them is considerably weakened in the Norwegian Constitution at the same time as other religions and Christian denominations than Lutheran Christianity are becoming more visible in the public sphere. The new Constitutional wording is a result of a search for possible common values across religious affiliations in a post-Lutheran state. I argue, with references to important strands of thought in the discourse of religion and secularism, for the importance of having a unifying values base and a key strategy for future social integration in today’s societies, where religious minorities including the Catholic Church are recognized and supported.