“God is Gone, but His Smell’s Still There”
Church, Religion, and State in the Czech Republic
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Czech society is considered the most secular in Europe. However, a look at the thousand-year history of religion in Bohemia and its interpretation in the 200-year history of the modern Czech nation reveals that the religious orientation towards West and East, struggles between confessions, and the conflict-ridden intertwining of political and religious power have shaped politics and society in the Czech Republic to this day. The dispute over the restitution of church property provided an example of Czech society’s distrust of the Catholic Church, which is still the country’s largest confession. At the same time, leading politicians of all stripes, with the support of church dignitaries, are today invoking alleged “Christian values” that must be defended against the corrupting influences of the globalized world.
(Osteuropa 4-6/2021, pp. 33–64)