Theme 3: Religion, politics and law

This research theme focuses on Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the relationship between the respective sacred texts and legal norms.

As law is often a decisive part of a political rule, the activity of the theme includes politics. This relationship is especially clear in the Old Testament and the Koran, but is also known from the linking together of religion, ethics and law in medieval Christianity.

Viewed in the light of this, it will be investigated how the connection among legal system, ethical social responsibility and personal religious conviction has become steadily less important since the Reformation and the Enlightenment. While early Protestant Christianity had a clear influence on social norms, this influence has been less direct in more recent times, for example through schools and Sunday observance legislation.

Another issue of research is the concept of the Islamic State and its understanding of the relationship between religion and normativity in the public space.

The research theme is divided into three sub-themes:

• Democracy and Islam.
• Democracy and modernity.
• Democracy, church and ethics.

View the project descriptions of the individual participants.