Faith and Democracy Discussion

Jesus famously advised to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar. There are no emperors in a democracy, or at least there shouldn't be. However, the relationship between democracy and religion is tense in many ways.

In theory, liberal democracies have freedom of religion, and religion is a private matter for people. However, many of the most difficult political disputes are also related to religion. What types of families are recognised as families? How should we view the internal exercise of power by religious communities? What to do if religious beliefs and democratically made decisions are in conflict with each other? Should the state and the church be separated? Or, on the contrary, should the state intervene more strictly in the practice of religion if it involves features that are problematic from the point of view of democratic rights? Should religious leaders participate in political debate?

And how do different theological conceptions of man's place in the world and democratic ideas of equality and joint decision-making fit together? Does Christian thinking, for example, contain seeds of freedom and resistance?

This discussion will examine the relationship between democracy and faith. In particular, we delve into Finnish society, its present and history. The panelists are experts in the subject by virtue of their work and research subjects. The discussion will be sparked by a film screening that precedes the panel discussion.

SPEAKERS:

• Titus Hjelm, Professor in the Study of Religion, Helsinki University
• Raisa Toivo, professor of history and rearcher of the history of lived faith and experience, Tampere University
• Otso Tiainen, director and documentarian 
• Matias Heikkilä, Democracy Research Network of Tampere University

The event is organised in cooperation with Tampere Film Festival and the Democracy Research Network of Tampere University.