Consociationalism versus twin tolerations: Religion and state in Israel

In his well-known article "The World's Religious Systems and Democracy: Crafting the 'Twin Tolerations,'" Alfred Stepan provides a theoretical framework for evaluating the democratic relationship between religion and state. Based on broad comparative analysis, Stepan defines minimal boundaries of freedom of action for political institutions vis-à-vis religious authorities and for religious individuals and groups vis-à-vis political institutions. His requirement of "twin tolerations" between religious individuals and groups on the one hand and state institutions on the other is a useful conceptual framework for evaluating the appropriate relationship between religion and democracy, and particularly in the context of an ongoing conflict over the role religions should play in the public sphere.