Illustrates the relationship between religion and society across the whole of modern Europe. Traces the evolution of secular states from the religious societies of the past. Reveals convergence in religious experience between different countries across the continent.

This book examines the relationship between religion and society in Europe in the last 200 Years.

At the end of the eighteenth century, Europe was dominated by Christianity and the institutions of state rested on their relationship with the church. Today, society retains many links with the past, but the rise of secular society has led to a new dynamic between European peoples, institutions of government and the church. Through this lively and broad-ranging survey, René Rémond shows the processes by which religious belief and practice in European society evolved and how these developments have affected politics and the machinery of the state.

The author considers Europe in its widest geographical sense, giving equal weight to the evolution of Eastern and Western parts of the continent. He compares and contrasts religious practice and social attitudes across Europe, from Northern Ireland to the Balkans. The book reveals unexpected convergence, presenting a pan-European model of the relations between religion and society.