ABSTRACT
This chapter examines key differences in the responses of the Christian Essene Church to the law in France and Canada. We argue that both context and collective history matter when trying to make sense of a religious minority’s attitudes towards the law and the strategies they adopt to deal with the state’s regulation of religion. Drawing on an original typology that classifies the reactions of NRMs into four distinct of responses – ‘adaptive,’ ‘defensive,’ ‘avoidant,’ and ‘confrontational’ – we trace changes in the response patterns of the Essenes in both countries. Our analysis exposes how past experiences and current perceptions of the state jointly inform the decision-making process of NRMs regarding the law.
