ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on public or parapublic funding for religious denominations and philosophical groupings in Europe is the fruit of three international scientific meetings which were held in Strasbourg in 2010, in Copenhagen in 2011 and again in Strasbourg in 2012. They give an account of historical developments with regard to methods of funding, current laws, emerging practices and, lastly, the stances adopted by religious authorities on financial support from the State and local authorities, within the framework of the RELIGARE project funded by the European Commission. State funding of religious denominations developed gradually in Europe from the sixteenth century on, as a compensation mechanism following the secularization of Church property by public authorities. It was finally called into question in some States at the beginning of the twentieth century, at the same time as policies to separate politics from religion were being implemented.
