ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a discussion of the various ways that religion and political parties can intersect. It considers three sets of cases that have provoked considerable scholarship – Christian Democratic parties in Europe, religion and parties in the United States, and Islamic parties in the Middle East. Religion can provide the energy to social movements that seek to change the assumptions, values, and routines of society. Religious cleavages come from religious differences, but nations differ in the type of religious differences that might be politically relevant. Some religious institutions are in a better position to bargain with political parties than others. In particular, scholars have argued that the Catholic Church as a hierarchical institution is better situated to negotiate the realm of democratic politics than more decentralized faiths such as Protestant evangelicalism and Islam. Religious institutions generally create a host of associations that are involved in community and charitable work, that help to organize social life.
