Contribution to Book
Religion and the State: The Politics of Social Control in Myanmar and the United States
Political Authority, Social Control and Public Policy
(2019)
Abstract
At times religious majorities seek not only to participate in the public square, to make policy, but also to exercise complete control of political and cultural institutions. In many nations, from Christians in the United States to Buddhists in Myanmar, some religious and government leaders share the goal of complete religious control over their societies. What happens to the religions and to the society when these religious and government leaders are successful? What happens to the religion when a state controls, supports, and promotes that religion? This chapter uses the case histories of the repression of the Muslim minority by the Buddhists nationalists in Myanmar and the desires of the United States Christian Dominionists goals to illustrate and highlight the way that the twin powers of the state and religion serve as direct agents of social control by transmitting values of each institution through law, policy, and by punishing those who deviate.
Keywords
- Religion,
- State Control,
- Religious Nationalism,
- Dominion Theology,
- Buddhist Statem,
- Christian State
Disciplines
Publication Date
2019
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1108/S2053-769720190000031008
Citation Information
Robert E Sterken. "Religion and the State: The Politics of Social Control in Myanmar and the United States" Political Authority, Social Control and Public Policy Vol. 31 (2019) p. 109 - 122 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert-sterken/5/