The Re-emergence of Religion in European Politics: The Greek Case of Church - State Relations and Religious Freedom in the Context of Education

Abstract: Conducting research on the influence of religion on politics is nowadays a growing tendency as various authors seek to explore why and how the spiritual element affects the natural world of politics. The purpose of this study is to discuss the influence of the Christian religion on education in Europe. The exact research case is the Orthodox sphere and in particular the Greek state. The selection is not random. It has been observed that in the Orthodox part of Europe, the church - state relations are quite close to an extent that, especially in Greece, it makes many authors wonder whether such a relationship may be against the model of the liberal, European state. As an example of the church - state relationship, the study also extends to the human rights field where cases of religious freedom competence in the Greek, public school are reviewed. By applying a mix of case study and content analysis under the prism of liberalism, the thesis argues for a potential transition to a post-secular epoch in Europe