What is the connection between faith communities and democracy?
A flourishing democracy is one of the strongest protections for the free exercise of religion. In turn, faith communities have a critical role to play in advancing democracy and freedom. Empowered by a sense of Divine leading, presence or activity, faith leaders have a unique footing to speak to abuses of state power. Faith communities may also bring their organizational and communications networks, internally diverse congregations, and a faith-rooted, disciplined capacity for nonviolent resistance. In doing so, they are well-positioned to bridge divides, foster a shared commitment to democratic ideals, and function as key institutional infrastructure for pro-democracy movements.
The connections between faith and freedom are even more important at a time when some US politicians are appropriating religion to advocate for an exclusive vision of what it means to be American. These voices are also calling on the government to impose their religious ideology on others. The examples of dozens of countries that have put the supremacy of one religion at the center of their politics shows the devastating consequences of this approach: heightened deadly conflict, increased political corruption as political leaders adopt the mantle of religion to pursue their personal agendas, and often a decline in the vibrancy of religious life.
Yet the answer to the appropriation of religion by an authoritarian faction in the United States is not to depoliticize religion. Indeed, history shows that when people of faith withdraw from the social issues of the day their withdrawal reinforces existing systems of injustice.
What can faith communities do to meet authoritarian threats?
The urgency of “now”—meeting people in their hurt by addressing the challenges of the current moment—is a call that resonates across religious traditions. Faith communities can continue to accept that calling and be active defenders of democracy by:
- Leverage their spiritual and moral influence to make the case for democracy.
- Religious women like Quaker Minister Lucretia Mott leveraged their faith and gender as powerful advocates for the abolition of slavery in the 1800s.
- In Malawi in the 1990s, Catholic bishops linked human rights and freedom to the Church’s spiritual mission, condemning restrictions on political freedoms. Their condemnation of dictatorial president Hastings Banda was pivotal in leading to the restoration of democracy.
- More recently, after the January 6th attack on the Capitol, numerous faith leaders, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, issued statements calling on their members to “honor democratic institutions and processes.”
- Model loving defiance through courageous acts of noncooperation and civil disobedience.
- During the People Power movement in the Philippines, courageous Catholic nuns who knelt before tanks while praying the rosary were crucial in preventing a violent crackdown and ensuring the movement’s success.
- Buddhist Monks in Myanmar (Burma) refused to offer religious services for the regime, implying their donations were impure.
- Connect across difference through bridgebuilding and mediation.
- Effective engagement typically looks more like shared effort towards common goals, rather than dialogue for dialogue’s sake, and requires outreach beyond sympathetic audiences.
- Mormon Women for Ethical Government—MWEG—utilizes bridgebuilding tactics to engage its members and other citizens in the political process, support civic leaders in facing tough challenges, and promote peaceful discourse.
- In Liberia, Muslim and Christian women ended their country’s civil war by forming the “Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace” that brought women together across long-standing divides and pressured their government and rebel groups to do the same.
- Provide material support for pro-democracy mobilization.
- Community organizing networks rely on the physical infrastructure, interpersonal networks, and practical resources that churches, temples, mosques, and other religious institutions provide.
- This approach was most famously and effectively used in the American Civil Rights movement, when Black churches formed the backbone for almost every major Civil Rights campaign.
- Similarly, evangelical churches in East Germany in the 1980s provided one of the few free spaces for organizing against the country’s Communist dictatorship, playing a pivotal role in the nonviolent resistance campaign that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
For a longer list of tactics and examples of how faith communities have used them around the world, check out Faith Pillar: Ideas for Strategy & Action or Faithful Action in the Face of Backsliding for a presentation format. Other tactics can be found on Gene Sharp’s list of 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action here.
Additional Resources:
Go more in depth into specific case studies detailing the importance of the faith community as a force for democracy:
- Latter-Day Saints Speak Out to Protect Democracy
- Southern Baptist Leaders Condemn the January 6th Insurrection
- Activating Faith: The Southern Christian Leadership Conference Fights for Freedom
- Polish Bishops Refuse to Support Authoritarianism
- Hungarian Evangelicals Resist Democratic Backsliding
- Sikh Langars Feed Protests for Farmers’ Rights
- US Bishops and the January 6th Capitol Attack on Democracy
- The Quakers Advance Democracy in the US Civil Rights Movement
- Brazilian Religious Leaders and Democratic Backsliding
- South African Clergy Support Early Defections from Apartheid
- Buddhist Monks Defect from Myanmar’s Military Dictatorship
- Argentine Catholic Clergy Oppose Javier Milei
Check out The Faithful Fight Toolkits, developed with Protect Democracy, to learn more about how you and your faith community can take action to build a stronger democracy. Topics range from advocating for mutual aid to practicing noncooperation and cyber security.
Listen to Horizons Chief Organizer, Maria J. Stephan, deliver the keynote speech at the American Academy of Religion 2024 Annual Conference on “Nonviolence in Action: Why Civil Resistance Works and the Role of Religion.”
Read more about the relationship between faith and the authoritarian handbook.
*This article was written by former Director of Applied Research Jonathan Pinckney and updated by Research Assistant Sivahn Sapirstein.
