The cultural determinants of democracy and dictatorship - Religion and democracy - Are some religions incompatible with democracy?

4 important questions on The cultural determinants of democracy and dictatorship - Religion and democracy - Are some religions incompatible with democracy?

Traditionally, protestantism is said to promote democracy, because:

It encourages economic development, which in turn creates a bourgeoisie, whose existence is a necessary condition for democracy.

In contact to Protestantism, Catholicism has traditionally been seen as antithetical to democracy, because:

  • Catholicism's emphasis on there being only one church and one truth is incompatible with democracy's need to accept different and competing ideologies as legitimate.
  • The hierarchy in Catholicism and the clear distinction between the clergy and the laity are thought to pose particular problems for the acceptance of more egalitarian regimes.

Confucianism is said to hinder democracy because:

Confucianism's respect for authority and its emphasis on communalism and consensus rather than individual rights and competition made it incompatible with democracy.
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Arguments against the encouragement of democracy by Islam are:

  • Muslims are prone to violence
  • the inability of Islam to disassociate religious and political spheres
  • Islam's unequal treatment of women

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