Laicity in Brazil and in the Occident. Some considerations.

Abstract

The first part of this paper presents the legal status of 27 European Economic Community and 20 Latin-American countries with respect to the relations established between the State and religions. There are three most salient models: countries with a regime of separation between State and church; countries adopting the separation between religion and State including particular provisions for certain religions or churches; and finally, countries adopting the State Church regime. Such a heterogeneity of approaches points to the existence of different forms of being secular, which are always shaped by the history and culture of each country. This is also the case of Brazil, which is the object of the second part of the analysis. The paper concludes with the perceptions held by individuals from the city of Porto Alegre (Brazil) with different religious belongings about one of the pillars of secularism, that is, religious freedom.