European Exceptionalism: Lazy Churches, Pluralism, Adherence and the Case of the Dutch Religious Cartel

Abstract

On April 22nd, 2001, an important ecumenical event took place. Cardinal Vlk, president of the Council of European Bishops and Metropolite Jeremie, president of the Council of European Churches, signed an Ecumenical Charter. In this charter, they committed themselves and their member churches to mainly two points. First, they declared to try to get a deeper common understanding of God’s revelation and to work on a more visible unity of European Christianity. Second, they declared to work together for the salvation of Europe, i.e. a social, peaceful, tolerant Europe and to cooperate with other religions, mainly Judaism and Islam (cf. http://www.cec-kek.org). In the subsequent months, this charter was signed in several other European countries, although the Dutch cardinal and primate Simonis with a deep sigh expressed his doubts about its worth when he signed the agreement in 2002 (Sengers 2003a: 160). Being a scholar researching the economics of religion, it was the commitment expressed under II.2. in the declaration that struck me most. It states: “We commit ourselves 1. to discuss our plans for evangelization with other churches, entering into agreements with them and thus avoiding harmful competition and the risk of fresh divisions; 2. to recognize that every person can freely choose his or her religious and church affiliation as a matter of conscience, which means not inducing anyone to convert through moral pressure or material incentive, but also not hindering anyone from entering into conversion of his or her own free will“. It is with this text that the European churches –explicitly- refrain from competition. It is an agreement that when closed in the commercial sector would be subject to annulment by the European cartel agency.