The State and Religious Communities: Their Relationship and Its Development in Estonia after 1991

Abstract

In the academic debates on the relationship between the State and religious communities in Estonia there are two standpoints. The first one emphasizes the role of religious communities, particularly the Christian ones, in the formation of Estonian statehood as well as the history of the country. The activity of the churches in the sphere of charity and social welfare is perceived positively. At the same time, academics draw attention to the fact that Estonians are not very religious, thus all forms of privileging religious communities are considered debatable. The second approach also emphasizes the historical significance of religious communities, but simultaneously approves of their increased activity, especially in the context of rebuilding Estonian identity after the era of Soviet domination. The goal of this article is to analyse the main assumptions of religious policy in Estonia after 1991, as well as the main factors that determined the current solutions. The conducted research is supposed to answer the question: why does the government of a country with one of the longest traditions of separation of state and religion in the region make many symbolic acts towards churches and religious associations? Furthermore, it will enable the verification of the hypothesis which assumes that the religious policy of contemporary Estonia is influenced by the conviction about the role of churches and religious associations in the history of the country, as well as by the recognition of religion as a factor in building the identity of the post-Soviet state. The text is divided into three parts. In the first part will be analysed the issues of changes in the denominational structure of Estonia. The second part will present the results of the research on the historical conditions of Estonia's denominational policy. The last part will analyse the legal solutions in Estonia concerning the state-religious community relations.