Asian NRMs in the Czech Republic: Consequences of Their Recognition by State in the Era of Religious Freedom

Abstract

This article discusses the effects of legislative conditions that the Czech governmental recognition of the NRMs with Asian roots as religious organizations bring to the movements themselves. It strives to answer two interconnected questions: Is there a specific cultural or religious character of the demands which the Czech legislation put on the candidates for governmental recognition? What happens when NRMs with Asian roots react to these demands while striving for the status of recognized religious organization? The possibility that the set of characteristics assumed to define any religious organization in Czech law basically follows the pattern of the established Christian Churches, as a tentative answer to the first question, opens an important direction for finding answers to the second question. The article also provides summary and discussion of the legislative changes in the Czech Republic pertaining to these two questions, and describes the development of several NRMs with Asian roots in the country.