Law Between Enabling and Limiting. Regulatory Approaches, Structures and Limits of Religious and Secular Law for Digital Practices of Religious Communities in Switzerland and Germany.

The project examines the ambivalent role of legal norms – both secular and religious – in relation to the digital practices of religious communities. The focus is on how these norms both enable and limit digital activities. The study analyzes the institutional challenges and structural changes caused by digital technologies within the regulatory framework of religious communities. The role of state institutions is also examined, particularly with regard to enabling and regulating the digital practice of religion.

The project also considers the implications of advancing digitalization and the influence of artificial intelligence on religious practices and their legal framework. In this context, possible changes in the institutional identity of religious communities, especially in their ecclesiological self-descriptions, are also examined, taking into account religious law.

The emphasis is on the Christian churches in Switzerland and Germany, but Jewish and Islamic perspectives are also included in order to ensure a comprehensive and comparative analysis. The project is based on a hermeneutic analysis of normative texts. Key sources are constitutions, religious legal texts, court decisions, and state and intra-religious normative processes.