Veiling Religion: The Public Face of Czech Re-Entry Faith-Based Organizations

Abstract

Due to the lack of sufficient non-governmental prisoner re-entry services in the Czech Republic, many post-release activities are provided by faith-based organizations (FBOs). However, the Czech Republic is considered to be one of the most atheistic countries in the world. Most of the Czech population is at least apathetic toward organized religion. This study examines how re-entry FBOs present Christianity to the public in the religiously indifferent Czech Republic. The primary focus is on how the organizations present themselves to the public. We employ qualitative content analysis examining names, logos, mission statements, and other documents of 14 re-entry FBOs. The analysis reveals four general themes within the organizations’ public presentations: Ambiguity when expressing religious topics, Christianity as an offer, Christianity as a form of social movement (self-legitimization), and Christianity as a pro-social lifestyle.

Faith-based social service delivery in a country with low religious affiliation: The case of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church

“…They also expect that such an approach could even allow for the correction of some prejudices concerning institutionalized religion in the country. To compare, among Czech FBOs engaged in re-entry, this trend has been documented too: Christianity was presented as a kind of social movement in their mission statements (Beláňová et al, 2022). Sana Loue (2017) documents that FBOs are currently in an era of development typified by a tendency to define their stance toward universal humanism.…”

“…Using the terminology of Helen Rose Ebaugh et al (2003), the CEOs use different ways to create a 'public face' for the FBOs. Based on previous research on Czech FBO re-entry programs, a carefulness in referring to religion within the public sphere could be expected, for example, using secular language or mentioning religion as an added aspect at the end of mission statements (Beláňová et al, 2022).…”