Religious freedom and education. A modern dilemma expressed in the jurisprudence of Colombia

Abstract

Objective: To study the different ways in which the Constitutional Court of Colombia (1991-2020) has ruled in cases where students (or applicants) demand the respect of their right to freedom of religion and worship in educational institutions. Methodology: From a qualitative perspective, we identify the jurisprudential line related to the subject, and analyze the arguments issued by the Court in each the sentences that compose the line. Results: The Court’s arguments are divided into two types: one that is categorized as pluralist, which privileges the right to religious freedom of the individuals, and another one that is categorized as uniformist, in which institutional norms are privileged regardless of the particular religiosity of the individuals. Conclusions: Religious diversity in educational establishments reveals some of the dilemmas and tensions existing in liberal modernity, particularly concerning the debate on the management of different worldviews and value systems in communities and institutions that claim to be pluralistic.