When God is Not So Good: Corporate Religion contra New Social Movements

This chapter examines the horizons of meaning and perspectives of religious actors relative to their stances on public policy related to gender and sexuality. It critically engages with the assumption among many political theorists that the inclusion of corporate religion in policy processes will result in unqualified reciprocal acts of recognition of other groups by the religious. The contention is that corporate religions embody rationalities that impede a fuller realisation of civil liberties and universal human rights, particularly in relation to social movements and normative perspectives mobilised around gender and sexual equality. Foucault's study of governmentality provides a fruitful angle of analysis for consideration of the nascent role of religious associations relative to policy on gender and sexuality. The bio-political management of public health, disease control and political empowerment clashes sharply with the religious imperative to regulate morals, normalise gender roles and determine the proper' utility of human sexuality.