Religion-related stress is the product of a predominantly secular society in which people are confronted with diverse religious practices. The phenomenon occurs where public meets private. How can employers ensure compliance with conflicting religious and other commitments in the workplace? The concept of respectful pluralism as formulated by Douglas Hicks in his book Religion and the Workplace, may go a long way to negotiating a solution to the debate between conformity and diversity.

The Netherlands public-service broadcasting system is confronted with an austerity policy of the present liberal-christian democrat minority cabinet, supported by the populist Party for Freedom. The Rutte cabinet also aims at scaling back the amount of large member-based broadcasting associations. Merger talks are now high on the agenda in Hilversum. Apart from the large member-based broadcasters a small amount of airtime is given to several broadcast organizations that represent the main religious or spiritual communities (catholic, protestant, jewish, buddhist, humanist, hindu, islamic). They are also involved in the merger talks. This article clarifies their present position in the Dutch broadcasting system under the Media Act. It is argued that they should integrate to form one, internally pluralist, task-based broadcaster for ‘higher things’, especially in order to stimulate religious encounters and dialogue.

From the beginning of the 19th century until today, education in the Netherlands has been a prime battleground in the search for the right balance of church and state. This article discusses five parliamentary debates regarding the position of public and private (particularly religious) education. Although two of these debates took place a long time ago, they are anything but mere history: they laid the foundation for the current dual educational system of public and private education (in 1857) and the unique constitutional provision on the financial equality of public and private schools (in 1917). The three other debates concerned the religious neutrality of public schools and the freedom of education, and these topics are recurring topics of parliamentary debate. This debate is fed by changing societal circumstances and governmental principles regarding the quality of education. This is no surprise, concludes the author. These issues concern essential questions regarding educational policy on pluralism in education. Every time such a question arises, the legislator must justify its political explanation based on what the constitutional provision regarding education (Article 23) requires and allows on the separation of church and state.