台灣宗教行政研究的回顧

有關「宗教行政」的學術研究，大約是最近十年來才逐漸地發展，獲到學者們的關注與重視，可是成果仍相當有限。本文將對既有研究成果進行回顧與反思，探討其未來可以開展的面向與相關課題。「宗教行政」由於政策與法令的缺失，長期處在失調與無序的狀態中，拉扯在法規與憲法的衝突矛盾之中，《宗教團體法》的儘早立法是根本的解決之道。但是立法只是便利政府的有效管理，其中仍存在著法制化的阻力與困境，將開啟了新一波的研究風潮，以求能逐漸落實憲法對宗教信仰自由的保障。目前各級宗教行政機關經常會面臨到各種棘手或爭議的議題，是需要集思廣益來共同思考與討論，冀望未來能形成受學界重視的公共論壇，由政府拋出議題來廣納各界的雅言與建議。宗教團體的發展必然要配合政策與法規的走向，不斷地面臨著外在法制化與內在科層化的雙重挑戰，這是需要大量學者的關注與研究，經由理論與實務的經常檢驗，引領宗教團體如何面臨現代化社會的各種衝擊，進而能整合或重構出對應時代的文化秩序。

關鍵字

宗教行政；宗教團體；宗教法制；寺廟；宗教法人；回顧；展望

並列摘要

It is only during the last decade that religious administration has attracted the interest of scholars in Taiwan. Hence, the academic results in this field are still limited. This paper overviews and reflects on the past so as to look at issues of interest for future development. Due to a lack of policies and regulations, religious administration has for a long time been stuck in a conflict between the Constitution and its statues. In such a context, the passing of a Religious Groups Law was fundamental to finding a solution. Legislation, however, being a tool in the hand of a government striving for effective management, has its limitations, which have aroused a new wave of research to see if the Constitution can provide a workable basis for guaranteeing and protecting freedom of religion. Currently, various religious administrative offices are facing difficulties and controversies that need to be pondered upon and discussed. It is to be hoped that these discussions will form the core of a public debate to which scholars must pay attention. In that forum the government raises questions and collects opinions and suggestions from all levels of society. Moreover religious groups, in their development, must abide by government policies and regulations. They must constantly adjust their internal rules to the demands of the external bureaucratic legal system. This adaptation requires attention from scholars so that they may guide religious groups to face the shock of modernity, thus, being able to integrate and adjust to changing times.