The constitution of 1991 declares that state and religious groups shall be separate and guarantees freedom of religious belief and practice in private and in public. The constitution explicitly recognizes the right of parents to provide a moral and religious education in accord with the parents' own belief. The constitution also declares any incitement to religious hatred or intolerance to be unconstitutional. No person may be compelled to declare their religious belief. There is no state religion. The constitution also provides that conscientious objectors who object to combat service may participate in the defense of the country in some other manner.
Protestant churches are active especially in the eastern part of the country. The 1996 State Department Report on Human Rights stated that clergy, missionaries, churches and religious groups operate without hindrance.
The Slovenian government has maintained an enlightened view on religious belief and activity. The government established an Office for Religious Communities whose aim, according to Director Nina Coz, is " to contribute to the widening of the horizon of all Slovene people with regard to various types of faith." This office serves as a forum enabling people of various faiths, as well as non-believers, to communicate with one another. The hope of the office is that such communication will facilitate "better mutual understanding ... allowing them to arrive at solutions which link them instead of separating them."
Slovenia has 29 religious communities which hold legal person status. This group includes traditional religious groups such as the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches and the Muslim and Jewish communities; a variety of Christian churches including Baptists, Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists; and finally, several new and small religious communities, including Hari Krishna, Church of Scientology, Bahai, Rosicrucians, Buddhists and the Unification Church.
2003 US State Department International Religious Freedom Report on Slovenia
Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief Report on Slovenia
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