The origins of collectivistic religions in a number of former communist countries have commonly been traced to the post-communist revival of nationalism.
Contrasting the Roman Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia, I will argue that the elucidation of the collectivistic features of religion in some ex-communist societies may not be attained by addressing their similarities but rather their differences; specifically, by asking why collectivistic traits characterize religions in some and not in all post-communist societies.
The latter demands a shift in perspective – a transfer of analytical focus from the relationship between nationalism and religion, to the place of religion in the general problem of collective identification.
