Legally preferential treatment of a religious organization is the legal conferral of a status that is more favorable than that accorded to other religious organizations. This essay introduces and analyzes the contrasting concept of deferential treatment. “Deferential treatment” refers to forms of favorable treatment that are cultural rather than legal. While the problems posed by legally preferential treatment of religion are well known, the problems posed by deferential treatment have received little attention. One problem is that when a religious organization receives deferential treatment, its authorities are not compelled to exercise their power in ways that track the interests of those over whom they exercise it. This leaves those subject to their power liable to abuse. Another is that deferential treatment encourages “benchmark traditionalism.” Benchmark traditionalism is problematic because it is politically unreasonable. These problems with deferential treatment give all citizens, including religiously committed citizens, reason to favor a culture of non-deference.

中文翻译：

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自由主义与尊严待遇

对宗教组织的法律优惠待遇是一种比对其他宗教组织更为有利的地位的法律授予。本文介绍并分析了差别待遇的概念。“优惠待遇”是指文化形式而非法律形式的优惠形式。虽然众所周知，法律上对宗教的优惠待遇所造成的问题，但尊严待遇所引起的问题却很少受到关注。一个问题是，当一个宗教组织受到尊严待遇时，它的当局就没有被迫以跟踪其行使者的利益的方式行使其权力。这使那些受其权力约束的人容易受到虐待。另一个是尊严的待遇鼓励“基准传统主义”。基准传统主义是有问题的，因为它在政治上是不合理的。这些与尊严待遇有关的问题使所有公民，包括虔诚的公民，都有理由赞成不尊敬的文化。