This paper addresses the problem of the insertion of organized groups of worshipers of the main contemporary religions into western legal systems. It particularly deals with the transition of communities of worshipers towards the constitution of social organizations, focusing on the Chilean system established by Law 19.638, of 1999, on the constitution of religious organizations as legal persons governed by public law, whose effectiveness has received a positive evaluationEl trabajo aborda el problema de la inserción de las colectividades organizadas de fieles de las principales religiones contemporáneas en los sistemas normativos jurídicos occidentales. En particular, analiza el tránsito de las comunidades de fi eles hacia formas organizativas sociales, centrándose en el sistema chileno instaurado por la ley 19.638, de 1999, sobre constitución de entidades religiosas como personas jurídicas de derecho público, cuya efectividad evalúa positivamente.