Solomonic wisdom needed to settle tiff over God in South Africa’s public schools
A civil society organisation, OGOD, wants South Africa's public schools to stop calling themselves Christian and to outlaw their religious practices.
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Articles on Religious freedom
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Supreme Court justices in the pews and on the bench – and where Neil Gorsuch fits in
Judge Gorsuch was raised Catholic and later became an Episcopalian. An expert on Church-State issues says don't read too much into religion as an indicator of judicial philosophy.
EU court allows companies to ban headscarves. What will be the impact on Muslim women?
For many Muslim women, wearing the headscarf is an act of piety and a way of being. Forcing them to remove it can have devastating consequences.
Freedom of religion under threat across Europe after EU court rules employers can ban headscarves
After Brexit, the UK could become a more attractive place for Muslim women than the rest of the EU.
How much does the Johnson Amendment curtail church freedom?
The Johnson Amendment requires houses of worship to stay away from politics to receive tax exemptions. Yet, their leaders can speak out in a variety of ways that could reflect their religious views.
Trump’s vow to ‘destroy’ Johnson Amendment could wreak havoc on charitable world
President Trump recently repeated his pledge to eliminate the 63-year-old law, which bans charities from engaging in political activities, at the National Prayer Breakfast.
How distrust of unbelievers runs deep in American history
Distrust of the irreligious has been commonplace in the American political discourse from the founding.
With that ring, I thee judge: why the law should not allow exceptions on marriage equality
As the US example shows, freedom of religion should not be allowed to morph into the right to discriminate.
Can religious vilification laws protect religious freedoms?
Legislating against racial and religious vilification is highly fraught, as the ongoing debate around Section 18C has demonstrated, and unlikely to become less so any time soon.
Organised religion must join the fight against homophobia
Religious leaders have done little to help combat institutionalised homophobia – and some have flat-out encouraged it.
Can a burgeoning satanic movement actually effect political change?
What, exactly, are the political goals of The Satanic Temple, which formed in 2013? A religion professor attended a recent satanic ritual to find out.
How should Indonesia deal with emerging religious cults?
Why and how do new religious movements emerge? And how can Indonesia protect religious freedom amid hostility towards unorthodox religious groups?
In free speech debates, consider Christianity’s history of liberalism
The furore around freedom of sexual orientation vs religious freedom at a South African university should lead to deeper thinking about Christianity's historical role in promoting liberalism.
Corporate hostility to ‘religious freedom’ laws shows vital role of business pushing social issues
The corporate backlash shouldn’t be a surprise. Companies have increasingly played a more active role on social issues.
Charlie Hebdo attacks: a horrific escalation of violence in an already tense society
France has been the target of several attacks perpetrated by so-called Muslim fundamentalists over the past few years, but the shooting of editors and cartoonists at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie…
Is a new law enough to protect religious minorities in Indonesia?
Indonesia, having grappled with problems of religious intolerance and violence, seems to be making efforts to improve religious freedom. Indonesia’s religious affairs minister, Lukman Syaifuddin, is drafting…
We need to teach children how to think, not what to think
In its ideal form, education should be socially progressive. We teach the next generation of scientists, engineers and medical researchers who will improve our quality of life: they will learn more about…
Principles of accountability apply to churches and truckers alike
Some religious groups are feeling under attack. They claim their “freedom of religion” is being impaired. For example, federal Attorney-General George Brandis, speaking to the Law School of Notre Dame…
Across Europe’s schools, push for national values is infringing religious freedoms
The ongoing debate on radicalisation and schools in both the UK and France is missing an important point: we are still not agreed on exactly what religious radicalism is. The fact that the British secretary…
Promoting “religious freedom” does more harm than good
The promotion of religious freedom is ubiquitous, and there is great excitement in the air all round the world as governments rush to feature it prominently in their foreign affairs portfolios. The US…
Top contributors
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Senior Lecturer & UG Programme Director, Department of International Politics, City, University of London
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Gary D Bouma is a Friend of The Conversation.
Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Monash University
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Professor of Law, University of South Australia
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Associate Professor of Political Science, Northwestern University
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Lecturer in Law, Southern Cross University
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Head of the Mediterranean Programme, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute
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Researcher in Religions & Theology, University of Manchester
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Researcher at the Center for the Study of Religion and Democracy, Paramadina University
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Director of Ethics and Servant Leadership Program, Emory University
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Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Texas State University
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Director of Postgraduate Studies, Human Rights Centre, University of Essex
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Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Stellenbosch University
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PhD Student, University of Essex Human Rights Centre, University of Essex
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Senior Lecturer and Director of Research, Centre for the Study of Islam and Society, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
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Fisher College of Business Distinguished Professor of Accounting, The Ohio State University
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