PROJECT LEADERS
Thomas Farr
Thomas F. Farr is Director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and a Visiting Associate...
Timothy Shah
Timothy Samuel Shah is Associate Director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center For Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and...
ASSOCIATE SCHOLARS
José Casanova
José Casanova is one of the world's top scholars in the sociology of religion. He is a professor at the Department of Sociology at Georgetown...
Jean Bethke Elshtain
Jean Bethke Elshtain is the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics at the University of Chicago, where she also has...
William Inboden
William Inboden is Assistant Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Distinguished Scholar at the Strauss Center for International...
David Novak
David Novak holds the J. Richard and Dorothy Shiff Chair of Jewish Studies as Professor of the Study of Religion and Professor of Philosophy at the...
Daniel Philpott
Daniel Philpott is exploring Catholic and Protestant contributions to democracy from the years 1800-2000 for the Christianity and Freedom Project....
Mona Siddiqui
Mona Siddiqui, OBE is Professor of Islamic and Inter-religious Studies and Assistant Principal for Religion and Society at the University of...
Monica Duffy Toft
Monica Duffy Toft is Associate Professor of Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Director of the Initiative on Religion in...
Roger Trigg
Roger Trigg, of St Cross College, Oxford, is Senior Research Fellow in the Ian Ramsey Centre, University of Oxford, and a member of both the...
PROJECT STAFF
A.J. Nolte
A.J. Nolte joined the RFP at the beginning of October 2012, after two years as a research assistant at the Center for Complex Operations, National...
Kyle Vander Meulen
Kyle Vander Meulen joined the Berkley Center in January 2011. Before coming to the Center, he completed his master's studies in Divinity at the...
FEATURED VIDEO
Thomas Farr on The Price of Freedom DeniedPROJECT NEWS
Tim Shah Featured in Deseret News Story on State Department Religious Freedom Report
May 21, 2013Tom Farr Quoted on Religious Freedom and Extremism by FrontPage Magazine
May 21, 2013Roger Trigg Explores the Links between Philosophy of Religion and Religious Marginalization
May 20, 2013Roger Trigg's Address to the Iona Institute Conference on "What We Owe Christianity"
May 20, 2013Tom Farr's Presentation at the Common Word Conference on April 24
May 20, 2013Article by Roger Trigg Claims Religious Freedom is Not Just Special Pleading
May 2, 2013New Video: Tom Farr Addresses Religious Freedom and Terrorism with EWTN's Raymond Arroyo
April 29, 2013Timothy Shah Presents Paper on Religious Freedom, Democratization, and Economic Development
April 29, 2013Jean Elshtain Named Kluge Chair in Modern Culture at the Library of Congress
April 25, 2013Tom Farr Talks with EWTN about Kidnapped Syrian Bishops
April 25, 2013Mona Siddiqui Chosen as Associate Editor of Online Qur'anic Encyclopedia
April 19, 2013The Scotsman reviews Christians, Muslims and Jesus by Mona Siddiqui
April 15, 2013
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May 31, 2013The Good Muslim and Religious FreedomThe complexities and challenges of religious freedom in contemporary Islam find many of their roots in the development of Islamic law and theology during the Middle Ages, a fact largely unknown to the general public. In a new book, The Good Muslim: Reflections on Classical Islamic Law and Theology, Mona Siddiqui, professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh and associate scholar at the Religious Freedom Project, attempts to fill this void. The book explores a wide range of topics from divorce, slavery, and perspectives on evil, to virtue and friendship... |
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February 12, 2013Rick Warren on Religious Freedom - A Conversation
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January 7, 2013Theism and Rationality: A Seminar with Alvin Plantinga and Ernest SosaIs belief in God properly basic to humanity? Philosophers of religion have vigorously contested this question, and the relationship between theism and rationality more generally, over the past several decades. As part of its ongoing research project on religion as intrinsic to human experience, the Religious Freedom Project hosted a standing seminar addressing this topic with noted philosopher Alvin Plantinga on January 7. A panel of distinguished philosophers engaged with Plantinga's paper on the basic nature of belief in God and the rationality of theism and with a response by respected... |
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December 14, 2012Inaugural Symposium: Christianity and Freedom: Historical and Contemporary PerspectivesPolitical turbulence in the Middle East poses a grave threat to some of the oldest and most vibrant Christian communities in the world. Within the West, debates about the roots of freedom have often sidestepped the contributions of Christians and Christian ideas. Against this backdrop, the Religious Freedom Project launched a major initiative on "Christianity and Freedom: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives," a two-year exploration of Christianity’s contributions to the construction and diffusion of freedom in its political, religious, and economic dimensions, in interaction with other... |
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December 7, 2012Policy Consultation on Religious Freedom, Violent Religious Extremism, and Constitutional Reform in Muslim-Majority Countries: Lessons for U.S. Policy MakersAmid the dramatic upheavals caused by the “Arab Spring,” as well as rising levels of religious persecution worldwide and the continued salience of religion-related terrorism, critical policy issues have emerged concerning the relationships between religious freedom, violent religious extremism, and constitutional reform. |
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October 24, 2012Religious Freedom Past and FutureThe Religious Freedom Project hosted a discussion of two books, which chronicle the history of religion’s role in American foreign policy, and speculate about future threats to religious liberty. The morning session addressed Sword of the Spirit Shield of Faith, Andrew Preston’s sweeping history of religion’s role in U.S. foreign policy. From colonial times through the Reagan Administration and beyond, Preston (Cambridge University) makes the case that religion’s role in shaping American foreign policy has been both pivotal and under-appreciated. Sword of the Spirit Shield of Faith is... |
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October 11, 2012Which Model, Whose Liberty?: Differences between the U.S. and European Approaches to Religious Freedom
Religious freedom is in the headlines on both sides of the Atlantic. Although some have written of a "Western model" of religious liberty, is that label a myth? This conference—cosponsored by the RFP and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University's School of Law—examined the historic and emerging differences in how religious freedom was conceived and has been implemented on both sides of the Atlantic. |
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September 14, 2012Just and Unjust PeaceWhat is the meaning of justice in the wake of massive injustice? Religious traditions have delivered a unique and promising answer in the concept of reconciliation. This way of thinking about justice contrasts with the "liberal peace," which dominates current thinking in the international community. The Religious Freedom Project hosted a book event, responding to Daniel Philpott's recently published book, Just and Unjust Peace: A Ethic of Political Reconciliation. A panel of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scholars assessed the argument for reconciliation at the theological and philosophical... |
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September 13, 2012Catholic Perspectives on Religious Liberty
Featuring a keynote address by Cardinal Donald Wuerl |
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June 28, 2012Religious Freedom and the HHS Mandate: a Conversation with Representatives Jeff Fortenberry, Diane Black, Ann Marie Buerkle and Dan Lipinski
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) joined Congresswoman Diane Black (R-TN), Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY), and Congressman Dan Lipinksi (D-IL) for a public forum at Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall. |
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May 14, 2012Religion & State After the Arab Spring: Devising Ground Rules for a New EraIn the aftermath of the Arab Spring, do Middle Eastern nations need a new relationship between religion and state? On May 14, Georgetown University's Religious Freedom Project held a policy briefing with top experts designed to identify specific policy lessons concerning religion's future political role in Arab Spring countries. |
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May 1, 2012Rethinking Religion and World Affairs
The Berkley Center hosted the launch of an unprecedented new volume: Rethinking Religion and World Affairs (Oxford, 2012), edited by Timothy Shah, Alfred Stepan, and Monica Toft, and produced under the auspices of the Social Science Research Council through the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation. |
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April 10, 2012Religious Freedom and Equality: Emerging Conflicts in North America and Europe
In both Europe and North America, an increasing emphasis on equality has pitted rights claims against each other, raising profound philosophical, moral, legal, and political questions about the meaning and reach of religious liberty. The questions emerge in several areas -- for example, questions of religious conscience, an all male Roman Catholic clergy, or the prospect of establishing a separate Muslim system of family law within a democratic state. |
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March 22, 2012Religious Freedom and Healthcare ReformThe Health and Human Services contraception mandate has revived the debate about the Obama administration's health care reform and its implications for religious freedom. The Berkley Center's Religious Freedom Project convened several leading experts to explore the controversy from different legal, theological, and policy perspectives. Key questions that were addressed include: the role of religious freedom and conscience exemptions in American law, the US Catholic Bishops' criticisms of the health reform law and HHS mandate, and the prospects for a resolution of the controversy. |
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March 16, 2012Religious Freedom and Religious Extremism: Lessons from the Arab SpringThe success of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi parties in the recent Egyptian elections highlights the complex relationship between religious freedom, religious extremism, and democracy in the region. Democratization has meant freedom for Islamic groups to participate in the political life of the new Egypt. At the same time, the success of Salafi parties and ongoing tensions with the military threaten the viability of the fledgling democratic institutions that might guarantee religious freedom, religious pluralism, and civil peace in the new Egypt. |
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March 1, 2012Religious Freedom: Why Now? Defending an Embattled Human RightThis event celebrated the rollout of a new book, Religious Freedom: Why Now? Defending an Embattled Human Right, authored by RFP Associate Director Timothy Shah, under the auspices of the Witherspoon Institute’s Task Force on International Religious Freedom, chaired by RFP Director Thomas Farr. The event was co-sponsored by the Religious Freedom Project and the Witherspoon Institute. The keynote address was delivered by Robert P. George of Princeton University. Panels featured a wide range of participants, including noted Muslim scholar Sheikh Hamza Yusuf. |
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February 13, 2012Equality, Freedom, & ReligionDoes the US government have the right to force religious schools and colleges to offer forms of birth-control in their employee healthcare plans which violate tenets of their morality? Should Christian couples in the UK be barred from fostering children if their religion forbids them to teach the moral acceptance of homosexual practice? All human rights are valuable and worthy of protection, and yet in recent years the right to put religious belief into practice has taken a backseat to the pursuit of other social priorities. |
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February 10, 2012Standing Seminar: Religion & Human Personhood, Culture, and SocietyThe practice of religion has been observed in some form in all societies since the beginning of history. If it is the case that historically “where two or three are gathered” religion will be manifest in the communal life of the people, how integral is religion to the formation and stability of human personhood, culture, and society? As part of its standing seminar series on “Religion as Integral to Human Experience,” the Religious Freedom Project explored this question with noted sociologists Christian Smith, author of What is a Person?, and Phil Zuckerman, author of Society without God. |
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January 31, 2012Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom WorldwideWhat is the effect of blasphemy and apostasy laws on basic religious and political freedoms of Muslim-majority countries? What happens when Western governments and bodies like the United Nations begin passing similarly motivated restrictions on speech? These and other questions were addressed by Paul Marshall and Nina Shea as they discussed their new book, Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom Worldwide. Looking at the experience of hundreds of victims, from political dissidents to journalists to artists and religious reformers, the authors examined the political... |
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December 4, 2011Standing Seminar: Religion, Health, and Happiness
Are religious people happier and healthier than their non-religious neighbors or is association with religion deleterious to one's health and happiness? Though these questions have sparked debate among scientists and philosophers for centuries, serious inquiry into the complex associations between religion, health, and happiness date back only a few decades. |
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November 17, 2011What's So Special About Religious Freedom?
Religious freedom has been called America’s “first freedom.” But does it warrant such a special status? What, if anything, distinguishes religious freedom from other protected rights like the freedom of speech or assembly? Is religious freedom a right that stands on its own, or is it a subset of a broader freedom of conscience? |
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October 20, 2011The Price of Freedom DeniedWhat happens when a government places restrictions on religious freedom? What does a society lose if religion is outlawed or persecuted? The Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs hosted sociologists Brian Grim and Roger Finke as they addressed these and other questions raised in their new book, The Price of Freedom Denied. Examining the worldwide state of religious freedom, Grim and Finke conclude that circumscribing or delimiting religious expression in the name of freedom serves neither the interests of the government nor the polity to whom... |
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September 23, 2011Sourcebook Seminar on Religious Freedom and the Struggle against ExtremismOn September 23, 2011 the Religious Freedom Project convened a meeting of experts to discuss a sourcebook on the potential relationship between religious freedom and extremism, terrorism, and violence. The sourcebook contains a series of annotated data sets comparing restrictions on religious freedom to the presence of religiously-motivated violence or terrorism, followed by a number of detailed case studies investigating the experiences of particular countries in combating extremism. After incorporating the comments of the assembled scholars, the sourcebook will be made available to policy... |
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May 3, 2011The Cognitive Science of ReligionIs religious experience intrinsically related to human cognition? In recent decades this question has prompted significant academic interest from a wide range of scholarly disciplines including anthropology, biology, philosophy, and psychology. The result of this research is an emerging consensus among scientists that the mind has a natural bias towards religious ideas. The human inclination towards religion, if true, would have consequences for the treatment of religion in public affairs. Cognitive psychologist Justin Barrett has been a leading figure in the exploration of this question... |
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April 28, 2011Sourcebook Seminar on the Historical Origins of Religious FreedomOn April 29, 2011 the Religious Freedom Project gathered a group of eminent scholars of religion to critically review a sourcebook of texts, compiled from the five major world religions, that traces the conceptual development of religious freedom within each tradition. Though the idea of a right to religious freedom emerged from the classical and Judeo-Christian traditions, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism have rich histories of thinking through many of the component elements which constitute religious freedom in full such as the treatment of other religions and the place of religion in public... |