Berkley Center

Religious Freedom: Why Now? Defending an Embattled Human Right, authored by Timothy Shah and edited by Matthew J. Franck, presents a response to the current crisis of religious freedom and an analysis of its implications, arguing that a worldwide erosion of religious freedom is causing large-scale human suffering, grave injustice, and significant threats to international peace and security. The book was published under the auspices of the Witherspoon Institute’s Task Force on International Religious Freedom, chaired by Thomas Farr. In May 2011, the Witherspoon Institute convened an unprecedented interdisciplinary meeting in Princeton, New Jersey of more than 30 experts from the fields of psychology, sociology, law, philosophy, theology, political science, and international relations. They included academics, policy analysts, and journalists, as well as advocates and adherents from a variety of religious traditions. The result was a focused discussion over two days of the basis of religious freedom, its present condition, and the prospects for its future. Religious Freedom: Why Now? is the task force’s considered statement on these matters.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Part One: The Ground of Religious Freedom

1) What Is Religion? The Anthropological Basis of Religious Freedom
2) A Political Case for Religious Freedom
3) A Moral Case for Religious Freedom
4) A Religious Case for Religious Freedom
5) A Legal Case for Religious Freedom

Part Two: Religious Freedom and International Affairs

6) The Strategic Case for Religious Freedom
7) The Stategic Dimension: Policy Implications