Freedom of Religion and the Secular State Blackwell Public Philosophy

**Exploring the relationship between religion and the state**Focusing on the intersection of religion, law, and politics in contemporary liberal democracies, Blackford considers the concept of the secular state, revising and updating enlightenment views for the present day. Freedom of Religion and the Secular State offers a comprehensive analysis, with a global focus, of the subject of religious freedom from a legal as well as historical and philosophical viewpoint. It makes an original contribution to current debates about freedom of religion, and addresses a whole range of hot-button issues that involve the relationship between religion and the state, including the teaching of evolution in schools, what to do about the burqa, and so on.Content: Chapter One Motivation and Overview (pages 1–19): Chapter Two A Short History of Religious Intolerance (pages 20–33): Chapter Three Hobbes, Locke, and their Legacy: Models of the Modern State (pages 34–55): Chapter Four Religious Impositions and Endorsements (pages 56–66): Chapter Five Religion?Based Morality and the Secular State (pages 67–93): Chapter Six Persecution, Accommodation, and Conscientious Objection (pages 94–117): Chapter Seven Private Power, Religious Communities, and the State (pages 118–140): Chapter Eight Religious Freedom and the Interests of Children (pages 141–168): Chapter Nine Religious Freedom and Freedom of Speech (pages 169–197): Chapter Ten Back to Locke: Concluding Remarks (pages 198–201): Religious freedom is the prototypical liberal freedom, a cornerstone of modern political rights. Freedom of Religion and the Secular State examines the concept of religious freedom, focusing on today's hot-button issues, including blasphemy and religious vilification; the teaching of biological evolution in schools; the health and welfare of children (particularly where religious beliefs clash with modern forms of medical treatment); claims by some religious organizations for a right of conscientious objection (e.g., doctors who refuse to perform abortions); and the recognition of Sharia law in Western societies. Such issues are topical, controversial, and intransigent. Somewhere at the core of contention lies fear of overweening government power, used to impose a favored understanding of the world - or another, transcendent, world - or to persecute those with a different understanding. With a background in legal and political philosophy, philosophy of religion, and moral theory, Russell Blackford traces the historical background both of religious persecution and the modern liberal state's embrace of secularity and religious freedom. Engaging in contemporary debates, he argues for a balanced view of what religious freedom is about, and how the state should approach it Exploring the relationship between religion and the state Focusing on the intersection of religion, law, and politics in contemporary liberal democracies, Blackford considers the concept of the secular state, revising and updating enlightenment views for the present day. Freedom of Religion and the Secular State offers a comprehensive analysis, with a global focus, of the subject of religious freedom from a legal as well as historical and philosophical viewpoint. It makes an original contribution to current debates about freedom of religion, and addresses a whole range of hot-button issues that involve the relationship between religion and the state, including the teaching of evolution in schools, what to do about the burqa, and so on