Religion and Civil Human Rights in Empirical Perspective (Religion and Human Rights, 2)

This volume offers an empirical perspective on the so-called first generation of human rights. It explores the legitimization of these human rights by individual people, both because of their religion and because of their vision of what constitutes human dignity. The book addresses such issues as the foundation of human rights, the necessity of a broader conversation about human rights, aspects of freedom of religion, and the role of religion in Belarus, Britain, Chile, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Norway and Tanzania. Taking an international comparative perspective, the volume answers the question as to what extent adolescents in different countries support civil human rights and what influences their attitudes towards these rights. As the diversity of the contributions in this volume shows, the relationship between religion and civil human rights is complex and multifaceted. Studying this complicated relationship calls for a variety of theoretical perspectives and rigorous empirical testing in different national contexts. This book’s empirical approach provides an important complementary perspective for legal, political and public debates. Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Religious and Humanist Perspectives on Human Rights (Raymond J. Webb)....Pages 1-16 Predictors of Attitudes Towards Human Dignity: An Empirical Analysis Among Youth in Germany (Hans-Georg Ziebertz, Susanne Döhnert, Alexander Unser)....Pages 17-60 Understanding Human Dignity. Theoretical Groundings and Empirical Findings Among the Youth in Belarus (Olga Breskaya, Susanne Döhnert)....Pages 61-89 Religion and Civil Rights in Italy: An Empirical Exploration Among Secondary School Students (Francesco Zaccaria, Francis-Vincent Anthony, Carl Sterkens)....Pages 91-119 The Role of Religion in Society, and Its Relation to the Attitudes Towards Human Rights in Chile (Joaquín Silva, Jorge Manzi)....Pages 121-139 Social Capital and Religion in the Public Sphere: Attitudes to Visible Forms of Religion Among Norwegian High-School Students (Pål Ketil Botvar)....Pages 141-156 Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Religious Clothing and Symbols in School: Exploring the Impact of Church Schools in a Religiously Diverse Society (Leslie J. Francis, Andrew Village, Ursula McKenna, Gemma Penny)....Pages 157-175 Attitudes Towards Freedom of Religion Among Nigerian Students (Modestus Adimekwe, Hans-Georg Ziebertz)....Pages 177-214 Advancing Civil Human Rights Culture in Tanzania (Clement Fumbo, Carl Sterkens)....Pages 215-229 Back Matter ....Pages 231-235