Freedom of religion is an issue of universal interest and scope. However, in the last two centuries at least, the philosophical, religious and legal terms of the question have been largely defined in the West. In an increasingly global world, widening our knowledge of this right’s roots in different cultural and legal systems becomes a priority. This Handbook seeks to attain this goal through a better understanding of the historical roots and expressions of the right to freedom of religion on the one hand and, on the other, of its theological background in different religious traditions. History and theology provide the setting for the analysis of the politics of freedom of religion, that is, how this right is used in the context of the dialogue/confrontation between countries placed in different cultural regions of the world, and of the legal strategies and tools that have been developed and are employed to protect and foster the right to freedom of religion. Behind these legal and political strategies, there is an ongoing debate about the nature of this right, whose main features are explored in the final section. Global, historical and interdisciplinary in approach, this book studies the new relevance of freedom of religion worldwide and develops suitable categories to analyze and understand the role that freedom of religion can play in managing religious and cultural diversity in our societies. Authored by experts, through the contributions collected in these chapters, scholars and students will be able to broaden and deepen their knowledge of the right to freedom of religion and to develop the ability to go beyond the borders of the different cultural environments in which this right took shape and developed.

The idea of freedom of religion was developed in Europe in the 16th and 17th century in the context of religious diversity as an alternative for religious wars. The concept requires reconsideration in the current globalized culture: religious plurality has increased as has the awareness of the religious potential for social cohesion and for sectarian division and violence. In this volume, legal experts, sociologists, theologians, and philosophers clarify the historical development of the concept, and analyze the present situation in various countries with religious tensions. They propose possible models and solutions, and discuss the fundamental question of whether the Western model of human rights with its separation of religion and state and freedom of religion can be conceived as universal.

The right to freedom of religion or belief has become a matter of increasing controversy, both politically and in international law. This book provides a detailed assessment of the right in its contemporary context, analysing its current status, the impact of the 1981 Declaration, and the challenges facing the continued existence of the right.

The concept of religious freedom is the favoured modern human rights concept, with which the modern world hopes to tackle the phenomenon of religious pluralism, as our modern existence in an electronically shrinking globe comes to be increasingly characterised by this phenomenon. To begin with, the concept of religious freedom, as embodied in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, seems self-evident in nature. It is the claim of this book, however, that although emblematic on the one hand, the concept is also problematic on the other, and the implications of the concept of religious freedom are far from self-evident, despite the ready acceptance the term receives as embodying a worthwhile goal. This book therefore problematizes the concept along legal, constitutional, ethical and theological lines, and especially from the perspective of religious studies, so that religious freedom in the world could be enlarged in a way which promotes human flourishing.

A resilience theory on religion needs to answer four questions. What defines the kind of adversity which is addressed in religion? What is characteristic for processes of resilience in religion? What defines resilient religion as outcome? Which logic of inference (epistemology) based on our beliefs and experiences about reality binds these three elements together? The book starts with mapping the field of resilience theory on religion by addressing all four questions. The need for thinking about Christian resilience and the God symbol is addressed, and the need to be "explicitly contextual" with regard to resilience in South Africa. Next three types practices of religious acting are related to experiences of resilience, namely preaching, narrating and discerning. In the last chapters the focus is on the way stories help to express feelings of experiences of crises, tragedy, and trauma. But also how stories can help heal the broken heart. Prof Chris A.M. Hermans is extraordinary professor in practical theology and missiology at the University of the Free State (South Africa). He is emeritus professor in pastoral theology at Radboud University (the Netherlands).and emeritus professor in empirical study of religion as Radboud University (the Netherlands). Prof. Kobus (W.J.) Schoeman is professor of practical theology at the University of the Free State (South Africa).

Public theologies reflect on the contextuality of the Christian religion. Much of this contextuality is dependent on place: place as the culture and the society in which religions are situated, place as the position from where a theologian speaks, place as the biographical contingencies that shape people's lives. Moreover, public theologies ask for the contribution of Christian ethics to society, thereby shaping the social, cultural, and religious space to which they belong. The contributions in this volume analyse the categories of space and place in order to deepen the understanding of contextuality, thereby taking up some of the challenges presented by the so-called "spatial turn". Dr Thomas Wabel is Professor of Protestant Theology (Systematic Theology) at the University of Bamberg. Dr Katharina Eberlein-Braun is Assistant Professor of Protestant Theology (Systematic Theology) at the University of Bamberg. Torben Stamer is vicar of the Protestant Church of Northern Germany in Ludwigslust.

Violations of religious freedom and violence committed in the name of religion grab our attention on a daily basis. Freedom of religion or belief is a key human right: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, numerous conventions, declarations and soft law standards include specific provisions on freedom of religion or belief. The 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief has been interpreted since 1986 by the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. Special Rapporteurs (for example those on racism, freedom of expression, minority issues and cultural rights) and Treaty Bodies (for example the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Committee on the Rights of the Child) have also elaborated on freedom of religion or belief in the context of their respective mandates. Freedom of Religion or Belief: An International Law Commentary is the first commentary to look comprehensively at the international provisions for the protection of freedom of religion or belief, considering how they are interpreted by various United Nations Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies. Structured around the thematic categories of the United Nations Special Rapporteur's framework for communications, the commentary analyses, for example, the limitations on the wearing of religious symbols and vulnerable situations, including those of women, detainees, refugees, children, minorities and migrants, through a combination of scholarly expertise and practical experience.

Administrative Law adopts a new approach to the subject: explaining the constitutional principles that underlie it and bringing unity to the diverse topics that students need to master to understand this complex branch of public law. The author's lively and analytical style encourages the development of a critical, questioning approach.

Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion is an annual volume offering a regular snapshot of state-of-the-art work in this longstanding area of philosophy that has seen an explosive growth of interest over the past half century. Under the guidance of a distinguished editorial board, it publishes exemplary papers in any area of philosophy of religion.