Proposes a new theoretical approach to religious liberty that both transcends and transforms current approaches to law and religion.

This book engages in a theological critique of the legal frameworks and theoretical approaches of Australia, the US and England to create a peaceful coexistence of difference which supports both religious freedom and equality. It develops a new framework for reconciling religious freedom and discrimination in Western liberal democracies and presents a unique approach to practically supporting both religious freedom and equality as fundamentally important objectives which promote more compassionate and cohesive communities. The book applies the idea of peaceful coexistence of difference by assuming the dignity and goodwill of different people and perspectives, and proceeds upon shared virtues such as love which are affirmed by all.

Proposes a new theoretical approach to religious liberty that both transcends and transforms current approaches to law and religion.

From the Publisher: In recent years a series of highly publicized controversies has focused attention on what are arguably the sixteen most important words in the U.S. Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The ongoing court battles over the inclusion of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, the now annual cultural quarrel over "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays," and the political promotion of "faith-based initiatives" to address social problems-all reflect competing views of the meaning of the religious liberty clauses of the First Amendment. Such disputes, as Bruce T. Murray shows, are nothing new. For more than two hundred years Americans have disagreed about the proper role of religion in public life and where to draw the line between church and state. In this book, he reexamines these debates and distills the volumes of commentary and case law they have generated. He analyzes not only the changing contours of religious freedom but also the phenomenon of American civil religion, grounded in the notion that the nation's purpose is sanctified by a higher authority-an idea that can be traced back to the earliest New England colonists and remains deeply ingrained in the American psyche. Throughout the book, Murray connects past and present, tracing the historical roots of contemporary controversies. He considers why it is that a country founded on the separation of church and state remains singularly religious among nations, and concludes by showing how the Supreme Court's thinking about the religious liberty clauses has evolved since the late eighteenth century.

Working on both a country-by-country basis and in terms of common trends and developments transcending national boundaries and specific religious denominations, Mozjes provides a systematic study of the evolution of religious liberty in Eastern Europe and the USSR before, during, and after the period of communist repression.

American religion has changed dramatically, and this work asks why. The author postulates that the demise of the longstanding Protestant hegemony in America is traceable to the success of deeply ingrained Protestant ways of thinking.

Revision of papers originally presented at a conference held at India International Centre in Nov. 1997.

Noted writers from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America tackle such questions as how to make peace in the new millennium, what can be done about ethnic and religious conflicts, and how is it possible to create peaceful communities and influence the world system.