Giuseppe Giordan is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology at University of Padua (Italy).
This post is a part of a series on the sociology of religious freedom. (more…)
G.S. “Mack” McCarter III is founder and coordinator of Community Renewal International and an ordained minister of the Disciples of Christ denomination. The following post is based on his address at the ICLRS Religious Freedom Annual Review, 17 June 2025, at Brigham Young University.
Religious Freedom: An On-Ramp onto the Highway of God
I’ve been asked to speak about “Why Religious Freedom Matters to Me.” But in light of the conference, and with the organizers’ connivance, I simply have to change the title. And that is to move from me to we, and from I to us, because that really reflects the power of this conference.
So, why does religious freedom matter to us? And of course, we answer that religious freedom really is the regnant power that can change the direction of humanity and move us to a place talked about in Isaiah chapter 11—where peace, joy, and love can fill this entire globe and all of humanity; where the wolf lives with the lamb; where the bear eats hay with the cow; and where the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, even as the waters cover the sea.[1]
His Eminence Archbishop Anba Angaelos is the first Coptic Orthodox archbishop of London. The following post is based on his remarks during the panel “Religious Perspectives on Religious Freedom and Peace” at the ICLRS 31st Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, 8 October 2024.
In the book of Isaiah, the prophet declares, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And to open the prisons for those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). This is not just the role of religious leaders; this is the role of every person.