A group of scholars has urged U.S. religious communities to persuade President Barack Obama that the promotion of international religious freedom is vital to national security. During a panel discussion at Georgetown University on April 15, there was agreement among the panelists that the U.S. State Department has underused the International Religious Freedom Act, a 1998 law that was intended to promote religious freedom as a foreign policy of the United States. “There is this erroneous notion that it’s unconstitutional if we are talking to religious leaders around the world,” said Thomas F. Farr, a professor of religion and international affairs. For decades the State Department has operated on the philosophy that religion must be kept out of U.S. diplomatic policy, Farr said.
Scholars: Promote Religious Freedom
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
Many aspects of Pope Francis’ remarkable program of ecclesial renewal weare prefigured in Hans Urs von Balthasar’s vision for the church.
Pixar’s best films understand that kids are capable of profound emotional intelligence. As they try to regain their former success, I think that is what they should focus on.
Sister Camille D’Arienzo “didn’t toe the line. She said what she believed. She is a progressive woman who had a very big pulpit, which was over three million listeners a week.”
Twenty years ago, David Foster Wallace delivered one of the most widely shared and admired graduation speeches of all time. It still rewards close analysis.