Russell Blackford 
Freedom of Religion and the Secular State 

Exploring the relationship between religion and the state

Focusing on the intersection of religion, law, and politics in
contemporary liberal democracies, Blackford considers the concept
of the secular state, revising and updating enlightenment views for
the present day. Freedom of Religion and the Secular State offers a
comprehensive analysis, with a global focus, of the subject of
religious freedom from a legal as well as historical and
philosophical viewpoint. It makes an original contribution to
current debates about freedom of religion, and addresses a whole
range of hot-button issues that involve the relationship between
religion and the state, including the teaching of evolution in
schools, what to do about the burqa, and so on.

Table of Content

1 Motivation and Overview 1

2 A Short History of Religious Intolerance 20

3 Hobbes, Locke, and their Legacy: Models of the Modern State
34

4 Religious Impositions and Endorsements 56

5 Religion-Based Morality and the Secular State 67

6 Persecution, Accommodation, and Conscientious Objection 94

7 Private Power, Religious Communities, and the State 118

8 Religious Freedom and the Interests of Children 141

9 Religious Freedom and Freedom of Speech 169

10 Back to Locke: Concluding Remarks 198

Index 202

About the author

Russell Blackford is an Australian philosopher and literary
critic, based at the University of Newcastle, NSW. He is
editor-in-chief of The Journal of Evolution and Technology,
and co-editor, with Udo Schüklenk, of 50 Voices of
Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists. His areas of expertise include
legal and political philosophy, philosophical bioethics,
metaethics, and philosophy of religion. He has published essays,
stories, and reviews in a wide range of magazines, anthologies, and
academic journals.