Marshalling unprecedented global scholarship, Allen Hertzke demonstrates how religious freedom is pivotal to democratic, peaceful, and flourishing societies. The twenty-first century has witnessed a rising crisis of religious repression and persecution. In Why Religious Freedom Matters, Allen Hertzke synthesizes vast evidence from history, ethnography, and worldwide statistical analyses to make the compelling empirical case for the role of religious liberty in shaping a better global future. In rich detail, Hertzke demonstrates how religious freedom nurtures democracy, fosters prosperity, and cultivates international peace. The book also reveals the surprising ways that religious liberty and equality unleash personal agency that empowers women and uplifts the poor. Religious freedom uniquely matters, Hertzke argues, because it goes to the heart of human personhood and aspiration-the right "to be who we are," to act on ultimate commitments, and to be treated with equal worth and dignity. Based on a quarter century of immersion in global networks of scholarship and activism on religious freedom, Hertzke has produced a landmark volume showing how we can navigate the challenge of living with our differences in a shrinking world.
Allen D. Hertzke is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Oklahoma. He is author or editor of ten books, including Freeing God's Children and The Future of Religious Freedom. He served a ten-year term on the prestigious Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican.
Acknowledgments 1. Religious Freedom Matters 2. Underpinnings of Democracy, Civil Liberties, and Civil Society 3. The Font of Wealth: Religious Freedom and Flourishing Societies 4. Path to Empowerment: Uplifting Vulnerable Communities 5. Weapon of Peace 6. Charting the Way Forward Notes Bibliography
"With this highly readable and richly documented book, Allen Hertzke shows why everyone concerned about human flourishing should come to the aid of religious freedom. Skeptics will be surprised, and human rights advocates heartened by Hertzke's examples of religious freedom's demonstrable benefits." - Mary Ann Glendon, author of In the Courts of Three Popes "This is a most important book on one of the great problems plaguing the modern world-religious persecution-written by one of the towering figures in the field of religious freedom studies." - Nilay Saiya, author of Weapon of Peace "Hertzke's masterful analysis and deep expertise cogently argues for the global importance of protecting freedom of belief and its far-reaching implications for human flourishing." - H. Knox Thames, author of Ending Persecution "Hertzke masterfully weaves together the social science of religious freedom that has arisen in the past generation, demonstrating beyond a reasonable doubt that this 'x factor' is one of the most potent forces for justice and flourishing in the political realm." - Daniel Philpott, author of Religious Freedom in Islam
