On April 27, 2020, Fr. Dcn. Andrew Bennett, Director of RFI’s North America Action Team, interviewed Dr. Brian Bird, at Princeton University, and welcomed him as a new RFI Research Fellow.
Asked about the value of religious freedom, Dr. Bird writes:
Religious freedom is a fundamental human right. It exists not through its inclusion in a bill of rights, but because of our innate yearning as human beings for answers about who we are and how we should live. At its heart, religious freedom enables the pursuit of the good and the truth. Though sincere and reasonable disagreements abound on these matters, we can all agree that they are worth pursuing. Their realization stands not only to enrich our lives as individuals, but to improve our common life together.
Full bio: Dr. Brian Bird is a 2019-2020 John and Daria Barry Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. His research focuses on constitutional law, constitutional theory, and human rights. His writing on these topics has appeared in several academic journals and media outlets. A lawyer by training, Brian clerked for judges of the Supreme Court of British Columbia and for Justice Andromache Karakatsanis of the Supreme Court of Canada. He completed his doctorate in law at McGill University on the topic of freedom of conscience. He also holds a B.C.L. from the University of Oxford, a J.D. from the University of Victoria, and a B.A. from Simon Fraser University.
Related Resource:
James Madison Program, Princeton University: https://jmp.princeton.edu/about/people/visiting.
THE RFI BLOG

Faith-Based Programs Can Restore Accountability, Rehabilitation to Prisons

A Tale of Two Muslim Generations

Religious Freedom Day 2023 – Jefferson’s Virginia Statutes for Religious Freedom

A Timeless Work That Changed History

UN to Examine “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” Policy and Religious Freedom
CORNERSTONE FORUM

70 Years of Religious Freedom in Sweden: Prospects and Challenges

Stop the “No Plan” Plan: Start a New Political Process

Assessing the Taliban’s ‘Doublespeak’ and Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

Alan Sears: Acceptance Speech at RFI’s 2022 Defender of Religious Freedom Award Ceremony
