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Statesmanship and Religious Freedom Seminar

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THE MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE & THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM INSTITUTE Present the 3rd Annual STATESMANSHIP AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM SEMINAR January 24-February 18, 2022 (virtual) | May 18-20, 2022 (in-person) SEMINAR DESCRIPTION The Statesmanship and Religious Freedom Seminar is an annual program for college students co-sponsored by the Museum of the Bible (MOTB) and the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI). This year’s …

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International Protocol on Documenting Violations of Religious Freedom

The International Protocol On Documenting Violations Of Religious Freedom is a joint publication of Open Doors International (ODI) and the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI). Led by the Middle East divisions of ODI and RFI, the project was crafted with contributors including lawyers, human rights investigators, former diplomats, and religious freedom researchers.

It is designed as a tool for NGOs, lawyers, human rights activists as well as national and international institutions to provide an evidentiary standard and documentation of evidence that would be acceptable in most judicial or advocacy institutions, particularly at the international level.

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Documenting Changes in Religious Freedom Conditions in Sudan

This case study analyzes the changing religious freedom landscape in Sudan. Previously one of the world’s worst offenders where International Religious Freedom (IRF) is concerned, Sudan has seen substantial shifts on IRF policy under the auspices of the new transitional government.

Questions remain as to how durable and pervasive these shifts will prove, and what, if any, lessons may be drawn from this case.

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FORIS Working Group Report | Why People Need Religious Institutions and Why Religious Institutions Need Freedom

This working group report emerges from the collaboration of scholars associated with RFI’s Freedom of Religious Institutions in Society (FORIS) Project, including: Paul Marshall, FORIS Scholar and Director of RFI’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, and Timothy Shah, Architect of the FORIS Project. Stanley Carlson-Thies of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance and Kathleen Brady of Emory University, both also FORIS scholars, reviewed and commented on the report. Their collective efforts offer a broad exploration of the grounds on which religious institutions merit robust freedom in their doctrines, internal organization, and presence in society.

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FORIS Working Group Report | Institutional Religious Freedom and the Common Good: Significance, Challenges, and Policy Implications

This working group report emerges from the collaboration of scholars associated with RFI’s Freedom of Religious Institutions in Society (FORIS) Project: Chad Bauman of Butler University, Thomas Berg of the University of St. Thomas, Robert Hefner of Boston University, Farahnaz Ispahani (a former member of the Pakistani Parliament and RFI Senior Fellow), Byron Johnson of Baylor University, and Timur Kuran of Duke University. The report provides, in condensed form, an introduction to the most salient and cross-cutting themes the authors addressed in their research conducted under FORIS auspices.

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FORIS Policy Report | America’s International Religious Freedom Policy Must Account for Competing Local Definitions of Religion and the Common Good

This policy report, made possible by funding from the John Templeton Foundation, urges U.S. foreign affairs officials to consider how conceptions of religion and the common good vary across countries. U.S. diplomats, policymakers, and advocates for religious liberty will be less effective if they are unaware of these differences across societies or try to engage at the level of policy only without addressing these more fundamental issues.

Byron Johnson Moderates Debate Measuring Contribution of Faith to American Economy

United States Action Team Director, Byron Johnson, moderated a debate of new research measuring the contribution of faith to American society from Brian Grim, President, Religious Freedom and Business Foundation and Associate Scholar at the Religious Freedom Project.  While much conversation about religion in contemporary society focuses on the negative aspects of religion, from terrorism to clerical abuse, this new …