Embrace this blessing in disguise; Freedom of religion is not itself religious – it puts religion in its proper place, argues Clifford Orwin

January 9, 2012

Religious-freedom office is a blessing, non-believers

Article by Clifford Orwin, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto; Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution

9 January 2012, The Globe and Mail

It’s easy to make a bad argument against the Harper government’s plan to establish an Office of Religious Freedom within the Department of Foreign Affairs. You grumble that religion has often been oppressive, and thunder that Canada as a secular state ought not pursue religious objectives. Eventually, you subside.

These objections miss the point. Worse, they actually make the point – in favour of the office’s establishment. Yes, religion has not only been oppressive in the past but, in many places in the world, still is. And yes, Canada is a secular state, meaning that it is of no religion and enforces none.

Continue reading at The Globe and Mail.