When you start with a necessary evil, and then over time the necessity passes away, what’s left?
- Matthew Scully, Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy
Religious and non-religious beliefs bring hope and consolation to billions of people across the globe, and hold great potential for peace and reconciliation. They have also, however, been the source of great tension and conflict. This complexity, and the difficulty of defining “religion” and “belief” inclusively, is illustrated by the continuing struggle to protect freedom of religion or belief in the context of international human rights.