Law and Religion in the Public Square

St. John's University School of Law hosted a wonderful symposium on Friday on Law and Religion in the Public Square.   The keynote speaker, Noah Feldman, offered a compelling analysis of the complex relationships not only between religion and morality, but also between both of those concepts and the American public square.  The morning panel asked a fundamental question for American democracy: What is the place of religious conviction in our political life?  Although the three speakers advocated three distinct answers, what they all share is a commitment to finding a solution to the challenge of religious diversity—a solution that protects religious freedom, that promotes equal citizenship, and that strengthens our democracy.  At lunch, New York Times columnist and Fordham University Professor Peter Steinfels asked whether religious ignorance ought to be considered “a crime against the first amendment.”  Whatever the answer to that legal question, his call for deeper and broader religious education is one that we should all take very seriously indeed.  Finally, the afternoon panel (which included MOJ'er Rick Garnett) addressed the difficult problem of whether and how our commitment to religious freedom protects not only individuals, but also religious groups and institutions.  Can the Bill of Rights sufficiently defend the religious communities that many of us feel are necessary for personal freedom to flourish?  The speakers examined this question from various perspectives, including law, international relations, and American history.  The proceedings will be published in a forthcoming issue of the St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary.