Religious Freedom and the Constitution

One of the most important books on religious liberty to appear in years. Anyone interested in freedom of religion should read it, and for specialists in the area, it is a must. -- Andrew Koppelman, Northwestern University School of Law In an era when the proper role of religion in the public sphere is fiercely debated, Professor Christopher Eisgruber and Dean Lawrence Sager argue that religious institutions and practitioners have a right to be free from governmental discrimination on account of religious beliefs but have no right to be exempt from generally applicable laws on account of religious beliefs...Far from being an abstract exercise, Religious Freedom and the Constitution offers satisfying answers to some of the most vexing questions on religion facing the Constitution, including religious public displays, school prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance. * Harvard Law Review * The authors proceed patiently and sensibly through considerations of creche displays, conscientious objectors, ritual animal slaughter, and peyote smoking. Their recommendations may prove more useful as a philosophical corrective than as a set of juridical guidelines, but their careful attention to the social meaning of symbols, and their nuanced concern with the sociological role and ideological sway of religion in American culture, insures the persuasive force and continuing relevance of their arguments. * New Yorker * Christopher Eisgruber and Lawrence Sager are serious, accomplished scholars, and they have produced a valuable, provocative book. It will, and should, help frame the debate about religious freedom under law for years to come. -- Richard W. Garnett * First Things *