Responding to Limitations of the Public Square

Abstract

True freedom is dependent upon respect for a diversity of views, including religious beliefs and practices. However, the law appears increasingly reluctant to accommodate religion. Instead, it seeks to force religion into its own image on sexual identity politics, by exerting legal pressure on religious communities to make them conform to the prevailing social norms. The Trinity Western University law school case in Canada vividly illustrates the current tensions between law and religion, which are likened to a cross-cultural interaction. Moving forward, we must choose between treating religion as the nemesis of equality and accepting differences within a pluralist democracy.

Keywords: accommodation of religion, law and religion, traditional marriage, public square, ideologies, sexual equality, conformity

JEL Classification: Z12, K39, Z18