The Price of Freedom Denied: Religious Persecution and Conflict in the Twenty-First Century

by Brian J. Grim, Roger Finke

The Price of Freedom Denied shows that, contrary to popular opinion, ensuring religious freedom for all reduces violent religious persecution and conflict. Others have suggested that restrictions on religion are necessary to maintain order or preserve a peaceful religious homogeneity. Brian J. Grim and Roger Finke show that restricting religious freedoms is associated with higher levels of violent persecution. Relying on a new source of coded data for nearly 200 countries and case studies of six countries, the book offers a global profile of religious freedom and religious persecution. Grim and Finke report that persecution is evident in all regions and is standard fare for many. They also find that religious freedoms are routinely denied and that government and the society at large serve to restrict these freedoms. They conclude that the price of freedom denied is high indeed.

Genres: Religion, Politics

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Paul D. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about as good as academic books get.

[Melissa Whiting · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives an interesting look at the issue of religious freedom versus religious restriction (socially and politically) and how these impact levels of violence and religious persecution throughout the world. I appreciated that the focus was not on the United States, although it would be interesting to learn more about this issue in the U.S. given the current social and political climate. My big takeaway: “Letting ‘alone one another’ does not mean they cannot propagate their message with the intent of winning new adherents, but rather that one religion does not seek to control the other.” Definitely a good look at some of the causes of violence within our world and a worthwhile read.