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In recent years, ideas of conscience and the liberty of conscience have become ever more salient in public discourse. Historically, these concepts have been used to mark out a certain scope of freedom and protection in moral, political and legal conflicts. In our time, individual conscience is frequently used to legitimate objections to, for instance, military service and medical interventions like abortion and vaccination. So too in Sweden – a country widely described as one of the most modern and secularized societies in the world. In this volume, a group of researchers in history, human rights, law, ethics and sociology of religion address some of the most central issues around conscience and the liberty of conscience in Sweden from the middle ages to the present. By situating conscience and liberty in wider intellectual, social and political settings, the essays provide alternative ways of thinking about the most intractable problems surrounding these concepts – the relationship between law and morality, the tension between individual and collective freedom, as well as the role of religion in public affairs. This volume will create new avenues of research for scholars and students interested in challenges related to conscience and liberty: both those in ethics, politics and law seeking a historical perspective, and those in history who want to tie their studies to the present.

(Non)Religious Freedom: A Critical Perspective on the Contemporary Understanding of Freedom of Conscience and Religion

Nowadays, liberty of conscience as an inalienable right is a standard of demoliberal constitutionalism. It is an obvious component of a well-organized society and state. However, at the very beginning of its presence in the political discourse, it was more a product of Christian theology (the free conscience perceived as a gift of God) than a legal category; more an endowment of divinity than an intrinsic human value. In the contemporary, secularized world, our understanding of freedom of religion includes not only free exercise of religion but also freedom from religion. An increasing number of non-believers changes our expectations of the state that is obliged to protect the freedom of conscience of all citizens regardless of their beliefs. The goal of the article is to consider the difficulties faced by people with a theistic worldview in the reality of a state founded on the principle of ideological neutrality.

An Evaluative Study of the Educational Philosophy and Contribution of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was one of the most resplendent personalities of the 19th century. Altogether a theologian, scholar, social reformer, educationist he was a rare combination of Muslim talents in India. He was an intellectual giant who stood for dynamic movements of society. He molded the destiny of the nation and established the supremacy of India in many matters - worldly and spiritual, liberty of conscience and freedom of expression, hard work and struggle to make up the way. He had his own educational philosophy and a dream to establish an institution which could impart western education on oriental lines. This dream was actualized by establishing the Aligarh Muslim University.

Quaker Convincement Language: Using Pathos and Logos in the Seventeenth Century

Persuasion (convincement) is described as ‘linguistic choices that aim at affecting or changing the behaviours of others, or strengthening existing beliefs and behaviours of those who already agree’ (Halmari and Virtanen 2005). Many Quaker writers used their pamphleteering to promote a range of politico-religious demands: liberty of conscience, rejection of a separated priesthood and tithe-paying, and so on. This paper explores Friends’ varied approaches to persuasion and identifies a number of Aristotelian strategies observed in a corpus of early Quaker writings. Rhetorical power is generated by the interactions between the writer/speaker and the reader/listener, and Friends were enthusiastic in their attempts to influence the behaviour of their fellow creatures. A 1668 tract by Stephen Crisp is analysed in some detail to illustrate his gentle yet effective approach to promoting the Quaker way.