The goal of the Project on Religious Freedom and Society in Africa is critical religious inquiry into the connection between freedom of religion and societal wellbeing, and how the flourishing of persons and societies can be promoted on that basis.
Questions to be investigated:
- What is religious freedom and what role does it play in the production of values for individual advancement, societal wellbeing, and moral progress?
- How can religious freedom promote personal fulfillment and societal wellbeing?
- In what specific ways does religious freedom contribute to the cultivation of ethical values for individuals and society?
- What specific downstream initiatives are required to apply the lessons of religious freedom and civic virtue?
- What is the particular contribution of critical theological investigation to the issue of religious freedom and the norms of progress for human society?
- How should religious freedom foster a culture of initiative against passivity and resignation, of trust and respect against mistrust and intolerance?
- Are there wider comparative lessons to be drawn for inter-disciplinary exploration and collaboration?
We are inspired by the idea that we are not only political animals driven by sentiments of individual advantage and self-interest; we are also moral persons with the capacity for discerning God’s plan and purpose for life. Accordingly, we are summoned as moral persons to contribute skills as well as values of character and enterprise for advancing progress and the common good. We can do that best as responsible and contributing members of the wider human family.