ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that although a secular state is committed to neutrality among religious options, it can have good reason not merely to permit, but to promote the freedom of religious expression and action when these contribute social goods that it can recognize using secular standards. It examines explores the limits of religious liberty and the difficult question of the proper definition of the secular, charting the development of that notion in Canadian legal decisions. The book illustrates the writings of the ancient philosopher Epictetus and concludes that a central and neglected insight is that liberty itself is a deeply religious concept. It also surveys the history of religious liberty as a human right, and focuses on a rather disturbing fact.
