This outstanding collection of memorable quotations on religious freedom — the most comprehensive ever assembled — covers many centuries of thought and a wide array of sources. On every page the reader will discover a wealth of thoughtful, wise, and sometimes impassioned statements by all manner of men and women on a subject that has moved the consciences of generations from the distant past to the present. Included are early church fathers, Enlightenment philosophers, popes, anticlerical European statesmen, journalists, famous writers, judges, twenty-six presidents of the United States, and many others. A special feature of this compilation is the inclusion of quotes from major judicial decisions, from 1872 to the present, that bear on religious liberty.
Above all, these quotations show that an enormously wide spectrum of men and women of diverse religious, social, and political views have championed the principle of religious freedom. Teachers, scholars, clergy, legislators, writers, and anyone with an interest in this vital issue will benefit from the useful material in this superb volume.