Welcome to Canopy Forum

Welcome to Canopy Forum

Canopy Forum is a digital publication from the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. Our contributors deliver expert analysis on important issues of law and religion around the world.

Read More

Interactions Podcast

Interactions Podcast

The Interactions podcast, a podcast about the interactions between law and religion, is produced by the CSLR and distributed by Canopy Forum. Listen wherever you get your podcasts for article reads, roundtable discussions, and expert analysis.

Read More

New Series: Religion, Property Law, & The Crisis of Houses of Worship

New Series: Religion, Property Law, & The Crisis of Houses of Worship

This virtual conference explores issues facing religious congregations, neighborhoods, towns, and cities where houses of worship are falling into disrepair or vacancy.

Read More

“Religious Literacy and the Challenge of Interfaith Dialogue (Part 3)” by Shlomo C. Pill

Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago, United States, 1893. Wikimedia. Part three of this series on interfaith dialogue focuses on religious literacy. Religious illiteracy is a widespread phenomenon and can seriously hamper attempts to engage in at least some forms of interfaith dialogue.  Notably, this problem is not exclusively one of interfaith illiteracy as many

“Law, Justice, Mercy, and Forgiveness from a Catholic Perspective” by Robert Fastiggi

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash This article is part of our “Religious Reflections on Forgiveness in Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. From a Catholic perspective, law, justice, mercy, and forgiveness ultimately converge in God, who is the ultimate source of law and combines justice, mercy, and forgiveness in his

“Religious Literacy and the Challenge of Interfaith Dialogue (Part 2)” by Shlomo C. Pill

Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago, United States, 1893. Wikimedia. Part two of this three-part series on interfaith dialogue explains several different forms of interfaith dialogue, highlighting some of the benefits and limitations of each, and explores the relevance of religious and interfaith literacy as an important tool for effective interfaith dialogue. [Read Part I here]

“Religious Literacy and the Challenge of Interfaith Dialogue (Part 1)” by Shlomo C. Pill

This is the first part of a three-part series exploring some of the methods, possibilities, and skills needed to effectively engage in interfaith dialogue and activity. History of Interfaith Engagement Interfaith engagement is hardly a new phenomenon. The most basic kind of interfaith activity—what is often referred to as “the dialogue of everyday life”—has been

“Judgment and Forgiveness in Texas: The Amber Guyger Case through the Lens of Islamic Law” by Hassaan Shahawy

This article is part of our “Religious Reflections on Forgiveness in Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. Amber Guyger, a white police officer, mistakenly entered the home of Botham Jean, a black man, and shot him dead. Months later, a Texas jury convicted Guyger of murder. Some celebrated

“Jewish Justice: Guyger, Forgiveness, and Christian Love” by Michael J. Broyde

This article is part of our “Religious Reflections on Forgiveness in Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. Nathan S. Chapman asks the right question: “How can justice and forgiveness co-exist?” This problem is one to which the Jewish tradition has offered at least three different answers. None of these responses,

“Judgment and Forgiveness in Texas: Christian Reflections on the Guyger Case” by Nathan S. Chapman

This article is part of our “Religious Reflections on Forgiveness in Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. Americans are talking about forgiveness. Forgiveness happened where many believe it shouldn’t have, in a place, at a time, and by people who should have left it alone. Forgiveness intervened, as it

“Equality or Need: A Theological Look at the 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates’ Tax Plans (Part 3)” by Allen Calhoun

—Part III—  Parts I and II of this article surveyed the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates’ tax proposals, particularly those (like the wealth tax proposals) that seek to reduce economic inequality, and located those proposals in the history of tax philosophy. This Part III places that largely post-Enlightenment philosophy of taxation in dialogue with the longer

“Islam and Women’s Rights: Postcolonial Challenges” by Shannon Dunn

This article is part of our “Natural Law, Human Rights, and ‘Unalienable Rights” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s formation of the Commission on Unalienable Rights has generated controversy among human rights advocates, in part because of the possibility that the committee will