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. New episodes now available.

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Masking Religious Freedom Violations

Masking Religious Freedom Violations

This symposium explores the complex and multifaceted nature of religious discrimination. Read new essays by various experts here.

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Ongoing Series

Ongoing Series

Our three latest series include essays on Transnational Christian Nationalism, IVF and ART, and a collaboration with the journal, Derecho en Sociedad. Explore our latest series by scholars around the globe.

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“Defining the True Meaning of Racism: The Law & Religion of Colonial America (Part I)” by Audra L. Savage

“Slave Ship: Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On” by J.M.W. Turner 1840 / Wikimedia / PD This article is part of our “Race, Religion, and Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. This is the first installment of a three-part series that explores legal, religious, and

“Defiant Congregations in a Pandemic: Public Safety Precedes Religious Rights” by Robin Fretwell Wilson, Brian A. Smith, and Tanner J. Bean

Photo by marybettiniblank on Pixabay (CC) This article is part of our “Reflecting on COVID-19” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. Families across America are running for cover from COVID-19. And for good reason: as of today, the United States has over 15,000 confirmed cases. More than 200 Americans are

“Redemption and Justice in the Guyger Case” by Brandon Paradise

Photo by Ichigo121212 on Pixabay This article is part of our “Race, Religion, and Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. On September 6, 2018, a 26-year-old black accountant, Botham Jean, was murdered in his own apartment at the hands of a white, off-duty police officer, Amber Guyger. Mistaking Jean’s

“Civil Partnerships and the Church of England” by Christopher Grout

Low Angle Photo of Brown and Gray Cathedral during Daytime by Kris Schulze (Pexels CC) The Civil Partnership Act 2004 (“the 2004 Act”) was described by the then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice as an “important and groundbreaking piece of legislation,” as well as “the greatest advance towards equality for lesbian, gay,

“Selling Religious Cures and Other First Amendment Pitfalls in the Age of Coronavirus” by Shlomo Pill

Photo by Anna Shvets (Pixels CC) This article is part of our “Reflecting on COVID-19” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. Challenging times can bring out the very best in people, but these times also seem to prompt far less commendable actions by others. There are always those happy and

“Becoming Black and Christian in Virginia” by Ariela Gross and Alejandro de le Fuente

This article is part of our “Race, Religion, and Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. This article is adapted from the authors’ forthcoming book: Becoming Free, Becoming Black: Race, Freedom, and Law in Cuba, Virginia, and Louisiana (2020) from Cambridge University Press. By the time the English settled Virginia in

“Religious Racism: An Overlooked Form of Anti-Black Prejudice” by Danielle Boaz

Image of Religious Ceremony/ by Andrè Mellagi/ Flickr / This article is part of our “Race, Religion, and Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. Last August, DECRADI (a specialized police force in Rio de Janeiro that handles crimes of religious and racial intolerance) announced that since the beginning of

“Why Does the Catholic Church Insist on Celibacy?” by Rafael Domingo

Pixabay (License) An earlier Spanish-language version of this essay was recently published on CNN en Español. Recently, the Catholic Church has begun an internal conversation about ordaining married men as priests. This move would mark a significant change from what has been the settled policy of the Latin Church for a thousand years, under which

“Public Rhetoric, Human Nature, and Human Rights” by Mathew D. Garcia Scruggs

Pixabay (License) Natural law and human rights language is directly connected to discussions about human nature. Public rhetoric describing specific communities often shapes our discussions about the way natural law and human rights are applied to those communities. Given the current U.S. presidential administration’s public rhetoric about Latinx and undocumented communities, it is important to

“Teshuva: A Look at Repentance, Forgiveness, and Atonement in Jewish Law and Philosophy and American Legal Thought” by Samuel J. Levine

Photo of red flowers by FanDeLy (Pixabay CC) 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. This essay is excerpted from Samuel J. Levine, Teshuva: A Look at Repentance, Forgiveness and Atonement in Jewish Law and Philosophy and American Legal