Abstract
Free to Believe is a thoughtful and provocative exploration of religion and Canadian law. Waldron’s goal is to “rethink” how court rulings and popular opinion address belief. She does so through a thorough analysis of court rulings pertaining to religion, religious freedom, religious expression, belief, and accommodation in order to expose certain inconsistencies pertaining to how we frame and apply Charter sections on freedom of conscience and religion. Waldron mixes detailed research with broader questions and argument. Her research is rigorous yet approachable, suitable for scholars from various fields. Her central thesis is that the freedom of conscience and religion is too often restricted unnecessarily, and that doing so is detrimental to the tenets of democracy (9, 24). She presents her case through three main critiques of the courts and their rulings on religion. First, courts are too quick to deem religious practice or expression offensive or coercive, and prohibit it on such bases. Secondly, we all too often misrepresent religious freedom when we unilaterally equate it to other equality rights. Instead, religious freedom should be understood …
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