The Eleventh Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, “Religion in the Public Sphere: Challenges and Opportunities,” 3-6 October 2004

Many academic commentators have documented the rise of religion in the public sphere throughout the world. The Eleventh Annual Symposium focused on the unique challenges and opportunities that this increased focus on and visibility of religion provides. Blandine Chelini-Pont, Director, Institute of Law and Religious History, Aix-en-Provence, France and J. Clifford Wallace, Chief Judge Emeritus, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, gave keynote addresses. Plenary sessions addressed “Religion in The Public Sphere: Challenges and Opportunities,” “Judicial Perspectives on Religion in the Public Sphere,” and “Judicial Perspectives on Religion in the Public Sphere.” The conference had a worldwide scope, with 82 participants from 38 countries ranging from China and Indonesia to Nigeria and Tonga. After the conference, some participants further developed their papers, which were then published in the annual law and religion symposium issue of the BYU Law Review. During the conference, the Center’s Distinguished Service Award was presented to President Michael K. Young, University of Utah and Vice Chair, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.