Religious Freedom’s Economic Benefits

Defenses of religious freedom are often moral. They begin from the premise that conscience is not the property of the state and that no government can justly compel belief, worship, or religious conformity. John Locke’s A Letter Concerning Toleration is one of the most famous defenses of religious freedom and a classic example of a moral argument for such freedom. Locke argues that “the care of souls is not committed to the civil magistrate,” because government has authority over civil peace and property, not salvation.  Read Full Article »