What opportunities and challenges are presented to religious education across the globe by the basic human right of freedom of religion and belief? To what extent does religious education facilitate or inhibit "freedom of religion" in schools? What contribution can religious education make to freedom in the modern world? This volume provides answers to these and related questions by drawing together a selection of the papers delivered at the seventeenth session of the International Seminar on Religious Education and Values held in Ottawa in 2010. These reflections from international scholars, drawing upon historical, theoretical and empirical perspectives, provide insights into the development of religious education in a range of national contexts, from Europe to Canada and South Africa, as well as illuminating possible future directions for the subject. Contents include: (1) Preface (Julian Stern); (2) Introduction (Stephen Parker, Rob Freathy, and Leslie Francis); (3) Freedom from Religious Beliefs: Humanists and Religious Education in England in the 1960s and 1970s (Rob Freathy and Stephen Parker); (4) Freedom of Religion and Publicly-Funded Religious Schools in Canada (Lorna M.A. Bowman); (5) Religious Freedom in a Democratic Latvia (Dzintra Ilisko); (6) Religious Education: A Foundation for Freedom of Religion and Belief (Peta Goldburg); (7) Can We Choose our Beliefs? A Philosophical Question for Religious Education (Jeff Astley); (8) Toward a Curriculum for Morality, Human Rights and the Freedom of Religion(s) and Belief(s) (Petro du Preez); (9) Pluralist Societies, First Principles, and the Freedom of Religion and Belief (Mario O. D'Souza); (10) Can We Educate for Freedom? Ethical Perspectives on the Pedagogic Paradox (Karin Nordstrom); (11) How Far is the Notion of "Conscience" Redundant and "Consciencing" a Better Alternative? (Brian Gates); (12) Freedom of Religion and Belief in Religious Schools? Toward a Multi-perspective Theory (Manfred L. Pirner); (13) Communities of Practice: Encountering the Unexpected in Narratives of Religious Diversity (Rene Ferguson); (14) Freedom of Belief for English Religious Education Pupils: Some Findings from the Warwick REDCo Community of Practice (Kevin O'Grady); and (15) Acknowledging Religious Diversity and Empowering Young Children's Agency and Voice in the Religion Classroom (Jan Grajczonek).