Director of AFN, Martin Weightman, attended the annual international conference of CESNUR – a leading body of academics in the field of religion – held at the University of Turin. Headed by Professor Massimo Introvigne, CESNUR has led the way in gathering a wide range of religious experts and developing expertise in the field of religion. UK academics attended including well-known academic Professor Eileen Barker OBE. She is Professor Emeritus of Sociology with Special Reference to the Study of Religion and is one of the London School of Economics Honorary Fellows. Many academic papers on a wide range of religions and from different academic disciplines were discussed. Subjects included religious repression in China, Christian trends, New Movements and Ancient Traditions, Islam, Church of Scientology, Religion Morality and Society.
These studies are particularly useful, not only in fostering healthy debate and understanding about different religions but especially in dispelling false perceptions and ingrained attitudes of discrimination and resistance to the right for everyone to practice his or her own religion or belief in society. For more information see https://www.cesnur.org
