Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom presents the results of a wide-ranging study on how religious and non-religious belief organisations in the United Kingdom address the challenges they face in relation to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Drawing on interviews with representatives of belief organisations and public engagement bodies, the book offers an empirically grounded theory that explains how these organisations engage with and seek to influence the legal and societal frameworks that shape the lived experience of FoRB. Positioned at the intersection of sociology, law, and human rights scholarship, the study identifies the shared concerns of belief organisations and examines how they navigate the gap between legal provisions and everyday realities. Alongside its theoretical contribution, the book presents participants’ accounts of the challenges they encounter, together with their suggestions for policymakers. Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom will be of particular interest to scholars of religion, law, and human rights, as well as to public authorities and legislators, advocates, and representatives of belief organisations interested in evidence-based perspectives on how FoRB is lived and negotiated in contemporary Britain.

Mátyás Bódi is Research Fellow in Freedom of Religion or Belief at Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford. He completed his PhD in Divinity at the University of St Andrews, following seven years as a radio reporter, presenter, and editor for Hungary’s largest public service broadcaster. He holds an MA in Communication and Media Studies and an MA in Theology.