The right to religious freedom is a fundamental human right which is, at least legally, acknowledged
by almost all countries around the world. But nearly unrestricted freedom of religion is extremely
rare. Globally, restrictions on the exercise of religion increased in recent years. There is always in
some way a form of favouritism for a particular religion, even in the most liberal countries of the
world, be it in political or legal terms. Religious freedom is a commonly accepted, desirable goal in
today’s globalised and liberal Western philosophy. But is total religious freedom feasible at all and is
it an aim which governments should pursue? How far should a society or a government go with the
demands on religious freedom for each individual religious system? What is a "religion" and what are
religious beliefs and practices for the purpose of protecting the freedom of religion and who has to
decide these questions? What role should religion play in society? Should societies not have the right
to self-determination concerning these issues? This chapter attempts to give answers to those
questions concerning the normative goal of absolute religious freedom, while taking other critical
factors into consideration such as the historical and cultural heritage of a society.