In quite a few corners of the academic world, the study of religion has not emancipated itself entirely from religious, especially Christian theological, perspectives and agendas. In this book a number of prominent scholars present their ideas of how religion should be perceived from a non-religious (secular), academic and scientific point of view, how the studies should be undertaken and what role, if any, the scholar of religion can or should play in public debates. This book is primarily directed to students in classes of theory and method and to scholars engaged in the current debate and the emancipatory efforts. It is the hope of the editors that the present volume can help pave the way for more critical and more analytical studies of religion.