Not by Faith Alone: Religion, Law, and Adolescence

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments Editors at New York University Press obviously have done much to shepherd the development of this text. I am, though, especially grateful for Jennifer Hammer’s careful editing and suggestions for revisions . I also am very appreciative of the manner in which she swiftly responded to my initial book proposal and found reviewers who provided insightful comments and wise counsel. I was very pleased to see that all took the manuscript on its own terms and helped develop the arguments I had proposed, rather than asking that I write a book that addressed issues that, although important, were not central to what I was trying to do: examine our understanding of the role of religion in adolescent development and fashion appropriate legal responses that respect adolescents and broader societal (including religious) concerns. The Psychology, Policy, and Law Program at the University of Arizona also deserves special acknowledgment. The intellectual environment fostered by Bruce Sales has done much to free me, in terms of both time and spirit, to write this text. Engaging students in the psychology program and in the law school, most particularly Tracey Geer, Cordelia Guggenheim , Scotia Hicks, Shannon Locke, and Sean Sullivan, have made teaching so rewarding and appropriately challenging that I found it easy to share and develop many of the ideas presented in this text, even though what we discussed related less to religious issues than to the legal system’s role in each of our lives. My family also deserves special acknowledgment. Helen, my wife and my constant source of support and inspiration, deserves much more than I can ever offer. Although I can never praise her enough, I find great comfort in knowing that she knows and warms my deepest sentiments and that her place in my life makes me a much better person (and scholar) than I ever could have hoped. Our three sons, Thomas, Henry, and Marc, all remind me of the best reasons we have been placed on Earth and why ix the issues I address in this text are of such significance. My parents, Marc and Isabelle, have been such a powerful force in my life that it renders me speechless when I think of how much I owe them for having helped instill in me respect for religious and spiritual concerns. My brother Yves and my sister, Linda, remain powerful role models as they remind me of the importance of moving beyond one’s individual concerns, reaching out to others, and finding one’s place in a changing world. Last, my brother Gilles, who died unexpectedly and tragically as I was starting this project, undoubtedly served as a deep source of inspiration and as a reminder of the need to cherish life and to embrace its mysteries. x | Acknowledgments ...