Religious freedom in Vietnam is at risk of deteriorating under the government’s new Law on Belief and Religion, a senior bishop told officials on Monday. Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Kham, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, was speaking at a meeting between government officials and representatives from…
Taiwan’s Lessons for the Mainland: China’s First Legal Discussion on Religious Online-Dissemination
Professor Zhou Fuchu: The Internet age has a profound influence on the human society. The ancient religious information also radiates in the Internet age. On Dec 10, 2016, the legal issue of religious information online transmission was discussed at an international symposium on religion and rule of law. Many […]…
Ecclesiastical court judgments – December
The post Issues of equality in the consistory courts considers the application of the Equality Act 2010 to the proposed disabled access to a pre-fabricated timber frame building into the community garden at the church, Re St Christopher Walworth [2016] ECC Swk 14. In addition to the inexcusable actions by…
HB 1523 opponents growing in number
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is gearing up to hear arguments on HB 1523 after U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled the law unconstitutional in June. On Dec. 23, various attorneys filed six amicus briefs in the appellant court representing a total of 70 people or groups with…
Disputed property, Church privileges and A1P1 ECHR: Sociedad Anónima del Ucieza
The ECtHR has handed down judgment in Sociedad Anónima del Ucieza v Spain [2016] ECHR (Application No. 38963/08) [In French]. The dispute was over the registration of ownership of a mediaeval church. Click here to view full article at www.lawandreligionuk.com
Four Pieces on Culture Warring–Inevitable, Interminable, Permanent
For one reason or another, a number of people in the blogosphere have been writing culture war posts in the last few days. Perhaps it’s the end of the year, or the looming political changes, or exam avoidance, or just the holiday cheer. For those who are interested, have a…
Update on 2016 Law and Religion issues and preview for 2017
It seems a good time of the year to take stock of the current status of some important Law and Religion issues discussed this year, and to flag some upcoming issues for the New Year. A. Same Sex Marriage 1. Making the change in Australia? 2. Protecting Religious Freedom if…
Top Ten Religious Liberty and Church-State Developments of 2016
For an alternative view of the Top Ten Religious Liberty Stories of 2016, see this post by Baptist Joint Committee blogger Don Byrd. Each year in December, I attempt to pick the most important church-state and religious liberty developments of the past year. This was a busy year, and a…
Law and religion round-up – 25th December
Charity and the advancement of religion Annual reporting consultation Short-term visitor visas for clergy The Great Irish Bake-Off series 3? Yet more on Brexit Quick links And finally…A member of the Polish Parliament, Beata Mateusiak-Pielucha of the ruling Law and Justice Party, has argued that “We should demand that atheists,…
Supreme Court takes Christian-affiliated hospital pension case
(Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear appeals by Christian-affiliated hospital systems of lower court rulings that gave the green light to employee lawsuits accusing them of wrongly claiming a religious exemption from federal pension law. New Jersey-based St. Peter’s Healthcare System, Illinois-based Advocate Health System…
Gilmour v Coats Revisited: a study in the law of public benefit
This article [1] revisits the case of Gilmour v Coats [1949] AC 426, [1949] UKHL 1. It is a timely moment to revisit the case because there is doubt about the requirement of public benefit for charities with purposes to advance religion. The case deals with the issue of private religious practice and the extent to which a religious organisation needs to engage with the public.
Christian artists could be jailed for refusing make same sex wedding invitations
A pair of Arizona-based Christian artists is challenging the local law that threatens to fine and imprison them for refusing to make same-sex wedding invitations. The ordinance also prevents the business owners from publicly explaining their convictions or even defending their decision lest they face jail time for that as…
Suit Seeks To Have Archbishop Sheen’s Remains Moved To Illinois
Sheen is about to be beatified by the Vatican– a step toward Sainthood. The Beatification Ceremony will take place in Peoria since Peoria’s Bishop Daniel Jenky was the Promoter for the Cause of Sainthood for Sheen. According to the New York Times, New York church officials object to moving the…
Expropriated church property: Lupeni in the Grand Chamber
In 1948, the Greek-Catholic Church of Romania [Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică] was dissolved by Nicolai Ceaușescu and its property handed over to the Orthodox Church by decree. After the fall of Ceaușescu in 1989, Legislative Decree No. 126/1990 was passed to provide that the legal status of property…
Air Force Academy Facing Potential Lawsuit for Pre-Game Prayers
Last December, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation threatened the US Air Force Academy with a lawsuit if the did not stop players from holding pre-game prayers together on the field. The Air Force launched an inquiry into the matter, and discussed concerns about some players perhaps feeling “pressure” to participate, but…
News: Christianity and Law (UK)
Christian Employee Should Not be Fired For Answering a Question Mbuyi v Newpark Childcare (Shepherds Bush) Ltd [2015] ET 3300656/2014. A Tribunal held that the claimant had been discriminated against when she was fired for a supposed homophobic remark she made to a lesbian co-worker on the ground that she had…
New Web Resources on Christianity and Law
Websites Religion Going Public is a new blog posting about “contemporary religion in the public sphere and aims both to inform and participate in on-going public debates relating to religion and society.” It is a collaboration of three research collaboration funded by The Research Council of Norway’s SAMKUL program. Visit the…
Recent books and articles-religion and law
Books Samuel Moyn, Christian Human Rights. Hardcover | Kindle Mark A. Smith, Secular Faith: How Culture Has Trumped Religion in American Politics. Amazon | Kindle Articles Ruth Colker, Religious Accommodations for County Clerks?, Ohio State Law Journal 76, (2015). Richard W. Garnett, The Freedom of the Church: (Toward) an Exposition, Translation, and Defense. Michael Harper, Distinguishing Disparate Treatment from…
Same-Sex Marriage cases and articles
A roundup of one court opinion and three essays relating to the same-sex marriage decision in Obergefell v. Hodges by SCOTUS.
Jesus Statue in Montana Park—Religious Expression?
The US 9th Circuit has rejected the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s charge that a large statue of Jesus on Big Mountain in Montana violated the Constitution’s Establishment Clause. The statue was erected in the 1950s by the Knights of Columbus as a war memorial, under a Special Use Permit by the US…
Same-Sex Marriage News Roundup
Three articles that address resulting issues after the SCOTUS decision in Obergefell v. Hodges by a legal scholar, a theologian, and a journalist.
New Book Series (Law and Christianity)
The Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University and Cambridge University has begun a new book series on law and Christianity. The series will be writing by top scholars from around the world to address such topics as religious freedom, human rights, church law, the role of natural law theory, church-state…
Religious Freedom for Law Students—Emory University
Last week, Emory University School of Law received an anonymous one million dollar gift to “expand training in religious freedom for law students and bring new scholarship and fresh voices to the field.” The money will fund a new four-year project at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion called…
Current news and cases in law and religion (UK)
A few links that caught my eye this week relating to law and religion in the UK. Nicklinson & Lamb v United Kingdom. Assisted suicide case and the compatibility of the UK law and Article 8 of the ECHR (right of respect for “private and family life”). See R (Nicklinson) v Ministry of…
New article: Limits on State Regulation of Religious Organizations
The interaction between the State and religion is in a period of change, and many of those relationships are being re-evaluated by politicians, government, and others. (The tax-exempt status of religious organization is big issue, in my opinion.) This is a new article entitled “Limits on State Regulation of Religious Organizations:…