From Hung Parliament to Bung Parliament… Abortion in Northern Ireland Street preaching News from Trumpton: Trinity Lutheran An ecumenical matter AMiE and the missionary’s position Cardinal charged with sexual abuse To lose one Cardinal Prefect may be regarded as unfortunate, to lose two… Islamic finance Click here to view…
From Law and religion UK – 25th June
The current week’s roundup of news from the UK (and a bit of the EU and even Texas) from lawandreligionuk.com. EU-UK Brexit talks The Queen’s Speech and the Great Repeal Bill The new Lord Chancellor General Synod Papers Independent report on handling of Peter Ball case Caste discrimination The Vatican,…
Legal group fights to restore off-site voluntary Bible class for Michigan students
A legal group is fighting to restore an off-site Bible class in Michigan after it was canceled by a school district due to complaints from a secular group. The law office of Rickard, Denney, Garno & Associates, which is affiliated with the religious liberties organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), is…
Church of Scotland votes on same-sex marriage: updated and corrected
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has agreed in principle to the report of its Theological Forum, An Approach to the Theology of Same-Sex Marriage. According to the Kirk’s press release, in presenting the report the Forum’s convener, the Very Revd Professor Iain Torrance, said that he and…
Kentucky governor signs bill to safeguard Christian students’ religious liberty
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has signed into law a bill known as the “Charlie Brown law” which safeguards the freedom of religious expression of Christian students in public schools. Senate Bill 17, which protects a public school student’s freedom to express religious viewpoints and wear religious clothing without fear of…
Law and religion round-up – 21st May
From Law and Religon Roundup: General Election 2017 The three main UK parties’ manifestos are now published: Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat. Unsurprisingly, there is little about “religion” in any of them; however, the Lib Dems have said that, if elected, they will introduce opposite-sex civil partnerships, while the Tories…
Law and religion round-up – 14th May
A few items from Law and Religion UK: “Reciprocal heresy trials”, an episcopus vagans and Matthew 6:3 Humanist marriage in Northern Ireland Ireland, blasphemy and Stephen Fry Swiss canton says “no” to burqa ban Ritual slaughter, infant circumcision, hijabs and burkinis – again Ecclesiastical Law Journal Read these and more…
Arkansas Mass Executions And Christian Nonviolence
Arkansas is set for a mass execution of eight people within a 10 day period, starting April 17. The rush to kill exists because one lethal injection drug — which has caused multiple botched executions — is about to expire. Replacing these weapons has become challenging since drug companies have…
Supreme Court of Canada to review congregational expulsion: Highwood Congregation v Wall
In Wall v Judicial Committee of the Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses 2016 ABCA 255 (CanLII), Mr Wall had sought judicial review of his expulsion from the Highwood Congregation. A chambers judge had concluded that the Court of Queen’s Bench had jurisdiction to hear the application and the Court of…
Church of Scotland Theological Forum reports on same-sex marriage
The Theological Forum of the Church of Scotland has produced a report, An Approach to the Theology of Same-Sex Marriage, in advance of next month’s General Assembly. The report examines three overlapping kinds of argument in some detail: arguments based on understandings of human rights; analogical arguments which try to…
Law and religion round-up – 23rd April
From Law and religion round-up – 23rd April …the General Election, June 2017 Manchester Gorton by-election Lobbying: a reminder to third-party campaigners Other election issues The Church of Scotland and same-sex marriage Church of Scotland General Assembly 2017 Polygamy on trial in Canada Shergill v Khaira yet again News from…
Christian Bakers, Gay Weddings, and a Question for the Supreme Court
On Monday morning, the Supreme Court put off, for a second time, the decision whether to hear Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, but the core of the issue is unlikely to remain unresolved for long. The case is just one of a number of disputes in which small-business…
New South Dakota Law Protects Religious Child-Placement Agencies
ACLU reports that on March 10, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard signed SB 149 (full text) into law. The new law protects adoption and foster care agencies that act in accordance with religious or moral beliefs in placing children, providing in part: It also explicitly bars any adverse action by…
The CJEU ruling media storm is much ado about nothing
The case sought a preliminary ruling on the question of whether a blanket ban on the wearing of religious symbols by a private employer would amount to direct discrimination under the meaning of the Employment Directive. The Church of England has issued a statement expressing its grave concern over the…
Plaques, noticeboards and acknowledgements
Faculty jurisdiction and external signage The commercial relationship between individual churches and external organizations frequently requires the display of clearly visible signage, often outside the church building. This was the substance of the recently-reported Re St Bartholomew Welby [2017] ECC Lei 1,in which the court considered how a grant from…
Munoz: The Founders and the Natural Right of Religious Free Exercise: A Response
From an online symposium on Vincent Phillip Muñoz‘s article, “Two Concepts of Religious Liberty.” Here is Professor Muñoz’ response to some of the participants: It’s gratifying when scholars you respect and admire take your work seriously. I am therefore deeply grateful for the symposium hosted by the Center for Law…
On the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
On the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom Click here to view full article at lawandreligionforum.org At the Library of Law and Liberty this morning, I have a post on the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom of 1786, the anniversary of which America marked last week. Among other things, I describe…
Law and religion round-up – 22nd January
From the www.lawandreligionuk.com wekkly roundup of law and religion news: Brexit Northern Ireland elections The Charity Commission and the Jehovah’s Witnesses Assisting suicide: the DPP’s policy Burial rights reform Unsafe memorials in cemeteries The UKSC Brexit judgments: R (Miller) etc
Wrap-up: Church court divorce void
A case before the Supreme Court of India has garnered a lot of attention. The issue concerns Christian divorce law in the country: Christian personal law cannot override the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872 and the Divorce Act, 1869, the Supreme Court held on Thursday while dismissing a PIL seeking…
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…
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…