Religious Liberty and Human Rights

This volume of essays by distinguished contributors presents a range of complementary perspectives on a subject of fundamental importance for the Christian churches and for contemporary society. It discusses, from international, historical and theological viewpoints, how the Human Rights Act 1998 falls to be applied to instances raising issues of religious liberty and highlights the importance of the Act for future decision making within faith communities. It includes the papers delivered at the Ecclesiastical Law Society’s residential conference in Trinity Hall, Cambridge in March 2001 (all of which have been substantially revised) together with four additional chapters specially commissioned for this volume.

Individual essays consider to what extent religious liberty has a distinctive nature which should be recognised in the context of state legislation on human rights and how both European and American law have sought to relate religious liberty to other conceptions of human rights. The development of theories of natural rights in political theology is given full treatment. Other major areas discussed include the effects of the Act on employment law and with regard to admission policies for state voluntary religious schools.