Religious Liberty and Human Rights

This work includes papers of material presented at the Ecclesiastical Law Conference, 2001, which discussed the Human Rights Act of 1998 in relation to the Christian churches. Individual papers consider this theme in European and American law, the idea of human rights in relation to the concept of divine justice, the role of intervenors in legislation, how the judiciary approached disputes of a religious nature, discrimination in education and employment, and the theology of human rights. A major area that is discussed is the effect of the Act on employment law in respect of appointments to posts in churches and other faith bodies. Other examples which have already been the subject of litigation include demands for the exhumation of the remains of non-Christians interred in consecrated ground, admission policies for state voluntary religious schools, religious restrictions on marriage and adoption and planning decisions affecting sites.