Law and Religion in Contemporary Society

Spurred by the Human Rights Act adopted by the European Convention in 1998, which guaranteed religious rights across the legal orders of the participating countries, the contributors (scholars in religion and law in the US, the UK, and New Zealand) to this volume present papers addressing the relationship of religion and the law. Individual topics include: British constitutional law in light of the 1998 act, the same question using a comparative approach with the legislation that resulted from the UN Rights of the Child, the possible perception of religion in England as a minority interest and how the rights of individuals are then to be protected, potential challenges to English judges as a result of the act, and the notion of human rights as a secularizing theology. Edge is on the faculty of law and religion at Oxford Brookes U., UK; Harvey is in religious studies at King Alfred's Winchester, UK. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)