Religious Legal Systems

A powerful examination of the governance of a religious citizen and of the limits of religious freedom, this book demonstrates that the stakes in debates on religious freedom are not just about beliefs and practices but also have implications for the construction of citizenship in a diverse nation. Lori Beaman looks at the case of Jehovah?s Witness Bethany Hughes who was denied her right to refuse treatment on the basis of her religious conviction, reflecting a particular moment in the socio-legal treatment of religious freedom and reveals the specific intersection of religious, medical, legal, and other discourses in the governance of the religious citizen

From before Confederation to the present day, religion has been one of the most contentious issues in Canadian public life. In Fighting over God, Janet Buckingham surveys a vast array of religious conflicts, exploring both their political aspects and the court cases that were part of their resolution. While topics such as the Manitoba Schools Crisis and debates about Sunday shopping are familiar territory, Buckingham focuses on lesser-known conflicts such as those over the education of Doukhobor and Mennonite children and the banning of the Jehovah's Witness religion under the Defence of Canada Regulations during the Second World War. Subjects are explored thematically with chapters on the history of religious broadcasting, education, freedom of expression, religious practices, marriage and family, and religious institutions. Contentious issues about religious accommodation are not going away. Fighting over God cites over six hundred legal cases, across nearly four centuries, to provide a rich context for the ongoing social debate about the place of religion in our increasingly secular society.

When the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was enacted in 1982, the first of its fundamental freedoms seemed less significant and less interesting than many of its other rights. However, the Salman Rushdie affair, the 9/11 attacks, and later the publication of the "Danish Cartoons" helped to move religion or religious difference to the forefront of public consciousness. The book reviews the basic history of religious freedom in Canada; looks at state support for religion, including the place of religious practices and symbols in public institutions and the role of religious values in public decision making; the restriction or accommodation of religious practices by state action; religious restriction in particular contexts; state support for religious schools; freedom of religion in the context of the family, and in particular, the parent-child relationship; and freedom of conscience component of section 2(a).

Law and Religious Pluralism in Canada considers the role of religious values in public decision making, government support for religious practices, and restriction and accommodation of minority religious practices.

With this edited collection, Solange Lefebvre and Lori G. Beaman bring together a series of case studies of religious groups and practices from all across Canada that re-examine and question the classic distinction between the public and private spheres

This fourth revised edition is the leading Canadian legal text on the law relating to religious institutions. Previous editions have been frequently cited in and by all levels of Canadian courts as legally authoritative. Drawing on legal, historical, and theological sources, it deals with almost every area in which the laws of Canada interact with matters of religion or religious institutions including constitutional law, criminal law, evidence, property, corporations, trusts, taxation, discipline, family, health, and education. Designed for use by both lawyers and church administrators, this synthesis of legal and religious concerns makes this text an essential resource for all professionals working in the area. The fourth edition of Religious Institutions and the Law, current to the end of 2016, updates the law and includes new consideration of wearing religious garb in public places, marriage, rights of public school students, the right of Trinity Western University to open a new professional law faculty, ownership of property where institutional disputes erupt, and the definition of religion for legal purposes.

"'The Legal Guide for Religious Institutions provides an excellent overview of the legal landscape for religious organizations in the United States. I highly recommend this book as the standard text for clergy board members and administrators, of every religious organization in America.'-The Honorable Herman J. Smith, Jr., Massachusetts Superior Court"