Law and Religion

Module code: LW3515

• Can religious beliefs justify breaking the law?
• Should religious dress codes be banned? 
• How does the law balance secularism and religious freedom? 
• What happens when religion clashes with LGBTQ+ rights? 

These are not just abstract questions: they are the headlines of our times, they are courtroom battles, they are political and social debates that affect society, challenge lawmakers, and force courts to weigh morality, rights, and tradition. For generations, religion has been a part of personal and group identities. It has inspired revolutions and shaped constitutions; it has been used to justify both liberation and oppression. Today, religion raises some of the most difficult questions in the law: should a business owner be allowed to refuse service on religious grounds? Can a secular state ever be truly neutral? When do religious rights give way to other human rights? 

This module addresses the interaction of law, religion, and society. You will explore how legal systems engage with faith, from English law to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and beyond. You will examine cases where courts have had to draw the line between personal conviction and public duty, between belief and the law. Along the way, you’ll sharpen your ability to dissect legal and philosophical arguments on religion and the law, to evaluate real-world cases where religion influences legislation, court rulings, and human rights, to question assumptions about law, faith, politics and how they all collide, and to develop research and writing skills that will serve you in law, policy, academia and beyond. 

Topics covered

• The core principles underpinning the various relationship between law and religion. 
• The significance of religion in the English legal system and the ECHR. 
• The effect of religion and religious principles on law-making and adjudication.