'The Status of Religion and the Public Benefit in Charity Law' is an apologetic for maintaining the presumption of public benefit for the charitable category 'advancement of religion' in democratic countries within the English common law tradition. The argument consists of three broad fronts. First, there is the quantitative approach that considers practical public benefits, such as church-run soup kitchens or summer camps. Second, there is the qualitative approach that considers the positive effects of religion - both tangible and intangible - in the lives of individuals. Third, there is the political approach that appeals to the notion of pluralism in a free and democratic society, where individuals are free to establish religious communities that engage in the public square. To varying degrees, all of these approaches are canvassed in this book.
Edited by:
Barry W. Bussey
Imprint: Anthem Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 153mm,
Spine: 26mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781785273629
ISBN 10: 1785273620
Pages: 282
Publication Date: 29 February 2020
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgements; Preface; Table of Cases; Part I Concept and Practice of Public Benefit; Chapter One Have a Little Faith: The Advancement of Religion and Public Benefit, Juliet Chevalier- Watts; Chapter Two Religion and Public Benefit: Social Scientific Perspectives and Critiques, Raymond B. Chiu; Chapter Three The Public Benefi t of ‘Advancing Religion’ as a Charitable Purpose: A Canadian Perspective, John Pellowe; Part II Advancement of Religion in the United Kingdom; Chapter Four Religion and Public Benefit in United Kingdom Charity Law, Frank Cranmer; Chapter Five Back at the Bar: Charity Law, Public Benefit, and a Case of Legal déjà vu for the Exclusive Brethren, Bernard Doherty; Part III Public Benefi t and the Advancement of Religion in Canada; Chapter Six Advancing Religion in a ‘Neutral’ State: Understanding Religion as a Constitutional Good, Derek B.M. Ross and Ian N. Sinke; Chapter Seven Making Registered Charitable Status of Religious Organizations Subject to ‘Charter Values’, Barry W. Bussey; Chapter Eight Just Check the Box: Why Religious Institutions Still Make Canada a Better Place to Live and Flourish, Janet Epp Buckingham; Part IV Conclusion; Chapter Nine The Goal of Excluding Religion from the Idea of Public Benefit: Some Aspects of Neo- Secularist Strategies, Iain T. Benson; Contributors; Index.
Barry W. Bussey is director, legal affairs, Canadian Council of Christian Charities, and associate adjunct professor of law, University of Notre Dame Australia (Sydney). The co-editor of Religion, Liberty and the Jurisdictional Limits of Law (2017), Bussey has, with many years of experience in the charitable and non-profit sectors, written extensively on law and religion.
Reviews for The Status of Religion and the Public Benefit in Charity Law
'This volume brings together insightful contributions on the promotion of civic good by and through religion. It is required reading in an era where the secular-minded state increasingly threatens the flourishing of freedom of religion.' -Mark Hill QC, Vice President, International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies 'Does the advancement of religion constitute a public good? This timely book addresses the question of religion's social value in a scholarly, evidence-based analysis of the issue of public benefit. It will be an influential and most welcome voice in the debate.' -Mary Anne Waldron QC, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Canada 'This is a fascinating and provocative collection of papers about why advancement of religion should remain a category of public benefit for charity law purposes. At a broader level, it is about the contribution that all religions - even those one disagrees with - make within a society. An important book.' -Dwight Newman QC, Professor of Law, University of Saskatchewan, Canada 'This fine set of essays exposes the complex assumptions underlying recent controversies and provides wide-ranging resources for a powerful argument in defence of the historic legal presumption that religion is a public good.' -Julian Rivers, Professor of Jurisprudence, University of Bristol Law School, UK The book makes a passionate argument for the place and public benefit of religion in contemporary society in the context of current debate. The contributors, all well versed in the subject, bring together a wealth of evidence to support their case of the public benefit of religion, from different disciplines and perspectives. -Lindsay Driscoll, https://thephilanthropist.ca/2020/07/book-review-the-status-of-religion-and-the-public-benefit-in-charity-law/, published July 20, 2020
