Lecture
The Future of Freedom of Religion
- Date
- Friday 28 June 2019
- Time
- Explanation
- There will be drinks afterwards.
- Location
-
Kamerlingh Onnes Building
Steenschuur 25
2311 ES Leiden - Room
- A1.44
A philosophical outlook on the future of legal accommodation of freedom of religion
On the 27th of June, Barry Bussey will defend his dissertation on the future of the legal accommodation of freedom of religion. According to Bussey, there has been an ongoing revolution against this accommodation for quite some time now. He blames this on the inability of the law to push back against the critics of religion that battle for gender equality, a phenomenon that jeopardizes public religious organisations.
To celebrate his promotion, Bussey will hold a lecture on the 28th of June about the historical and philosophical roots of freedom of religion and the legal status of this freedom, both in present-day society and in the future.
Professor Iain Benson will be present as a co-speaker. Benson is Philosopher of Law and Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame in Sydney, Australia. His philosophical work covers a variety of subjects. Amongst other things, he focuses on the misuse of terms such as ‘secular’, ‘religious’ and ‘non-religious’, and the confusion this misuse causes in both the legal workfield as well as in our everyday lives. He argues for a society that allows religious and non-religious individuals and organisations to exist en cooperate together on equal foot, in a way that leaves room for both to agree to disagree.
Boris van der Ham will also be present as an co-speaker. Van der Ham has been a member of the Dutch parliament for over a decade. In this position he was the initiator and writer of the law which led to the fall of blasphemy law in the Netherlands. At present, he is the chairman of numerous associations, amongst others the Humanistisch Verbond (the Dutch Humanist Association). This association aims to promote the freedom of expression, equal treatment of all members of society and the right of self-determination of all individuals. Since 2018 he is also a board member of Humanists International, the international humanitarian umbrella organization. In 2018, Mr. Van der Ham wrote the book 'New Freethinkers', a book on the position of ex-Muslims.
The lecture will take place in the Lorentzzaal (room A.144) in the Kamerlingh Onnes Gebouw, Steenschuur 25 in Leiden. The lecture will start at 19:00 and end at around 20:30. There will be drinks afterwards.
If you would like to attend, please let us know by sending an e-mail to svdiqit@gmail.com.