Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents: Introduction; Part I. Background: 1. Religion, charity and the state: concepts, precepts, relationships and boundaries; 2. Charity law and religion: the common law context; historical background; 3. Competing frames of reference: domestic constraints; 4. The international context: religion, human rights and charity law reform; Part II. Contemporary International Perspectives: 5. England and Wales; 6. Ireland; 7. The United States of America; 8. Canada; 9. Australia; 10. New Zealand; Part III. Future Directions: 11. A conflicts of laws: canon law, charity law and human rights law; Conclusion.

"For the first time in 400 years a number of leading common law nations have, fairly simultaneously, embarked on charity law reform leading to an encoding of key definitional matters in charity legislation. This book provides an analysis of international case law developments on the ever growing range of issues now being generated by clashes between human rights, religion and charity law. Kerry O'Halloran identifies and assesses the agenda of 'moral imperatives', such as abortion and gay marriage that delineate the legal interface and considers their significance for those with and those without religious belief. By assessing jurisdictional differences in the law relating to religion/human rights/charity the author provides a picture of the evolving 'culture wars' that now typify and differentiates societies in western nations including the USA, England and Wales, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand"-- Provided by publisher.